The Modal and Dynamic Analysis of Sprayer Booms With Diverse Structural Geometries

Abstract

In spraying agricultural areas with a sprayer boom, the vibrations on the boom due to irregularities and variable speeds in the agricultural land directly affect spraying performance. Vibrations on the system disrupt the spraying pattern and cause agricultural yield to decrease. In addition, it may be subject to deformations due to structural strains caused by vibration, which may cause performance losses and long-term failures. In this study, the modal analysis of a sprayer boom with the same working width but a different geometric structure, which is widely used in agricultural spraying, was performed with the finite element method its natural frequencies and mode shapes were obtained, the dynamic responses of the system under harmonic strains were examined, and the obtained simulation results were evaluated comparatively. Firstly, the solid model of the system was obtained, transferred to the finite element program, and its modal properties were simulated. Afterwards, the sprayer was fixed to the body connection and forced with a harmonic acceleration input determined by considering the irregularities in the fields. The results obtained are presented in detail with graphs. From the analysis results, it has been understood that Model 2, which is max. displacement at 6 Hz, can provide less displacement in the forcing frequency range (1-6 Hz) that can occur from a standard field irregularity compared to Model 1, which max. displacement at 11 Hz. It is thought that the results can be useful in the structural optimization of the system, in the control of vibration dynamics and can contribute to the development of new design strategies.