DESIGN AND FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF AN INTEGRATED POTATO DIGGER FOR SUSTAINABLE MECHANIZATION

Abstract

Advancement in agricultural mechanization is a need of the time for applying new methods of farming for maximum crop production. Structural design of potato harvester is necessary to enhance harvesting performance, minimize the damage of tubers, and minimize the labor and energy use. This paper demonstrates a system-level optimization of integrated potato digger system, which integrates the structural FEA, modal and field validation. In contrast to the past studies that have enumerated the individual components, this paper assesses blade, frame, and pulley systems as a unit to enhance harvesting efficiency and mechanical reliability. The ANSYS Workbench was used to run Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to assess the stress distribution, deformation and structural integrity of important parts under operative loading conditions. The geometries of the blades (16, 18, 22, and 24 degrees) were tested to find the best design. The findings showed that the 24-degree blade angle gave the least stress (2.4482 MPa) and less deformation (0.00138 mm) which is structurally safe and efficient at penetrating the soil. Frame modal analysis showed that the vibration was stable in the range of acceptable frequencies (3.34 23.70 Hz), which implies that the operation is reliable. The optimized design had been made, and preliminary field test was conducted. The combined system proved to separate the soil and potatoes well using a three-step conveyor, brush rollers and slip rollers and also the direct loading into a trolley. There were, however, limitations, through the passage of hard clods and loss of small-sized tubers (<35 mm). Overall, the system that has been developed offers a cost-effective and energy-efficient method of mechanized harvesting of potatoes.