Justification of the optimal parameters of a spherical disc working tool for the cultivation of sloping forest areas

In forest management areas, particularly on sloping land, the development of high-performance, energy-efficient soil tillage equipment is crucial to preventing soil degradation. Among the factors causing soil erosion on sloping lands, water erosion accounts for 31%, while wind erosion constitutes 34%. Observations indicate that more than 60 billion tons of fertile soil are lost to the oceans annually. This article presents research focused on the development of a device designed to reduce wind and water erosion, in which an energy-efficient soil tillage implement was investigated. The results of experimental studies show that, when cultivating sloping fields, the diameter of the spherical disk of the loosening implement should be 510 mm, and its installation angle relative to the direction of motion should be 28–30°. These parameters enable the spherical loosening disk to effectively form soil ridges while consuming less energy. Based on results from sloping field experiments and theoretical studies, it was determined that cutting a soil clod with a furrow width of 16-18 cm and a depth of 7-8 cm is sufficient. The studies also examined the effect of the lateral throwing distance of soil particles discharged from the spherical disk on the width of the formed ridge. The throwing distance of soil particles from the spherical disk was determined. Analytical results indicate that, to place the thrown soil particles along the axis of the side furrow, the operating speed of the spherical disk should be in the range of 1.75–2.05 m/s. The study developed a technology to form anti-erosion ridges on plowed surfaces simultaneously with non-inversion tillage on sloping fields. A structural scheme for a working tool that forms anti-erosion ridges to resist water erosion on sloping fields was developed. Analytical relationships describing the interaction process between the spherical disk and the soil were derived, and based on these, its rational parameters were determined. The variation patterns of the agrotechnical and energy performance indicators of the loosening implement, depending on the disk working body parameters and operating speed, were also presented.