Patent Application
20250198115
The present disclosure relates to grader machines, such as motor graders, that grade and level a work surface. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system for slidably retaining a moldboard to an implement frame of the grader machine.
Grader machines, also commonly referred to as motor graders, are typically used to displace, distribute, and/or mix a material, such as soil, over a work surface to grade the work surface. A motor grader typically includes a moldboard, also generally known as a blade, which may be used to engage the work surface to carry out the aforementioned functions on the work surface. The moldboard is generally slidably mounted or retained to a frame of the motor grader by being retained between a pair of bearing arrangements. During operations of the motor grader, the moldboard may be repeatedly actuated to move laterally (e.g., moldboard sideshift) with respect to the bearing arrangement to acquire various work-related positions relative to the work surface. Such working of the moldboard subjects one or more of the bearing arrangements to wear, which in turn affects the long-term sliding capability and/or a positive retention of the moldboard with respect to the frame.
A wear element may be provided between the bearing arrangement and the moldboard to facilitate such lateral movement of the moldboard with respect to the bearing arrangement. As the wear element may wear out, it may be adjusted relative to the moldboard to reduce or eliminate play between the wear element and the moldboard. However, adjusting the wear element may be laborious, time consuming, and prone to failure due to, for example, complex mounting configurations around the wear element and limited visibility of the wear element, thereby obstructing any visual inspection of the wear element.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,978 discloses a bearing support arrangement for a grader blade. The bearing support arrangement uses short stroke hydraulic cylinders to compensate for wear between slide bearings and slide rails of the grader blade. The cylinders are preferably pressurized by grease and a grease fitting is provided for each cylinder to provide convenient access, to allow service by the operator. Preferably the cylinders are located in a generally closed cavity between the bearing support holder and the slide bearing.
In one aspect, the disclosure relates to a system for retaining a moldboard in slidable engagement with an implement frame of a grader machine. The moldboard defines a working edge to engage with a work surface. The system includes one or more brackets pivotably couplable to the implement frame. A bracket of the one or more brackets defines a first bearing arrangement and a second bearing arrangement to accommodate a sliding movement of the moldboard with respect to the implement frame. The first bearing arrangement is located relatively distal to the working edge and the second bearing arrangement is located relatively proximal to the working edge. The first bearing arrangement includes a mounting block, a piston, and a fitting. The mounting block includes at least one through-bore. The piston is disposed and movable within the at least one through-bore. The fitting facilitates an influx of a fluid into the at least one through-bore to push the piston against a first wear assembly received within the mounting block such that the first wear assembly is advanced to reduce a gap with respect to a second wear assembly associated with the second bearing arrangement and retain the moldboard slidably between the first wear assembly and the second wear assembly.
In another aspect, the disclosure is directed to a grader machine. The grader machine includes a chassis, a drawbar extending from the chassis, a circle rotatably supported with respect to the drawbar, an implement frame (including one or more arms) extending from the circle, a moldboard, and a system for retaining the moldboard in slidable engagement with the implement frame. the moldboard defines a backside and a frontside with respect to the grader machine, and a working edge configured to engage with a work surface. The system includes one or more brackets pivotably couplable to the implement frame. A bracket of the one or more brackets defines a first bearing arrangement and a second bearing arrangement to accommodate a sliding movement of the moldboard with respect to the implement frame. The first bearing arrangement is located relatively distal to the working edge and the second bearing arrangement is located relatively proximal to the working edge. The first bearing arrangement includes a mounting block, a piston, and a fitting. The mounting block includes at least one through-bore. The piston is disposed and movable within the at least one through-bore. The fitting facilitates an influx of a fluid into the at least one through-bore to push the piston against a first wear assembly received within the mounting block such that the first wear assembly is advanced to reduce a gap with respect to a second wear assembly associated with the second bearing arrangement and retain the moldboard slidably between the first wear assembly and the second wear assembly.
In yet another aspect, the disclosure relates to a method for retaining a moldboard in slidable engagement with an implement frame of a grader machine. The moldboard defines a working edge to engage with a work surface. the method includes pivotably coupling one or more brackets to the implement frame. A bracket of the one or more brackets defines a first bearing arrangement and a second bearing arrangement to accommodate a sliding movement of the moldboard with respect to the implement frame. The first bearing arrangement is located relatively distal to the working edge and the second bearing arrangement is located relatively proximal to the working edge. The first bearing arrangement includes a mounting block, a piston, and a fitting. The mounting block includes at least one through-bore. The piston is disposed and movable within the at least one through-bore. The fitting facilitates an influx of a fluid into the at least one through-bore to push the piston against a first wear assembly received within the mounting block such that the first wear assembly is advanced to reduce a gap with respect to a second wear assembly associated with the second bearing arrangement and retain the moldboard slidably between the first wear assembly and the second wear assembly.
Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Generally, corresponding reference numbers may be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or corresponding parts, e.g., 1, 1′, 1″, 101 and 201 could refer to one or more comparable components used in the same and/or different depicted embodiments.
Referring to
As an example, the traction devices 112 may include one or more front wheels 112′ disposed towards a front end 116 of the grader machine 100 and one or more back wheels 112″ disposed towards a back end 120 of the grader machine 100. The terms ‘front’ and ‘back’, as used herein, are in relation to an exemplary direction of travel of the grader machine 100, and the same is represented by an arrow, T, in
To grade and/or level the work surface, the grader machine 100 may include an implement system 136, which may also be referred to as a drawbar-circle-blade (DCB) arrangement and/or a grader group of the grader machine 100. The implement system 136 may be supported by the chassis 128. Further, the implement system 136 may include a drawbar 140, a circle assembly 144, and a moldboard 148, as shown, all of which may function in concert with one another to help the grader machine 100 perform the grading operation on the work surface 108.
The drawbar 140 may include a first end 152 pivotally coupled to a front end 156 of the chassis 128 and a second end 160 disposed away from the front end 156 of the chassis 128. In other words, a portion of the drawbar 140, defining the second end 160, may extend (e.g., extend away) and be disposed remote relative to the front end 156 of the chassis 128. As an example, the second end 160 of the drawbar 140 may extend rearwards or backwards towards the operator cab 132 of the grader machine 100. Further, the second end 160 of the drawbar 140 may be movably supported at another portion (such as a mid-portion 164) of the chassis 128. For example, the second end 160 of the drawbar 140 may be coupled to the mid-portion 164 of the chassis 128 via one or more actuators, such as an actuator 168, as exemplary shown in
Referring to
The implement frame 176 may be fixedly coupled to the circle 172 to rotate with a rotation of the circle 172, relative to the drawbar 140. Also, the implement frame 176 may extend away from the circle 172. As an example, the implement frame 176 may include one or more arms, e.g., a pair of arms, or as shown in
Continuing with
Although not limited, the frontside 208 of the moldboard 148 may be contoured to define a concave shape, as shown in
Further, the moldboard 148 includes rails 216 (e.g., a first rail 216′ and a second rail 216″). Each of the first rail 216′ and the second rail 216″ may have a substantially rectangular cross-section, although different cross-sectional shapes of the rails 216 may be contemplated by someone skilled in the art, as per the grader machine's 100 configuration. The rails 216 may extend along a length of the moldboard 148. The rails 216 may extend from the backside 204 of the moldboard 148. In an example, as shown in
During operations of the grader machine 100, the moldboard 148 may be moved to a host of work-related positions with respect to the implement frame 176 (or the chassis 128) and/or to the work surface 108. For example, the moldboard 148 may be moved towards a left side or a right side of the grader machine 100 by sliding the moldboard 148 in a lateral direction relative to a longitudinal axis 228 (of the grader machine 100) and the implement frame 176 (or the chassis 128), by use of one or more actuators (not shown).
To slidably retain the moldboard 148 to the implement frame 176, in one or more aspects of the present disclosure, a system 232 is disclosed. The system 232 is configured to retain the moldboard 148 in slidable engagement with the implement frame 176. As shown in
As shown in
The bracket 252 includes a body 260. As shown in
The bracket 252 may be coupled to the implement frame 176, e.g., to the first arm 184 of the implement frame 176, about an axis (e.g., an articulation axis 288 passing through the implement frame 176) so as to be articulatable with respect to the implement frame 176, e.g., to the first arm 184 of the implement frame 176, using an articulation joint 292 located at the third vertex portion 284 (of the body 260). By way of such articulation of the bracket 252 relative to the implement frame 176, the bracket 252 may facilitate, at least in part, a tilting of the moldboard 148 with respect to the work surface 108 (and/or the chassis 128) during the grading operation.
The bracket 252 defines one or more bearing arrangements, namely—a first bearing arrangement 300 and a second bearing arrangement 304. The first bearing arrangement 300 and the second bearing arrangement 304 may be spaced from one another. In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in
The first bearing arrangement 300 and the second bearing arrangement 304 accommodate a sliding movement of the moldboard 148 with respect to the implement frame 176. For example, as shown in
The first bearing arrangement 300 is now discussed. The first bearing arrangement 300 includes a mounting block 308, one or more pistons (e.g., a piston 312), and one or more fittings (e.g., a fitting 316). The mounting block 308 may be mounted to the bracket 252. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting block 308 is integrally manufactured with the bracket 252. In other embodiments, the mounting block 308 may be a separate component with respect to the bracket 252. In such a situation, the mounting block 308 may be coupled to the bracket 252 using any coupling method, such as bolting, welding, clamping, and the like.
