Numerical modelling of a plough mouldboard surface

In this research a methodology that allowed to optimize the working surface of a mouldboard plough was performed. The purpose was to obtain a working surface that during the soil workmanship requires the minimum values of draught force and of input energy costs. For this, it has been necessary to perform the study of the interaction soil-plough by a numerical simulation with the mathematical model of a plough mouldboard. To perform the validation of the used mathematical model, the plough mouldboard working surface was sensitized with pressure transducers to evaluate the pressure distribution during the soil workmanship and then the pressure distribution values evaluated on the working surface with the numerical simulations and those experimentally detected in full field were compared. This allowed to determine the mathematical model of the considered soil. Successively by geometry changes of the working surface considered and performing some numerical simulations, it was numerically determined a working surface that required the smaller values of energy expense and draught force. Such surface was realized and tested in full field noticing a 20% reduction of the draught force necessary, in comparison to a not optimized plough. Further it was noticed that the productive agronomic results were the same for both soil parts ploughed with optimized and not optimized ploug