Optimization and design of a new type driving system of bucket wheel stacker/reclaimer

The traditional driving systems of a bucket wheel stacker/reclaimer are given and analyzed. They are all heavy in weight or complicated in construction which affects the dynamic characteristics of the whole equipment and causes malfunction. The new driving system consisting of a hydraulic motor and a two-stage planetary transmission is designed by an optimum design model which includes 8 design variables, some constraint conditions, and the target function of minimizing the mass of the driving system. An optimum design software used for design of a driving system is programmed. It shows that using the new driving system and by the aid of the optimum design method, the weight of the driving system can be reduced significantly.