Performance of waterjet on cutting maize stalks: A preliminary investigation

Abstract

Large amounts of crop stalks left in the field as a result of conservation agriculture cause blockage during no-till planting. To solve this issue, pure waterjet was used to cut off the maize stalks so that the rear furrow opener could pass through without blockage. In this investigation, an experimental study on depth of cut, which was the main performance indicator of pure waterjet on cutting maize stalks, was presented. A full factorial design with 200 tests was implemented with respect to three operation parameters, that is traverse speed, waterjet pressure, and standoff distance were considered as variables. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was carried out in order to determine the statistical significance of individual operation parameters. Using multilinear stepwise regression analysis, a model to predict the cut of depth from the predicted pure waterjet operation to cut maize stalks was then developed. All three operation parameters significantly influenced the cutting performance. Moreover, the results indicated that depth of cut increased with the increase of waterjet pressure, the decrease of traverse speed, and decrease in standoff distance. Waterjet pressure provided major contribution to depth of cut, followed by traverse speed, then standoff distance, which was demonstrated by both ANOVA and regression analysis. The experimental results showed that when the standoff distance was closer than 10 mm and waterjet pressure was 280 MPa, all maize stalks specimen could be cutoff thoroughly. With the consideration of field operating conditions, waterjet pressure of 280 MPa or higher and 10 mm to 15 mm standoff distance were recommended for maize stalks cutting. This analysis provided a realistic approach for the optimization of the ultra-high pressure pure waterjet parameters in maize stalks cutting, which could be used to relieve the occurrence of straw blockage in no-till planting.

Anti-blocking performance of ultrahigh-pressure waterjet assisted furrow opener for no-till seeder

“…In this study, jet impingement angle was defined as the angle between the ground horizon plan and cutting head (as showed in Figure 1c), and adjustment range was 30°-90°. According to the previous study [20,21] , standoff distance should be less than 20 mm to decrease water steam diffusion and take full advantage of turbulence kinetic energy of waterjet. A parallelogram linkage also was designed to profile the ground and protect the cutting head from crashing soil clods and stubble on the ground.…”

“…In this study, a UHP waterjet was arranged to be the assisted component for maize stalk cutting, and the well-coordinated type of furrow opener was selected by evaluating the values of soil disturbance rate (SDR), stalks cutoff ratio (SCR), depth of soil cutting (DSC) and blockage degree. According to the previous preliminary study [20] and pilot tests, the values of operation parameters of waterjet pressure, jet impingement angle, and forward speed were selected as 260 MPa, 90° and 4 km/h, respectively. Experiment for each type of furrow opener was repeated three times with and without UHP waterjet assist, and the final value was the average of the three repetition measurements.…”

Applications of Water Jet Cutting Technology in Agricultural Engineering: A Review

“…Moreover, when the wheat stem was wet and compressed, the water jet work efficiency was the highest. A full factorial design with 200 tests was implemented by Hu et al [74] to study the effect of different jet parameters on the cutting depth of one single corn stem. The experimental results showed that the cutting depth could increase with a high water jet pressure, a low traverse speed, and a short target distance.…”

“…Third, many vegetables, fruits, and boneless meats can be cut at high target distances because of soft materials. It is necessary to increase the distance between the nozzle and the stem to avoid soil and stubble impacting the nozzle while working in the field [74]. Decreasing the target distance can reduce the volatilization of fertilizers [25].…”

Effect of cell wall compositions on lodging resistance of cereal crops: review

“…The stalks of crops perform multiple physiological functions and encompass complex structural heterogeneity resulting in mechanical response variation under different conditions (Du and Wang, 2016). Lodging in cereal crops is mainly the result of interaction between plant character and external force.…”