VIRTUAL EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS ON CLEANING ELEMENT OF SUGARCANE HARVESTER

The laws of influence of different factors have been analyzed in order to enhance the working efficiency and fatigue life of the cleaning element in brush shape of the sugarcane harvester. Based on the principle of orthogonal experiment design, the virtual-orthogonal-experimental analysis for the cleaning element is carried out on the finite element analysis （FEA） software-ANSYS after analyzing the nonlinear structural behavior in the working procedure. The results are analyzed with the overall balancing method, and then the optimal combination is got, which is made up of different levels of different factors. Also the optimal combination of design parameters of the cleaning element received fiom the virtual experimental analysis is conducted an experiment to confirm that the virtual analysis model and results are right, and the effect of factors on the function of the cleaning element is obtained by more analysis and further optimizing.

Experimental research on affecting factors of the cutting quality of sugarcane harvesters under complicated excitations

The sugarcane field excitation,cutting forces and the engine excitation constitute complicated excitations acting on sugarcane harvesters.In this study,the sugarcane cutting mechanism under complicated excitations was analyzed.The dynamics and the mathematical models of sugarcane harvesters were established and simulated.Based on theoretical analysis,sugarcane cutting experiments were done on a self-built sugarcane harvester test platform(SHTP),designed as single-factor and the orthogonal experiments.Effects of the sugarcane field excitation characterized by the sugarcane field excitation device(SFED)output frequency,the engine excitation characterized by the actuating engine output frequency,the cutter rotating speed,the sugarcane harvester travelling speed simulated through the sugarcane transporting speed of the SHTP and the cutter inclination angle on the cutting quality of sugarcane harvesters were studied.Effects of the axial cutter vibration on three-directional cutting forces and the sugarcane cutting quality(SCQ)as well as effects of three-directional cutting forces on the SCQ were further studied.It is shown that the sugarcane field excitation,the axial cutter vibration amplitude and frequency as well as the three-directional cutting forces have significantly negative monotonic correlated effects on the SCQ while the cutter rotating speed,the sugarcane harvester travelling speed and the cutter inclination angle have significantly positive monotonic correlated effects on the SCQ.Significance levels of effects on three-directional cutting forces and the SCQ form high to low are as follow,the axial cutter vibration,the sugarcane field excitation,the cutter rotating speed,the engine excitation,the cutter inclination angle,the sugarcane harvester travelling speed.The theoretical analysis results were verified through experiment and an optimal combination was obtained with the cutter rotating speed of 700 r/min,sugarcane harvester travelling speed of 0.6 m/s and cutter inclination angle of 8º.This study can provide a reference for setting cutting parameters of sugarcane harvesters with a good SCQ.

Field test and evaluation on crop dividers of sugarcane chopper harvester

In South China,the tropical weather and climate result in severe sugarcane lodging problems which greatly hinders sugarcane mechanical harvesting.The main function of the crop divider is to lift lodged canes and facilitate base-cut cane feeding.In this study,a series of field tests were conducted on crop dividers of Liugong 4GQ-180 sugarcane chopper harvester.The tests were designed to identify the relationships of the performance index(maximum lifting height of sugarcane)and the main influencing factors(machine forward speed,rotational speed of inside scrolls,and ground clearance of crop divider toes).The single factor test was conducted to determine optimum range of these test factors:the forward speed(FS)was 2.0-4.0 km/h,the rotational speed of inside scrolls(RS)was 100-140 r/min,and the toe ground clearance(GC)was 0-5 cm.The orthogonal test(three factors and three levels)was carried out to determine the optimal combination of operating parameters:FS was 2.0 km/h,RS was 115 r/min,and GC was 0 cm.In addition,the range analysis of orthogonal test results revealed that the order of each test factor affecting crop divider performance was RS,FS,GC.This study was expected to provide valuable references for the optimal operation of sugarcane harvester crop dividers.

Analysis of the mechanical transfer characterization between lodged sugarcane and the cutter by simulation modeling with UMAT subroutine

Cutting the roots of sugarcane using cutters is a critical part of sugarcane harvesting,and the degree of breakage of the roots after cutting affects the germination and growth of sugarcane to a certain extent in the following year.However,the intricate interactions between the cutter and the stalk remain unclear.In order to fill this gap,this study first analyzed the conditions for no missed cuts during the operation of a double-disk cutter.Secondly,the research established a model of sugarcane stalk with anisotropy using the User-defined Material Mechanical Behavior(UMAT)subroutine based on the secondary development module of ABAQUS/Explicit.The cutting force curves obtained from simulation and test show a high correlation coefficient(R^(2)=0.9621),indicating the reliability of the model of sugarcane stalk in mechanical transfer.Subsequently,the simulation test of the blade rotating cutting characteristics in this study indicates that at a blade tilt angle of 11.3°,a blade rotating speed of 659.3 r/min,and a forward speed of 1.5 km/h,the maximum shear force on the blade is the largest,while the maximum cutting force is the smallest.Finally,based on the simulation results,this paper discussed the internal factors affecting the breakage rate of sugarcane stalks and predicted the damage location and damage force of the stalks by studying the stress wave transmission effect.Additionally,it analyzed the effects of single-knife cutting and multi-cutting on stalk incisions.The results indicated that multi-cutting causes more damage to the stalks and increases the breakage rate of sugarcane.The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for exploring the reduction of sugarcane residual cutting rate.

Mechanization technology:The key to sugarcane production in China

Sugarcane is an important cash crop in southern China now planted on about 1.5 million ha in the main production areas in Guangxi,Zhuang Autonomous Region and Yunnan,Guangdong,and Hainan Provinces.Since the cost of labor in China is increasing rapidly and the price of local sugar is uncompetitive with the product from mechanized international producers,China needs to change its sugarcane production methods from manual work to mechanization in order to catch up with international trends in this global industry.Although a lot of effort in China have gone into sugarcane mechanization since the 1960s,the overall level of mechanization in sugarcane production is still only approximately 30%,which is about 20%lower than that achieved in the other main field crops.Almost all of the sugarcane grown in China is still harvested by hand.In order to summarize past experience and promote the mechanization of sugarcane production in China,this paper reviews the whole process of developing mechanization since 1960s and describes the current state of sugarcane mechanization in China.The research currently being undertaken and the main obstacles to be overcome in developing a mechanized sugarcane production system,are described.The design and testing of sugarcane harvesting machinery and its key components has been a significant research area by some Chinese universities,research institutes,and manufacturing companies in these past decades.This paper reviews that research and outlines the main achievements which have been made in this area.Mechanized harvesting systems for sugarcane,and the appropriate harvesting patterns suitable for different growing conditions applying in China,have also been studied.The paper concludes with some comments on the future directions for progress in China’s mechanization of sugarcane production and some policy suggestions to facilitate the industry's transition.