Vibration analysis of a small agricultural transporter used in Taiwan
Journal
International Agricultural Engineering Journal
Journal Volume
14
Journal Issue
3
Pages
123-135
Date Issued
2005-01
Author(s)
C.K. Yeh
Abstract
In Taiwan, fruits are transported from orchard farms to an assembly yard using a maneuverable small agricultural transporter. When the fruits are unpacked and unwrapped, damage is caused by the vibration and shock during transportation. In this study, a road test procedure using a synchronous multi-channel data acquisition system was developed to determine the levels of vibration of the small agricultural transporter. Then, the probability density function (PDF) and power spectral density (PSD) were calculated using a MATLAB program and evaluated on different velocities, tire inflation pressures, loading and road types. The ANOVA tests of the PDF in random experiments revealed that the velocity had a significant influence on the vibration of the transporter, and that the inflation pressure had no significant influence on the vibration of the transporter. At lower speeds, the vibrations from the front and rear part of the main chassis, beneath the truck-bed and the frame beneath the driver's seat were not affected, no matter what the condition of the road. It was found that the loading process had a significant influence on vibration, with the exception of the frame beneath the driver's seat. There was no significant influence of the inflation pressure on the PSD. The transporter's truck-bed PSD with a 400 kg load was similar to that of a truck without a load at a higher frequency. These were 15 Hz for velocity 2.9 km/h and 30 Hz for velocity 17.4 km/h. The frame's PSD beneath the driver's seat was broadly similar, whether or not it was loaded. Regardless of velocity, there was an upward tendency at the lower range of frequency in the peak values of the farm road in comparison with that of the fair blacktop. In all of the tests, the magnitudes of PSD were found to be, in descending order, the rear part of the main chassis beneath the truck-bed, the middle part of the main chassis, the frame beneath the driver's seat and the front part of the main chassis. Both the probability density function and the power density function analysis were feasible and consistent with each other in this research.
Publisher
Asian Association for Agricultural Engineering
Type
journal article