Construction Equipment’s Bucket Design Based on Soil-Tool Interaction-Analytical and DEM Approach

In Earth Moving Machines, performance of an attachments play crucial role in determining the machine performance. Application of the machine is one of the main factors to be considered for bucket design. Different types of buckets are offered in the market to suit the particular application. Trenching, digging, moving loose material are some of the operations done with the backhoe bucket. While operating in these areas bucket handles intact soil, granules, loose rocks etc. Properties of these materials play important role in bucket design methodology. In this paper efforts are made towards understanding the properties of soil along with soil failure mechanism and utilizing these inputs to design a backhoe bucket for better machine productivity. Mathematical modeling and Discrete Element Modeling (DEM) are the tools used for design and validation of this work. Mathematical modeling is intended to understand the efforts required to break the intact soil while the properties of soil are known. Mathematical modeling approach is compared with the DEM study to find the correlation and closeness of both the methodologies. Based on principles of soil mechanics, this study focuses on application of an analytical model that is relatively simple and easy to determine required resistive force. This paper emphasizes on the relations between excavation force and different parameters like soil density, soil blade friction angle, soil cohesion, internal friction angle and bucket geometry. This work will help in deciding the backhoe bucket parameters for the new region as well improve the productivity of bucket and hence the overall machine efficiency. This study will also aid in determining the overall vehicle specification like the breakout force, Rim pull force, Engine and hydraulic power required once the maximum resistive force from the soil or the excavation force is being determined.