THE EFFECT OF DESIGN AND LOADING VARIATIONS ON FATIGUE LIFE OF RING DIES IN WOOD PELLET MACHINES
Keywords:
Ring dies, fatigue life, 42CrMo4, geometric design, Finite Element Method.Abstract
The increasing demand for environmentally friendly energy has driven the utilization of wood pellets as an alternative to fossil fuels. Ring dies are critical components in wood pellet production machines that operate under cyclic loading conditions, making them susceptible to fatigue failure. This study investigates the influence of geometric design variations and loading pressures on the fatigue life of ring dies made from 42CrMo4 alloy steel. Three design configurations single pad, double pad, and half pad were simulated under 100, 135, and 150 MPa loading conditions using the finite element method and S–N curve approach. The results show that the half pad design yields the lowest stress distribution and the longest fatigue life, while the single pad design exhibits the highest stress concentration and the shortest fatigue life. Higher loading pressures accelerate fatigue degradation. These findings highlight the importance of geometric design optimization to enhance component durability and efficiency in pellet production systems.
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