Design Evaluation and Performance Analysis of a Double-Row Pneumatic Precision Metering Device for <i>Brassica chinensis</i>

• Main Authors: Bohong Li, Riaz Ahmad, Xindan Qi, Hua Li, Samuel Mbugua Nyambura, Jufei Wang, Xi Chen, Shengbing Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-01-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: ANOVA; <i>Brassica chinensis</i>; coefficient of variation; double-row; metering device; pneumatic
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/3/1374

In view of the low seeding efficiency and precision of seeders used for <i>Brassica chinensis</i> in China, a new double-row pneumatic precision metering device for <i>Brassica chinensis</i> was designed, fabricated, and evaluated. With the characteristics of small size and high sphericity of <i>Brassica chinensis</i> seeds in mind, the structure and key dimensions of the metering plate were determined, and a force analysis of the seed-filling process was carried out. The negative pressure (NP), angular velocity (AV) of the metering plate, and cone angle (CA) of the suction hole were selected as the main influencing factors of the experiment. In order to explore the influence of each single factor and the interaction between factors on the seeding performance, a single factor experiment and a central composite design (CCD) experiment were designed, respectively, and the experimental results were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA). After optimizing the main influencing factors such that the target of the qualified index (QI) was greater than 94% and the miss index (MI) was less than 2.5%, it was found that when CA was 60°, NP was 1.55–1.72 kPa, and AV was 1.1–1.9 rad/s, the seeding performance was excellent. The bench verification results of seeding performance (94% ≤ Q ≤ 100%, 0 ≤ M ≤ 2.5%) and the coefficient of variation (CV) of seed mass (CV of seed mass in outer and inner circle: 5.15%; CV of total seed mass: 8.60%) under the condition of parameter optimization were analyzed; as a result, the accuracy of the parameter optimization was confirmed.