Optimisation-based approach for a better centrifugal spreading

The use of centrifugal spreaders for application of granular fertilizers raises concern about application accuracy. These spreaders enable to distribute almost uniform deposits with regularly spaced parallel tramlines but lead over and under fertilizer application when distances separating the successive tractor trajectories are not constant or if paths are not parallel between them. The aim of this study is to propose an optimization-based method to compute optimal variables for uniform fertilizer application. Mechanical constraints are also introduced so that the calculated parameters can be afterwards used as reference variables for the control of the spreader. The resulting improvements are illustrated by numerical examples for a field with geometrical singularities.