Patent Application
20250116095
The present disclosure relates generally to a work tool assembly, and more particularly to limiting bending of a work tool tip adapter by way of anti-bending stabilizers.
Many different types of work tools are used with machinery in a range of operating environments from construction, forestry, and landfills, to material handling, mining, and still others. In many applications, work tools and related components can be subjected to extremely harsh conditions resulting in impacts, abrasion, and various types of loading. For certain operating environments engineers have developed a variety of replaceable elements for work tools such as guards, edges, and teeth or tooth tips. Such replaceable components can be swapped out for new components periodically rather than requiring replacement or servicing of larger or difficult to access parts of the machinery. It can also be desirable for parts of the work tool assembly to be temporarily removable to service the assembly such as by removing packed material. A great deal of research and development resources have therefore been directed at extending the service life of work tools, optimizing performance, and easing the labor of replacement or servicing of work tool parts where necessary. One example of a work tool used in a mining machinery application is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 9,127,435 B2 to Bienfang et al.
In one aspect, a work tool assembly includes a work tool lip having an upper lip surface and a lower lip surface each extending rearwardly from a forward lip edge, and a plurality of tip adapters. The plurality of tip adapters are arranged laterally along the forward lip edge, and each includes a front adapter end, a back adapter end, and a mounting slot receiving the forward lip edge and extending forwardly from the back adapter end. Each mounting slot is defined between an upper adapter leg in contact with the upper lip surface and a lower adapter leg in contact with the lower lip surface. At least one of the upper adapter leg and the lower adapter leg in each tip adapter includes, upon opposite lateral sides thereof, a first restraint ledge and a second restraint ledge, respectively. The work tool assembly also includes a plurality of anti-bending stabilizers each having a base attached to the work tool lip at a location laterally of one of the plurality of tip adapters, and a hold-down head extending outwardly of the base and in contact with one of the first restraint ledge or the second restraint ledge of the respective one of the plurality of tip adapters.
In another aspect, a tip adapter for a work tool includes an adapter body having a front adapter end with a tip mount, a back adapter end, and a mounting slot defined between an upper adapter leg and a lower adapter leg, for receiving a forward lip edge of a work tool lip, and extending forwardly from the back adapter end. At least one of the upper adapter leg and the lower adapter leg includes, upon opposite lateral sides thereof, a first restraint ledge and a second restraint ledge, respectively. The first restraint ledge and the second restraint ledge each include a laterally-facing contact surface, a base contact surface and a rearward-facing contact surface together forming a cutout in a respective one of the upper adapter leg or the lower adapter leg.
In still another aspect, an anti-bending stabilizer for a work tool includes a stabilizer body including a base with a downward-facing weld surface defining an at least partially curved footprint and a peripheral weld surface adjoining the downward-facing weld surface and extending upwardly and outwardly from the downward-facing weld surface. The stabilizer body further includes a neck, and a hold-down head extending outwardly from the neck and having a plurality of contact surfaces thereon. The plurality of contact surfaces includes a terminal end surface facing outward from the base, a first subterminal side surface, a second subterminal side surface, and a subterminal undersurface.
Referring to
Bucket 24 is part of a work tool assembly 22 and may include a work tool lip 26 that is a separate part or assembly that can be attached to a main bucket body. Also visible in
Referring also now to
In the present description, a “lateral” direction or “laterally” means in a direction toward one of outboard lip edge 38 and outboard lip edge 40. A forward direction means generally toward forward lip edge 34, or a continuation of that direction away from forward lip edge 34. A rearward or back direction has an opposite meaning. Fore-aft means forward-rearward conventionally. Tip adapters 50 are arranged laterally along forward lip edge 34 and each includes an adapter body 51. Adapter body 51, referred to at times interchangeably with tip adapter 50, may be a one-piece metallic casting in some embodiments. Each of the plurality of tip adapters 50, referred to hereinafter at times in the singular, may be identical to one another and each includes a front adapter end 52, a back adapter end 54, and a mounting slot 56 receiving forward lip edge 34 and extending forwardly from back adapter end 54.
Each mounting slot 56 is defined between an upper adapter leg 58 in contact with upper lip surface 30 and a lower adapter leg 60 in contact with lower lip surface 32. Tip adapter 50 may include upon front adapter end 52 a tooth tip mount 62 shaped for coupling within a void or recess to one of tooth tips 28. Attachment and locking structures including, for example, a tooth tip engagement boss 69 may be located upon front adapter end 62 and projects generally forward therefrom. As can also be noted from the drawings, front adapter end 62 may have a narrowed taper in a generally forward direction, although the present disclosure is not thereby limited.
Work tool assembly 22 may also include a plurality of wedge assemblies 70 that releasably fasten tip adapters 50 to work tool lip 26. In an embodiment, wedge assemblies 70 can be passed through tip adapters 50 to attach to work tool lip 26. Wedge assemblies 70 may be of known design. Work tool assembly 22 may also include a plurality of shims 72 and a plurality of static beams 73 coupled between adapter 50 and work tool lip 26 also according to known designs. Tip adapter 50 may also include a lifting eye 74.
Tip adapter 50 also includes a top surface 64 formed in part upon upper adapter leg 58, and an upper inside surface 66 formed on upper adapter leg 58. Tip adapter 50 also includes a bottom surface 68 and a lower inside surface 67 formed upon lower adapter leg 60. Mounting slot 56 is defined between upper inside surface 66 and lower inside surface 67.
