Modelling rotary sweeping brushes and analyzing brush characteristic using finite element method

This paper presents a finite element (FE) brush modelling study with respect to facilitating automation of road sweeping process. Achieving efficient road sweeping was difficult in the past, partly because the fundamental characteristics of sweeping brushes were not known. This study uses a FE model to analyze the deformation of metal-tine sweeping brushes as they are compressed and rotated on the road. The brush tines are regarded as slender cantilever beams and modelled by commercial FE software package ANSYS. Using this model, some important brush characteristics such as force–deformation relationship, contact pattern, and rotational torque have been obtained. The effect of different tine geometry on the brush characteristics has also been analyzed using this model.