Numerical simulation and response surface optimization of a strawberry ditching blade

Abstract

ABSTRACT High-ridge planting techniques are needed for strawberry cultivation; however, the absence of standardized design guidelines and systematic methodologies has led to inconsistent ditching quality and significantly elevated energy consumption in existing greenhouse ditching equipment. To address these problems, a numerical simulation model of soil ditching using the finite element software ANSYS/LS-DYNA was developed in this study, and a real-time field-testing apparatus was constructed to validate the simulation model. Based on numerical simulations, a novel parametric design approach for the three-dimensional contour curve of the ditching blade was proposed. The Box–Behnken response surface methodology was then employed to develop a quadratic regression model for predicting shaft torque and trenching quality of this new ditching blade, as indicated by the proportion of residual particles. A multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm was applied to optimize the working parameters. The numerical simulation and multi-objective optimization framework significantly reduced power consumption and enhanced ditching quality, providing valuable theoretical and practical references for the optimized design of ditching blades.