Structural, kinematic and kinetostatic analysis of a manure spreader equipped by a mobile platform with articulated elements

Abstract

Organic fertilization involves working with machines by a special construction, suitable for the material to be spread, machines that have, in most cases, chain conveyors with scrapers attached to the chains. In some cases, the conveyor chain may break, due to the jams, and the need for manual unloading of the bunker (bucket) appears, which requires a great physical effort, the unloading being made by the operator, using a shovel. The construction of the platform using mobile, articulated elements would greatly facilitate the unloading at the bottom of the bunker and would eliminate the physical effort of the operator. This article presents the structural, kinematic and kinetostatic analysis of a mechanism designed for actuating a mobile platform, which is part of a manure spreader, composed of articulated elements driven by hydraulic cylinders. For the kinematic analysis of the mobile element platform’s mechanism, calculation procedures written in the Matlab syntax are used. After the kinematic analysis of the mechanism, the kinetostatic analysis is performed, i.e. the determination of the reactions from the kinematic couplings, as well as the hydraulic force from the hydraulic cylinder. The results can be used for dimensional verification of the mechanism components, thus contributing to the optimization of the mechanism.