Abstract
This article analyzes a large tower press used to press crushed olives to obtain olive oil. To this end, a study of computer-aided engineering (CAE) was carried out using the parametric software Autodesk Inventor Professional, consisting of a static analysis using the finite-element method (FEM) of the 3D model of the press under real operating conditions. The tower press has been analyzed in two limit positions: in the rest position, supported on two pillars, and the pressing position, supported on the set of filter discs (basket load) called ‘cargo de capachos’ that contained the previously ground olives. In the first position, static analysis revealed that the maximum von Mises stress was 22.7 MPa, located on the axle of the roller, but this is far from the elastic limit. Moreover, the lowest safety coefficient is 11.16, produced in the contact between the tower and the right pillar and well above the optimal range between 2 and 4. On the other hand, it hardly presents equivalent displacements or deformations that would endanger the operation of the set. The greatest displacement would be in the wooden guide (0.123 mm) and a deformation of 0.027% with respect to its length. These values confirm that, in this position, the tower press was clearly oversized. However, the results obtained regarding the second position are not entirely conclusive. Although the values of the displacements and the equivalent deformations are low, with results similar to those obtained in the first position, with a maximum displacement of 0.1315 mm located in the horizontal beam of the support structure and a maximum equivalent deformation of value 0.385%, located in the contact between the screw and the nut, the same does not happen with the von Mises stress. The software did not obtain a convergent result due to the frustoconical geometry of the bolt that joins the screw and nut, adopting a maximum value of 508.3 MPa. For this point, the safety coefficient is 1.49, which reveals a sizing problem with the proposed solution of resizing the screw thread, giving it more robustness. The rest of the elements work with a safety coefficient above 4.33 so they are also clearly oversized, according to current criteria.
Highlights
In Mediterranean culture, olive oil is the most widely consumed natural oil in various cuisines for its culinary qualities and for its benefits for human health
Once all the previous steps have been correctly carried out, the software allows the static analysis of the two limit positions by finite-element method (FEM) to be performed, obtaining the von Mises stresses, the safety coefficient, the displacements and the equivalent deformation
Autodesk Inventor Professional enables modal analysis prior to static analysis, in which the model is subjected to a resonance study
Summary
In Mediterranean culture, olive oil is the most widely consumed natural oil in various cuisines for its culinary qualities and for its benefits for human health. For this reason, at present, many researchers. The olive-growing heritage has aroused great interest as it is one of the most important manifestations in the world of olive oil [7]. In this sense, the different primitive procedures have been studied, as well as the classical systems of grinding and pressing olives [8]. Until the middle of the 20th century, the process of obtaining virgin olive oil was discontinuous: first, the olives were ground, and later the paste obtained after grinding was pressed and placed in filter discs called ‘capachos’; after this pressing, a mixture of olive oil and vegetation water called ‘alpechín’
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