ANALYSIS OF THE FLAX PULLING PROCESS WITH A TRANSVERSE-GROOVE MACHINE

<jats:p>The flax-pulling process, performed by continuous-action flax-pulling machines, is common to all existing flax harvesting technologies. Existing frontal flax-pulling machines with transverse bandand-disk grooves are promising, and their designs are constantly being improved to increase process reliability, reduce seed loss, and enhance the ability to harvest short-stemmed flax. The aim of this study is a theoretical study of flax-pulling using machines with transverse band-and-disk grooves. Flax-pulling is examined within a spatial coordinate system. The stages of flax stem extraction (pulling) from the soil are graphically shown. A differential equation describing the flax stem-pulling process is theoretically derived and analyzed. The solution established that the length of the stem section under the flax harvesting section during harvesting increases with the section's installation height, the length of the extracted root portion, the stem harvesting force, and its cross-sectional area. By the end of harvesting, the length of the stem section under the section is equal to the initial stem section length plus the root length. Upon completion of harvesting, the initial stem length is restored under the action of elastic forces, and stretching and stress are eliminated. This improved method for flax harvesting with a transverse belt-disc runner system can be used in the computational and theoretical basis of engineering design methods for flax harvesting machines, taking into account the properties of plant materials as deformable mechanical systems.</jats:p>