Aiming to address the problems of poor separation of peanuts and soil and severe damage of pods during peanut harvesting in saline soil, a peanut digging and harvesting machine was designed using extrusion shaking vibration and roller extrusion. Theoretical calculations determined the structural parameters of critical components. The law of motion of the seedling soil assemblage at the stage of separation and transportation was derived by analyzing the kinematic properties. The soil extrusion vibration crushing dispersion and sieving process was analyzed, and the factors affecting soil crushing and separation were determined by establishing the extrusion collision model. One-way and orthogonal tests used soil content, breakage, and loss rates as test indicators. The orthogonal test showed that the working parameters were as follows: working speed was 0.889 m/s, the inclination angle was 21.5 degrees, the working line speed of the sieve surface was 2.00 m/s and the roller gap of the roller squeezing device was 37 mm, the peanut harvesting rate of soil content was 1.36%, the breakage rate was 0.78%, and the loss rate was 1.15%. The paper references developing a peanut harvester for clay-heavy soil with soil separation performance improvement.

To improve soil clod removal and reduce potato damage in potato combine harvesters, this study investigates the processes involved in soil clod removal and potato collisions within the bar-lift chain separation device of the harvester. It outlines the structure and working principles of the machine, theoretically analyzes the key dimensions of the digging device and potato-soil separation components, and derives specific structural parameters. A dynamic mathematical model of the bar-lift chain is established, from which the dynamic equations are formulated. The analysis identifies factors that influence the dynamic characteristics of the bar-lift chain. This study examines the working principles and separation performance of the potato-soil separation device, with a focus on the collision characteristics between potatoes and both the screen surface and the bars. Key factors such as the separation screen's line speed, the harvester's forward speed, and the tilt angle of the separation screen are considered. Simulations are performed using a coupling method based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD). Through simulation experiments, the optimal parameter combinations for the potato-soil separation device are determined. The optimal working parameters are identified as a separation screen line speed of 1.25 m/s, a forward speed of 0.83 m/s, and a tilt angle of 25 degrees. Field harvesting experiments indicate a potato loss rate of 1.8%, a damage rate of 1.2%, an impurity rate of 1.9%, a skin breakage rate of 2.1%, and a yield of 0.15-0.21 ha/h. All results meet national and industry standards. The findings of this research provide valuable theoretical references for simulating potato-soil separation in combine harvesters and optimizing the parameters of these devices. Future potential research will consider the automatic regulation of the excavation volume of the potato-soil mixture, aiming to achieve intelligent control of the potato-soil separation operation.

To investigate the influencing factors and intrinsic relationships between potato impact force and impact damage during potato soil separation, a testing system for potato impact force was established. The impact force test system is composed of a base, a height adjustment device, a simple separation screen, a soil storage tank, an impact force sensor, and so on. By allowing potatoes to fall freely to simulate the collision process, impact force data are collected, and a high-speed camera is used to locate the impact position and analyze the degree of damage. Through the response surface analysis method, the influencing factors and laws of the impact force and impact damage during the collision process between potatoes and rods under soil and no-soil conditions were studied. The results of the response surface analysis indicate that when the screen inclination is within the range of 14.12 degrees to 14.77 degrees, falling height ranges from 453.83 mm to 500 mm, screen rod spacing falls within 36.50 mm to 40 mm, and the screen rod material is rubber. Potatoes can still be at a relatively low damage level when enduring a large impact force. This study has significant implications for reducing potato impact damage during harvesting, enhancing economic benefits in the potato industry, and advancing the technical level of potato harvesting equipment. In the future, based on the results of this study, further exploration can be made to optimize the design of potato harvesting equipment so as to better reduce the damage to potatoes during harvesting and subsequent processing processes and promote the sustainable development of the potato industry.

Aiming at the problems of high skin-breaking rate and high impurity rate of sweet potato during harvesting operations, a low-damage fresh-eating sweet potato combine harvester based on a two-segment potato-soil separation device was designed by using a d-type elevator chain combined with a double-buffer clearing platform technology. The results show that the best working parameters of the harvester are a vibrating shaft frequency of 5.2 Hz, elevator chain speed of 0.37 m/s, and cleaning platform speed of 0.58 m/s, in which the sweet potato skin-breaking rate is 1.09% and the impurity rate is 1.90%, which is in line with the standard.

