Desempenho operacional de uma colhedora em cana crua na região da Grande Dourados - MS

Abstract

The raw sugar cane mechanized harvesting reduces the pollutants emissions in the atmosphere; however losses in the system of raw sugar cane harvesting have been noticed, besides influencing the harvester efficiency and the quality of the machine work. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of the four displacement speeds on the operational performance of a raw sugar cane harvester. It was used the completely randomized design, being the four treatments (3.0, 4.5, 6.0 and 8.0 km h-1), with four replications. They were determined the gross and net harvesting capacity, the manipulation effectiveness, the harvesting losses, the raw material impurities, the cut quality and the frequency of the grindings length. The effective gross and net capacities were influenced by the work speeds, checking the values rise with the displacement speed raise of the harvester. The manipulation effectiveness wasn’t influenced by the displacement speed raise of the harvester. Raise occurred in the effective gross and net capacities as increasing the displacement speed of the harvester to 8.0 km h-1, without reducing the manipulation effectiveness. The sugar cane losses in the field weren’t influenced with the displacement speed raise of the harvester. Analyzing the collected material in the transportation unity, it was observed that the whole grinding index, root index, unselected material index, pointers index and strange vegetal material index weren’t influenced by the displacement speed raise of the harvester, whereas the leaves and straw index was changed. The frequency of the grindings length wasn’t almost changed by the speed raise of the harvester. The grindings length between 18 and 23 cm was the most frequent one using a harvester in raw sugar cane. There is a trend of the raise in the grindings and stumps shear with the displacement speed raise of the harvester, showing need adjustment of the base cut mechanism with the forward speed of the machine.