Detta examensarbete handlar om finita element analys av svetsade förband i korgen på Volvo dumpern A40E. Det genomfördes i samarbete med Volvo CE i Braås. Uppgiften var att ge företaget en lämplig lösning för att minska mängden svetsskarvar på den främre delen av lastenheten. För att uppnå detta har en rad analyser genomförts med hjälp av CATIA och ANSYS på både de befintliga och de justerade (potentiella ersättare) svetsade förbanden. Analyserna visar att utmatningshållfastheten av svetsade förband huvudsakligen beror på inbränningsdjupet. Med andra ord, förstärka svetsförband genom större inbränning är mer fördelaktigt än att använda mer svets på utsidan. Slutsatsen blev att både produktionstid och kostnad kan minskas genom justering av de svetsade förbanden. Eftersom svetsförband på lastenheten är sammankopplade bör mer omfattande studier som inkluderar alla svetsar genomföras för att uppskatta effekterna av liknande justeringar. / The work presented in this master thesis is about the finite element analysis of the welded connections in load carrying unit of the articulated hauler, Volvo A40E. It was performed in cooperation with Volvo CE in Braås. The task was to provide the company with an appropriate solution to reduce the amount of weld used on the front part of the load carrying unit. To accomplish this, a series of analyses utilising CATIA and ANSYS was performed on both existing and adjusted (potential replacement) welded connections. The analyses brought to light the fact that the fatigue resistance of welded connections significantly depends on the penetration depth. In other words, reinforcing the welded connections by deeper penetration is more beneficial than providing support from outside through thicker weld. It was concluded that applying adjusted welds lessens both the production time and cost. Nevertheless, since the welds on the load carrying unit are correlated; more extensive studies covering all welds should be carried out to estimate the impacts of similar replacements.

<p>Detta examensarbete handlar om finita element analys av svetsade förband i korgen på Volvo dumpern A40E. Det genomfördes i samarbete med Volvo CE i Braås. Uppgiften var att ge företaget en lämplig lösning för att minska mängden svetsskarvar på den främre delen av lastenheten. För att uppnå detta har en rad analyser genomförts med hjälp av CATIA och ANSYS på både de befintliga och de justerade (potentiella ersättare) svetsade förbanden. Analyserna visar att utmatningshållfastheten av svetsade förband huvudsakligen beror på inbränningsdjupet. Med andra ord, förstärka svetsförband genom större inbränning är mer fördelaktigt än att använda mer svets på utsidan. Slutsatsen blev att både produktionstid och kostnad kan minskas genom justering av de svetsade förbanden. Eftersom svetsförband på lastenheten är sammankopplade bör mer omfattande studier som inkluderar alla svetsar genomföras för att uppskatta effekterna av liknande justeringar.</p> / <p>The work presented in this master thesis is about the finite element analysis of the welded connections in load carrying unit of the articulated hauler, Volvo A40E. It was performed in cooperation with Volvo CE in Braås. The task was to provide the company with an appropriate solution to reduce the amount of weld used on the front part of the load carrying unit. To accomplish this, a series of analyses utilising CATIA and ANSYS was performed on both existing and adjusted (potential replacement) welded connections. The analyses brought to light the fact that the fatigue resistance of welded connections significantly depends on the penetration depth. In other words, reinforcing the welded connections by deeper penetration is more beneficial than providing support from outside through thicker weld. It was concluded that applying adjusted welds lessens both the production time and cost. Nevertheless, since the welds on the load carrying unit are correlated; more extensive studies covering all welds should be carried out to estimate the impacts of similar replacements.</p>

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In this thesis, an explicit time integration code which integrates multibody dynamics and the discrete element method is used for modelling the excavation and moving operation of cohesive soft soil (such as mud and snow) by bulldozers. A soft cohesive soil material model (that includes normal and tangential inter-particle force models) is used that can account for soil compressibility, plasticity, fracture, friction, viscosity and gain in cohesive strength due to compression. In addition, a time relaxation sub-model for the soil plastic deformation and cohesive strength is added in order to account for loss in soil cohesive strength and reduced bulk density due to tension or removal of the compression. This is essential in earth moving applications since the soil that is dug typically becomes loose soil that has lower shear strength and lower bulk density (larger volume) than compacted soil. If the model does not account for loss of soil shear strength then the dug soil pile in front of the blade of a bulldozer will have an artificially high shear strength. A penalty technique is used to impose joint and normal contact constraints. An asperity-based friction model is used to model contact and joint friction. A Cartesian Eulerian grid contact search algorithm is used to allow fast contact detection between particles. A recursive bounding box contact search algorithm is used to allow fast contact detection between the particles and polygonal contact surfaces. A multibody dynamics bulldozer model is created which includes the chassis/body, C-frame, blade, wheels and hydraulic actuators. The components are modelled as rigid bodies and are connected using revolute and prismatic joints. Rotary actuators along with PD (Proportional-Derivative) controllers are used to drive the wheels. Linear actuators along with PD controllers are used to drive the hydraulic actuators. Polygonal contact surfaces are defined for the tires and blade to model the interaction between the soil and the bulldozer. Simulations of a bulldozer performing typical shallow digging operations in a cohesive soil are presented. The simulation of a rear wheel drive bulldozer shows that, it has a limited digging capacity compared to the 4-wheel drive bulldozer. The effect of the relaxation parameter can be easily observed from the variation in the Bulldozer's velocity. The higher the relaxation parameter, the higher is the bulldozer's velocity while it is crossing over the soil patch. For the low penetration depth run the bulldozer takes less time compared to high penetration depth. Also higher magnitudes of torques at front and rear wheels can be observed in case of high penetration depth. The model is used to predict the wheel torque, wheel speed, vehicle speed and actuator forces during shallow digging operations on three types of soils and at two blade penetration depths. The model presented can be used to predict the motion, loads and required actuators forces and to improve the design of the various bulldozer components such as the blade, tires, engine and hydraulic actuators.