Modelling the sugarcane crushing process with the software ABAQUS and LS-DYNA

Current milling technologies such as four- and six-roller units will remain the main components of milling stations for the foreseeable future. A better understanding of the milling process is likely to result in modifications that improve performance, such as for dewatering. Previous investigations concluded that the mechanical compression, shear and volume behaviour of prepared cane and bagasse followed the behaviour detailed in soil mechanics, while fluid flow through the porous biomass follows Darcy's law. Similarly, it was previously identified that a finite element modelling software LS-DYNA had most or all of the capabilities to model cane crushing in a milling unit, including mechanical and flow models, contact with non-deformable surfaces and automatic re-meshing in the same simulation. This paper details progress in modelling cane crushing using software packages, ABAQUS and LS-DYNA.