Measurement and analysis of truck vibration levels as a function of packages locations in truck bed and suspension

Abstract

During transport, due to vibration fruits and vegetables could be damaged. The vibration levels that transfer to fruits and vegetables may depend not only on vehicle characteristics (speed and suspension) and the road characteristics but also on the position of boxes packed in truck bed. The purpose of this research was to determine and analyze the vibration that occurs during truck transport as a function of box position and fruit position within the truck bed. For this purpose, two commercial trucks were used (with leaf-spring suspension and air-ride suspension). Test controllable factors includes: height positions of the container column (Bottom, Middle and Up), position of the container along the truck-bed (front axle and rear axle) and depth of fruit inside the container (Down and Top). The obtained values of the power spectral density were used to survey the effect of container positions on fruit vibration. RMS values were also obtained for different positions. The results showed that the power spectral density (PSD) was dependent on the position along the floor of the trucks. Higher vibration levels were recorded for fruits on top of the column. As the fruit height within a box increased, the vibration levels increased. ANOVA test results indicated that the considered factors significantly affected PSD values (Average PSD in the range of 0.1–5Hz and peak PSD) and root mean square of acceleration (P<0.05).