Quadratic Relationship Between Tool Angle of Lift and Draught in an Inclined Narrow Model Chisel Blade: A Soil Bin Parametric Study and Empirical Model Development
Abstract
Tool geometry is an underused lever for trimming tillage energy, yet the lift angle that minimizes draught for inclined narrow tools in tropical loamy sand has rarely been quantified. This study established the relationship between the tool angle of lift (β) and draught for an inclined narrow model chisel blade and located the angle of least draught. An instrumented laboratory soil bin was used with a loamy-sand soil (cohesion 16.67 kPa; internal-friction angle 26.6°; soil–metal friction angle 29.8°) at 10–12% moisture, testing five lift angles (20, 30, 40, 50, 60°) within a five-level full factorial in a randomised complete block design, with the tool reaction resolved by three orthogonal load cells. Mean draught traced a shallow U-shape, falling from 125.47 N at 20° to a minimum of 114.63 N at 40° before rising to 119.32 N at 60°; fitting a quadratic to the marginal means placed the turning point at β = 42°. The lift-angle effect was highly significant (F = 555.089, p < 0.001), and its interaction with depth was the most significant two-way interaction in the experiment (F = 97.271). A free-body analysis of the cutting forces accounts for the existence of an interior optimum, while classical frictional formulae locate the idealized optimum well below 42° (16.8–31.7° for the measured φ and δ), indicating that the inclined, cohesive–frictional system shifts the practical optimum to a higher angle. The four-factor model (= 0.998) is recommended for prediction. Setting β = 42° in place of a conventional 20° lowered mean draught by about 8.6%, a worthwhile saving for energy-constrained West African smallholdings.
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References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Agricultural Land Management
Journal Section
Research Article
Early Pub Date
September 27, 2026
Publication Date
September 30, 2026
Submission Date
June 27, 2026
Acceptance Date
September 2, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 13 Number: 3