Abstract
Flexural rigidity(EI) and deflection characteristics of rice stalks were studied to investigate the mechanical interaction between a rice stalk and a combine reel in harvesting. Deflection of a rice stalk caused by reel operation is so large that conventional equation of small deflection fer elastic beam cannot be applied to the study of deflection characteristics. Therefore, an equation of large deflection for elastic beam was introduced in this study. Feasibility of this equation was examined by comparing theoretical calculation with the measured results for piano wire, and by the relationship between deflection and load acting on a rice stalk which was presumed by this equation. Results showed that the large deflection equation could predict the measurement data quite well. From this research, the following results were obtained. 1. Flexural rigidity(EI) calculated from the equation of large deflection was 4.0${\times}$l0$^4$N$.$$\textrm{mm}^2$(diameter 1.4mm, deflection 300mm) while the actual EI value of a piano wire(diameter 1.4mm) was 3.9${\times}$10$^4$N$.$$\textrm{mm}^2$. 2. The relationship between deflection and load acting on a rice stalk could be presumed by the large deflection equation. Flexural rigidity values of tested rice stalks calculated from the equation of large deflection were 1.6∼2.4${\times}$ l0$^4$N$.$$\textrm{mm}^2$(Hwa sung), 2.7∼3.5${\times}$ l0$^4$N$.$$\textrm{mm}^2$(Il pum) and 1.7∼2.4${\times}$ l0$^4$N$.$$\textrm{mm}^2$(Damakum)
