REVIEW

Fundamentals, Problems and Repercussions of the Base Cutting Process in the Mechanized Harvest of Sugarcane

0000-0002-9265-5535Rigoberto Antonio Pérez-Reyes^{I  *}  , 0000-0001-7723-5324Lázaro Antonio Daquinta-Gradaille^I  , 0000-0002-6250-1885Jorge Douglas Bonilla-Rocha^I  , 0000-0002-0408-4032Carlos Alexander Recarey-Morfa^II  , 0000-0002-5151-4584Omar Hilario Rodríguez-Aguilar^I  , 0000-0003-3577-1668Julio Águila-Gómez^I 

^IUniversidad de Ciego de Ávila, Facultad de Ciencias Técnicas, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba.

^IIUniversidad Central de Las Villas, Facultad de Construcciones, Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba.

ABSTRACT

The new technologies introduced in the mechanized harvesting of sugarcane favor increased productivity, however, the increase in the useful life of the working organs of agricultural machines continues to be an important aspect to consider for their better performance where abrasive wear is identified as the physical phenomenon present in its different elements that most threatens its effective operation. In this paper, the theoretical foundations of the sugarcane base cutting process and the factors to be considered in the analysis of the cane base-cutter blade interaction are addressed. The impact of the field conditions, the process parameters and the handling and assembly of the cutter-blade on the quality and efficiency of mechanized harvesting are also analyzed.

Key words: Sugarcane harvesters; base cutting system; wear

INTRODUCTION

Since January 2008, the Ministry of Sugar Industry in Cuba introduced a new technology for the mechanized harvesting of sugar cane in the province of Ciego de Ávila, based on the CASE-IH 7000 and 8000 harvesters of Brazilian manufacture. This has impacted with profound transformations in the harvest, transport and reception of sugarcane in the industry. ^{Matos et al. (2010)} carry out an analysis on the behavior of these harvesters used in the 2008-2009 harvest in different production units, where they expose causes of a technical-exploitative nature that limit the work of these machines, which affects the productive results of the harvest company. On the other hand, ^{Max et al. (2012)} declare that an efficient execution of the base cut affects significantly in the quality of the process, as well as in the losses of raw material and the longevity of the cane. Similarly, ^{De Toledo et al. (2013)}; ^{Ma et al. (2014)}; ^{Manhães et al. (2014)}; ^{Abd-El & Hemeida (2015)}; ^{Mathanker et al. (2015)}; ^{Narimoto & Burgess (2015)}; ^{Hu et al. (2016)}; ^{Tahsin et al. (2016)}; ^{Jamadar et al. (2017)}; ^{Momin et al. (2017)}; ^{Abdallah et al. (2020)}; ^{De Almeida et al. (2020)} consider that the basal cut is the fundamental cause of the damage caused in the stems and losses in the mechanized harvest of the sugarcane.

^{Daquinta et al. (2014)} state that one of the main problems that affect the proper operation of the harvesters is the durability of the base cutter-blades (blades). He argues that they are the most unreliable tools these machines have, as they are the first to have direct contact with the vegetable mass to be cut and work under severe conditions in a highly abrasive environment, which causes accelerated wear of the cutting edge.

^{Pérez et al. (2018)} also concluded that one of the main problems that affect the proper operation of CASE-IH sugarcane harvesters is the durability of the base cutter-blades. A study carried out by these authors reveals that the mechanical system is the one with the greatest influence on the number of failures by elements, due to the excessive wear of the base cut segments, caused by the extreme working conditions to which they are exposed, which causes poor cutting quality, losses in the process and poor performance of the base cutting system.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOPIC

Fundamentals of the Base Cutting Process in the Mechanized Harvest of Sugarcane.

^{Abadia (2018)} highlights that the basic function of the base cutter is to cut the cane stalks with the edge of its cutting segments. In a 60 cm width, the cane will remain outside the maximum working area of the discs. The sugarcane must be planted between 40 and 50 cm maximum, but avoiding that the strains run from the first cut or shoot. The agricultural work of desiccation or removal of excessive shoots of lateral plants must be continued. An excessive number of stems in the cutter- disc tandem will cause binding, poor cut, cane loss and regrowth problems.

