Sweeping of the ground during sugarcane harvest using a disk with articulated segments: design and experimental validation

• Grant number: 01/05910-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2001
• End date: February 28, 2003
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Agricultural Machinery and Implements
• Principal Investigator: Oscar Antonio Braunbeck
• Grantee: Oscar Antonio Braunbeck
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola (FEAGRI). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present study’s objective is to evaluate the performance of an alternative mechanism for the sweeping and base cutting of sugarcane, which comprises articulated cutting edges, which have the function of following the ground level and retracting when confronted with stones and stumps. This proposal is based on the fact that the conventional cutter used in harvesters does not have the capacity to accompany the ground profile, causing problems with the inclusion of earth along with the material collected, loss of raw material, frequent breakdowns with the cutting edges and excessive power demands deriving from soil movement during the cutting process. The evaluation of the proposed mechanism will be carried out by means of mathematical modeling, simulation, dimensioning and subsequent experimental validation of the pilot unit, with the objective of quantifying the performance of the unit’s sweeper, procedures that will make it possible to draw conclusions on the viability of the mechanism in subsequent trials under field conditions. (AU)