How to find the shock loads from a pig scalder machine

[MisterX]

Hope the stuff I'm going to explain isn't too graphic...

I'm trying to design a idler pulley to absorb the shock loads of a scalding machine used to remove the hair off a pig after coming out from the scalding tank.

The "scalding machine" pretty much consist of a shaft with "fingers" running length of shaft on three sides directly chain driven by a motor with a right angle gear box.

As the pig (mind you it is not alive anymore) is tossed and turned by the spinning fingers to remove the softened hair, it causes the chain to jerk violently. The average weight to be "processed" by this scalding machine is about 130 pounds.

Prior setups have the chain driving the scalding shaft with no idler pulleys at all, causing premature motor failure. As there is only one machine, time and reliability is utmost importance.


The setup now consists of 2 springs of unknown spring constant or load in tension pulling the idler pulley on both sides down towards the mounting baseplate set near-center of the to shaft pulleys. This setups seems to fit the bill for now but due to its improvised design, it still prematurely wears out the motor.

I intend to improve the setup by using a compression approach similar to those of single pivot rear suspension mountain bikes. I intend to use a coilover shock setup with a 400 pound spring.

Without knowing the loads of such a system, I'm not sure if the new setup is even worth a try.

 

[diamondjim]

Somehow you need to know the out
of balance condition of the pig
during the rotation. Maybe a
counterweight system might help
if you always fasten the pig in
the same place on the shaft.

 

[KnifeKnut]

I dont know a darn thing about this subject, (wannabee engineer) so here is a diferent perspective:

Isnt this sort of thing handled perfectly by a flywheel? I know that is rather old school, but If I understand the problem properly, it would have the effect of damping the system through brute force inertia.

I think Diamond Jim is thinking that the pig is being impaled!