SPECIFIC ENERGY ANALYSIS OF SAND AND SOIL EXCAVATION ON LABORATORY SCALE EXCAVATOR MODEL

• Main Author: Hanif Ramadhan, Naufal
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/67493
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Digging and loading are the main activities in mining operations, both in the construction process and the mining activity itself. One of the digging equipment that is often used is the backhoe type excavator. In excavators, the working equipment component is one of the most vital components because it is in direct contact with the material when excavating, so it must be able to expend sufficient energy to disassemble and excavate the material. The energy required to excavate a volume of material is referred to as the specific energy of excavation. In this paper, the specific energy of digging sand and soil materials at different initial angles of excavation will be sought through experiments using a laboratory scale excavator model. The Data Acquisition System (DAQ) is used as an instrumentation system for data collection with sensors used are load cells to measure the load in the loading test and strain gauge to measure the strain of excavator working equipment in the excavation test. The loading test will result in a calibration of the load value against strain as an approach to calculating the specific energy of excavation. Based on the experimental results, an observation point is used on the tooth to represent the specific energy of the excavator. The minimum specific energy required for excavating sand is 603.7 kJ/m3 at an initial angle of 60º while digging and for soil is 706.4 kJ/m3 at an initial angle of 40º.