Innovative design of a hard soil breaking mechanism for a potato harvester

Abstract

This research project presents the design of a mechanism to be placed ahead of a potato harvester, specifically aimed at hard and uneven terrain where conventional machinery tends to get stuck while trying to break up the soil, hindering the cleaning of potatoes and penetration into the ground [1],[2]. The objective is to incorporate a breaker wheel as a pre-screening system to facilitate initial soil cleaning, thereby improving the efficiency of the harvesting process. 3D modeling and mechanical simulations using finite element analysis (FEA) are employed to validate the structural strength of the mechanism, taking into account accessible materials such as ASTM A36 steel [11]. The results show that the proposed mechanism adequately withstands working loads and that the design is user-friendly in terms of maintenance. The design is cost-effective, modular, and adaptable, allowing for increased torque through a two-stage reduction system [3], [5], [15]. This makes the MK7 model a viable solution for small and medium-scale potato producers in rural areas of Peru.