Soil failure and force prediction for soil engaging discs
Abstract
Abstract. The soil forces acting upon agricultural discs arise from both a passive reaction on the concave face and scrubbing reaction on the convex face. The magnitude of these reactions is a function of both the disc geometry, primarily the radius of the sphere from which the disc is formed, and the angle of the disc to the direction of travel. These forces can be predicted within acceptable limits using soil mechanics theories based upon Mohr‐Coulomb properties. From both the theoretical and practical results optimum disc setting can be selected to give low specific resistance values. The prediction model has been successfully used with stress analysis techniques to design new disc geometries and, with the advent of improved materials, to select appropriate disc thicknesses.