Patent Application
20210095444
The present disclosure relates to retaining mechanisms employed on work implement assemblies such as bucket assemblies used by earth moving, mining, construction equipment and the like for attaching a tip to an adapter of the work implement assembly. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an anti-tipping retainer used in such retaining mechanisms that may be less prone to becoming cocked or tipped in the tip.
Machines such as wheel loaders, excavators, and the like employ work implement assemblies including bucket assemblies, rakes, shears, etc. that have teeth or tips attached to them to help perform work on a material such as dirt, rock, sand, etc. For example, teeth or tips may be attached to a bucket assembly to help the bucket assembly to penetrate the ground, facilitating the scooping of the dirt into a bucket. Adapters are often attached to the work edges (e.g. the base edge, the side edge, etc.) of the bucket or other work implement so that different styles of teeth or tips may be attached to the work implement. Also, the tips or teeth may be replaced easily when worn by providing a retaining mechanism that is used to selectively hold the tip onto the adapter or to allow the tip be removed from the adapter.
Such a retaining mechanism such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,762,015 that includes a retainer with a tab that is rotated 180 degrees from a locking position to an unlocking position where a tip or the like may be removed from the adapter. This process may be reversed after a new or repaired tip is to be attached to the adapter once more. During the locking and unlocking of the retainer, the retainer may become undesirably cocked or tipped.
An anti-tipping retainer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise a lug receiving portion defining a first maximum outside dimension. The lug receiving portion may also define a lug receiving slot that extends partially through the lug receiving portion, forming a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a catch surface connecting the first sidewall to the second sidewall. A drive portion may define a second maximum outside dimension, and at least a first detent receiving surface may be disposed on the outside of the lug receiving portion proximate to the first sidewall or the second sidewall. The drive portion may further include a tab extending from the drive portion. The tab may include a first stop surface, a second stop surface, and a bearing surface extending between the first stop surface and the second stop surface.
An anti-tipping retainer according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise a cylindrical lug receiving portion including an outside cylindrical surface defining a radial direction, a circumferential direction, and a cylindrical axis, and defining an outside cylindrical surface diameter. The cylindrical lug receiving portion may also define a lug receiving slot that extends radially partially through the cylindrical lug receiving portion, forming a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a catch surface connecting the first sidewall to the second sidewall. A drive cylindrical portion may define a drive cylindrical portion diameter that is less than the outside cylindrical surface diameter, and at least a first detent receiving surface may be disposed on the outside of the cylindrical lug receiving portion proximate to the first sidewall or the second sidewall. The drive cylindrical portion further may include a tab extending radially from the drive cylindrical portion, the tab including a first stop surface, a second stop surface, and an arcuate bearing surface extending between the first stop surface and the second stop surface that is radially interposed between the drive cylindrical portion and the outside cylindrical surface.
A tip assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may comprise a tip that includes a body that defines a longitudinal axis, a vertical axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a lateral axis that is perpendicular to the vertical axis and the longitudinal axis. The body may include a forward working portion disposed along the longitudinal axis including a closed end, and a rear attachment portion disposed along the longitudinal axis including an open end. The rear attachment portion may define an exterior surface, an adapter nose receiving pocket extending longitudinally from the open end, a retaining mechanism receiving aperture in communication with the adapter nose receiving pocket and the exterior surface, an adapter nose lug receiving groove extending longitudinally from the open end to the retaining mechanism receiving aperture, and an anti-tipping retainer disposed in the retaining mechanism receiving aperture. The retaining mechanism receiving aperture may include a counterbore including a counterbore surface defining a counterbore maximum diameter, a radial direction, a counterbore longitudinal axis, and a thru-hole defining a thru-hole surface, and a thru-hole minimum diameter that is less than the counterbore maximum diameter. The anti-tipping retainer may include an arcuate bearing surface that is disposed along the counterbore longitudinal axis radially proximate to the thru-hole surface at the thru-hole minimum diameter.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In some cases, a reference number will be indicated in this specification and the drawings will show the reference number followed by a letter for example, 100a, 100b or a prime indicator such as 100′, 100″ etc. It is to be understood that the use of letters or primes immediately after a reference number indicates that these features are similarly shaped and have similar function such as is often the case when geometry is mirrored about a plane of symmetry. For ease of explanation in this specification, letters or primes will often not be included herein but may be shown in the drawings to indicate duplications of features discussed within this written specification.
