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SINCROKIT - Kit of  synchronism for sugarcane harvesters

SYNCHRONISM refers to a system for feeding and transporting sugarcane stalks from sugarcane seedling harvesters with the aim of reducing mechanical damage to the billets and improving the quality of the raw material for mechanized planting, an automatic control system of the synchronism of the speeds of the feed rollers and the choppers rollers with the ground speed of the harvester.

Lack of synchronism between harvesting speed and feed roller train increases damage to gems/buds and billets due to uneven flow of sugarcane into the harvester and excessive contact of feed rollers with seedling (greater number of impacts than needed to transport the stalks from the base cutting system to the choppers). This can be explained by the difference between the harvester ground speed and the peripheral (or tangential) speed of the rollers. This speed difference results in feeding problems if the speed of the conveyor rollers is less than the harvester travel speed or damage to seedlings if the speed of the conveyor rollers is greater than the harvester travel speed.

Ground speed / Feed speed

unsychronized / synchronized

Recent trials conducted by the authors of the synchronism showed that the synchronization of the peripheral speed of the feed rollers with the harvester ground speed  reduced the number of damaged buds as expected. Surprisingly this reduction in damage was of the order of 20% (95% statistical reliability) compared to the conventional system used in a state of the art harvester where speeds are not synchronized, showing a great advance in the state of the art.

total inviable buds (normal vs synchronized)
variety CTC 7, 10,8% fiber

total inviable buds (normal vs synchronized)
variety CTC 2, 9,5% fiber

In addition to the surprising reduction in the amount of damaged buds, there has been a significant improvement in the quality of the billets, ie billets with up to 13% (95% statistical reliability) less cracking, kneading or perforation that will certainly be less susceptible to attack by disease-causing agents and will give better results in the sprouting and vigor of sugarcane The field observations combined with these experiments allow us to infer that the synchronism control between the speed of the feed rollers and the ground speed of the harvester,  greatly improved the quality of the seedling.