Agriculture and Food Sciences Research

The blade is one of the most critical components in the fracturing tea-picking machine, and this study is conducted to optimize the blade's working parameters. In this study, the effects of blade width, blade thickness, and cutting angle on the maximum fracturing force of tea stems were analyzed using the L₉ (3⁴) standard orthogonal table, with the maximum fracturing force used as the evaluation index. The results indicate that the main factors affecting the maximum fracturing force (MFF) of tea stems are cutting angle (CA), blade width (BW), and blade thickness (BT) in that order. Furthermore, microscopic observation of the fracture surface revealed that compared with the thickness of the other two blades, the thickness of 0 mm caused the cross-section uneven and had lots of burrs, correspondingly resulting in the section's oxidation and the deterioration of tea leaf quality. Therefore, the optimal combination of design parameters was a cutting angle of 90°, a blade width of 2.0 mm, and a blade thickness of 0.5 mm. The findings of this study can provide reference for blade design to reduce the fracturing force of tea-picking machines, lower the working power consumption, and improve the quality of freshly plucked tea leaves.