As shown in
Furthermore, the mounting block 308 defines two protrusions, namely—a first protrusion 344 and a second protrusion 348. The first protrusion 344 and the second protrusion 348 may extend away from the second end surface 336 (of the mounting block 308) towards the second bearing arrangement 304. The first protrusion 344 and the second protrusion 348 are spaced from one another to define a mounting channel 352 of the mounting block 308. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting channel 352 has a substantially C-shaped profile. In other embodiments, the mounting channel 352 may have any other configuration, such as a V-shaped configuration, a curved configuration, and the like. The mounting channel 352 extends along the longitudinal axis 320 between the first side surface 324 and the second side surface 328.
The mounting channel 352 is configured to receive a first wear assembly 354 of the first bearing arrangement 300. In an example, as shown in
Further, the mounting block 308 includes at least one through-bore 362. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in
The through-bore 362′ extends between the first end surface 332 and the second end surface 336 of the mounting block 308. The through-bore 362′ defines an inner cavity 364 and an interior wall 368 surrounding the inner cavity 364. Also, the through-bore 362′ may define a shoulder 372 extending inwardly from the interior wall 368 towards the inner cavity 364 of the through-bore 362′. In the illustrated embodiment, as shown in
The piston 312 is now discussed in detail with reference to
The cover plate 240 includes a body 240′. The body 240′ may define a flat rectangular portion 384 and a cylindrical portion 388 extending outwardly from a surface 392 of the flat rectangular portion 384. The cover plate 240 may be configured to be coupled to the end surface (e.g., the first end surface 332) of the mounting block 308. For example, in an assembly of the cover plate 240 with the mounting block 308, the cylindrical portion 388 of the cover plate 240 is inserted within the inner cavity 364 of the through-bore 362 (e.g., the first through-bore 362′) such that the surface 392 of the cover plate 240 abuts and sits against the first end surface 332 of the mounting block 308. Thereafter, the flat rectangular portion 384 (of the cover plate 240) is fastened to the mounting block 308, for example, by using fasteners 396.
Once coupled, the cover plate 240, the piston 312, and the interior wall 368 (of the through-bore 362′) define a first chamber 400 of the through-bore 362′, as shown in
The fitting 316 is now discussed in detail with reference to
In the present embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
The conduit 244 may be couplable and extendable away from the fitting 316 (e.g., the zerk fitting 416). The conduit 244 may define a fluid inlet 424 with respect to the first chamber 400. The fluid inlet 424 may be configured to provide a connection, for example, for a grease gun to deliver grease into the first chamber 400 of the through-bore 362′. The conduit 244 may selectively defines the fluid inlet 424 at a location away from the first bearing arrangement 300, the second bearing arrangement 304, and the moldboard 148. In the present embodiment, as shown in
The drain line 248 is now discussed with reference to
Referring to
The piston 712 may be similar in all respects to the piston 312 but may differ from the piston 312 in that the flange portion 380 is omitted. Rather, the piston 712 includes a circumferential surface 716 (extending between a top end 718 and a bottom end 718′ of the piston 712) defined at the shaft portion 376 of the piston 712, and an indented portion 720 defined on the circumferential surface 716. The indented portion 720 may extend from the top end 718 of the piston 712 to be indented into the piston 712 to define a shoulder 722. The indented portion 720 is configured to fluidly connect the first chamber 400 with the relief passage 700 as the piston 712 is pushed by the fluid 408 and the shoulder 722 (of the indented portion 720) is advanced to a threshold distance ‘D’. At this stage, the fluid 408 from the first chamber 400 may pass through the relief passage 700 to stop any further movement of the piston 712, thereby limiting any further advancement of the first wear assembly 354 towards the second wear assembly 412.
During operation of the grader machine 100, the moldboard 148 may be repeatedly actuated to slide laterally (e.g., moldboard sideshift) with respect to the first wear assembly 354 (of the first bearing arrangement 300) and the second wear assembly 412 (of the second bearing arrangement 304) to acquire various work-related positions relative to the work surface 108. Due to the sliding motion between the rails 216 of the moldboard 148 and the wear elements (e.g., the wear element 358) of the first wear assembly 354 and the second wear assembly 412, the wear element 358 may wear over a period of operating time. For example, a newly fitted wear element 358 is shown in
As the wear element 358 wears over time, adjustment of the first wear assembly 354 with respect to the rails 216 (e.g., the first rail 216′) of the moldboard 148 is necessary to reduce or eliminate play between the wear element 358 and the moldboard 148, and hence, retain the moldboard 148 in slidable engagement with the implement frame 176 of the grader machine 100. In this regard, the present disclosure provides the system 232 (or the system 732) to adjust (e.g., advance, or retract) the wear element 358 (or the first wear assembly 354) with respect to the moldboard 148 to retain the moldboard 148 in slidable engagement with the implement frame 176.
