Hydrophobic high-frequency vibration collaborative strategy for reducing resistance and soil adhesion of tillage tools in lime concretion black soil

Soil-engaging components in the lime concretion black soil farming in the Huang Huai Hai region of China often face significant challenges due to strong resistance caused by soil adhesion. Soil adhesion to tillage tools under high moisture conditions presents a major challenge for vibration-based drag reduction methods. Conversely, surface-modified hydrophobic tillage tools exhibit relatively limited drag reduction efficiency in low-moisture soils. Herein, a hydrophobic high-frequency vibration drag reduction strategy was proposed. By combining a thin-layer hydrophobic rubbery coating with high-frequency vibration, this approach reduced the interfacial interaction between moist soil and the modified soil-engaging components, as well as the internal friction among soil particles. Specifically, a robust cross-linked physical network was formed by the rigid styrene segments and alloys, and the thin-layer (0.2 millimeter) coated rubbery styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) was adhered firmly to soil-engaging components, achieving an adhesion energy of 37.21 J/m 2 . With the integration of high-frequency vibration, the hydrophobic soil-engaging components demonstrated a low adhesion amount of 0.27 g/cm 2 and a drag reduction rate of 32.16 % in the soil at 21 % moisture content. All in all, this work provides significant theoretical and technical support for efficient adhesion reduction and drag reduction of agricultural machinery soil-engaging components in the Huang Huai Hai region. By combining a 0.2-mm hydrophobic SEBS coating with 200 Hz high-frequency vibration, this strategy achieves synergistic adhesion reduction and drag reduction for soil-engaging components in lime concretion black soil (Huang Huai Hai region in China). The approach delivers ultralow soil adhesion (0.27 g·cm −2 ), a 32.16 % drag reduction rate, and a 33.68 % energy savings. • Hydrophobic high-frequency vibration collaborative strategy. • 0.2-mm SEBS hydrophobic coating with 37.21 J·m −2 adhesion energy. • 32.16 % drag reduction and 0.27 g·cm −2 soil adhesion at 21 % soil moisture.