Modelling of the Manipulator of a Mini Hydraulic Excavator

Small hydraulic excavators are versatile machines used in a wide range of operations such as digging, removal of debris, transportation of cargo and earthmoving. Operating a hydraulic excavator in certain environments is a difficult and dangerous task, especially in hazardous environments subject to natural disturbances or inadequate health conditions for human work. Because of these conditions, the automation of excavators or its components has been the subject of many studies in recent years. In this paper, to enable the development of a control system for the manipulator of a mini excavator, a complete mathematical model of the manipulator dynamics is developed. The work includes the validation of the model of the manipulator by means of simulation of a computational model and by comparison with the results obtained by a commercial software of dynamic analysis. Results are discussed and evaluated and suggestions for future work are enclosed.