Lightweight and High-Strength Design of an Excavator Bucket under Uncertain Loading

This paper presents a methodology for lightweight and high-strength design of an excavator bucket under uncertain loading. Uncertain loads are obtained by using the Monte Carlo simulation based on the existing soil-bucket interaction model in which the soil parameters are variable. And the well-known 3-sigma methodology is used for the quantification of the uncertain loads. Excavator bucket modelling is finished by using ANSYS Parameter Design Language (APDL). A multiobjective optimization model aiming to decrease the maximum von Mises stress and to reduce the weight of the bucket is established on the foundations of the uncertain load and the parametric geometry model. The structural shape and topology of the bucket are then designed by using the mixed variable genetic algorithm to solve the established optimization problem. The results show that the presented method can be effectively and efficiently applied for the optimization design of the excavator bucket and that the optimized bucket signifies obvious decreases in the weight and the stress compared with the initial reference model. The proposed methodology for structure optimization design considering uncertain loads not only provides the technical means for the design and development of high-performance bucket but also lays a preliminary theoretical foundation for the optimization design integrated machine-environment interaction.