Patent Application
20220195692
N/A
The present disclosure relates to work machines a blade. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a saddle frame assembly of the work machine.
Motor graders have a blade for moving earth or other material. There are known motor graders that have a main frame, or chassis, to which a draft frame is attached via a ball-and-socket joint, a saddle frame attached to the main frame, a number of hydraulic cylinders (e.g.
three) interconnecting the saddle frame and the draft frame for raising and lowering the sides of the draft frame and moving the draft frame from side-to-side about the ball-and-socket joint, a circle frame rotatably attached to the draft frame, and a blade support having a tilt frame that is attached to the circle frame for rotation therewith and to which the blade is mounted. The tilt frame is pivoted to the circle frame to change the pitch of the blade in response to actuation of a hydraulic cylinder. One or more actuators are coupled to the saddle frame and blade to roll the blade from side-to-side. The saddle frame assembly consists of two parts, a fixed part and a movable part. The movable rotating part encircles the fixed part and rotates to support movement of the blade in response to actuation of the hydraulic cylinders. A conventional configuration of the interface between the fixed part and the movable part include a rectangular profile. This form of coupling the two parts may lead to wear over time, and reduced precision of movement of the blade. This looseness resulting from wear in rough grading operations is not a hindrance to the performance of that particular operation but can become an issue if the grader is then moved to a super fine-grading task. The looseness may also cause discomfort to an operator because of excess noise generated. Current methods comprise of adding shims between subcomponents of the moveable part to eliminate the looseness. However, this may lead to improvement in only a single direction. Therein lies an area for improvement of the contact area between the fixed and movable part.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description and accompanying drawings. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the appended claims, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the appended claims.
The present disclosure includes a work machine comprising a main frame, a draft frame, a circle frame, a blade, a saddle frame assembly, and at least one actuator. The draft frame is coupled to the main frame. The circle frame is rotatably coupled to the draft frame and is rotatable by a circle drive. The blade is coupled to the circle frame. The circle drive includes actuators configured to move the blade. The saddle frame assembly is coupled to the main frame. An actuator coupled to the saddle frame moves the blade relative to the main frame. The saddle frame assembly may include a movable portion and a fixed portion. The movable portion may include an upper first portion coupled to the lower second portion. The upper first portion includes wall defining a channel configured to receive the fixed portion, thereby enabling rotation of the movable portion about the fixed portion. The channel is configured to self-align the first portion relative to the fixed portion when the upper first portion is adjusted relative to the lower second portion in a lateral direction.
In another aspect of the disclosure, the channel continues to self-align the first upper portion relative to the fixed with wear of at least a portion of the interface between the movable portion and the fixed portion. Adjustment of the upper first portion relative to the lower second portion may comprise of adding shims between the upper first portion and the lower second portion.
In one embodiment, the channel may comprise spaced apart sidewalls and a round contact surface coupling the sidewalls. In another embodiment, the round contact surface of the fixed portion is blunted
In another embodiment, the channel comprises spaced apart sidewalls and angular contact surfaces coupling the sidewalls. In another embodiment, the angular contact surfaces create one or more of a triangular channel and v-shaped channel.
In yet another embodiment, the channel may comprise of spaced apart sidewalls and an obround dovetail contact.
In yet another embodiment, the channel comprises spaced apart sidewalls, and at least one third wall coupling the spaced apart sidewalls, wherein an interface of the fixed portion with the channel creates at least one principal stress point on the at least one third wall. The principal stress point may be on the at least third wall.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned embodiments may be inversed wherein the fixed portion includes the walls defining a channel configured to receive the upper first portion relative to the fixed portion when the upper first portion is adjusted relative to the second lower portion in a lateral direction.
These and other features will become apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein various features are shown and described by way of illustration. The present disclosure is capable of other and different configurations and its several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the detailed description and accompanying drawings are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive or limiting.
The detailed description of the drawings refers to the accompanying figures in which:
Like reference numerals are used to indicate like elements throughout the several figures.
The embodiments disclosed in the above drawings and the following detailed description are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to these embodiments. Rather, there are several variations and modifications which may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
In this motor grader example, the work machine 100 has a rear section 105 and a front section 115. The rear section 105 and front section 115 are articulated to one another for relative movement about an articulation axis at the articulation joint. The rear section has an engine compartment containing an engine for propulsion of the work machine and operation of an onboard actuation system.
The front section 115 has a main frame 120, or chassis, supporting other structures of the front section 115. A pair of front wheels 125 supports the frame above the ground. The operator's station 130, from which an operator can control operation of the vehicle, is mounted on the main frame 120. A draft frame 135 is attached to the main frame 120 via a ball-and-socket joint 140 near the front of the main frame 120. A circle frame 145 is rotatably attached to the draft frame 135 near the rear of the draft frame 135. The circle frame 145 has a circle gear 150 rotatable by a circle drive 155 (e.g. hydraulic motor with pinion gear) mounted to the draft frame 135.
Actuators 160 (every actuator may not be identified) in the form of, for example, hydraulic cylinders are configured to move the blade 110, as shown, for example, in
The blade 110 can be a blade as shown. The blade 110 exemplarily includes a longitudinal main plate, a bottom cutting edge bolted to and extending along a bottom of the main plate and two side cutting edges bolted to and extending along left and right side edges of the main plate, at a left and right sides of the blade 110, respectively.
Now turning to
As additional wear may occur through continued use, more shims 260 may be added. Addition of shims 260 may be done through a time-consuming approach of disassembling of the saddle frame 200; typically requiring removal of bolts 265 (i.e. the coupling mechanism shown as bolts or an alternative coupling mechanism), and subsequently removing the upper first portion 215 and adding shims 260 before reassembling. In some configurations, the addition of shims 260 may simply require loosening the coupling mechanism (in the present instance the coupling mechanism are bolts 260) creating as space for insertion of shims between the upper first portion 215 and the lower second portion 220 and subsequently tightening the bolts 265. This modification may be customized with varying the number and/or width of shims 260 based on the amount of adjustment required. However, this approach of adding shims 260 may resolve any issues related to wear of the saddle frame assembly by reducing looseness in only a vertical direction 253. However, it fails to address the wear in the lateral direction 250.
The following embodiments (
The above-mentioned embodiments may alternatively be described as a channel 235 comprising of spaced apart sidewalls, and at least a third wall coupling the spaced apart sidewalls, wherein the interface of the fixed portion and movable portion creates at least one principal stress point. This principal stress point is on the at least third wall wherein the third wall is angled.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments or implementations and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the any use of the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” “include,” “includes,” “including,” “comprise,” “comprises,” “comprising,” or the like, in this specification, identifies the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The references “A” and “B” used with reference numerals herein are merely for clarification when describing multiple implementations of an apparatus.
While the above describes example embodiments of the present disclosure, these descriptions should not be viewed in a restrictive or limiting sense. Rather, there are several variations and modifications which may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
