From virtual to real: comparison of field experiments and DEM simulation of twin-disc granular fertiliser broadcaster

Twin-disc fertiliser broadcasters are commonly used to distribute granular fertiliser. The performance of these machines depends on various design and operational variables. Assessing the effects of these variables under real-world conditions requires extensive, time-consuming, labour-intensive, and material-intensive studies and analyses. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) approach enables computer-aided simulation of these processes. However, to ensure that simulation studies correspond with field studies, material properties must be used in the software with high accuracy, and simulation models must be selected appropriately for the operating conditions. The aim of this study was to compare field experiments and DEM simulations of fertiliser distribution with twin-disc fertiliser broadcaster. The field experiments were carried out with granular fertiliser and five different disc peripheral speeds according to the ASAE S314.4 and TS 2541 standards. For the DEM simulations, the twin-disc fertiliser broadcaster, the granular fertiliser, and the hoppers used in the field experiments were modelled, and the simulation experiments were conducted as a function of the operating parameters of the fertiliser broadcaster. In the field and simulation experiments carried out with three vanes, an average difference of 2% between the fertiliser quantities was determined at a 16 m effective working width.