Effects of Contra-rotating Basecutters on Cutting Quality

Abstract. The basecutter is a key component of sugarcane harvester and its performance affects cane base cutting quality, which is an important indicator for harvester performance because good cutting quality can reduce cane loss and keep high cane yield for next year. However, the available basecutters of current harvesters have various problems, such as high stubble damage rate and cane loss, that obstructed the high-performance harvester development hence the mechanization of the whole sugarcane production process in China. In this study, a contra-rotating basecutter proposed based on support cutting theory and the available basecutters' technological deficiency was verified using a laboratory-based cutting platform. A series of lab cutting tests using quadratic regression revolution design were carried out to compare contra-rotating basecutter and existed basecutter with free cutting and investigate the cutting quality varying with different disc rotational speed, cane stalk feeding rate, cutting disc tilt angle, and blade number. The optimal parameters obtained by regression analysis were verified with lab cutting tests and high-speed photography analysis. The verification results showed that contra-rotating basecutter has lower stubble damage rate compared with existed basecutter, and proved contra-rotating basecutter's feasibility of improving harvester cutting quality. Additionally the results indicated that the optimum parameters of contra-rotating basecutter was that: cutting disc rotational speed was 550 rpm, cane stalk feeding rate was 0.5 m·s^-1, blade number was 5 and cutting disc tilt angle was 0°. With the setting of optimal parameters, stubble damage rate of contra-rotating basecutter was 15%, which was 10% lower than existed basecutter.