FAS : Framtidens potenta hjulupphängning

Sammanfattning: The purpose of the project was to explore potential markets where EMTW can implement their patented adaptive suspension. The project team thus began to understand the functions of the adaptive suspension and how to utilize it. Subsequently, a broad market research was conducted with different screening methods that resulted with a focus on off-road vehicles, specifically harvesters which harvest trees. After that, the goal was to develop a new type of harvester based on EMTW's adaptive suspension, but during the project it was realized that today's machinery is already extremely efficient but limited by its drivers. At present, the mental effort for forest harvesters is high which places strict demands on efficiency and profitability and creates an unfavorable working environment. When harvesting, a driver must constantly move his gaze between the control pad and several displays while driving the vehicle in a correct and safe manner. Most of today's harvesters currently use rudimentary suspension systems with a very light damping that comes primarily from the tires. This leads to high body vibrations for the operator, which limits the driver's working speed in uneven terrain. Therefore, there is a growing interest in a suspension system of EMTWs patent which can improve the mobility of these machines on uneven and soft terrain while improving operator comfort. Thus, the priority was to first reduce the mental load on the driver and thus streamline the production both in terms of time and money. That work began with a well-founded literature study to acquire relevant theoretical knowledge about forestry. Subsequently, a subjective understanding was formed of how today's drivers interact with the machinery and where it can be improved. This understanding is the result of several scientific studies, opinions from drivers and interviews from machine operators at Sveaskog. Finally, a few concept proposals were generated of what the drivers and Sveaskog considered to be relevant and how these concepts can be implemented harvester. In the further development of the project, these would be integrated together with the adaptive suspension to achieve a complete solution.