Experience with an On-board Weighing System Solution for Heavy Vehicles

Mining, construction, and other special vehicles for heavy use are designed to work under high-performance and off-road working conditions. The driving and executive mechanisms of the support structures and superstructures of these vehicles frequently operate under high loads. Such high loads place the equipment under constant risk of an accident and can jeopardize the dynamic stability of the machinery. An experimental investigation was conducted on a refuse collection vehicle. The aim of this research was to determine the working conditions of a real vehicle: the kinematics of the waste container, that is, a hydraulic rotate drum for waste collection; the dynamics of the load manipulator (superstructure); the vibrations of the vehicle mass; and the strain (stress) of the elements responsible for the supporting structure. For an examination of the force (weight) on the rear axle of a heavy vehicle, caused by its own weight and additional load, a universal measurement system is proposed. As a result of this investigation, we propose an alternative system for continuous vehicle weighing during waste collection while in motion, that is, an on-board weighing system, and provide suggestions for measuring equipment designs.