Redesigning a hydraulic subsystem for a Volvo hauler, focusing on cost efficiency
Typ
Examensarbete på grundnivå
Program
Maskinteknik 180 hp (högskoleingenjör)
Publicerad
Författare
Andersson, Magnus
Oldberg, Einar
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
The modern day hauler is a piece of heavy machinery used in moving large payloads within
and between worksites. As the payload of the vehicle increases, so does the need for a robust
and reliable hydraulic brake system, ensuring the safety of both the drivers and their
surroundings. One of the companies working on producing and improving these machines are
Volvo Construction Equipment [VCE] , who since 1966 have been in the forefront of
engineering in this field. The aim of this thesis is to conduct a concept study for VCE
regarding an upcoming design for a hydraulic system and to provide alternatives to reduce the
overall price of the system, as well as the quality in regards to performance and leaks. The
current design, serving as a reference to the project, includes a lot of complexities and has
issues pertaining to the mounting of the system and the cost of production. This is due to
several factors, including the narrow areas between components, overlapping parts, as well as
the complexities of several valves and blocks. As the current design of the system is known, a
reference for the layout and function is included, as well as an understanding of which
functions are essential. Using the standards of product development and testing the systems
layout and performance, this study explores a few different alternatives to the current concept
by VCE and provides recommendations from the group, as well as aspects of the design that
can be developed further by the engineers at Volvo. The proposed solutions have been put
through a process of matrices and designed in the design program CATIA V5 . In the end of
the project a few results were concluded. Firstly a digital construction of the hydraulic system
with modifications to the hydraulic distribution, layout and newly constructed blocks. This
system is meant to serve as an inspiration for VCE to further develop their system in the
future. Secondly two smaller concept studies were evaluated, where an attempt of moving a
key component was made, as well as a concept replacing the hydraulic hoses with metal
tubing. These concepts were deemed unfit for further development, serving as a concept
study as recommendations to not develop further. Lastly a looser concept study was
conducted to recommend the further development of an idea of merging several of the
components in the design. This was never modeled, but serves as a recommendation to VCE
for future research. Based on this investigation there are still factors that can be evaluated for
further improvements. Thus, the results and discussion of this thesis may serve as a basis for
what concepts that are and aren’t relevant for future research.