Overview of energy-efficient bulldozer blade designs

The comprehensive research of modern energy-efficient and adaptive designs of bulldozer blades used in transport construction, mining and special engineering works, are carried out in the paper. The geometric parameters of the blades, the regularities of the drag prism formation, the force interaction of the blade with the soil, as well as the influence of various profiles (S-blade, SU-blade, U-blade, Σ-blade, VPAT and DSAB) on cutting resistance, performance and specific energy consumption are considered. The research is based on the principles of soil mechanics, modeling of cutting forces, estimating the soil drag prism volume, determining the resistance to movement and calculating the technical performance of bulldozers with different types of blades. Particular attention is paid to innovative designs of Σ-blade and dual-stabilized angle blade, which provide a reduction in soil resistance by up to 15–28% and an increase in performance by up to 45% compared to blade traditional solutions. The results obtained confirm the effectiveness of profiled and adaptive blades by optimizing the geometry of the working surface and adjusting the cutting angle. Engineering recommendations are proposed for the implementation of adaptive systems in modern bulldozers in order to reduce fuel consumption, reduce the load on the transmission and increase the energy efficiency of the machines.