Authors: M. Samarra, L. Roseiro, A. Neto

The ripper is a mechanical component added to a bulldozer machine that allows the execution of works of high effort, namely in works of tear and flat soil, particularly where it is not possible to use small machines. The fracture of the ripper is a situation that occurs frequently, leading to high costs, due to the price associated with the acquisition of a new component, either by stopping unwanted times. In practices, in Portugal, the companies that use this type of equipment choose to produce a new ripper, which is maintained ready for replacement. However, the study of the mechanical behavior of the ripper is a topic that have not been yet developed. In this paper, we present the study of the mechanical behavior of the ripper that is integrated on the Komatsu 275 bulldozer machine. Moreover, A numerical and experimental study of a model at the scale of scale 1:10 was made. The numerical model is based on the finite element method, using the following softwares SolidWorks Simulation and Abaqus CAE. The validation of the finite element models was supported by the experimental evaluation. The behavior of the ripper was also evaluated experimentally in real working conditions. The experimental analysis was supported by the use of electrical resistance strain gage, allowing the determination the strain field at specific points. Data acquisition was performed using National Instruments acquisition boards and the softwares Labview and Matlab.

M. Samarra¹ | L. Roseiro² | A. Neto¹
1Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
2Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra, Portugal