The base cutting mechanisms are designed based on two main systems: cutting system with cutter-bar and rotary cutting system (^{Patil & Patil, 2013}). The rotary cutter with cutter-blades is used more often than the cutter-bar for thick stalks (such as sugarcane) which have more cutting resistance. The advantage of this mechanism is that rotary cutters exert high inertia and impact forces on the stem while cutting when the cutting discs have a large diameter (up to 90 cm). Especially, when cutting high tonnage (high density) stems, the advantage of using inertia and impact force becomes more prominent. Therefore, the base-cutter of the sugarcane harvesters in use today, generally consists of two rotating discs with counter-rotation that perform the cut without support (A) with replaceable cutting segments (blades) on each disc, (B) installed on its periphery (Figure 1), which act with 60% of its contact area cutting the sugarcane against the ground (^{Ma et al., 2014}).

(^{Abadia, 2018}; ^{Rezende, 2020})

FIGURE 1 Base cutter of sugarcane harvesters that are used at present. 

The current harvesters use a base cutting mechanism with a rotating disc that cuts the sugarcane stalks without support and by impact, after they are deflected by an angle (β) in the direction of the movement of the machine by the tumbler roller, as seen in Figure 2a. Figure 2b shows an analysis of the shear force in the direction of shear. The shear force is equal to the sum of the inertial force (the resistance to acceleration of the disk), the bending force (the static reaction due to the stem flexing in the shear direction), traction force (the static reaction due to the tension of the stem along the direction of its axis) and the friction force between the stem and the tumbler roller (^{Sitkei, 1986}; ^{Ma et al., 2016}). The parameters distinguished in Figure 2 correspond to:

α = Angle between the vertical and the central axis of the cane in the cutting direction; α₁ = Deflection of the cane caused by the base cutter in the direction of the cut; β = Deflection of the cane caused by the tumbler roller in the direction of the movement of the machine; Fcutting = Cutting force of the blade exerted on the cane; Finertia = Inertial force caused by the rotation of the base cutter; Fbending = Bending force caused by the deflection of the cane in the shear direction; Ftension = Traction force originated by the deflection of the cane and Ffriction = Friction force originated by the deflection of the cane caused by the tumbler roller. (Fcutting = Finertia + Fbending + Ftension + Ffriction).

(^{Sitkei, 1986}; ^{Ma et al., 2016})

FIGURE 2 Diagram of the sugarcane base cutting process.  

To complete the cut, the force exerted at the peripheries of the cutting point must be greater than the total resistance force. From the relative position of the tumbler roller the base-cutter is considered fixed and the friction force can also be considered fixed. If the shear velocity is fixed, then the inertia is fixed, and the sum of the bending and the traction is determined by the deflection of the stem in the shear direction (^{Ma et al., 2016}).. The greater the deviation, the greater the risk of ineffective cutting, because the stem could fracture and crack due to the effect of the cut. The deflection of the stem in the cutting direction depends mainly on the distance between the cutting point and the fulcrum on the ground (^{Persson, 1987})

Most of the relevant studies ^{Kroes (1997)}; ^{Mello & Harris (2003)}; ^{De Toledo et al. (2013)} investigate the base cut of a single stem. Considering that the study investigates the quality of the base cut of a whole seedling (multi-stem stump), the spacing between the seedling stems in a stump determines the maximum angle that the seedlings can deviate before touching the neighboring stems. When a stem is cut, the neighboring stem will prevent a large deviation.

The stems are tilted an angle α (in the cutting direction) which is defined as the angle between the lead line (vertical to the ground) and the central axis of the stem before being impacted by the base-cutter blade (Figure 2b). During the base cutting process, the stems are deflected in the cutting direction by an additional angle α1 (deflection) caused by the base-cutter, so in high cane density fields (where the space between the stems decreases and the deflection), the shear process becomes more complex.

Deflection in the base cutting process is used to explain the relationship between the stem damage length and the seedling density, as well as the relationship between the damage length and the cutting height, because the seedling density and the cutting height affect the deflection of the stem during the process. For the combines, the cutting process is considered the active energy-consumption phase in the operation of the equipment. ^{Guarnieri et al. (2007)} develop a complete mathematical model for a cutter bar with a blade coupled to a crankshaft. The analysis of the system performance shows that the model is successful. ^{Zastempowski & Bochat (2014)} present a characteristic mathematical model for the stem cutting process, which generates a typical curve that describes the cutting process, divided into three stages as shown in Figure 3. The model is verified and has a good correspondence with the experimental results during the performance of the tests.

