Original Articles
Early Access
https://doi.org/10.4081/jae.2026.1755

Effect of picking rollers on corn stover attitude

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Published: 6 March 2026
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corn harvesting, ear picking roller, response surface test, optimization design

Authors

Chunran Zhu
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, China.
Qiqiang Li
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, China.
Bohong Chai
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, China.
Ruzhen Xiao
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, China.
Yuchen Xiao
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, China.
Lihua Zhang
zhanglihua69@126.com
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Sichuan, China.

In order to increase the precision rate of ear picking and decrease the rate of cob damage, this paper investigates and evaluates the impact of ear picking rollers on corn stalk attitude. It then designs an ear picking roller with a straightforward structure and good ear picking effect. This is because the ear picking process and ear picking attitude are more closely correlated. To ascertain the relationship curve between the influencing factors that cause plant push back and the stalk forward tilt angle, as well as the optimal value range of the stalk feeding speed and cutting table tilt angle, virtual simulation tests are conducted using ADAMS software. The front end of the stalk pulling roller is optimized to be tapered in order to minimize the degree of forward tilt of the stalks. The optimal range of values for the bottom angle of the front end of the stalk pulling roller is 73.1°-81°. The ideal value of the bottom angle of the stem-pulling roller's front end and the parameter combination with the least amount of plant forward tilt were found using a response surface optimization test design. At a machine travel speed of 0.85 m/s, the cutting table inclination is 27.5° and the stalk tilting angle is at its lowest, which is roughly 2.5°. Through testing, it was confirmed that the conical stem pulling roller's design could successfully lessen cob damage and the forward tilt of the stalk.

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Citations

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CRediT authorship contribution

Chunran Zhu, Qiqiang Li, conceptualization, writing - original draft; Chunran Zhu, Bohong Chai, methodology. Ruzhen Xiao, Yuchen Xiao, validation. Chunran Zhu, Lihua Zhang, writing - review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Supporting Agencies

Special Project of Strengthening Weak Links in "Tianfu Liangji" in Sichuan

Data Availability Statement

all data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.

How to Cite



“Effect of picking rollers on corn stover attitude” (2026) Journal of Agricultural Engineering [Preprint]. doi:10.4081/jae.2026.1755.
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