Dynamic analysis and multi-objective optimization of slider-crank mechanism for an innovative fruit and vegetable washer

For a long time, slider-crank mechanism (SCM) has been already implemented for the design of various devices and appliances, including diesel and gasoline internal combustion engines, hand pump, compressors, steam engines, and many others. However, around the world engineers still had to make an effort to reduce the inertial force effect on SCM. In order to do this, up to the present moment, there are two principal approaches. The first one is to use counterweights, and the second is to implement spring damping systems, forming spring-SCM. Indeed, the spring-SCM has been effectively applied to an innovative fruit and vegetable washer, which in turn makes this machine differentiate crucially from the other existing ones. In this paper, dynamic analysis of spring-SCM under an external force was deliberately studied. The dynamic and kinematic characteristics of the spring-SCM were clarified by means of explicit and comprehensive expressions. Based on these resultant expressions, effect of spring stiffness on crank torque and reaction forces at joints was properly examined. The outcomes showed that the spring in SCM allowed for diminishing not only reaction forces at joints, but also required power for crank drive motor i.e. less energy consumption. The optimal synthesis problem of the washer with two objectives or criteria such as reaction forces and required power was successfully solved. Besides, the analytical results were also in agreement with the numerical ones obtained from NX Motion Simulation-RecurDyn®. © 2020 Zibeline International Publishing Sdn. Bhd.. All rights reserved.