Abstract
The substantiation of the necessity of using timber trucks, consisting of timber tractors with semi-trailers, when transporting timber, is given. Attention is focused on improving the efficiency of the functioning of log trucks by con-structive improvement of the fifth-wheel couplings used in them. The analysis of scientific works of foreign scientists engaged in the study of the influence of fifth- wheel coupling on the efficiency of log trucks is carried out. A promising scheme of a recuperative spring-hydraulic fifth-wheel coupling, located in the front part of the semi-trailer frame of a timber tractor, is proposed, which has significant advantages in comparison with other similar devices. At the first stage, a mathematical model of the proposed fifth-wheel coupling was developed; at the second stage, a computer program for a preliminary assessment of the efficiency of the functioning of a timber tractor with a semitrailer equipped with a recuperative spring-hydraulic fifth-wheel coupling is made. The dependences of the change in the average values of the recuperative power and longitudinal acceleration of the trailer relative to the timber tractor on the inner diameter of the hydraulic cylinders of the recuperative device, the mass of the semi-trailer and the frequency of braking and accelera-tion of the timber road train are obtained. It was revealed that the optimal diameter of the hydraulic cylinders of the recuperative device for the given conditions, providing the maximum recuperative power, should be in the range of 50-60 mm. It was found that with an increase in the mass of a semitrailer of a logging tractor, as well as with an increase in the frequency of braking and acceleration, an increase in the recovered power is observed
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