In order to solve the problem of low efficiency and potential damage in the separation of Gentiana roots from soil, a reciprocating adjustable striking-vibration combined device was designed, along with its performance testing. The ranges of working parameters for the vibration mechanism, striking mechanism, and adjustable reciprocating mechanism were determined through dynamic analysis of the mechanisms and materials. The effects of vibration frequency (X1), crank speed (X2), and screw feed speed (X3) on the threshing efficiency (Y1) and damage percentage (Y2) were studied using a ternary quadratic regression orthogonal combination experimental method, combined with response surface analysis to explore the interaction effects of these factors on the indicators. A regression model was established through variance analysis. The significant factors affecting Y1 were X2, X3, and X1 in that order, while the significant factors affecting Y2 were X1, X3, and X2. In the interaction of factors, X1X2 significantly affected both Y1 and Y2; X1X3 had extremely significant impact on both Y1 and Y2; and X2X3 had extremely significant impact on Y1. The optimal working parameters for the root- soil separation device of Gentian were determined to be vibration frequency of 6 Hz, crank speed of 204 r/min, and screw feed speed of 15 mm/s. With this combination of parameters, experimental tests yielded a threshing efficiency of 90.8% and a damage percentage of 5.9%. The relative errors compared with the theoretical optimization results were less than 5%. This study meets requirements for the root-soil separation of Gentiana.

Crude oil pollution in water and soil has resulted in considerable environmental damage. The utilization of hydrophobic and oleophilic sponge materials for the treatment of crude oil pollution has garnered significant interest, owing to their excellent selective adsorption performance. In this paper, superhydrophobic and superoleophilic sponges (SMF) are prepared by a simple silane hydrolysis-thermal curing method, which is low-cost, environmentally friendly, large-scale preparation, acid and alkali-resistant, and mechanically stable. They can be used for the remediation of oil pollutants in water and soil simultaneously, and show high efficiency, excellent stability, and biosafety. Under appropriate circumstances, SMF is capable of adsorbing up to 82.7 g/g of crude oil in water and eliminating over 70.0 % of crude oil in soil, while exhibiting exceptional recycling performance. Notably, this study introduces a novel technique that alters soil viscosity by controlling soil water content, in conjunction with SMF, for the removal of crude oil in soil. Consequently, SMF shows great promise for practical application in the remediation of oil pollutants in both water and soil.

A rotor vibration potato-soil separation device (RVPSD) is proposed in view of poor potato-soil separation and higher potato damage rate. Separation efficiency between potatoes and soil and the potato damage rate are selected as evaluation indicators, and a coupling simulation model of potato-soil separation based on Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Multibody Dynamics (MBD) is built up according to structure and working principle of the separation device. The optimal combination of working parameters of the RVPSD is obtained via simulation experiment. The results show that the optimal working parameters of vibration point position, conveying speed of potato-soil separation elevating chain, rotor amplitude and rotor vibration frequency are 646.5 mm, 1.08 m/s, 26.7 mm and 5.9 Hz respectively. The field validation experiment is carried out based on the optimal combination parameters. The results show that the potato-soil separation efficiency and potato damage rate of the RVPSD are 97.8 % and 1.16 % respectively, the field experiment results are basically consistent with the simulation results, which proves the correctness of the simulation model. It can provide theoretical reference for rotor vibration potato-soil separation process simulation and device parameter optimization.

Introduction. When harvesting potatoes from the waterlogged soils, the gaps between the elevator bars become clogged, the soil separation efficiency decreases while damage to potato tubers and yield loss increases. In this study, the authors propose a potato harvester intensifier in the paddle conveyor form to improve the separation quality for specific conditions. It is located under the carrying run of the main elevator apron. Aim of the Study. The aim of the study is theoretical justification of the potato harvester paddle intensifier for separating potato tubers from waterlogged soils in order to reduce damage to potatoes during harvesting. Materials and Methods. There was analyzed the work of the separation intensifier with a paddle conveyor located under the carrying side of the potato harvester main elevator with flexible flat blades moving towards the main elevator apron. The intensifier paddle, installed under the elevator carrying side, must act as a pusher when potato tubers stick and fall into the gap between the elevator bars in harvesting potatoes from waterlogged soils. Results. The analysis of potato tuber motion relative to the bar has showed that under the specified parameters and conditions the pitch of blades equal to 210 mm provides the falling of the ball clod from the bar and blade on the conveyor belt without impact. In order to avoid the friction of potato tubers and impurities with bars, the distance between the intensifier conveyor belt and bars must exceed the gap between bars. When the distance between the conveyor belt and bar is equal to 30 mm, the blade pitch is determined to within 1 per cent by the speed of a blade moving relative to the bar. Discussion and Conclusion. The conducted theoretical studies of the blade intensifier of potato harvester separation on overwatered soils revealed its high efficiency, which is confirmed by the results of field experiments.

Aiming at the potato soil separation device of potato harvester, which generally has the problem of potato high damage in potato-soil separation, a three-stage potato soil low-loss separation device was developed, and orthogonal experiments were designed with the help of RecurDyn-EDEM coupled simulation method. A field bench was built for verification tests. The test proved that: when the lift transport chain speed was 1.40 m/s, travel speed was 0.60 m/s, amplitude was 32.0 mm, the impurity rate was 1.49% and the average force on potato was 1.801 N. The potato damage rate was 2.7%, indicating that the design of the three-stage potato soil low-loss separator device worked well.