Background: The geometry of cultivator tynes is critical to tillage efficiency and structural reliability during secondary tillage. Conventional evaluation methods rely primarily on field experiments, which are time-consuming, costly, and often affected by variable soil conditions.
Aims: This study used an integrated Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) approach to evaluate the effects of cultivator tyne geometry on soil disturbance and structural performance.
Study Design: Comparative simulation-based optimisation study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Farm Machinery and Power Engineering, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Anand Agricultural University, Godhra, from August 2025 to June 2026.
Methodology: Three cultivator tyne configurations, comprising the existing design and two modified geometries, were developed using SolidWorks and analysed at forward speeds of 3, 4, and 5 km/h. DEM simulations conducted in Altair EDEM were used to determine draft force and soil disturbance area, and the predicted draft forces were subsequently applied as loading conditions in ANSYS Workbench to evaluate maximum deformation, maximum principal stress, and von Mises stress.
Results: A total of 27 numerical simulations (3 tyne configurations × 3 operating speeds × 3 replications) were analysed. Analysis of variance showed that tyne geometry and operating speed significantly affected (p ≤ 0.05) draft force, soil disturbance area, maximum principal stress, maximum deformation, and von Mises stress. The interaction between tyne geometry and operating speed was significant for soil disturbance area and all structural response parameters, but not for draft force. Compared with the existing tyne, Tyne 2 increased the soil disturbance area by 55.77–101.61%, although it required approximately 41% greater draft force. It also reduced maximum deformation by 12.50–60.87% and von Mises stress by approximately 46%, while maximum principal stress remained well below the material yield strength, indicating the structural safety of the optimised design under the simulated conditions.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that integrating DEM and FEA provides a useful framework for optimising cultivator tyne geometry. The optimised Tyne 2 increased soil disturbance while maintaining structural safety, indicating its potential to improve secondary tillage performance and reduce reliance on extensive field experimentation.
K. Dheenadhayalan, K. Dabhi, K. Jethva et al.· Journal of Experimental Agri...· 0 citations
Numerical modelling of the interaction between soil-engaging tools and agricultural soils has become central to the design of tillage and seeding equipment, where draught reduction, controlled soil disturbance and residue management influence energy use and crop establishment. The discrete element method (DEM), which represents soil as an assembly of interacting particles rather than a continuum, has emerged as the dominant particle-scale approach for this problem. This review critically examines how DEM has been applied to soil–tool interaction, with attention to the choice of contact model, the calibration of microscopic parameters, the treatment of particle size and shape, and the reliability of predictions for draught force, vertical force, soil disturbance and soil translocation. The available evidence indicates that DEM can reproduce measured tillage forces and furrow profiles with useful accuracy across a range of tools, including sweeps, subsoilers, narrow openers, discs and mouldboard ploughs, provided that an appropriate plastic or cohesive-adhesive contact model is combined with carefully calibrated parameters. However, the field is characterised by persistent tensions: between computational tractability and physical fidelity in the selection of enlarged particles; between the many-to-one mapping of calibrated parameter sets and the physical properties they represent; and between force prediction, which is often robust, and soil-movement prediction, which remains more sensitive to particle scaling. Cohesive and adhesive wet soils, high-speed operations, heterogeneous layered profiles and tool wear are comparatively under-represented and less consistently validated. Coupling of DEM with multibody dynamics, computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis extends its reach but introduces additional calibration and verification burdens. Machine-learning-assisted calibration and improved measurement of soil micro-properties are promising but not yet standardised. The review concludes that confidence in DEM is strongest for relative comparisons of tool geometry in well-characterised cohesionless and lightly cohesive soils, and weaker for absolute prediction in wet, adhesive or rapidly changing field conditions. Priorities include transparent and reproducible calibration, standardised validation metrics, and systematic evaluation across soil types and operating speeds.
M. Onker, P. Gupta, R. Salunkhe et al.· Journal of Experimental Agri...· 0 citations