Moldboard modular guide rail design

Abstract

A moldboard assembly and a method of reinforcing a moldboard assembly are disclosed. The moldboard assembly may include a moldboard including a front portion and a back portion, an upper rail and a lower rail spaced apart from the upper rail, and a back plate. Both upper and lower rails may be mounted to and extend longitudinally over the back of the moldboard. The upper rail may be oriented to incline upwardly from a vertical plane at a first angle, while the lower rail is oriented to incline downwardly from the vertical plane at a second angle. The upper and lower rails each include a top, a bottom, an inner side, and an outer side disposed opposite the inner side. A back plate may be mounted to an inner side of the upper rail and an inner side of the lower rail.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to moldboards and, more particularly, to moldboards for use on motor graders. Background Art

[0002] The manufacture of moldboards can be time consuming and expensive. In addition, over time, wear and tear from use can affect the upper and lower rails mounted on the back of the moldboard. Replacement of moldboards is also very time consuming, making replacement in the field or in a maintenance shop challenging.

[0003] US Patent No. 7,650,949 issued on January 26, 2010 discloses a moldboard for a work vehicle including a blade and a side shift rail including a bar attached to the blade and a wear strip removably mounted to the bar. Although beneficial, a better arrangement is needed. Summary of the invention

[0004] In one aspect of the present invention, a moldboard assembly is disclosed. The moldboard assembly may include a moldboard, an upper rail, and a lower rail spaced apart from the upper rail, and a back plate, the moldboard including a front portion and a back portion. The upper rail and the lower rail may both be mounted to the back portion of the moldboard and extend longitudinally on the back portion of the moldboard. The upper rail may be oriented to tilt upward at a first angle from a vertical plane, and the lower rail may be oriented to tilt downward at a second angle from the vertical plane. The upper rail and the lower rail each include a top portion, a bottom portion, an inner side, and an outer side disposed opposite the inner side. The back plate may be mounted to the inner side of the upper rail and the inner side of the lower rail.

[0005] In another aspect of the present invention, a method of reinforcing a moldboard assembly is disclosed. The method may include drilling a plurality of rail holes in an upper rail and a lower rail mounted to a back of the moldboard; positioning a first rail segment on the upper rail and aligning a plurality of segment holes in the first rail segment with some of a plurality of rail holes in the upper rail to form a first plurality of channels extending from an outer side of the upper rail to an inner side of the first rail segment; and securing the first rail segment to the upper rail with a first plurality of fasteners, each fastener of the first plurality of fasteners being arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the first plurality of channels. In one embodiment, the upper rail and the lower rail may both be made of steel and may both be non-heat treated, and the first rail segment and the second rail segment may be made of a heat treated material.

[0006] In another aspect of the present invention, a moldboard assembly is disclosed. The moldboard assembly may include: a moldboard including a front and a back, an upper rail and a lower rail spaced apart from the upper rail, a back plate and a plurality of spaced apart gussets. The upper rail and the lower rail may each be mounted to the back of the moldboard and extend longitudinally on the back of the moldboard. The height of the upper rail may extend away from the back of the moldboard. The height of the lower rail may extend away from the back of the moldboard. The upper rail may be oriented to tilt upward at a first angle from a vertical plane. The lower rail may be oriented to tilt downward at a second angle from a vertical plane. Wherein, the first angle may be in the range of 30-60° with the vertical plane, and the second angle may be in the range of 30-60° with the vertical plane. Each of the upper rail and the lower rail may include a top, a bottom, an inner side, and an outer side arranged opposite to the inner side. The back plate may be mounted to the inner side of the upper rail and extend from the inner side of the upper rail to the inner side of the lower rail. A plurality of spaced-apart gussets may be arranged along an outer side of the upper rail. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a side view of an exemplary machine including a moldboard utilizing the teachings of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of an embodiment of an exemplary machine blade;

[0009] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 A side view of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 4 Shows Figure 3 , with the end caps removed;

[0011] Figure 5 is a perspective view of upper and lower rails having rail holes;

[0012] Figure 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a moldboard assembly;

[0013] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 A side view of an embodiment of; and

[0014] Figure 8 A cross-sectional view taken along line 8-8 is shown. Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Generally, corresponding reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to designate the same or corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated.

[0016] Figure 1 One example of a machine 100 incorporating features of the present invention is shown. The exemplary machine 100 may be a vehicle such as a motor grader 102. Although the following detailed description and accompanying figures are made with reference to the motor grader 102 as the exemplary machine 100, the teachings of the present invention may be applied to other machines 100 including a moldboard assembly 126, including but not limited to a tractor, a skid steer loader, or a dozer.

