The objective of this study was to find optimizing moisture content and cutting area of sugarcane stalk cutting\nparameters using multiple regressions and to verify the optimum levels of the variables. The effect of moisture content and\ncutting section area on mechanical cutting properties of sugarcane stalks was studied using a linear blade cutting and UTM\n(Universal Testing Machine) size reduction device. Data obtained in the laboratory were divided into four different groups in\norder to determine the peak force, cutting energy, ultimate stress and specific energy. Additional criterions were also proposed\nand used as an indicator of the cutting performance. These were the marginal cutting parameter (MCP) and return to scale\n(RTS). The data obtained in the laboratory were then used to develop functions in polynomial form that allowed the\ncalculation of the optimum level of each independent variable considered in the study. Moisture content had the highest effect\non peak force, ultimate stress and specific energy with an impact of -15.936, -0.147 and -0.179, respectively. Also cutting\nenergy affected with cutting section area with a 36.06 coefficient. The high moisture content level compared to low moisture\ncontent level produced a significant reduction in the peak force, ultimate stress and specific energy. Cutting parameters were\nrelatively insensitive to moisture content of sugarcane stalk more than cutting section area of that.
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