Abstract
The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of a linear feeder that can transport grains uniformly. In order to analyze the dynamic behaviors of a linear feeder, the displacements of the feeder are measured by several accelerometers when it is in an operating condition. After the signal data from the accelerometers are captured in the time domain, the feeder motion in the space is visualized by using graphic computer software. In addition, a dynamic model of the feeder is established for a multi-body dynamics simulation. For the dynamic simulation, RecurDyn, which is a commercial multi-body dynamic package, is used. From the experimental and the computational approaches, an optimal dynamic motion is obtained for uniform transportation of grains. Furthermore, we also consider the determination of design parameters for optimal dynamic motion such as centroid, stiffness, and damping coefficient of the feeder system.
