Mechanical characterization and transversely isotropic finite element modelling of sugarcane stalk

Sugarcane stalks are subjected to compression, clamping, bending, feeding, and conveying during mechanised harvesting, but their mechanical behaviour is commonly characterised under individual loading conditions, limiting the representation of directional and longitudinal variability in numerical models.

This study establishes an integrated experimental and modelling framework to characterise these variations and incorporate them into a transversely isotropic finite element model. Mature Guitang 21 stalks were tested at basal and middle internodes using axial compression, radial compression, and three-point bending.

The basal internodes exhibited an axial elastic modulus of 96.95 MPa, an equivalent radial deformation parameter of 17.66 MPa, and an equivalent bending response parameter of 174.10 MPa, compared with 65.90 MPa, 14.47 MPa, and 140.39 MPa, respectively, for the middle internodes.

These results reveal two consistent mechanical features: substantially greater resistance along the stalk axis than in the radial direction, and systematically greater mechanical resistance in the basal region than in the middle region. The quantified parameters and the validated model provide a basis for refining the design of clamping, feeding, and cutting components in mechanised harvesting machinery.