Patent Application
20250092646
This disclosure relates generally to earth-moving, mining and other types of material-handling equipment and, in an example described below, more particularly provides an adapter wear cap for a wear component assembly.
Material handling implements (such as buckets, shovels and other types of excavation and mining implements) are frequently provided with replaceable wear components. For example, wear components can be used to protect a forward material-engaging lip of a material handling implement, in order to prevent or delay repair or replacement of the lip, and to achieve other purposes (such as, to enhance the effectiveness of the implement in engaging or breaking up the material).
The wear components are subjected to a variety of different loads from various directions during material handling operations. Replacement of wear components can be costly and time-consuming.
It will, therefore, be appreciated that improvements are continually needed in the art of designing, constructing and using wear components for material handling implements. Such improvements are provided to the art by the present disclosure, and these improvements can be realized in a wide variety of different configurations.
Representatively illustrated in
In the example of
The teeth 12 are typically rapidly worn down or otherwise damaged during use of the implement 10, and so the teeth are replaced periodically or when excessive wear is evident. Specially configured adapters 14 releasably secure the teeth 12 to a forward edge of a lip 16 of the implement 10 in this example. In other examples, the teeth 12 may be secured directly to the lip 16.
The teeth 12 and adapter 14 are merely examples of wear components that can be securely and conveniently attached to a material handling implement using the principles of this disclosure. Other examples of wear components include shrouds 18, 20 which protect forward material-engaging edges of the lip 16 and sides of the implement 10. Thus, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to use of any particular types of wear components.
As used herein, the term “forward” is used to indicate a direction in which the implement 10 displaces to engage a material. Thus, a forward edge of the lip 16 would first engage the material, if the forward edge were not protected by the teeth 12, adapter 14 and shrouds 18, 20. The term “rearward” is used to indicate an opposite direction. Thus, in the
Referring additionally now to
Referring specifically now to
In the
The adapter 14 includes a forwardly extending nose 40. The nose 40 is suitably configured for mounting a tooth (such as, the
The legs 34, 36 extend rearward from the nose 40. The legs 34, 36 are suitably configured to wrap around a forward end 42 of the lip 16 and provide for fastening the adapter 14 to the lip. A conventional fastener assembly known to those skilled in the art as a “Whisler” type may be used to releasably secure the adapter 14 to the lip 16, although other types of fastener assemblies may be used in other examples.
The wear caps 32 in this example serve to protect the rear portions of the adapter legs 34, 36 from wear and damage in operation of the implement 10. Each wear cap 32 includes a sacrificial body 44 that overlies a rear portion of the respective adapter leg 34, 36. In some examples, a hardness or abrasion resistance of the wear caps 32 may be greater than a hardness or abrasion resistance of the adapter legs 34, 36.
Referring additionally now to
In the
Referring additionally now to
In
A forward end of the wear cap 32 is also secured to the adapter leg 34. A portion of the adapter 14 at a forward end of a fastener opening 52 formed through the leg 34 is received in a forward facing recess 54 formed in a J-shaped tab 56 extending downwardly from the body 44 of the wear cap 32. In other examples, multiple tabs 56 may be provided at the forward end of the wear cap 32.
In the
Referring additionally now to
In
Referring additionally now to
In
The tapering of the fastener 38 facilitates removal of the fastener from the rear end of the adapter leg 34 after the implement 10 has been used. However, the tapering may not be used in other examples.
In the
The fastener 38 extends through an opening 72 formed laterally through the rear end of the leg 34. In the
The fastener 38 engages the recess 48 in the tab 50 to limit rearward movement of the wear cap 32 and to secure the rear end of the wear cap to the leg 34. In the
Referring additionally now to
In the
Note that, with the recess 48 contacting the fastener 38 as depicted in
It may now be fully appreciated that the above disclosure provides significant advancements to the art of designing, constructing and using wear components for material handling implements. In examples described above, a wear cap 32 can be secured to an adapter leg 34, 36 using a fastener 38 that also limits rearward movement of the wear cap relative to the adapter leg.