^{Shen et al. (2016)} explain that in Figure 3, where curve 1 is the force-displacement curve under the zero-load test and curve 2 is the force-displacement curve when the cutter-blade cuts the stem, three regions are represented, marked as A, B and C, which constitute the stages as initial development of the cut, shear deformation of the stem cross section and time after the cut, respectively.

It expresses that in region A, the value of the force increases continuously from zero after the edge of the cutter-blade begins to have contact with the stem. In this region, the cutting process takes place and at the moment in which this has been achieved, the cutting force reaches the maximum value and the structure of the stem is destroyed, the cutter-blade has cut the stem and the curve enters the region B, where the cutting force decreases sharply. At the time of cutting, the cutting action and the advance of the tool occur simultaneously and the curve fluctuates after entering the final phase of the cut, however, the magnitude of the resultant force gradually decreases with the progressive decrease of the area of ​​the cut.

FIGURE 3 Typical theoretical curve of the Force - Displacement relationship of the cut of a single stem ^{Shen et al. (2016)}. 

He adds that at the moment when the stem is completely cut, the magnitude of the cutting force drops suddenly and the curve enters region C. Theoretically, this region does not participate in the process of cutting the stem and its value must correspond to the value of the force on the zero-load curve. However, some fibers can enter the space between the base cutter-blade during the process, increasing the friction force with the movement of these tools, so the magnitude of the cutting force in curve 2 is slightly higher than of curve 1 of zero loads in this region. Regions A and B are the ones that really intervene in the sugarcane stem cutting process. According to ^{Srivastava et al. (1993)} and ^{Chen et al. (2004)}, mechanical properties of the stems to be cut can be obtained through the force-displacement curve: the maximum shear force (the difference between the magnitude of the maximum value of the cutting force in curve 2 and the value of zero loads in curve 1 during cutting) and the energy at cutting of a single stem (the area under the curve of cutting force 2 and curve 1 of zero loads in region A and region B, calculated according to numerical integration) .

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Problems and Repercussions of the Base Cutting Process in the Mechanized Harvest of Sugarcane

An integral harvester works in the following way: once the machine is positioned in front of the cane furrow and begins to advance, the first action it performs is to cut the tips of the plant (which have very low sucrose content) through a mechanism called topper. These tips detach to the side and are scattered on the ground along the furrow. From behind, the machine feeding system begins acting, made up of the line dividers and feeder rolls that direct the cane. The tumbler roller tilts the cane so that its base is exposed to the base cutting system. The harvest dividers introduce the cane towards the center of the machine and help to lift the canes that are fallen or crossed (^{Valeiro & Biaggi, 2019}).

The base cut is one of the main functions of the machine, it is the most delicate operation for the incorporation of soil and stumps, the destruction of the crop and the losses of cane left in the field due to the excessive height of the stump (Figure 4). The quantity and quality of the cane that goes to the mill largely depends on its efficiency. Anything that is polluting material (mainly soil and parts of the plant) that enters the system, reduces the milling capacity and increases the losses of sucrose in the sugar production stages (^{Abadia, 2018}); ^{Valeiro & Biaggi, 2019}). The cutting of the sugarcane stalks carried out by the base cutting apparatus takes place in difficult situations, since the base cutter-blades, in addition to cutting the cane stalks, frequently come into contact with various obstacles that are encountered in the furrow (stones, tree stumps, metal sections), which affects the proper performance of this operation. However, the main problem faced by these tools is the excessive wear they suffer during the cutting operation, which causes them to be rapidly and continuously replaced (^{Daquinta, 1995}).

(^{Abadia, 2018})

FIGURE 4 The base-cutter influence on the incorporation of soil and roots and destruction of the crop.  

The type and intensity of wear in the base cutter-blade are a function of the nature and mechanical properties of the material of these tools, the operating conditions, the physical-mechanical and anatomical properties of the stems and the particles of the soil (^{Fielke et al., 1993}).

