Synergistic Design of a Bionic-Textured and Composite-Coated Soil-Covering Roller for Enhanced Anti-Adhesion and Wear Resistance in Conservation Tillage

Soil adhesion and abrasive wear severely degrade the performance and service life of soil-covering rollers in no-tillage seeders, particularly in the heavy clay black soil regions of Northeast China. To address the critical issues of soil adhesion and wear on soil-covering rollers used in no-tillage seeders within black soil regions, this study presents a surface engineering strategy that integrates a bionic micro-texture with a functional composite coating. Inspired by the crescent-shaped pits on the body surface of Procambarus clarkii, a bionic texture was designed and combined with a PTFE/PDMS/TiO2 composite coating. Key parameters were optimized using response surface methodology, yielding a TiO2 mass fraction of 6%, coating thickness of 40 μm, remaining texture depth of 50 μm, and texture spacing of 250 μm. A prototype was fabricated and evaluated through orthogonal field experiments in two distinct soil environments. In clay soil (15–25% moisture content), soil moisture and vertical load significantly influenced anti-adhesion performance, with recommended operating parameters of 600 N vertical load and a speed range of 10.8–14.4 km·h−1. In sandy soil (8–18% moisture content), vertical load and operating speed had significant effects on wear resistance, with optimal parameters identified as 600 N vertical load and 10.8 km·h−1. Verification tests confirmed stable low-adhesion and low-wear performance under varying moisture conditions. Compared to conventional and PTFE-coated rollers, the bionic roller reduced soil adhesion by 82.62% and 74.02%, respectively, in high-moisture clay soil, and reduced wear loss by 36.81% and 28.97%, respectively, in dry sandy soil. These results demonstrate that the synergistic “structure–material” design, which leverages stress dispersion and storage from the bionic texture alongside low surface energy and enhanced wear resistance from the composite coating, offers a promising approach for improving the durability and performance of soil-engaging agricultural components.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Agriculture
Published
2026-04-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16090986
Primary Topic
Soil Mechanics and Vehicle Dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Synergistic Design of a Bionic-Textured and Composite-Coated Soil-Covering Roller for Enhanced Anti-Adhesion and Wear Resistance in Conservation Tillage

Yueyan Wang, Zhulin Gao, Zhengda Li, Zihao Zhao et al.
Agriculture
Soil Mechanics and Vehicle Dynamics
article

Synergistic Design of a Bionic-Textured and Composite-Coated Soil-Covering Roller for Enhanced Anti-Adhesion and Wear Resistance in Conservation Tillage

Yueyan Wang, Zhulin Gao, Zhengda Li, Zihao Zhao, Rui Li, Ying Zhang, Xing Wang, Haitao Chen, Yonghao Yang
article en

Abstract

Soil adhesion and abrasive wear severely degrade the performance and service life of soil-covering rollers in no-tillage seeders, particularly in the heavy clay black soil regions of Northeast China. To address the critical issues of soil adhesion and wear on soil-covering rollers used in no-tillage seeders within black soil regions, this study presents a surface engineering strategy that integrates a bionic micro-texture with a functional composite coating. Inspired by the crescent-shaped pits on the body surface of Procambarus clarkii, a bionic texture was designed and combined with a PTFE/PDMS/TiO2 composite coating. Key parameters were optimized using response surface methodology, yielding a TiO2 mass fraction of 6%, coating thickness of 40 μm, remaining texture depth of 50 μm, and texture spacing of 250 μm. A prototype was fabricated and evaluated through orthogonal field experiments in two distinct soil environments. In clay soil (15–25% moisture content), soil moisture and vertical load significantly influenced anti-adhesion performance, with recommended operating parameters of 600 N vertical load and a speed range of 10.8–14.4 km·h−1. In sandy soil (8–18% moisture content), vertical load and operating speed had significant effects on wear resistance, with optimal parameters identified as 600 N vertical load and 10.8 km·h−1. Verification tests confirmed stable low-adhesion and low-wear performance under varying moisture conditions. Compared to conventional and PTFE-coated rollers, the bionic roller reduced soil adhesion by 82.62% and 74.02%, respectively, in high-moisture clay soil, and reduced wear loss by 36.81% and 28.97%, respectively, in dry sandy soil. These results demonstrate that the synergistic “structure–material” design, which leverages stress dispersion and storage from the bionic texture alongside low surface energy and enhanced wear resistance from the composite coating, offers a promising approach for improving the durability and performance of soil-engaging agricultural components.

AgricultureVol. 16(9)
Northeast Agricultural University (CN), East University Of Heilongjiang (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Soil Mechanics and Vehicle Dynamics
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.