Abstract To address the high excavation resistance and root damage in mechanised Panax notoginseng (Sanqi) harvesting, this study designed a specialised biomimetic digging shovel inspired by the drag-reducing morphology of the two-horned rhinoceros beetle ( Allomyrina dichotoma ). The shovel structure was designed based on 3D-scanned geometric features of the beetle and the agronomic requirements of raised-bed mulching cultivation. A root-soil-shovel interaction model was established using the Discrete Element Method (DEM) to simulate the effects of shovel shape and operational parameters on digging resistance and soil-root separation. Key structural parameters were optimised via Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Soil-bin tests confirmed the simulation results and drag-reduction performance. Compared to a conventional flat shovel, the biomimetic shovel achieved an average drag reduction of over 23%, with a maximum reduction of 31.4% at a 25° entry angle, 0.8 m·s-1 working speed, and 30 mm blade spacing. The optimal parameters were a vertical spacing of 4.13 mm, horizontal spacing of 3.71 mm, and a top angle of 130°, yielding a theoretical digging resistance of 162.15 N and an experimental value of 165.39 N (deviation 1.96%). This study provides a reliable biomimetic design method and engineering solution for low-damage, high-efficiency mechanised harvesting of Panax notoginseng .
Zhang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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