The above disclosure provides to the art a wear component assembly 30 for use with a material handling implement 10. In one example, the wear component assembly 30 can include an adapter 14 having rearwardly extending first and second bifurcated legs 34, 36 configured to mount the adapter 14 to a lip 16 of the material handling implement 10, and a wear cap 32 secured external to the first leg 34 with a fastener 38. The fastener 38 extends laterally through the first leg 34.
The fastener 38 may be oriented orthogonal to a longitudinal axis 60 of the adapter 24. The wear cap 32 may comprise a rearward facing and laterally extending recess 48 configured to receive the fastener 38 therein. Contact between the fastener 38 and the recess 48 may limit rearward movement of the wear cap 32 relative to the adapter 14.
The fastener 38 may be tapered along a majority of a length of the fastener 38. The fastener 38 may be externally threaded. An internally threaded nut 46 may be secured to the fastener 38. A seal 68 may seal between the fastener 38 and the nut 46.
An opening 58 may extends through the wear cap 32. The wear cap opening 58 may be aligned with an opening 52 that extends through the first leg 34.
The wear cap 32 may comprise a forward facing recess 54 formed in a forward end of the wear cap 32. A portion of the adapter 14 may be received in the recess 54.
The above disclosure also provides to the art a wear component assembly 30 for use with a material handling implement 10, with the wear component assembly 30 comprising: an adapter 14 having rearwardly extending first and second bifurcated legs 34, 36 configured to mount the adapter 14 to a lip 16 of the material handling implement 10; and a wear cap 32 secured external to the first leg 34 with a fastener 38. Contact between the fastener 38 and a recess 48 formed in the wear cap 32 limits rearward movement of the wear cap 32 relative to the adapter 14.
The above disclosure also provides to the art a wear cap 32 for use with an adapter 14 on a material handling implement 10. In one example, the wear cap 32 includes a body 44 configured to overlie at least a portion of a leg 34, 36 of the adapter 14, a first tab 50 at a rear end of the body 44, the first tab 50 having a first recess 48 formed therein, the first recess 48 extending laterally across the first tab 50 and facing rearward, and a second tab 56 at a forward end of the body 44, the second tab 56 having a second recess 54 formed therein, the second recess 54 being configured to receive a portion of the adapter 14 therein.
The first recess 48 may be configured to receive a fastener 38 therein. The fastener 38 may be tapered along a majority of a length of the fastener 38.
An opening 58 may extend through the body 44. The body opening 58 may be being configured to align with an opening 52 that extends through the adapter leg 34.
Although various examples have been described above, with each example having certain features, it should be understood that it is not necessary for a particular feature of one example to be used exclusively with that example. Instead, any of the features described above and/or depicted in the drawings can be combined with any of the examples, in addition to or in substitution for any of the other features of those examples. One example's features are not mutually exclusive to another example's features. Instead, the scope of this disclosure encompasses any combination of any of the features.
Although each example described above includes a certain combination of features, it should be understood that it is not necessary for all features of an example to be used. Instead, any of the features described above can be used, without any other particular feature or features also being used.
It should be understood that the various embodiments described herein may be utilized in various orientations, such as inclined, inverted, horizontal, vertical, etc., and in various configurations, without departing from the principles of this disclosure. The embodiments are described merely as examples of useful applications of the principles of the disclosure, which is not limited to any specific details of these embodiments.
In the above description of the representative examples, directional terms (such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” “upward,” “downward,” etc.) are used for convenience in referring to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be clearly understood that the scope of this disclosure is not limited to any particular directions described herein.
The terms “including,” “includes,” “comprising,” “comprises,” and similar terms are used in a non-limiting sense in this specification. For example, if a system, method, apparatus, device, etc., is described as “including” a certain feature or element, the system, method, apparatus, device, etc., can include that feature or element, and can also include other features or elements. Similarly, the term “comprises” is considered to mean “comprises, but is not limited to.”
Of course, a person skilled in the art would, upon a careful consideration of the above description of representative embodiments of the disclosure, readily appreciate that many modifications, additions, substitutions, deletions, and other changes may be made to the specific embodiments, and such changes are contemplated by the principles of this disclosure. For example, structures disclosed as being separately formed can, in other examples, be integrally formed and vice versa. Accordingly, the foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as being given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited solely by the appended claims and their equivalents.