[0017] The motor grader 102 may include a front frame 104 pivotally coupled to a rear frame 106 by a hook (not shown) that facilitates steering of the front frame 104 relative to the rear frame 106. The motor grader 102 may also include a front wheel 108 and a pair of tandem rear wheels 110. A circular drive gear 112 may be supported by a tie rod 114 connected to the front frame 104. A portion of the circular drive gear 112 may be configured to extend downwardly to pivotally support a blade 116. The blade 116 may be moved or adjusted to obtain a range of different positions and angles by means of the circular drive gear 112 and a pair of lift actuators 118 and tilt actuators (not shown) mounted on the front frame 104.

[0018] The rear frame 106 of the motor grader 102 may house an engine 122 and other powertrain components (not shown) for generating and delivering power to operate the motor grader 102. The engine 122 may be any of gasoline, diesel, or any other engine 122 used with such a machine 100. The motor grader 102 may even draw power from other power sources such as natural gas, fuel cells, batteries, etc. Relatedly, while the transmission (not shown) of the motor grader 102 may typically be a continuously variable transmission (CVT), in at least some embodiments, the transmission may be any of a variety of types commonly used in work or construction machines. For example, in some embodiments, the transmission may be automatic, semi-automatic, manual, direct drive, or any transmission with a variable output or modulating gear ratio.

[0019] An operator compartment 124 is disposed on the rear portion of the front frame 104. The operator compartment 124 is configured to house control levers, joysticks, buttons, and other types of control elements generally known in the art for actuating the operation of the motor grader 102. In one embodiment, the operator compartment 124 may be a cab. In other embodiments, the operator compartment 124 may not be enclosed to the operator, but may be open to the environment with a visible rollover protection (ROP) device (not shown) (e.g., a roll cage, etc.).

[0020] Figure 2One embodiment of a blade 116 is shown. In this embodiment, the blade 116 includes a moldboard assembly 126 and a cutting edge 128. The moldboard assembly 126 includes a moldboard 130, an upper rail 132, a lower rail 134, and a back plate 136. The moldboard assembly 126 may also include one or more gussets 138 and / or one or more end caps 140. The cutting edge 128 ( Figure 2 ) is connected to the lower portion of the moldboard 130.

[0021] The moldboard 130 includes a front portion 142 ( Figure 3-4 ) and back 144( Figure 2 In one embodiment, the moldboard 130 may have a curved profile (at Figure 3 ).

[0022] Upper rail 132( Figure 2 ) is mounted to the back 144 of the moldboard 130. Figure 4 As shown, in one embodiment, the upper rail 132 can be mounted to the back 144 of the moldboard 130 via a weld joint 146 (the upper rail 132 is welded to the back 144 of the moldboard 130). Figure 2 As shown, the upper rail 132 extends between the left edge 148 and the right edge 150 of the back 144 of the moldboard 130 and is oriented such that the length L of the upper rail 132 extends longitudinally on the back 144 of the moldboard 130. Figure 4 As shown, the height H of the upper rail 132 extends away from the back 144 of the moldboard 130, so that the upper rail 132 is inclined upward from the back 144 of the moldboard 130 at a first angle θ from the vertical plane V. In one embodiment, the first angle θ can be at a position relative to the vertical plane V ( Figure 4 ) is in the range of about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees. In another embodiment, the first angle θ may be in the range of about 40 degrees to about 50 degrees with the vertical plane V, or may be about 45 degrees with the vertical plane V.

[0023] The lower rail 134 is mounted to the back 144 of the moldboard 130 and is spaced apart from the upper rail 132. The lower rail 134 is disposed closer to the cutting edge 128 than the upper rail 132, which is disposed farther from the cutting edge 128. Similar to the upper rail 132, in one embodiment, the lower rail 134 can be mounted to the back 144 of the moldboard 130 via a welded joint 146 (the lower rail 134 is welded to the back 144 of the moldboard 130). The lower rail 134 is disposed at the left edge 148 ( Figure 2) and right edge 150, and is oriented such that a comparable length L of lower rail 134 extends longitudinally on back 144 of moldboard 130. Similar to upper rail 132, height H of lower rail 134 extends away from back 144 of moldboard 130, such that lower rail 134 is oriented to slope downwardly from back 144 of moldboard 130 at a second angle β to vertical plane V, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 In one embodiment, the second angle β may be in a range of about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees from the vertical plane V. In another embodiment, the second angle β may be in a range of about 40 degrees to about 50 degrees from the vertical plane V, or may be about 45 degrees from the vertical plane V.

