Design and test of aerial broadcast device for agricultural granular materials

Abstract

Abstract: Aerial broadcast refers to the operation mode of broadcasting agricultural granular materials such as seeds, solid fertilizers, and granule fungicide by mounting special broadcast devices on agricultural aircraft.  In order to improve the effect of aerial broadcast operations, particle material broadcast devices that are  suitable for UAV were explored.   An aerial broadcast device for agricultural granular materials with agricultural UAV was designed as the carrying platform in this study.   And the broadcast device used corn and mung bean as the particle model to simulate the running state, fixed-point broadcast and mobile broadcast by using EDEM.  In addition, an indoor mobile-broadcast experiment was carried out by replacing the flying operation state of the UAV by the movement of the mobile slide way platform.  The results of simulation showed that the broadcast device had the best speeds of blade wheel for different agricultural granular materials.  When the speeds of corn and mung bean materials were 10 r/min and 15 r/min respectively, the material had a continuous and stable blanking effect in the quantitative unit.  At the same time, the best speeds of blade wheel for the corn and mung bean materials measured in the actual test of the broadcast device were 11 r/min and 17 r/min, which were close to the results of simulation.  When the broadcast device performed fixed-point broadcasting, the material was distributed in a circular ring radially centered on the device below.  And when the speed of projecting disc was slow, the width of broadcast was small and the distribution of material was concentrated; when the speed was fast, the width of broadcast was large and the materials on both sides were symmetrically distributed.  Under the slow speed of projecting disc, the distribution pattern of corn and mung beans was high in the middle, low at both ends, and the width of spraying was narrow; Under medium-fast and fast speeds of projecting disc, the corn material was distributed in a “W” shape, the mung bean material was more evenly distributed, and the material distribution coefficient of variation was basically about 20%.  It showed that the broadcast device has great broadcasting performance under appropriate parameters, and it can provide reference for subsequent aerial broadcasting research.

Keywords: agricultural aviation; broadcast; granular material; speed of projecting disc; distribution

DOI: 10.33440/j.ijpaa.20200304.133

Citation: Chen S D, Wu C S, Chen L J. Chang K, Qian S C, Chen W R, Lan Y B.  Design and test of aerial broadcast device for agricultural granular materials.  Int J Precis Agric Aviat, 2020; 3(4): 44–50.