Investigation of the process of cutting industrial hemp stalks into segments of a given length

The development of high-tech working bodies and the improvement of methods for harvesting industrial hemp is of great practical importance for the development of domestic hemp growing. The paper presents the results of experimental studies of an adapter for cutting industrial hemp stalks into segments of a given length. The research was carried out in 2024 in the scientific and production laboratory of the Federal Scientific Center for Bast Crops using the method of planning a multifactorial experiment on a developed laboratory unit that allows simulating the operation of an adapter in the field. As a result of the research, regression models and experimental data on rational parameters and modes of operation of the adapter were obtained: the gap in the cutting pair blade-shear knife is no more than 1 mm, the height of the shear knife relative to the horizontal axis of the cutting drum is 142–145 mm, the knife outreach relative to the verticality is 23–25°, the angle of deviation of the shear knife from the verticality is 28–30°. To obtain segments of stalks with a length of 0.45–0.55 m, the rotation speed of the cutting drum is 70–80 rpm, and the cutting rollers – 120–140 rpm. It is determined that the lowest active power of 4 W is spent on cutting a stalk with a diameter of 10 mm at an angle of inclination of the knife blade of 4°.