Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Process Integration and Optimization for Sustainability, 2025 (ESCI)
This study aims to improve the design of a solar-powered strawberry harvester frame to enhance its performance. Different frame designs were tested, including the current one made of 2-mm-thick aluminum tubes and lighter options using 1.5-mm- and 1-mm-thick tubes. Structural steel has also been tested as a cheap alternative. These designs were analyzed using finite element simulations to assess how well they would handle a 100 kg load, which is about the weight of a person operating the machine. The results showed that using a 1-mm-thick steel frame performed best, with 1.87 mm deformation compared to 2.06 mm for the aluminum frame. The safety factors for the steel chassis were calculated to be 4.37 and 1.51 under static and fatigue loads, indicating that the design is well-optimized. In comparison, the aluminum chassis had higher safety factors of 9.32 and 2.75, suggesting that it was over-designed. A cost analysis showed that using structural steel instead of aluminum reduced costs by 55%, dropping from $37.07 to $16.71. While the steel chassis is heavier (28.33 kg compared to 19.51 kg of aluminum), the extra weight helps to improve stability and reduces vibrations during use. As a result, a redesigned steel chassis is recommended for agricultural use because it offers better stability and reliability.