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Excavator overload

An excavator assembly with hydraulic actuation is meshed using the automesher and subjected to an overload condition against a wall. The 1g condition is shown below.

The hydraulic cylinders are preloaded to actuate the mechanism. This causes the arm to run into a wall defined using contact elements as it curls inwards. If we assume the hydraulics do not have a tensile load limiter, the arm buckles above the main hydraulic joint.

With a tensile load limit of 200 kN on the primary cylinder, only superficial damage occurs at the tip of the bucket.