Dynamic and stress analysis of the main drive system in design process of an innovative fruit-vegetable washer

Abstract

This paper describes a new drum-type fruit-vegetable washer, which is created on the basis of manual vegetable washing method. The main driving part of the washer is a crank mechanism with springs. The main drive design process is proposed to be carried out in two stages: dynamic research and strength analysis. The results of dynamic research show the effect of spring stiffness on reducing dynamic reactions in the crank mechanism as well as the required engine power, in other words, on reducing washer vibration and energy consumption. Stress analysis was performed using the finite element software package ABAQUS. The design process allows selecting a set of acceptable parameters for the main drive of the washer. This result is used to create a prototype of an innovative fruit-vegetable washer.