Excavator Bucket Design with Different Steel Materials: Topology Optimization and Cost Analysis

Topology optimization is a type of analysis that aims to reduce the weight of a design operating under specific load and boundary conditions, and it achieves this by optimizing the results. In this study, topology optimization was performed on an excavator bucket to reduce the weight of the material through design changes, and the results were compared with two different materials. Since the design obtained as a result of topology optimization is not a realistic excavator bucket design, the visuals are only used as a reference in the new design. In this study, a new design with reduced weight and almost the same strength was obtained as a result of topology optimization. The designs before and after the analysis were created using the computer-aided software. The analyses were performed using the finite element analysis software. During the analysis, Hardox 450 and St-37 materials were used. During optimization, total deformation, equivalent stress safety factors, and costs were compared. As a result of the study, similar values to those obtained in the first model were obtained for stress, deformation and safety factor values in the new design, achieving a 28.9% reduction in weight.