The bodies of trucks or trailers are provided with automatic folding shutters to ease the discharge of the transported materials. Typically, these shutters are powered by mechanisms that have active motor groups such as RRTaR or RR-RR-RTaR (i.e. motor dice or triads) and passive motor groups such as RRR, RR-RR-RR etc. If the technological forces are high and the relative speeds between the elements forming the steering coupler are small, the motor groups are formed by rigid bars and hydraulic cylinders. If relatively high gear ratios are required, then pneumatic cylinders may be used. If required relatively high speeds in the driving couplings, then you can use pneumatic cylinders. This paper presents structural and kinematic analysis of a shutter from a trailer used to transport bulk agricultural products, discharge towards the back. For the kinematic analysis of the folding shutter mechanism, computational procedures written in the Matlab syntax are used. The results of the calculations are presented in tabular and diagrams. After the cinematic analysis of the mechanism, it is possible to perform its cinetostatic analysis, i.e. the determination of the reactions from the kinematic couplers, as well as the hydraulic force in the hydraulic cylinder. Results can be used for the dimensional verification of the chosen elements.

Organic fertilization involves working with machines by a special construction, suitable for the material to be spread, machines that have, in most cases, chain conveyors with scrapers attached to the chains. In some cases, the conveyor chain may break, due to the jams, and the need for manual unloading of the bunker (bucket) appears, which requires a great physical effort, the unloading being made by the operator, using a shovel. The construction of the platform using mobile, articulated elements would greatly facilitate the unloading at the bottom of the bunker and would eliminate the physical effort of the operator. This article presents the structural, kinematic and kinetostatic analysis of a mechanism designed for actuating a mobile platform, which is part of a manure spreader, composed of articulated elements driven by hydraulic cylinders. For the kinematic analysis of the mobile element platform’s mechanism, calculation procedures written in the Matlab syntax are used. After the kinematic analysis of the mechanism, the kinetostatic analysis is performed, i.e. the determination of the reactions from the kinematic couplings, as well as the hydraulic force from the hydraulic cylinder. The results can be used for dimensional verification of the mechanism components, thus contributing to the optimization of the mechanism.

In a paper previously published by the authors, kinematic analysis of a jack mechanism driven by a motor tetrad was done. For the actual design of the mechanism, the forces and moments acting on the kinematic elements that are part of it must be determined. Also, the driving force in the hydraulic cylinder must be determined, so that the mechanism works in good conditions, for a certain technological task imposed by the design theme. The present paper makes the kinetostatic analysis of the mechanism studied, from the kinematic point of view. Therefore, the reactions in the kinematic couplings of the mechanism, as well as the driving force of the hydraulic cylinder, are determined. In order to determine the reactions of the kinematic couplings, as well as the driving force of the hydraulic cylinder, the masses of the elements, the moments of mechanical inertia, as well as the load force acting on the jack were considered. The results of the calculations were graphically represented, in reaction patterns. In order to verify the correctness of the calculations, the balance force (the hydraulic cylinder motor force) was determined by both the kinetic and the virtual power method, and the results are the same.