Agricultural processes simulation using discrete element method: a review

Abstract

The core aim of this review paper was to examine the latest state-of-the-art modeling of agricultural processes based on employing DEM and DEM-coupling methods using Multiphysics tools such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Molecular Dynamics (MD), Finite Element Method (FEM), and Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD). DEM-coupling methods involve the integration of DEM with simulation methods such as CFD to model multi-phase systems while Multiphysics tools are simulation platforms which model physical phenomena, for example, fluid flow. The research motivation arose from the lack of review papers that examined how DEM was adopted to understand different agricultural processes and address the limitations of conducting expensive field experiments to develop such knowledge. The systematic review of 112 journal articles identified important insights regarding using DEM and coupling the method using Metaphysics tools. A key insight was the widely published DEM applications in areas such as modeling the interactions between soil and agricultural machinery such as mechanized tractors, plows, and shovels; simulating crop behavior such as bendable cotton stalks; modeling interactions between crops and agricultural machinery such as combine wheat harvesters and rice harvesters; and modeling the behavior between crops and soils such as seedling-emergence from the soil. The diverse applications indicate the robustness of the method in understanding agricultural processes. However, noteworthy gaps in the research include undertaking more work on DEM coupling applications, including MBD, MD, FEM, and CFD.

Topics & Concepts