Coupled Simulation for Agricultural Machinery

Engineers working on next-generation agricultural machinery face increasing pressure to quantify structural loads under realistic field conditions without relying solely on physical prototypes.

This one-day intensive course provides hands-on experience of three simulation methods used together in a single integrated workflow: Multi-Body Dynamics (MBD), the Discrete Element Method (DEM), and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The course is 100% hands-on. There are no lectures or slides. Participants work inside the simulation environment from the first minute to the last, building a complete model of a tractor operating with a mounted tillage implement, running it under realistic soil loading conditions, and performing a structural stress analysis at the implement-tractor connection. All concepts are introduced in context as they arise during the build. Each participant is provided with remote access to a dedicated high-performance workstation for the duration of the day. No travel to campus is required and no local software installation is needed beforehand.

Who should attend

This course is suitable for engineers working in agricultural machinery development, R&D engineers on electric or hybrid tractor programmes and engineering postgraduate students with an interest in simulation-based design. No prior simulation experience is required, though a working knowledge of basic mechanical engineering principles is assumed.

Benefits

By the end of this course, participants will have built a fully constrained MBD model of a tractor and mounted tillage implement configured for an electric drivetrain layout, with all joints, constraints, and actuators defined and validated. Added a DEM soil domain and simulated the tractor traversing a field with the implement engaging the soil, then post-processed time-series draft force, hitch load, and axle reaction data. Run a parametric variant to examine how changes in operating conditions affect the load spectrum. Replaced the rigid implement with a flexible body FEA representation, applied the dynamic load history, and assessed stress concentration at the implement-tractor mounting joints to determine whether the structure remains within safe operating limits.

Course content

MBD assembly of tractor and mounted implement with electric drivetrain configuration. Joint and constraint definition and kinematic validation. DEM particle bed construction and contact model parameter assignment for agricultural soils. DEM-MBD co-simulation execution and real-time visualisation. Post-processing of draft force, hitch load, and axle reaction data. Parametric simulation variants and result comparison. Flexible body generation from CAD geometry and FEA mesh assignment. Structural stress analysis under dynamic field loading. Failure assessment and design modification at the implement-tractor joints.

Course delivery

Fully online. Participants connect remotely to dedicated high-performance workstations hosted at the Collaborative Simulation Lab, Harper Adams University. Each workstation is pre-configured with all software, geometry, and material parameter files required for the course. Maximum 8 participants.

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