According to Guul (as cited in ^{González et al. (2008)}, to analyze the interaction between the base cutter-blades, the sugar cane and the particles in the environment, the following five factors must be considered during the cut:

• Thermal manufacturing process and geometry. Due to their very severe work regime, these tools must meet tribo-mechanical properties such as hardness, wear resistance and impact resistance. In addition, the angle of the edge determines the realization of a clean cut and a lower resistance to cutting the stems. Authors such as ^{Mello & Harris (2003)}; ^{Mello (2005)}; ^{De Toledo et al. (2013)}; ^{Mathanker et al. (2015)}; ^{Momin et al. (2017)} have investigated the performance of the base cutter-blades with different designs, edge geometries and impact angles.

• Properties and variety of the cut cane. This refers fundamentally to the amount of silica present in the bark and the amount of fibers per section that the different varieties can have. In this sense, ^{González et al. (2008)} characterizes the microstructure of the stems of three varieties of sugarcane and establishes relationships between some microstructural characteristics of the stems and the energy at cutting. One of the notable contributions of this research is having related some mechanical properties to the average dimensions of the fibers for three varieties of sugarcane. ^{Valdés et al. (2008)} determine a set of physical-mechanical properties of two varieties of sugarcane used in Cuba as forage for animal feed. These properties constitute essential input data for the evaluation of physical-mathematical models that make it possible to calculate the main design and operating parameters of forage chopping machines. ^{Díaz & Iglesias (2014)} report results of the determination of the physical-mechanical properties of the sugarcane stems involved in the juice extraction process for the manufacture of panela. These are obtained based on the different geometric and biological locations and stem diameters, for three varieties of sugarcane, values ​​required in a mathematical model to determine the energy required in the juice extraction process.

• Field conditions and leveling. One of the main problems that exist in the fields is the presence of obstacles and poor ground preparation, which leads to wear and tear and causes deformation and breakage of the base cutter-blades, so these tools have to be replaced frequently. In this sense, ^{Abadia (2018)} in Figure 5, shows the shape of the furrow and location of the base cutting discs for the ideal cutting conditions in fields intended for mechanization. He adds, as it can be seen in Figure 6, that the agricultural tasks following the planting of the sugarcane (1) will be definitive in raising the crop (2-3), since these will allow the furrow ridge or profile to be shaped into a trapezoid groove (4). This will depend on conditions such as the type of soil, the irrigation systems, the leveling and the types of harvesting machines to be used. The important thing is to keep a final height of the ridge not greater than 15 cm and a width of stumps not greater than 50 cm to avoid loss of cane and excessive wear of the blades (5).

Furthermore, he insists that the different unsuitable field conditions must be gradually improved to bring the machines closer to the best possible designs (Figure 7). The same fields with different furrow or ridge geometries (1), irregularities in the irrigation lanes due to inadequate agricultural work (2) must be corrected, since in these conditions soil and stumps are incorporated, damage to the crop occurs and wear of the blades is favored. In the ideal conformation (3), it is observed that the spaces between furrows, the height of the ridge and its geometric shape are all uniform.

(^{Abadia, 2018})

FIGURE 5 Ridge shape and location of the base-cutter discs for ideal cutting conditions. 

(^{Abadia, 2018})

FIGURE 6 Field conditions for agricultural work following sugarcane planting. 

(^{Abadia, 2018})

FIGURE 7 Different unsuitable field preparation conditions (1 and 2) and ideal for the mechanized cutting process (3). 

• Cutting speed. According to Silveira (cited by ^{Águila (2010)}, when the speed is small, the tearing and breaking of the stem occurs. With increasing speed, the cut is obtained without tearing and without breakage and the forces of resistance to the cut decrease. When there is an excess of speed, obstructions, damaged cane, short logs, little extraction of residues and overloaded motor occur. In addition, according to ^{Valdés et al. (2009)}, the specific energy consumed during the cutting of the stems decreases as the cutting speed increases, presenting an asymptotic trend from 20 to 30 m/s.

• The angle of inclination of the base cutter-disc. When the angle of inclination of the base-cutter disc is incorrect, great wear occurs on the cutter-blade, damage to the stumps and cane left in the field. The cutting angles of the base-cutter disc must correspond to the special conditions of the field, since no crop is totally uniform (Figure 8). It will be necessary, then, to have operators that are capable of adapting and operating in different field conditions. Lack of commitment and inadequate maintenance personnel are the main problems to solve this difficulty (^{Abadia, 2018}).

