Course detail

Earth Working Machinery

FSI-QZE Acad. year: 2025/2026 Summer semester

The course introduces the technology of earthworks and the design and kinematics of working mechanisms used in earthmoving activities of mobile working machines. These machines are used for excavation – excavators, for loading soil – loaders and for grading soil – dozers. These machines are the basic mobile machines for processing soil and other bulk materials such as construction and demolition waste or recycling materials.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

5

Supervisor

Ing. Jaroslav Kašpárek, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Automotive Engineering

Entry knowledge

Successful completion of the course is conditional on the basic knowledge of technical mechanics, physics and higher mathematics.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Classification and assessment of the student credit: Excellent (90-100 points), very good (80-89 points), good (70-79 points), satisfactory (60-69 points), sufficient (50-59 points), failed (0-49 points).
Course-unit credit is awarded on condition of having attended the exercises actively and worked out assigned projects. Presence in the exercises is obligatory.

Aims

The aim and the task of the course is to acquaint students with the design and main technical parameters of earthmoving machines such as excavators, loaders, dozers and other earthmoving machines. To acquaint the students with the principles of their design and development while respecting technological and technical requirements.

The student is able to select a concept that meets the technological and technical requirements of the machine, specify the main components of the machine and design the machine. The student is able to design optimal technological values of machine design parameters based on the knowledge of parameters and technological possibilities.

Study aids

The study documents are listed in the e-learning support of the course.

The study programmes with the given course

Programme N-ADI-P: Automotive and Material Handling Engineering, Master's, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

39 hours, optionally

Syllabus


  1. Technology of the earth work, classification of the earthmoving machines.

  2. Main assembly groups of the machines.

  3. Technical properties of a soil.

  4. Methods of soil mining and their energy intensity. Modelling of soil mining with a working tool and numerical simulation of solutions using DEM analyses.*

  5. Force interaction between soil and tool.

  6. Types of earth moving machine drives, determination of engine power.

  7. Hybrid machine drives and effect on efficient machine operation, energy balance of recuperation.*

  8. Hydrostatic drive transmission, hydrodynamic drive transmission, electro-hydraulic-hybrid drive transmission.

  9. Working hydraulic system of earth moving machines.

  10. Chassis of the earthmoving machines.

  11. Transmission of the forces between the earthmoving machine chassis and soil.

  12. Hydrostatic servo-mechanism of the earthmoving machines.

  13. Brake system of the earthmoving machines, cooling system of the earthmoving machines.

Exercise

13 hours, compulsory

Syllabus


  1. Technical specification and development of the earth moving machine.

  2. Determination of technical properties of soil.

  3. Calculation of cutting and digging resistances of working machines.

  4. Modelling of soil mining with a working tool (shovel) using numerical simulations with Altair's EDEM software.*

  5. Modelling of soil disintegration with a working tool (scarifying mandrel) by numerical simulations with Altair's EDEM software.*

  6. Calculation of required driving forces and machine speeds. Determination of the earth moving machine engine power.

  7. Evaluating the choice of drive type and the cooperation of the drive with the torque converter and hydrogenerator drives.*

  8. Design of kinematics of working mechanism, Methodology of calculation of force and moment preconditions of the mechanism, numerical solution of simulation.

  9. Design of hydrogenerators for working hydraulics circuit.

  10. Calculation of bearing loads on a joint in an articulated earth moving machine chassis.

  11. Calculation of steering torque and torque characteristics of articulated earth moving machine. Calculation of loader brakes.

  12. Calculation of the driving resistances of the crawler undercarriage of an excavator. Design of hydrogenerators for steering circuit.

  13. Calculation of losses and heat generation in the working hydraulics and steering circuit, determination of the cooling effect of the components of the hydraulic circuit of the earth-moving machine.