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Research and Experiment on the Vibration Drag-Reducing Soil-Engaging Mechanism of a Full-Feed Topsoil Residual Film Recovery Machine for Xinjiang Cotton Fields
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Researchers designed a vibrating soil-digging tool, inspired by mole cricket claws, to remove plastic mulch film left in cotton field soil in Xinjiang, China. Tests and field trials showed the device reduced soil buildup and cut the force needed to pull it through soil by up to 16.46%.
Long-term plastic mulching has caused severe residual film pollution in southern Xinjiang cotton fields, while conventional blade reclaimers face high operating resistance and soil accumulation in moist cohesive soil. This study developed a bionic vibration soil-engaging mechanism based on mole cricket claws to address this issue. The dual drag-reduction scheme works synergistically: the crank–rocker-driven movable blade generates periodic vibration (peak acceleration 150 m/s2) to fracture compacted soil and reduce adhesion ahead of the shovel, while the bionic tooth with an optimized wedge angle (30°) derived from mole cricket claw contours penetrates the pre-loosened soil with minimized geometric resistance. Mole cricket claw contours were extracted to optimize shovel geometry; optimal parameters were determined via EDEM–RecurDyn co-simulation and orthogonal tests, followed by field validation. At 1150 r/min vibration frequency,15 mm amplitude, and 0.5 m/s forward speed, eccentric shaft torque reached 12.72 N·m, with 9.33%and 13.29% drag reduction for bottom and side blades. The 2 m-wide mechanism cut soil accumulation height to 30.5 cm and achieved 16.46% maximum traction drag reduction, verified by field tests. This work provides technical support for residual film control in cohesive southern Xinjiang cotton fields.
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