Publication: The effects of the teflon coating on cutting force and energy required for harvesting the oil palm fronds
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Date
2023-07-06
Authors
Lee, Khai Shuan
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Abstract
This research aimed to investigate the impact of Teflon coating on the harvesting efficiency of oil palm fronds in the oil palm industry. The process of harvesting palm fronds presents challenges due to high cutting forces and energy
requirements. To address this, a quasi-static cutting test was conducted using conventional and Teflon-coated sickles. The wear levels of the sickles before and after the cutting test were characterised. The performance of both sickles, including the maximum cutting force, specific cutting force (SCF), and specific cutting energy (SCE) required during the cutting process, were compared. Additionally, the effects of cutting angles (60°, 75°, and 90°) and fronds’ moisture content (<50% and >50%) on force and energy requirements were investigated. The results showed that the cutting angles significantly influenced the cutting force, SCF and SCE. However, due to the fronds used in the experiment having a moisture content of more than 50%, the effect of moisture content could not be determined. The maximum cutting force, SCF and SCE exhibited decreasing trends as the cutting angle decreased from 90° to 60°. Regardless of the cutting angles (60°, 75°, or 90°), the Teflon-coated sickle (1353.60 ± 210.49 N) exhibited lower maximum cutting force compared to the conventional sickle (1731.87 ± 224.24 N). The Teflon-coated sickle demonstrated the best cutting performance at a cutting angle of 60°, with a maximum SCF of 20.45 ± 0.65 N/cm2 and a maximum SCE of 164.1 ± 8.2 N/cm. The study revealed a significant effect of Teflon coating, resulting in a considerable decrease (21.9 ± 10.4% and 24.1 ± 6.0%, respectively) in maximum SCF and SCE compared to the conventional sickle. Furthermore, the wear analysis involving a comparison of roughness parameters revealed an increase in both the roughness average and maximum height of the profile, while also indicating a decrease in the kurtosis of the profile after the cutting process.