Xirui Zhang

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering College, Hainan University,

Natural rubber is a vital strategic resource with significant implications for the national economy and the well-being of the population. China's rubber plantations currently depend extensively on manual labor for rubber cutting, leading to substandard working conditions, excessive labor demands, and suboptimal productivity. The shortage of rubber workers is increasing, resulting in a widespread "rubber worker shortage" and a rising trend of rubber plantations discontinuing tapping and cutting operations. This issue has a detrimental impact on the sustainable growth of China's natural rubber sector. Hence, this study aims to simplify the technical aspects of rubber cutting, alleviate the challenges associated with it, and develop an intelligent rubber cutting machine adhering to the "one machine, one tree" concept. We employ a holistic approach, incorporating dynamic simulation, force analysis, response regression analysis, and other methods to optimize the rubber cutting machine's trajectory and critical components. Additionally, we utilize simulation design software to construct a three-dimensional model and conduct simulation tests to validate the overall design's feasibility and the mechanism's reliability. Our primary research comprises:

(1) Investigating the design of critical components for the rubber cutting machine, involving an analysis of the rubber discharge mechanism and compliance with rubber cutting technical standards. This process entails establishing the machine's frame structure, elucidating its operational principles, designing key motion mechanisms, developing the control module circuit, and crafting the control program, resulting in the creation of a three-dimensional model for the rubber cutting machine.

(2) Performing dynamic and finite element simulation analyses by utilizing Adams and ABAQUS simulation and analysis software in conjunction with the three-dimensional model of the rubber cutter. These analyses simulate and evaluate the critical mechanisms of the rubber cutter, offering theoretical backing for material selection and component installation. Simultaneously, they verify the mechanism's rationality and optimize its performance.

(3) Executing forest tests and analyzing the results based on the prototype processing simulations. Test parameters include the rubber cutter's individual power consumption and the initial 5-minute rubber discharge, with the motor speed, tool helix angle of rise, and spring preloading force acting as test variables. The test results undergo regression analysis to identify the optimal combination of rubber cutter parameters.