Lodged Sugarcane/Crop Dividers Interaction: Analysis of Robotic Sugarcane Harvester in Agriculture via a Rigid-Flexible Coupled Simulation Method

Abstract

As a critical component of the sugarcane harvester, the primary function of the crop dividers is to lift the lodged sugarcane (LS) and reduce the loss rate of the sugarcane harvest. In this study, a rigid-flexible coupling simulation method is proposed to improve the lifting efficiency of the crop dividers on severely LS and analyze the nature of interaction between the sugarcane stalk and the crop dividers. The model’s accuracy was verified using field experiments, and the operational performance of the crop dividers on sugarcane in different lodging postures was investigated. The results showed that the curve of the vertical height of the center (VHC) fluctuated more and slipped with highest frequency during the lifting process of side and forward LS. The speed of VHC was fastest during the lifting operation of side LS. The effect of side angle on the lifting effect of sugarcane was significant; the qualified values of the VHC of sugarcane being lifted in different lodged postures were: side and reverse lodged > side lodged > side and forward lodged. The coupling method and experimental results described in this paper can provide guidance for the optimal design and field operation of the crop dividers.