Development of seed openers using modeling and experimental approaches

加拿大和世界上许多国家的农业涉及大型农业机械。在这些机器中，播种机已经从小型播种机演变为大型气播机，这显著提高了田间效率(每小时英亩)。为了追求规模经济，今天的谷物和油籽农场已经从数百英亩增长到数千英亩。同时，农民必须在与以前相同的天气窗口内完成播种作业。这就需要气播机高速行驶(超过8公里/小时)。然而，较高的行驶速度会导致较高的土壤扰动，从而对播种性能产生不利影响，从而影响作物的出苗和生长。拟议的项目是为大型农业设备制造商Buhler Versatile Inc.(Versatile)开发一种低土壤干扰和高效的气力播种机。自2011年以来，开发新的喷气式播种机产品线已成为该公司的优先事项，为此，该公司在NSERC Engage项目范围内寻求马尼托巴大学(UM)的帮助。除了与另一家专门生产售后开种机的大型农业设备制造商Atom-Jet Group合作外，Versatile还承诺通过拟议中的NSERC CRD项目继续这种合作关系。在拟议的项目中，将开发新的气播器，即多功能气播器ML930/950，重点是开种器(气播机的关键部件)。原型开启器将在UM、Versatile和Atom Jet的共同努力下进行设计、制造和测试。开种器的设计将通过使用一种新的创新的数值方法：离散单元法(DEM)对土壤动力学行为的模拟来指导。一名具有DEM经验的博士后研究员和一名研究生，以及一家公司的工程师培训(EIT)将在UM和这两家公司接受培训。两家公司的工程师和研究人员将参与所有项目活动。

Agriculture in Canada and many countries of the world involves large-scale agricultural machines. Among those machines, seeders have evolved from small planters to large airseeders, which has significantly increased the field efficiency (acres per hour). In pursuit for economies of scales, today's cereal and oilseed farms have grown from hundreds of acres to many thousands of acres. Meanwhile, farmers have to complete seeding operation in the same weather window as before. This requires airseeders to travel at high speeds (over 8 km/h). However, higher travel speeds cause higher soil disturbance, which adversely affects the seeding performance and consequently crop emergence and growth. The proposed project is about development of a low soil disturbance and high efficiency airseeder for Buhler Versatile Inc. (Versatile), a large agricultural equipment manufacturer. Since 2011, development of a new airseeder product line has become the company's priority, and for this purpose, the company has sought the help of University of Manitoba (UM) within the scope of a NSERC Engage project. Versatile has committed to continuing this partnership via the proposed NSERC CRD project, in addition to teaming up with Atom-Jet Group, another large agricultural equipment manufacturer specializing in aftermarket seed openers. In the proposed project, new airseeders, the ML930/950 airseeders of Versatile will be developed with the focus on seed openers (the key elements of an airseeder). Prototype openers will be designed, fabricated, and tested with the joined efforts of UM, Versatile, and Atom Jet. The design of seed openers will be guided by simulations of soil dynamic behaviours using a new and innovative numerical method: the Discrete Element Method (DEM). A post-doctoral fellow with experienced with DEM and a graduate student, and a company's engineers in training (EIT) will be trained at UM and the two companies. Engineers and researchers from the two companies will participate in all project activities.