Referring also now to
To this end, work tool assembly 22 also includes a plurality of anti-bending stabilizers 88 each having a base 96 attached to work tool lip 26, such as by welding, at a location laterally of one of the plurality of tip adapters 50. Each of the plurality of anti-bending stabilizers 88, also referred to hereinafter at times in the singular, includes a hold-down head 98 extending outwardly of base 96 and in contact with one of first restraint ledge 80 or second restraint edge 82 of the respective one of the plurality of tip adapters 50. It is to be emphasized that “first” and “second” are used here for descriptive convenience, and thus not implying any ordering or particular structural arrangement. At least one adapter leg, and commonly both, in a tip adapter will be associated with two anti-bending stabilizers each in contact with a different restraint ledge. In a practical implementation strategy, anti-bending stabilizers 88 are arranged in a plurality of upper pairs each coupled to upper adapter leg 58 and a plurality of lower pairs each coupled to lower adapter leg 60, as clearly visible in the view of
Tip adapter 50 may also include a curved connector portion 59 forming, together with upper adapter leg 58 and lower adapter leg 60, a C-shape, and tip mount 62 extends forwardly from curved connector portion 59. As depicted in
A horizonal plane 92 is defined between upper inside surface 66 and lower inside surface 67. Each base contact surface 102 may define a slope angle 94 to horizontal plane 92 opening in a laterally inward direction and ranging from 5° degrees to 60° in some embodiments. A ledge length 108 in a fore-aft direction is defined by base contact surface 102. A ledge elevation 110 normal to ledge length 108 and is defined between base contact surface 106 and mounting slot 56/upper inside surface 67. Ledge length 108 is greater than ledge elevation 110.
In one practical implementation ledge length 108 ranges from 100 millimeters to 300 millimeters, and ledge elevation 110 ranges from 5 millimeters to 100 millimeters. A ledge depth dimension, approximately into and out of the page in
Referring also now to
Stabilizer body 89 further includes a neck 122, and hold-down head 98 extending outwardly from neck 122 and having a plurality of contact surfaces thereon. Originating at perimetric edge at 140 is a neck surface 134 that extends upwardly to transition to hold-down head 98 by way of a concave curved transition surface 136 and a concave curve transition surface 138. Transition surface 136 may define a smaller radius of curvature and transition surface 138 may define a larger radius of curvature. As can be best seen from the view in
The plurality of contact surfaces may include a terminal end surface 126 facing outward from base 96, a first subterminal side surface 128, a second subterminal side surface 130, and a subterminal undersurface 132. First subterminal side surface 128 and second subterminal side surface 130 may be oriented normal to terminal end surface 126. Subterminal undersurface 132 may be orientated diagonal to terminal end surface 126 and substantially matches a slope of base contact surface 102. Terminal end surface 126 may be rectangular, and each of the plurality of contact surfaces may be planar.
As also illustrated in
Referring to the drawings now generally, a work tool assembly, work tool lip, tip adapters, and anti-bending stabilizers according to the present disclosure can be sold as original equipment installed upon a machine or machine component such as a bucket, etc. In other instances, a work tool lip might be sold as a separate complete assembly or as a system of related but not assembled parts. Any of these components can also be provided as a replacement part suitable for installation in the field.
When tip adapter 50 is to be installed on work tool lip 26, tip adapter 50 may be slid into position to receive forward lip edge 34 within mounting slot 56 and tip adapter 50 tack welded in place upon work tool lip. Anti-bending stabilizers 88 may then be located based upon the temporarily positioned tip adapter 50 upon both upper and lower sides of work tool lip 26, and tack welded in place upon work tool lip 26. Tip adapter 50 can then be removed, and the process repeated for each upper pair and lower pair of anti-bending stabilizers 88. With all of the anti-bending stabilizers in place, they may be fully welded to work tool lip 26. Each tip adapter 50 can then be installed again by sliding into position to place the restraint ledges in contact with the anti-bending stabilizers, and secured such as by way of wedge assemblies 70 and/or any other securement, positioning, or support hardware that might be used. Removing tip adapters 50 may include removing any packing material such as rock soil, etc., that has made its way into the various spaces and voids within or amongst tip adapters 50 and related hardware, reversing engagement of wedge assemblies 70, and sliding tip adapters 50 off of work tool lip 26.
During service in the field it has been observed that tooth tips 28 can be subjected to a variety of different types of loading including side loads, end loads, and downward loads. Any of these types of loads can theoretically cause a tip adapter to shift and/or to bend. It will be recalled tip adapters may not be actually welded to a work tool lip. Downloads in particular, where a downward force may be applied to a tooth tip during service, can impart a tendency for the back adapter end to lift away from the upper lip surface. Oppositely directed loads can be expected to have a generally opposite effect. Over time, repeated loading of this general sort can cause loosening, displacement, or failure of the associated tip adapter ultimately and eventually affecting machine performance and/or requiring undesired downtime for repairs. According to the present disclosure the combination of tip adapter and anti-bending stabilizer geometry can improve the holding-down of a tip adapter when subjected to such loads, ultimately limiting the extent to which downloads and potentially other loads risk damage to the equipment and/or performance degradation.
The present description is for illustrative purposes only, and should not be construed to narrow the breadth of the present disclosure in any way. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications might be made to the presently disclosed embodiments without departing from the full and fair scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Other aspects, features and advantages will be apparent upon an examination of the attached drawings and appended claims. As used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.