A work implement assembly using tip assemblies and an anti-tipping retainer according to various embodiments of the present disclosure will now be discussed.
Starting with
A side edge assembly 115 is attached to each end plate 114 while a front edge assembly 116 is attached to the front edge of the bottom plate 108 of the bucket assembly 100. The front edge assembly 116 includes a base edge 117 that is attached to the bottom plate 108, a plurality of center adapters 118 attached to the base edge 117, and a plurality of tips 200 (may also be referred to as tools, teeth, etc.) with each one of the plurality of tips 200 being attached to one of the plurality of center adapters 118. Also, two corner adapters 120 are also attached to the base edge and the side edges 122 of the bucket assembly 100′. Tip 200 may also be attached to the corner adapters 120.
Moreover, a plurality of base edge protectors 124 are also provided with each one of the base edge protectors 124 positioned between center adapters 120 and between a center adapter 120 and a corner adapter 120. A side edge protector 126 is also provided that is attached to the side edge 122 proximate to a corner adapter 120.
It is to be understood that the work implement assembly may take other forms other than a bucket assembly including rake assemblies, shear assemblies, etc. In addition, a differently configured bucket that is meant to be used by an excavator may also use various embodiments of a tip, retaining mechanism, retainer, adapter, tip assembly, and tip and adapter assembly, etc. as will be discussed herein.
A tip 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to
Starting with
Focusing on
Now, the tip assembly 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to
Starting with
Focusing on
With reference to
Looking at
Further details of the anti-tipping retainer 300 are shown in
Looking at
As best seen in
In certain embodiments as shown in
The arcuate bearing surface 302 may defines an arcuate bearing surface angular extent 338 about the counterbore longitudinal axis 238 ranging from 15.0 degrees to 50.0 degrees in some embodiments.
The drive cylindrical portion 320 may define a rectangular shaped recess 340 that is centered on the counterbore longitudinal axis 238. The at least first detent surface 324 may include a groove surface 342 that extends along the counterbore longitudinal axis 238 completely through the cylindrical lug receiving portion 306. The arcuate bearing surface 302 may disposed at least partially diametrically opposite to the groove surface 342 in some but not necessarily all embodiments of the present disclosure. The anti-tipping retainer 300 may be configured to be accessible from the exterior surface 218 of the tip so that a user may use a tool to drive or rotate the spring loaded retainer from an unlocked to a locked configuration, or vice versa.
Referring back to
Focusing now on
Focusing on
The anti-tipping retainer 300 may also include a drive portion 320′ defining a second maximum outside dimension 322′, and at least a first detent receiving surface 324 disposed on the outside of the lug receiving portion 306′ that is disposed proximate to the first sidewall 314 or the second sidewall 316. Other configurations are possible in other embodiments of the present disclosure.
The drive portion 320′ may further include a tab 326 extending from the drive portion 326. The tab 326 may include a first stop surface 328, a second stop surface 330, and a bearing surface 302′ (may also be referred to as a guide surface) extending (e.g. circumferentially, axially) between the first stop surface 328 and the second stop surface 330. The first stop surface and the second stop surface may be configured to contact the tip to prevent the anti-tipping retainer from being over rotated while the bearing surface may provide enough surface area such that the anti-tipping retainer is not prone to become cocked in the tip.
As alluded to earlier herein, the lug receiving portion 306′ may include a cylindrical lug receiving portion 306 including an outside cylindrical surface 308 defining a radial direction 344, a circumferential direction 346, and a cylindrical axis 348. The first maximum outside dimension 310′ may be an outside cylindrical surface diameter 310, while the drive portion 320′ may include a drive cylindrical portion 320 and the second maximum outside dimension 322′ may be a drive cylindrical portion diameter 322 that is less than the outside cylindrical surface diameter 310 of the cylindrical lug receiving portion 306.
