Effects of Tong Shapes on Hydraulic Log Grapple's Performance in Loading and Unloading Operations
Authors
Jingxin Wang
University of Southampton
Abstract
Three log grapple tong shapes used in logging operations; horizontal ellipse, circle, and vertical ellipse, were analyzed mathematically and mechanically. The three same tongs as defined were designed and tested to evaluate their performance in terms of grabbing unrestrained log piles. Three operational variables; grabbing force, grabbed log weight, and unit grabbing force were examined using five diameter classes of logs for each set of tongs. Results indicated that the grabbing performance of log grapples with horizontal ellipse tongs is better than the grapples with circular tongs or vertical ellipse tongs.