Referring to
Initially, an operator may pivotably couple the one or more brackets (e.g., the bracket 252 along with the first bearing arrangement 300 and the second bearing arrangement 304, as discussed) to the implement frame 176 of the grader machine 100, step 804. In an example, as shown in
Further, the operator may couple and extend the conduit 244 from the fitting 316 (e.g., the zerk fitting 416) to define the fluid inlet 424 with respect to the first chamber 400 (of the through-bore 362) away from the first bearing arrangement 300, the second bearing arrangement 304, and the moldboard 148, step 808. In an example, as shown in
Once the conduit 244 is coupled to the fitting 316, the operator may fluidly connect a fluid source (e.g., a grease gun, or a pump, etc.,) with the fluid inlet 424 (of the conduit 244) to deliver the fluid 408 (e.g., grease) into the first chamber 400 of the through-bore 362. Upon the influx of the fluid 408 into the first chamber 400, the piston 312 (within the through-bore 362) is pushed (via the fluid 408) against the first wear assembly 354 such that the first wear assembly 354 is advanced to reduce the gap ‘G’ with respect to the second wear assembly 412 and retain the moldboard 148 slidably between the first wear assembly 354 and the second wear assembly 412.
As the wear element 358 wears over a period of operating time, the operator may control the influx of the fluid 408 into the first chamber 400 to proportionally adjust the stroke length of the piston 312 to retain the moldboard 148. In an example, the stroke length of the piston 312 may be adjusted between a minimum stroke length (as shown in
Once the wear element (e.g., the wear element 358) wears out completely, the operator may desire to replace the worn-out wear element 358 with a new wear element 358. Accordingly, the operator may fluidly decouple the zerk fitting 416 from the first chamber 400 of the through-bore 362. For example, the operator may remove the zerk fitting 416 from the inlet 420 of the passageway 404. Next the operator may fit the port 436 at the inlet 420 and extend the drain line 248 from the port 436 to fluidly connect the first chamber 400 with the reservoir 432 (shown in
Subsequent to this, the operator may lower the moldboard 148 (e.g., via controlling the actuator 168) to push the moldboard 148 against the work surface 108. As the moldboard 148 is pushed against the work surface 108, a corresponding reaction force ‘R’ is imparted on the piston 312 (through the first wear assembly 354, as shown in
The system 232 (or the system 732) may provide a simple, quick, and safe method of adjusting the wear assemblies to positively retain the moldboard in slidable engagement with the implement frame 176 of the grader machine 100. Further, disposing the system 232 (or the system 732) at the first bearing arrangement 300 away from the working edge 212 of the moldboard 148 and the work surface 108 may eliminate or diminish a possibility of clogging the fitting 316 (e.g., the zerk fitting 416) with dirt or ground materials during the operation of the grader machine 100. In addition, disposing the fluid inlets (e.g., the fluid inlet 424) at an easily accessible location (e.g., at the back portion 428 of the bracket 252) away from the first bearing arrangement 300, the second bearing arrangement 304, and the moldboard 148, may aid in quick, precise, and frequent adjustment of the wear assemblies, as and when required by the operator. Furthermore, the system 232 (or the system 732) may be retrofitted on any grader machine with little or no modification to the existing system, in turn, improving usability, flexibility, and compatibility.
Unless explicitly excluded, the use of the singular to describe a component, structure, or operation does not exclude the use of plural such components, structures, or operations or their equivalents. The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and “at least one” or the term “one or more,” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The use of the term “at least one” followed by a list of one or more items (for example, “at least one of A and B” or one or more of A and B”) is to be construed to mean one item selected from the listed items (A or B) or any combination of two or more of the listed items (A and B; A, A and B; A, B and B), unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Similarly, as used herein, the word “or” refers to any possible permutation of a set of items. For example, the phrase “A, B, or C” refers to at least one of A, B, C, or any combination thereof, such as any of: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C; or multiple of any item such as A and A; B, B, and C; A, A, B, C, and C; etc.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the system, the grader machine, and/or the method of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the system, the grader machine, and/or the method disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalent.
