NUMERICAL SIMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE POTATO HARVESTER DIGGING SHOVEL IN HILLY AREAS

The shovel face inclination angle is a crucial parameter of the potato harvester digging shovel. Currently, there is limited research on the relationship between the inclination angles of curved digging shovel surfaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the shovel face inclination angle on its soil crushing capacity in hilly terrain. A simulation model for the contact between the digging shovel and the soil was developed. The digging process of the shovel was simulated and analyzed under different shovel face inclination angles (α2). The analysis included comparisons of stress, Plastic Equivalent Strain (PEEQ), and energy. The results show that the larger the angle, the stronger its soil crushing ability; however, if the angle difference is too large, the phenomenon of soil flipping back occurs. When α2 = 16–17 °, the shovel length becomes excessive. When α2 = 18 °, the stress is too small. When α2 = 19 °, the energy is too large, and when α2 = 23–24 °, the PEEQ is too small. Therefore, the optimal shovel face inclination angle α2 is between 20 and 22 °, with fixed angles α1 = 15 ° and α3 = 13 °.