Dynamic digging force modeling and comparative analysis of backhoe hydraulic excavators

Abstract

Abstract The evaluation of excavator performance relies heavily on digging force, which serves as a crucial indicator. However, the accuracy of performance assessment is hindered by the absence of a suitable method to characterize the dynamic digging capacity of excavators. This study addresses this limitation by proposing an approach to establish a set of solution-limited inequalities for dynamic digging force. The approach incorporates D’Alembert’s principle and composite digging, while considering the influence of inertia force. Furthermore, to mitigate the issue of bucket tooth tip trajectory shaking caused by discontinuous posture during excavation, an amount of measurement data from a 20-ton machine is utilized to construct a consistent theoretical digging trajectory. The theoretical trajectory is subjected to numerical verification to determine the dynamic digging force along the trajectory. A comparative analysis is then conducted, contrasting the obtained dynamic digging force with different theoretical digging forces and measured resistances. Additionally, the dynamic digging forces within the selected digging area of the machine are characterized, without accounting for attitude continuity. The findings demonstrate that the dynamic digging force effectively captures the excavator’s performance along the trajectory, and it also provides an excellent characterization of the digging force at discrete digging spots.