Simulation of Impact to Dumper Bodies Made of Modern QT-Steels

The use of modern quenched and tempered steels in dumper bodies to reduce weight to increase the payload and reduce the fuel consumption is briefly discussed. Modern quenched and tempered steels in combination with adopted design concept will further increase weight savings of the dumper body. Use of these materials may lead to 4 times longer wear life than ordinary steels.

One of the main load cases for a dumper body is impact of an object, i.e. boulders and rocks, into the body. A well-proven test setup is used to develop a model to predict failure and depth of the dent after the impact. A material model with damage mechanic was utilized to predict fracture. The developed model was used to study the effect of the geometry of the impacting object, thickness of the plate and unconstrained plate field. The model was also implemented in larger model and compared with a full scale test of dumper body. It was found that the most sensitive parameter is the geometry of the falling object. However, the main conclusion from the investigation it is possible to design lighter and stronger dumper bodies with the appropriate design in combination with the right material.