Model for Simulation of Particle Flow on a Centrifugal Fertiliser Spreader

An analysis of the motion of a particle on a rotating flat disc is conducted and a basic equation of motion derived for a single particle. The analysis is directly applied to the flow of particles on a centrifugal fertiliser spreader. Equations of motion are derived for flat disc/radial vanes type of spreaders and further generalised for the more common conical disc/pitched vanes type. The derived equations of motion form part of the basis of a simulation model for centrifugal (or spinning disc) fertiliser spreaders with the equations of motion through the air completing the model. In the simulation, the collective flow of particles is treated as a superposition of single-particle trajectories with different initial conditions. The spreader model is applicable for the development of spreader control systems for site-specific fertiliser application as well as for the design and optimisation of spreaders.