A Combined Paddy Field Inter-Row Weeding Wheel Based on Display Dynamics Simulation Increasing Weed Mortality

Abstract

Weeds compete with rice for sunlight and nutrients and are prone to harboring pathogens, leading to reduced rice yields. Addressing the issues of low weeding efficiency and weed mortality rates in existing inter-row weeding devices, the study proposes the design of a combination paddy field inter-row weeding wheel. The device’s operation process is theoretically analyzed based on the weed control requirements in the northeastern region of China, leading to the determination of specific structural parameters. This research conducted experiments on the mechanical properties of weed cutting to obtain geometric parameters for paddy field weeds. It was found that the range for the cutting gap of the dynamic–fixed blade is between 0.6 mm to 1.4 mm and the cutting angle is between 5° to 15°, resulting in the lowest peak cutting force for weeds. Using LS-DYNA R12.0.0 dynamic simulation software, a fluid–structure interaction (FSI) model of the weeding wheel–water–soil system was established. By employing the central composite experimental design principle and considering the soil stir rate and coupling stress as indicators, the optimal structural parameter combination for the device is obtained: a dynamic–fixed blade cutting gap of 1.4 mm, a cutting angle of 10.95°, and a dynamic blade install angle of −3.44°. Field experiments demonstrated that the device achieved an average weeding rate of 89.7% and an average seedling damage rate of 1.9%, indicating excellent performance. This study contributes to improving weed mortality rates and provides valuable guidance for inter-row mechanical weeding technology.