Technology, energy, agriculture transport AIC

Serhii HRUSHETSKYI – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Mykhailo Samokysh Department of Agroengineering and Precision Farming Systems at the State Agrarian and Engineering University in Podillia (12 Shevchenka St., Kamianets-Podilskyi; e-mail: g.sergiy.1969@gmail.com; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0487-6152).

Nataliia DUBCHAK – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Machinery Use and Technologies in Agriculture, Separate Structural Subdivision of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine "Berezhany Agrotechnical Institute" (20 Akademichna Str., Berezhany, e-mail: dybchak1010@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3279-7897).

Andrii LINNIK – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Machinery Use and Technologies in Agriculture, Separate Structural Subdivision of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine "Berezhany Agrotechnical Institute" (20 Akademichna Str., Berezhany, e-mail: linnik_andrij@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3973-3733).

Volodymyr DYNIA – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Machinery Use and Technologies in Agriculture, Separate Structural Subdivision of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine "Berezhany Agrotechnical Institute" (20 Akademichna Str., Berezhany, e-mail: dunyvolodya@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0008-908X).

The improvement of technical equipment for harvesting root and tuber crops remains a key task in modern agricultural engineering. This is driven by the need to intensify production, increase energy efficiency, and reduce mechanical damage to the harvested crop. A decisive role in this process belongs to the rotary working element, which directly interacts with the soil and ensures crop extraction.
The aim of this study is to substantiate and determine the optimal design and technological parameters of a rotary working element affecting the completeness of extraction, soil separation efficiency, tuber damage, and energy consumption. The research combines theoretical analysis, CAD/CAE-based modeling of the stress-strain state, DEM simulation of soil and tuber movement, and laboratory testing in a soil bin under different soil and moisture conditions. A comparative analysis of domestic and foreign harvesting machines was also carried out.
The main parameters studied were the number, geometry, and arrangement of rotor blades, the profile of the gripping surface, the inclination angle of the working element, and the ratio between forward speed and rotor rotational speed.
The results showed that the most effective design is a rotary element with four spiral blades. Experimental and theoretical investigations confirmed that placing the blades at an angle of 25° to the horizontal provides a soft entry into the soil, reduces frontal resistance, and improves load distribution. This configuration reduced mechanical damage to tubers by 18% compared with passive and disc-type working elements. The optimal rotor speed was found to be 120 rpm, ensuring a balance between productivity, soil separation quality, and energy efficiency.
The practical value of the work lies in engineering recommendations for improving root and tuber harvesters, reducing crop losses, and increasing machine reliability.

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