Mathematical Model of a Hydraulic Excavator for Fuel Consumption Predictions

Abstract

This paper presents the multibody mathematical model of a hydraulic excavator, developed in the AMESim® environment, which is able to predict the machinery fuel consumption during the working cycles. The mathematical modelling approach is presented as well as the subsystems models. The experimental activity on the excavator is presented in detail. The excavator fuel consumption was measured according to the JCMAS standard. The working cycles were executed an appropriate number of times in order to minimize the stochastic influence of the operator on the fuel consumption. The results show the mathematical model capability in the machine fuel consumption prediction. The excavator model could be useful either to perform accurate analyses on the energy dissipation in the system, giving the possibility to introduce new system configurations and compare their performance with the standard one, or for the definition of novel system control strategies in order to achieve the fuel consumption reduction target.