An Extended Octagonal Ring Transducer Design Optimization

The design of soil-tilling machines of any type would be impossible without considering the physomechanicai propenies and other characteristics of soils. In particular it results very important to measure the force system acting on the plow during the soil failure that. if the failure is symmetrical. consists of two mutually perpendicular force componenL. a horizontal force Fx and a vertical force Fy and the moment Mz in tn(' plane of the two forces. These measurement" have been carried out for a long time using a series of single dynamomelers even if it was difficult to evaluate the accurancy of such a system. A new measurements method based on the use of an extended octagonal ring transducer was proposed in 1975 by I. Goldwin [11]. This new method offers some advantages such as the simultaneous monitoring. alleviation of the frictional problems arising from the dynamometer suspension bushes. no difficulties caused by the single component construction. In this work. using Ansys 4.4A version [3]. a finite element analysis has been carried out in order to optimize the dimensions of the dynamometer by reducing the global error of the system.