Triaxial measurement of the cutting forces on the teeth of a bucket wheel excavator

A major factor affecting the performance of bucket wheel excavators is the efficiency of the cutting process where the cutting teeth attached to the buckets come into contact with the material to be excavated.

A major factor affecting the performance of bucket wheel excavators is the efficiency of the cutting process where the cutting teeth attached to the buckets come into contact with the material to be excavated. Within the framework of a major test program on an excavator, measurements in three dimensions were taken of the forces acting on the cutting teeth during normal operation.

The forces were measured indirectly with strain gages attached to the teeth. The authors describe how finite element analysis was used to find the most favorable position on the teeth for the strain gages which had to withstand harsh conditions during excavation.