# Digging Performance and Stress Characteristic of the Excavator Bucket
## 4 Analysis of EDEM-ANSYS Coupling Simulation Results
### Influence of Bucket Structure Parameters on Stress and Deformation  
As can be seen from Figures 12 and 13, the equivalent stress and deformation of most components of the bucket are large at 3.1 s. As such, the finite element analysis was only carried out for the loose force at the moment of maximum digging resistance. By changing the structural parameters, the influence of the structural parameters on the strain and stress of the bucket can be revealed. In Figure 10(b3), the quality of the material increases with the increase of the flare angle of the bucket, and the digging resistance of the bucket components also increases. As shown in Figure 14(a1), the deformation of each bucket component increases with the increase of the bucket flare angle, while decreasing the bucket flare angle has little effect on the deformation of the bucket components. As shown in Figure 14(b1), increasing or decreasing the flare angle of the bucket increases the equivalent stress of the bucket. Therefore, the flare angle of the bucket should not be changed. From Figure 14(a2), increasing or decreasing the angle of the bucket throat has little effect on the components of the bucket. As shown in Figure 14(b2), increasing the angle of the throat of the bucket increases the stress on the ear plate and the stiffening plate, but has little effect on other components of the bucket. Comparing with the stress of the bucket ear plate and the strengthening plate, the increase of stress at the bucket stiffening plate is more obvious. As shown in Figure 9d, the stiffening plate is located at the end of the ear plate, so the stiffening plate will bear part of the digging resistance. As an auxiliary component of the ear plate, the deformation of the stiffening plate does not affect the connection position of the bucket and the bucket rod, so the stiffening plate can withstand greater stress. Combining the discrete element results and the finite element results, the increase of the angle of throat of the bucket can improve the digging characteristics of the bucket, but does not increase the strain and stress on the components of the bucket. Although the modification of the structure size of the ear plate has no effect on the ADAMS-EDEM coupling simulation, during the actual production process, the deformation of the ear plate may directly change the hinged position of the bucket and the bucket rod, resulting in the excavator being unable to dig according to the predetermined trajectory that can lead to increased bucket wear and reduced service life. As can be seen from Figure 14(a3,b3), an increase in the thickness of the ear plate will increase the deformation and stress of each bucket component, while the ear plate and  
Figure 13: The stress distribution of the bucket and its components at different times. stiffening plate are where the stress is concentrated. Once the deformation occurs, the stress of the ear plate will be uneven, and the failure rate of the ear plate will be accelerated. It is apparent from Figure 14(a,b4) that changing the thickness of the stiffening plate has a great influence on the deformation and equivalent stress of each bucket component. Reducing the thickness of the stiffening plate will lead to insufficient strength at the ear plate, and the deformation amount and equivalent stress of the bucket components will be greatly increased. Increasing the thickness of the stiffening plate can effectively reduce the deformation of and equivalent stress on the bucket components. Considering the discrete element and finite element results, increasing the thickness of the stiffening plate can reduce the deformation of and equivalent stress on the bucket to a certain extent. Figure 14: Cont. Figure 14: Influence of bucket structural parameters on stress and deformation.