Modeling and Optimization of Soft Start-Up for Hydroviscous Drive Applied to Scraper Conveyor

To improve the soft start-up performance of a scraper conveyor under different working conditions, the mathematical model of the torque for controllable starting transmission was established. The influences of start-up time, load values, and moment of inertia on the soft start-up characteristics of a scraper conveyor are analyzed. Based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the new evaluation system of soft start-up optimization for hydroviscous drive applied to a scraper conveyor is proposed. Through the joint simulation platform of MATLAB and Isight, the two-parameter control model for soft start-up time is established using the method of experimental design and simulated annealing algorithm. The optimal start-up time under different conditions is determined, and soft start-up is optimized. The results show that with increasing start-up time, the objective function value of soft start-up performance decreases first and then increases. Under different flywheel inertia and load conditions, there is an optimal start-up time that minimizes the objective function for better soft start-up performance. The optimal start-up time decreases with increasing load, and the optimal start-up time decreases monotonically with the input flywheel inertia. This research provides a new method and theoretical basis for the modeling and performance optimization of soft start-up for hydroviscous drive applied to a scraper conveyor.