Finite element-based safety prediction for hydraulic excavator rollover protective structure and experimental validation

Tractor and earth-moving machine rollover has become one of the leading causes of occupational death in the agricultural/constructional industry. Therefore, these machines need proper protective structures to protect operators. In this study, explicit finite element (FE) analysis is adapted to predict the performance of rollover protective structure (ROPS) of a hydraulic excavator in the early design stage based on ISO 12117-2. The virtual test includes three sequential quasi-static loads applied in side, longitudinal and vertical directions, one at a time. Well-organized load sequence enables the simulation model to take the cumulative deformations caused by the three sequential loads into account and reduce the computational cost. A ROPS prototype is fabricated and tested to validate the FE model. The simulation-based results have a close agreement with the experimental test results. This FE-based safety prediction could be used to assess the new design in the early design stage to save design time and money.