Another important aspect considered by this author is the handling and assembly of the base-cutter blades (Figure 9), which combined with the inadequate cutting height and inadequate angulation of the base-cutter disc, in addition to generating incorporation of foreign matter in soil and stumps up to 0,5% and crushing losses of up to 0,6 tons of cane per hectare, contributes to the accelerated wear of the mimes. In the same way, a longer cutter-blade (Figure 10), avoids the contact of the disc with the ground, the removal of stumps and bursting of the cane and favors an optimal use of the edge that increases the useful life of the tool.

(^{Abadia, 2018})

FIGURE 8 Recommended magnitudes of the base-cutter angles . 

(^{Abadia, 2018})

FIGURE 9 Wear at the rounded ends: a) Due to inadequate cutting height; b) Due to inadequate angulation. It should not be cut with the tip of the blade .  

(^{Abadia, 2018})

FIGURE 10 Handling and assembly of the base cutter-blades: a) Ideal assembly, b) Wear and completion of the base cutter-blades used correctly, c) Wear and inadequate completion of the base cutter-blades. 

CONCLUSIONS

• Current harvesters use a base cutting mechanism with a rotating disc that cuts without support and by impact of the sugarcane stalks, where three regions are distinguished: the initial development of the cut (the cutting process occurs, the force cutting reaches the maximum value and the stem structure is destroyed); shear deformation of the cross section of the stem (the cutting action and the advance of the tool occur simultaneously and the cutting force decreases sharply with the progressive decrease of the cutting area); the moment after cutting (the stem is completely cut and the magnitude of the cutting force drops suddenly).

• Abrasive wear is the main phenomenon that threatens the durability of the base cutter-blade of sugarcane harvesters, so it is necessary to consider, during the cutting process, a group of factors such as: the thermal process of manufacture and geometry of the blades; the properties and variety of the cut cane; the field conditions and leveling; cutting speed; the angle of inclination of the base cutting disc and the handling and assembly of the segments, to reduce the effects on the performance of these tools and favor the increase of their durability.

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Received: April 18, 2021; Accepted: November 12, 2021

^*Author for correspondence: Rigoberto Antonio Pérez-Reyes, e-mail: [e-mail]

Rigoberto Antonio Pérez-Reyes, Profesor Auxiliar, Universidad de Ciego de Ávila Máximo Gómez Báez, Facultad de Ciencias Técnicas, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. Carretera a Morón km 9½, CP: 65 300, Teléfono (33) 21 7009, Fax [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]

Lázaro Antonio Daquinta-Gradaille, Universidad de Ciego de Ávila, Facultad de Ciencias Técnicas, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, e-mail:[e-mail]

Jorge Douglas Bonilla Rocha, Universidad de Ciego de Ávila, Facultad de Ciencias Técnicas, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. e-mail: [e-mail]

Carlos Alexander Recarey-Morfa, Universidad Central de Las Villas, Facultad de Construcciones, Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba. e-mail: [e-mail]

Omar Hilario Rodríguez-Aguilar, Universidad de Ciego de Ávila, Facultad de Ciencias Técnicas, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, e-mail: [e-mail]

Julio Águila-Gómez, Universidad de Ciego de Ávila, Facultad de Ciencias Técnicas, Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. e-mail: [e-mail]

The authors of this work declare no conflict of interests.

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS: Conceptualization: R. A. Pérez. Data curation: R. A. Pérez, L. A. Dquinta. Formal analysis: R. A. Pérez, L. A. Dquinta, J. D. Bonilla, C. A. Recarey, O. H. Rodríguez, J. Águila. Investigation: R. A. Pérez, L. A. Dquinta, J. D. Bonilla, C.A. Recarey, O. H. Rodríguez, J. Águila. Methodology: R. A. Pérez, L. A. Dquinta, J. D. Bonilla, C.A. Recarey, O. H. Rodríguez, J. Águila. Project administration: L. A. Dquinta, R. A. Pérez. Supervision: R. A. Pérez. Validation: R. A. Pérez, L. A. Dquinta, J. D. Bonilla. Roles/Writing, original draft: R. A. Pérez. Writing, review & editing: L. A. Dquinta, J. D. Bonilla, C.A. Recarey, O. H. Rodríguez, J. Águila.