Design and Testing of a Bionic Seed Planter Furrow Opener for Gryllulus Jaws Based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM)

In addition to improving the efficacy of the furrow opener by ensuring consistent seeding depth, the gryllulus jaw geometry curve was integrated into the furrow opener. Soil particles were modeled using the DEM combined with the Hertz–Mindlin with JKR model, and simulation tests were conducted using the DEM corn stover model. Three geometric curves of gryllulus jaws were extracted. The effect of each curve and magnification on the manipulation results was clarified by the simulation test. Subsequently, field trials were conducted to evaluate the stability of the seeding depth of the bionic structure. The experiment showed that the No. 1 structure with a magnification of 1000 was the best, and the stability was 42.10% higher than that of the original structure. The results of this research can provide key structural and simulation parameters for the development of planter furrow openers with both efficient straw crushing and stable sowing depth functions, which is of great significance for the improvement of agricultural machinery.