Design and Parameter Optimization of Disc Type Cutting Device for Castor Stem

To increase the cutting efficiency for castor stem, the castor harvester cutting device was developed. The structure of the disc cutting device was designed. Cutting blade angle, sufficient working and minor cutting edge lengths were determined, which were 20°, 73 mm and 19.8 mm, respectively. The finite element model of disc cutter for castor stem was established. The incision volume was selected as the cutting performance evaluation index. The cutting process of the cutter was simulated. The results show that the cutting performance of the trapezoidal cutter is preferable to that of the rectangular and the curved cutters. When cutting blade cuts the stem, the volume of the incision decreases first and then increases, and the size of the incision increases with the increase of cutting edge angle. When the blade angle is 10°, the cutter has the ideal cutting quality. Considering the blade angle, the slip angle, and the angle of the cutter head as factors, the virtual test of the cutter was made with the incision volume as the index. The response surface analysis was used to obtain the cutter structure parameters when the incision volume was the least. The result for the blade, slip and cutter head inclination angles are 14.06°, 19.93°, and 10.54°, respectively. The cutting efficiency evaluation index (one-time cutting) was established to optimize the cutter running parameters. The results show that when the cutter moving speed was 1.011 m/s and the cutter rotation speed was 282.0 r/min, the maximum cutting efficiency is 2.25 castor stems/s.