Finite Element Analysis and Experiment of the Bruise Behavior of Carrot under Impact Loading

Root–stem separating is one of the most important processes in carrot harvesting, but it is easy to cause damage due to the impact. In order to reduce the damage of carrot harvesting and provide the basis for the design of the separation mechanism, the damage mechanism of carrot was studied by the finite element method (FEM) and pendulum experiment in this study. Through the simulation analysis and the pendulum experiment, it was found that the critical damage impact force was 45.2 N and 43.1 N, respectively. Comparing the two results, the critical impact force of the carrot was basically the same, with an error of 4.87%. In conclusion, the FEM was reliable for the carrot damage prediction, and the critical impact force could be used for the design of a carrot harvesting mechanism.