Patent Application
20220089233
The present disclosure relates to an endless track for a track laying vehicle and more particularly to a composite shoe assembly for an endless track.
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Endless or continuous tracks have been used for years with vehicles such as tanks or other heavy equipment to facilitate off-the-road travel. A pair of such tracks are conventionally utilized in spaced relation on the lateral side of a chassis for such vehicles. An outwardly facing side of each track engages the ground while an inwardly facing side of the track engages a drive wheel coupled to a powertrain system. A set of roadwheels connected to the suspension system support the chassis and engage the inwardly facing side along a lower reach of the track. An idler wheel, and support rollers are located along an upper reach of the track above the road wheels.
The conventional construction of an endless track for a track laying vehicle includes a plurality of shoe assemblies which are interconnected along the length of the track. Typically each shoe assembly has a metal shoe housing on which an outwardly facing road pad and an inwardly facing roadwheel pad are mounted. While roadwheel pads do not normally wear significantly, road pads can wear relatively quickly, and therefore should be readily replaceable. Such replacement often require the removal of the endless track from the vehicle.
Conventional track shoes are connected by a coupler that extends through the housings of two adjacent shoes. The coupler includes an outer sleeve located within the housings of the two shoes, a pin that extends through the outer sleeve and rubber bushings that is interposed between the pin and the sleeve portions. Hollow pins have been utilized with vehicle tracks to reduce the track weight. However, such hollow pins reduce the strength of the ends of the pins where end connectors are secured to provide connection between adjacent shoe assemblies, of a double pin track assembly, and, as such, present a strength problem.
To provide guiding of vehicle tracks, each shoe assembly of conventional tracks includes a spur that extends in an inward direction and is received within a center slot of the road wheels. In the case of a double pin track; the spur is clamped onto central portions of the pin between adjacent shoe assemblies. Adjacent shoe assemblies are connected by end connectors that extend between the adjacent pin ends and cooperate with the spur for securing the shoe assemblies to each other. In particular, between the opposite pin ends, adjacent track shoes of vehicle tracks are connected by the clamping the spur extending between intermediate portions of the adjacent pins at a location laterally between the shoes of the track. The dual function of guiding and connecting the adjacent pins results in a substantial loading during use.
Given the wear and tear experienced by the shoe assemblies of such tracked vehicles and the need for frequent repair and replacement of the components of these assemblies, there is a continuing effort in the art to develop shoe assemblies that are relatively light in weight, strong in design, durable in nature and easy to repair and replace.
This section provides a general summary of the disclosure and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
A shoe assembly suitable for an endless track on a tracked vehicle is described herein. The shoe assembly include a composite track shoe having a shoe body. A first bearing block extends from a first lateral edge of the shoe body and includes with a medial knuckle. A second bearing block extends from a second lateral edge of the shoe body opposite the first lateral edge and includes with a pair of lateral knuckles. A second bearing block recess is formed between the pair of lateral knuckles. The medial knuckle is configured to be received in the second bearing block recess of an adjacent track shoe. The composite track shoe also includes a center guide extending from a first face of the shoe body. A track pad is detachably secured to the track shoe and extends from a second face of the shoe body opposite the first face. A pin extends through the first bearing block and is further configured to extend through the second bearing block of the adjacent track shoe.
The shoe body, the first bearing block, the second bearing block and the center guide form a monolithic composite track shoe. In this context, the elements or features (e.g., shoe body, bearing blocks and center guide) of a monolithic track shoe are formed as a single, integral component. A monolithic composite track shoe of this configuration may be constructed for a polymeric material, for example a monolithic acetal copolymer.
An endless track suitable for a tracked vehicle is also described herein. The endless track includes a plurality of composite track shoes arranged in spaced adjacent relationship and operably coupled together. Each of the plurality of composite track shoes has a shoe body including a first bearing block with a medial knuckle extending from a first lateral edge of the shoe body, a second bearing block with a pair of lateral knuckles extending from a second lateral edge of the shoe body opposite the first lateral edge and a second bearing block recess formed there between. The shoe body also has a center guide extending from a first face thereof the shoe body. The medial knuckle on a first track shoe is received in the second bearing block recess between the pair of lateral knuckles of a second track shoe positioned adjacent to the first track shoe. A track pad is detachably secured to the track shoe and extends from a second face of the shoe body opposite the first face. A pin extends through the first bearing block of the first track shoe and the second bearing block of the adjacent track shoe for pivotally coupling the first and second track shoes together.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With reference not to
Endless tracks 30.1, 30.2 (collectively 30) are disposed on each side of the chassis 12 and supported on the suspension assembly 14. An outwardly facing side 32 of each track 30 engages the ground. An inwardly facing side 34 of the track 30 engages the road wheels 16, support wheels 18, idler wheel 26, and drive wheel 28. Each track 30 includes a plurality of shoe assemblies 36 pivotally connected a pin assembly 38. Some but not all of the shoe assemblies 36 and pin assemblies 38 are labelled in
With reference now to
As best shown in
The shoe body 42, the first bearing block 44, the second bearing block 50 and the center guide 62 form a monolithic composite track shoe. In this context, these elements or features (e.g., shoe body, bearing blocks and center guide) of a monolithic track shoe are formed as a single, integral component. In an embodiment, the monolithic composite track shoe is constructed for a polymeric material, for example a monolithic acetal copolymer.
The shoe assembly 36 also include a track pad 74 detachably secured to the track shoe 40 and extending from a second face 76 of the shoe body 42 opposite the first face 64. The track pad 74 includes a pair of threaded studs 78 extending upwardly from a pad bed 80 and a pad sole 82 extending from the pad bed 80 opposite the threaded studs 78. A pocket 84 is formed in the second face 76 of the shoe body 42 and is configured to receive an upper portion of the track pad 74 when it is detachably secured to the track shoe 40. Bores 86 are formed through the shoe body 42 and each bore 86 receive a grommet 88. Each of the threaded studs 78 is inserted through a grommet 88 and receive a washer 90 and a nut 92 to detachably secure the track pad 74 to the shoe body 42.
With reference now to
With reference to
A plurality of shoe assemblies 36 as described above may arranged in laterally spaced adjacent relationship and operably coupled together to form the endless track 30. A portion of the endless track 30 is illustrated in
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the components illustrated in the figures were turned over, elements or features described as “below”, or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” or “on top of” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
