Enhancing the Fatigue Design of Mechanical Systems Such as Refrigerator to Reserve Food in Agroindustry for the Circular Economy

Seongwoo Woo (), Dennis L. O’Neal, Yimer Mohammed Hassen and Gezae Mebrahtu
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Seongwoo Woo: Manufacturing Technology, Mechanical Technology Faculty, Ethiopian Technical University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 190310, Ethiopia
Dennis L. O’Neal: Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and Computer Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7356, USA
Yimer Mohammed Hassen: Manufacturing Technology, Mechanical Technology Faculty, Ethiopian Technical University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 190310, Ethiopia
Gezae Mebrahtu: Manufacturing Technology, Mechanical Technology Faculty, Ethiopian Technical University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 190310, Ethiopia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 8, 1-23

Abstract: To prolong the fatigue life of a product handled by machines such as refrigerators and agricultural machinery, parametric accelerated life testing (ALT) is recommended as a systemized approach to detect design inadequacies and reduce fatigue. It demands (1) an ALT strategy, (2) a fatigue type, (3) parametric ALTs with change, and (4) an estimate of whether the present product completes the BX lifetime. The utilization of a quantum-transported life-stress type and a sample size are advocated. The enhancements in the lifetime of a refrigerator ice-maker, containing an auger motor with bearings, were employed as a case study. In the 1st ALT, a steel rolling bearing cracked due to repeated loading under cold conditions (below −20 °C) in the freezer compartment. The bearing material was changed from an AISI 52100 Alloy Steel with 1.30–1.60% chromium to a lubricated sliding bearing with sintered and hardened steel (FLC 4608-110HT) because of its high fatigue strength at lower temperatures. In the 2nd ALT, a helix made of polycarbonates (PCs) fractured. In the redesign, a reinforced rib of the helix was thickened. Because no troubles in the 3rd ALT happened, the life of an ice-maker was proven to have a B1 life 10 years.

Keywords: mechanical product; fatigue design; parametric ALT; ice-maker; bearing; design flaws (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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