Vibration Mitigation in the Transport of Fruit Boxes Using 3D Printed Quasi-Zero-Stiffness Devices

The transport of freshly post-harvested fruit to the collection points is mainly done in trailers over uneven terrain, which generates impacts and vibrations that negatively affect the quality of the fruit. Although some solutions to mitigate these effects have been proposed in previous studies, none of them are applied directly to the source of the problem, i.e., the transport boxes. In this context, quasi-zero-stiffness (QZS) isolators combined with additive manufacturing techniques open the possibility of exploring vibration mitigation-oriented metamaterials thanks to their associated non-linear characteristics. In this work, ABS sheets with different internal geometries were manufactured and compared as possible bottoms of transport boxes. The design variables analyzed for these geometries included the number of ribs, their thickness and their angle of inclination. In these specimens, their behavior to impact-type forces and their experimental dynamic behavior were studied using an electromagnetic shaker against a sinusoidal signal and against the uniaxial vibration recorded at the base of a trailer in a real rural route. The results showed that the specimens with a rib angle of 30º and a thickness of 0.4 mm showed the best impact performance and a higher amplification of vibration transmissibility in steady state. In the presence of the signal recorded on the route, transmissibility reduction percentages between 13% and 19% were obtained in the principal acceleration impact.