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

Canal M.K.; Guillen V.R.; Velasquez A.G. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2025) · DOI: 10.18687/leird2025.1.1.1019

Resumen

This research project proposes the design of a mechanism to be used prior to potato harvesting, focused on hard and uneven terrain. The objective is to incorporate a breaking wheel as a pre-screening system to facilitate initial soil cleaning, thereby improving the efficiency of the process. The study uses 3D modeling and finite element analysis (FEA) simulations to evaluate stresses, deformations, and safety factors in the main components. The results show that the mechanism achieves safety factors greater than 2 and a 20-30% improvement in structural strength compared to models. Likewise, the selection of ASTM A36 steel and standardized commercial components favors manufacturing and maintenance in rural environments. The design is simple, modular, and adaptable, allowing for an increase in torque through two reduction stages. This constitutes a practical contribution to sustainable agricultural mechanization with great potential for future validation in field tests. © LEIRD 2025.All rights reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú