A variant of classification of modern gas chainsaws
Manufacturers of power tools divide their products into classes depending on the purpose (for example, chainsaws for household use, professional chainsaws etc.), while the classification of saws by their weight and power of the saw unit is not still completed. The purpose of the study is to analyze the characteristics of modern gasoline-powered chainsaws and to propose a variant of their classification by the weight and power, describing the distribution of the models by clusters. Information about the weight and power of the saw units is obtained from the official websites of the leading manufacturers such as Husqvarna, Jonsered, Makita, Stihl. The experience and practice of the chainsaws design are of great interest, due to the fact that they have been developed to date and used in the relationships of the saws’ characteristics. For this reason, no distinction is made between the models according to the markets in which they are presented. The selection criterion is the proposal of the model by the manufacturer in principle. In total, the characteristics of 88 models aree used for the analysis, this information is publicly available as of December 2021. The relationship between the weight and the power is described using data approximation (least squares method); the k-means method was used to identify the chainsaw clusters by the mass and the power. As a result, the following version of classification of modern gasoline-powered saws has been proposed: 1. Light gasoline-powered saws; the power ranges between 1.3 - 2.3 kW, weight of the saw unit is approximately 3.0 - 5.0 kg; 2. Medium chainsaws "A"; the power ranges between 2.4 - 3.5 kW, weight of the saw unit is approximately 5.0 - 6.0 kg; 3. Medium chainsaws "B"; the power ranges between 3.5 - 5.0 kW, weight of the saw unit is approximately 6.0 - 7.0 kg. 4. Heavy chainsaws; the power ranges between 4.8 - 5.7 kW, weight of the saw unit is approximately 7.0 - 8.0 kg. 5. Extra heavy chainsaws; the power ranges between 4.8 - 5.7 kW, the weight of the saw unit is more than 8.0 kg.