In order to provide enough guidance as shown in
The drive portion 320′ may defines a rectangular shaped recess 340 (e.g. square, etc.) that is centered on the cylindrical axis 348. Other configurations are possible in other embodiments of the present disclosure.
Also as best seen in
Another embodiment of an anti-tipping retainer 300 of the present disclosure that may be provided as a replacement part will now be described with continued reference to
The anti-tipping retainer 300 may comprise a cylindrical lug receiving portion 306 may include an outside cylindrical surface 308 defining a radial direction 344, a circumferential direction 346, and a cylindrical axis 348. The anti-tipping retainer 300 may define an outside cylindrical surface diameter 310, and the cylindrical lug receiving portion 306 may also define a lug receiving slot 312 that extends radially partially through the cylindrical lug receiving portion 306, forming a first sidewall 314, a second sidewall 316, and a catch surface 318 connecting the first sidewall 314 to the second sidewall 316.
The anti-tipping retainer 300 may also have a drive cylindrical portion 320 defining a drive cylindrical portion diameter 322 that is less than the outside cylindrical surface diameter 310, and at least a first detent receiving surface 324 disposed on the outside of the cylindrical lug receiving portion 306 proximate to the first sidewall 314 or the second sidewall 316.
The drive cylindrical portion 320 may further include a tab 326 extending radially from the drive cylindrical portion 320. The tab 326 may include a first stop surface 328, a second stop surface 330, and an arcuate bearing surface 302 extending between the first stop surface 328 and the second stop surface 330 that is radially interposed between the drive cylindrical portion 320 and the outside cylindrical surface 308.
Also, the drive cylindrical portion 320 may define a first axial height 332, the tab 326 may define a second axial height 334 that is the same as the first axial height 332, forming a flush front face of the drive portion 320′, but not necessarily so. The outside cylindrical surface diameter 310 may range from 30.0 mm to 80.0 mm, while the drive cylindrical portion diameter 322 may range from 20.0 mm to 50.0 mm in certain embodiments. The tab 326 may extend radially from the drive cylindrical portion 320 a radial distance 336 ranging from 3.0 mm to 10.0 mm in certain embodiments.
Again, it should be noted that any of the dimensions, angles, ratios, surface areas and/or configurations of various features may be varied as desired or needed including those not specifically mentioned herein. Although not specifically discussed, blends such as fillets are shown to connect the various surfaces. These may be omitted in other embodiments and it is to be understood that their presence may be ignored sometimes when reading the present specification unless specifically mentioned.
In practice, a machine, a work implement assembly, a tip assembly, a tip and adapter assembly, an anti-tipping retainer, and/or any combination of these various assemblies and components may be manufactured, bought, or sold to retrofit a machine or a work implement assembly in the field in an aftermarket context, or alternatively, may be manufactured, bought, sold or otherwise obtained in an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) context.
Any of the aforementioned components may be made from any suitable material including iron, grey-cast iron, steel, plastic, rubber, foam, etc.
The provision of a bearing surface for the retainer may help prevent the undesirable cocking or tipping of the retainer. This may help reduce the need for maintenance over the life the retaining mechanism or tip that uses such a mechanism.
It will be appreciated that the foregoing description provides examples of the disclosed assembly and technique. However, it is contemplated that other implementations of the disclosure may differ in detail from the foregoing examples. All references to the disclosure or examples thereof are intended to reference the particular example being discussed at that point and are not intended to imply any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure more generally. All language of distinction and disparagement with respect to certain features is intended to indicate a lack of preference for those features, but not to exclude such from the scope of the disclosure entirely unless otherwise indicated.
Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments of the apparatus and methods of assembly as discussed herein without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention(s). Other embodiments of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the various embodiments disclosed herein. For example, some of the equipment may be constructed and function differently than what has been described herein and certain steps of any method may be omitted, performed in an order that is different than what has been specifically mentioned or in some cases performed simultaneously or in sub-steps. Furthermore, variations or modifications to certain aspects or features of various embodiments may be made to create further embodiments and features and aspects of various embodiments may be added to or substituted for other features or aspects of other embodiments in order to provide still further embodiments.
Accordingly, this disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the disclosure unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
