The use of CAD when designing forest machines

Wheeled forest skidders - pack pickers are widely used by logging enterprises. However, such vehicles have insufficient maneuverability. Therefore, development of tracked pack pickers is an urgent task of forest machine building. When designing such machines, it is required to ensure high reliability and durability of the structure for operating in hot and cold climates, poorly maintained roads or their absence. It is also necessary to fulfill the condition of sufficient strength and minimum weight of technological equipment and the machine as a whole. The use of computer-aided design (CAD) systems makes it possible to realize these conflicting requirements. In the process of research in Altair Inspire CAD system, a constructive element of the technological equipment of the tracked skidder is developed. The use of the finite element method makes it possible to ensure the strength of the structure. As a result of topological optimization of Altair Inspire, the design weight of the projected element is reduced by 45% compared to the weight of the prototype machine. Reducing the mass of the structure does not have a negative effect on the strength indicators. The required standard safety factors, operating stresses and deformations of the structure are provided.