In order to reduce the high resistance problem during peanut digging shovel operation and improve the soil loosening effect, a bionic peanut digging shovel was designed according to the streamlined profile of the head of the golden cicada, and the range of values of the digging operation parameters was analyzed. A discrete element model was developed to verify that the operational resistance of the bionic excavation shovel is lower than that of the flat shovel. The reliability of the simulation test was confirmed by conducting a resistance test on the excavation shovel through a soil trench test. A three-factor, three-water orthogonal combination test was designed to determine the optimal operating parameters of the excavation shovel: the bevel angle of the shovel blade was 55°, the digging depth was 130 mm, and the width of the shovel face was 309 mm. The paper can provide a reference for designing and optimizing peanut-digging shovels.

A peanut harvest separation and conveying device was designed considering the shortage of peanut harvest machinery and poor harvesting effect in China. The interaction between mechanism and pod-soil mixture was analysed to obtain the motion state of peanut relative separation conveyor. ADAMS simulation was applied to obtain the spatial curve of peanut trajectory in the separation process. The study determined that the optimum operating parameters of the separation conveyor were a drum speed of 280 r/min and an inclination angle of 19°. This study provides a theoretical basis for the further design of efficient peanut harvesting device.