Engineering Properties of Sugarcane for the Development of Efficient Sugarcane Machinery

Abstract

In sugarcane cultivation, operations from sowing to harvesting are critical and time-consuming. The lack of manual labor poses risks and increases drudgery, necessitating mechanization based on the engineering properties of 10–12 month old sugarcane stalks. Engineering properties of three sugarcane varieties (CoLk 14201, CoLk 09204 and CoPk 05191) from IISR Lucknow were evaluated. These properties are essential for designing effective machinery components. The average sugarcane stalk length and weight across three varieties were 2096 mm and 1.03 kg, with average diameter of 23.48 mm (bottom), 25.38 mm (middle) and 24.13 mm (top). Three-budded setts were longest and heaviest, followed by two-budded setts, with single-budded setts being the smallest and lightest. Setts length ranged from 55 to 354.5 mm, weight from 28.37 to 207.38 g and diameter from 15 to 29 mm. Optimal moisture content for setts was 70–75%, with values ranging from 67.57 to 83.33%. Bulk density varied between random and aligned storage, from 0.231 to 0.491 g/cm³ and 0.348 to 0.597 g/cm³, respectively. Coefficients of friction were highest with rubber and lowest with FRP. CoLk 09204 had the highest friction across all setts, while CoPk 05191 had the lowest, with vertical orientations showing higher friction. Penetration resistance increased from top to bottom internode segments, with CoLk 09204 showing the highest resistance (8.02–9.88 N/mm²). Cutting resistance was highest at the bottom stalk position, with CoLk 09204 having the greatest resistance (3.5 N/mm²). Crushing resistance was significantly higher in CoLk 09204 (1742–1787 N) and it also exhibited the highest bending resistance (1414.06 N/mm²), indicating a denser, more resistant stalk structure. These findings are essential for optimizing various sugarcane cultivation machinery components and processing methods.