Stress and Deformation Analysis of Joint Plate Depending on Truss Joint Design of Carrying Structure

Abstract

This article presents the stress and deformation shape of joint plate in two commonly used constructive designs of truss joints of a rotating excavator’s load-carrying structure. A local analysis of stresses and deformations of the joint plate have been conducted taking into consideration the most loaded truss joint of the working wheel’s load-carrying structure on specific rotating excavator, having a riveted design, as well as the theoretically determined forces affecting the joining trusses of the truss joint. These activities are performed employing FEM (Finite Element Method) modelling of the truss joint and using a software package for this purpose, in view of defined characteristic static and dynamic loads. Nowadays, the load-carrying structures are more often made by welding, so it is in our interest as it would affect the stress and deformation shape of the subject truss joint in welded design, bearing the same load conditions.