Optimization Design and Performance Analysis of a Novel Bionic Rotary Cutter for a Weeding Machine

In a weeding machine, the weeder component determines overall working performance, while the weeding blade influences soil-cutting quality, weeding efficiency, resistance, and power consumption. In this paper, a bionic design for a weeding cutter inspired by the soil-cutting process of the cicada nymph has been proposed and the intent is to promote the performance of the bionic design. The weeding cutter introduced in this paper has been equipped with lightweight and simplified rotary robotic-machinery commonly utilized in hilly and mountainous areas. To assess the performance of the bio-mimetic weeding cutter during rotary, the forces in 3 directions (X, Y & Z) and the resistance torque have been investigated. An experimental platform with a 4 m long soil bin has been utilized for tests indoors. Meanwhile, the discrete element method (DEM) simulations with different conditions like the operated angle, the rotation speed, the forward velocity, and different cutting edges, have been carried out. Either the experimental result or the simulative result indicated that the bio-mimetic weeding blade ameliorated the performance of soil-cutting, energy consumption and weeding efficiency. Specifically, the bio-mimetic weeding blade exhibits a notable reduction of 14.19% in average torque and 14.95% in horizontal resistance compared to the traditional weeding blade. Finally, it could be found that the bionic rotary cutter proposed in this research could be a better choice for the weeder machine used in hilly and mountainous areas.