Design and Test of Cutting and Conveying Device for Slope-Protection Grass in Farmland Irrigation Canals

To address re-siltation from the secondary deposition of grass residues and the challenge of collecting residues after the slope mowing of farmland irrigation canals, as well as the precise maintenance requirements of “controlling grass without destroying it” for ecological canal slopes, an innovative cutting and conveying device for slope-protection grass was designed. The device includes a shaft equipped with Y-type flail knives and straight knives to achieve efficient cutting and initial throwing. The internal airflow field of the cutting device was simulated using FLUENT software, verifying the synergistic effect between the airflow field and mechanical throwing. The practicality of the lateral conveying device was verified through co-simulation using RecurDyn and EDEM. We determined the apparatus’ optimal operating parameters through field experiments and using a quadratic regression model. The results indicate that when the forward speed is 3.6 km·h−1, the cutting blade shaft speed is 2050 rpm, and the conveyor belt linear speed is 1.2 m·s−1, with the off-canal conveyance rate of the device reaching 85.44%. In this study, we provide a theoretical basis and support for the optimal design of cutting and conveying devices for farmland irrigation canals.