Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Finite Element Analysis Of A Coconut (Cocos Nucifera L.) Climbing Mechanism, Arjay O. Afan, Omar F. Zubia, Adrian A. Borja, Ralph Kristoffer B. Gallegos

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

A coconut climber mechanism was subjected to Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to improve its overall design and analyze its strength characteristics. The von Mises stress, total deformation, and factor of safety were evaluated using static structural analysis for the seat and pedal assemblies of the mechanism. The design has a minimum yielding factor of safety of 7.03 for the seat assembly and 12.09 for the pedal assembly. If aluminum is used as an alternative to steel, the prototype's weight can be reduced to at least 64.56% without compromising its strength properties. The weight reduction by using aluminum is expected to …