The effect of sliding shear combined sugarcane basecutter on the cutting quality of sugarcane stubble

Abstract

As an important cash crop, sugarcane played an important role in the development of national economy. In response to the problem of severe stubble splitting caused by unsupported basecutting, the interaction between the basecutter and stalk were analyzed under the supported and unsupported basecutting modes, and the cutting force model was also established. The theoretical analysis results showed that supported basecutting could effectively reduce the bending resistance and inertia force of the stem, and avoid significant deformation of the stem. To some extent, supported basecutting could ensure the cutting quality of sugarcane stubble. The basecutting process of supported and unsupported basecutting were comparative analyzed based on ABAQUS. The simulation results showed that supported cutting could effectively reduce the maximum cutting stress and limit the displacement of the stem, and it could effectively ensure the stability of sugarcane stubble. The test bench was built with adjustable feeding speed (FS), rotational speed (RS), sugarcane cluster diameter (CD), and cutting inclination angle (CA). Based on the Box–Behnken center combination design scheme, the response surface experiments were conducted with the stubble splitting rate as experimental indicators. The analysis of variance showed that CD and CA had a significant impact on the splitting rate, with the degree of influence being: CD > CA > FS > RS. The model was optimized and solved, and the optimal parameter combination was the feeding speed of 1.4 m/s, the rotation speed of 180 r/min, the sugarcane cluster diameter of 3 cm, and the cutting inclination angle of 20°. Through bench test, it has been verified that the splitting rate of sugarcane stubble was 8.84%, and the damage rate of sugarcane stubble was less than 10%, met the sugarcane harvest standards.Practical ApplicationsThe cutting quality of sugarcane stubble has a significant impact on the growth of sugarcane in the following year. Unsupported basecutting would often lead to stubble damage. The interaction relationship between the basecutter and stalk of unsupported basecutting and supported basecutting were analyzed based on theoretical analysis and simulation tests. By optimizing the kinematic and structure parameters of basecutter and analyzing the cutting performance of the basecutter, the stubble splitting rates under the supported basecutting mode was reduced. The research could provide a reference for parameter optimization and basecutting methods of the sugarcane harvester.