This paper on "Experimental Investigation of a Rammer Soil Compactor Machine on Linear Spring Foundation" was presented at the NAFEMS World Congress on The Evolution of Product Simulation From Established Methods to Virtual Testing & Prototyping - 24-28 April 2001, The Grand Hotel, Lake Como, Italy.

Summary

Rammer compactor machines perform impact soil compaction, which is very efficient compared to static compaction. They are often used in places where a high degree of compaction is needed and the space for operation is limited. The complexity of this machine type makes design optimisation through traditional prototype testing impractical. This has pointed to the need for a theoretical model and simulation procedure for prediction of the dynamic behaviour of the machine. To be useful for optimisation as design parameters are changed during product development the theoretical model and simulation procedure must be verified.
By concurrently working with theoretical modelling, simulations, experimental verifications, and optimisation an efficient analysis support for product development is achieved. This co-ordination works both ways in an iterative manner. Experimental investigations are used to verify theoretical models and simulations. Theoretical models and simulations are used to design good experiments. This Complete Approach concept makes better decisions possible earlier in the development process, resulting in decreased time to market and improved quality.
In this paper the Complete Approach concept is described. It is applied on a rammer soil compactor machine. An introductory iteration, with emphasis on the experimental part, is described. In the experimental set-up the rammer foot is attached to a linear spring foundation. This eliminates uncertainties related to soil modelling and makes a check of the model of the machine itself possible. The good agreement between theoretical and experimental results indicates that the theoretical model and simulation procedure should be useful for introductory optimisation studies. Reasons for the discrepancy are discussed and suggestions for improvements of both the theoretical model and the experimental set-up in coming iterations are given.