Abstract
In rotary tillage, soil throwing is an important characteristic in evaluating the performance of the rotary tiller. Nonetheless, soil throwing is closely related to the configurations of the rotary blades. It is thought that the ability to estimate the soil throwing characteristics would be helpful in designing the proper blade because the soil applies reaction forces on the blade while being cut causing deflections to the blades. Therefore, these forces should be considered when designing the blade. Since observing the deformations of the blade during tilling is difficult, the deformations, stresses and forces applied on the blade were simulated using computer aided design (3D-CAD) software. The results showed that the deformations of the blade varied according to the direction of the forces. However, the maximum displacement which was found at the tip of the blade was about 2.9mm when the force was acting perpendicularly on the scoop surface of the blade.
