Technology, energy, agriculture transport AIC

Vitalii YAROPUD – Doctor of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Dean of the Engineering and Technology Faculty, Vinnytsia National Agrarian University (3 Soniachna St., Vinnytsia, Ukraine, 21008, e-mail: yaropud77@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0502-1356).
Oleksandr TYKHYY – Postgraduate Student in Industrial Mechanical Engineering of the Department of «Machinery and Equipment for Agricultural Production» of Vinnytsia National Agrarian University (3 Sonyachna St., Vinnytsia, 21008, Ukraine, e-mail: tdsunagro@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0341-9008).

The article addresses a pressing scientific and technical problem–improving the operational stability of seed drill row units under conditions of variable field topography and heterogeneous soil physical-mechanical properties. Modern designs of ground-following and damping mechanisms are analyzed, along with their limitations in maintaining a consistent seed placement depth, as well as design solutions applicable to different types of openers. Particular attention is given to the shortcomings of traditional experimental studies, which do not fully reproduce the real dynamic processes of opener–soil interaction.
It is shown that a significant portion of existing designs loses efficiency at higher operating speeds or on uneven field sections, resulting in unstable seeding depth and reduced emergence uniformity. The analysis includes recent research findings related to opener wear, the influence of disk type on seeding quality, the development of combined working tools, and the use of sensor-based depth-control systems.
The study identifies the high potential of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) for simulating the dynamics of seed drill row units, as it enables evaluation of furrow formation processes, soil particle behavior, reactive forces, and opener motion stability without the need for numerous physical prototypes.
Based on the conducted analysis, a new structural and technological concept of a row unit is proposed, incorporating coordinated operation of the downforce mechanism, damping device, and depth-control system. This configuration provides effective vibration attenuation, reduced impact loads, and improved stability of seed placement depth. The developed design is justified for further optimization and verification using DEM simulation.

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