Innovative Solutions for Increasing the Service Life of Cutting Head Components Using Finite Element Method Analysis

Abstract

Chipless tree cutting is increasingly becoming more popular because of its low weight and greater throughput due to the small dimensions of the entire cutting head. This paper is focused on the design of the crank plate of the cutting mechanism of a chipless cutting head. It was necessary to calculate the magnitude of the force required to cut the tree in the direction perpendicular to the growth of the tree fibers. In addition, the tree and cutting mechanism parameters were specified. Due to the size of the cutting force, it was possible to further deduce the amount of the discharge force from the linear motor that directly acts on the opening of the crank plate. After finite element method analysis, it was found that the crank plate was undersized and it was necessary to increase its thickness from 15 mm to 30 mm, which eliminated the problem of plastic deformation.