Wear simulation of tillage tools with the Discrete Element Method

Abstract. The tools for agricultural soil tillage are subject to heavy wear due to the loads and strains of the tools caused by the soil. Simulation methods, such as the Discrete Element Method (DEM), show a good suitability for the investigation of these processes in soil tillage. In this context, the contribution serves the progress of the DEM in agricultural tool soil simulation, especially with regard to the applicability of wear investigations. The loads transferred to the tool by the soil is represented by the particle properties in the DEM simulation. The soil tillage was simulated and validated against experiments in a round soil bin. A high agreement to the measured values has been achieved. The stress on the tools due to the interaction between particle and tool is modelled using a wear model. The wear behavior can be taken into account in the simulation by cumulating the normal forces in relation to the travelled distance of the particles along the tool surface. A good agreement between the wear simulation and the endurance tests in the soil bin has been achieved. Zones of large material removal can be identified by the simulation in order to improve areas susceptible to wear and tear and to enable suitable geometry deformations of the tool