[0024] Each of the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134 includes a top 152, a bottom 154, an inner side 156, an outer side 158 disposed opposite the inner side 156, a first end 166, and a second end 168. The bottom 154 is generally oriented to be proximate to the back 144 of the moldboard 130. The top 152 is generally oriented to face outward from the back 144 of the moldboard 130. The outer side 158 is generally oriented to face the top edge 160 of the moldboard 130, and the inner side 156 is opposite the outer side 158 and disposed adjacent to the backboard 136.

[0025] In one embodiment, each of the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134 may be made of steel. The steel may not be heat treated or may be heat treated.

[0026] In some embodiments (e.g., Figure 2 In the embodiment shown in the figure, but not in all embodiments, the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134 may not have the rail hole 162 (see Figure 5 and discussed below).

[0027] A plurality of spaced gussets 138 may be provided along an outer side 158 ( Figure 2 and 4 ) and / or along the outer side 158 ( Figure 4 ) arrangement. The gusset 138 can be arranged between the back 144 of the moldboard 130 and the outer side 158 of the upper rail 132 and / or the outer side 158 of the lower rail 134. The gusset 138 can be mounted on the back 144 of the moldboard 130 and mounted on the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134. Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, the gusset plate 138 is arranged along the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134 (best seen in Figure 4 ) arrangement and is generally plate-shaped. The gusset plate 138 is configured to support the associated upper rail 132 or lower rail 134 on which the gusset plate 138 is mounted.

[0028] The back plate 136 is disposed between the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134. In one embodiment, the back plate 136 may be substantially parallel to the vertical plane V and may be transverse or perpendicular to the horizontal plane A. In one embodiment, the back plate 136 extends from the inner side 156 of the upper rail 132 to the inner side 156 of the lower rail 134. In one embodiment, the back plate 136 may be mounted or coupled to the inner side 156 of the upper rail 132 and the inner side 156 of the lower rail 134. In some embodiments, the back plate 136 may be adjacent to the middle portion 164 of the inner side 156 of the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 shown.

[0029] End cap 140( Figure 2 ) can be mounted to the back 144 of the moldboard 130. The first end cap 140 can be mounted adjacent to the first end 166 of the upper rail 132 and the first end 166 of the lower rail 134. The second end cap 140 can be mounted adjacent to the second end 168 of the upper rail 132 and the second end 168 of the lower rail 134.

[0030] Figure 6-8 Another embodiment is shown, which is Figure 2-4 The embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment, except that the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134 can include a rail hole 162 (in Figure 5 ), and the moldboard assembly 126 ( Figure 6-8 ) includes a plurality of guide rail segments 170. Figure 8 As shown, the upper rail 132 may also include a plurality of rail holes 162 extending from the outer side 158 to the inner side 156 of the upper rail 132. Similarly, the lower rail 134 may also include a plurality of rail holes 162 extending from the outer side 158 to the inner side 156 of the lower rail 134.

[0031] As mentioned above, in Figure 6-8 In the embodiment of the present invention, the moldboard assembly 126 further includes a plurality of rail segments 170. A first portion of the plurality of rail segments 170 may be mounted to the upper rail 132 and configured to reinforce the upper rail 132, and a second portion of the plurality of rail segments 170 may be mounted to the lower rail 134 and configured to reinforce the lower rail 134. Figure 7 As shown, each rail segment 170 includes a top surface 172 , a bottom surface 174 , an outer side surface 176 , and an inner side surface 178 .

[0032] The first portion 182 ( Figure 8 ) is overlapped and mounted on the inner side 156 ( Figure 8 ) on an upper portion 180 (typically proximate the top surface 172 ), and a second portion 184 of the outer side surface 176 extends outwardly and away from the upper guide rail 132 and is independent of the inner side 156 of the upper guide rail 132 .

[0033] As described above, the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134 may also include a plurality of rail holes 162 extending therethrough. Each rail segment 170 may include a plurality of segment holes 186 extending therethrough. The plurality of rail holes 162 and the plurality of segment holes 186 may be aligned in a one-to-one correspondence to form a plurality of channels 188, each channel 188 extending from the outer side 158 of the corresponding upper rail 132 or lower rail 134 to the inner side 178 of the rail segment 170. In one embodiment, one or more of the rail holes 162 may include threads. The moldboard assembly 126 may also include a plurality of fasteners 190 (e.g., bolts, screws, etc.). The fastener 190 is disposed in one of the plurality of channels 188. In one embodiment, the fastener 190 may be fixedly engaged with the threads in the rail hole. In one embodiment, the fastener 190 may also be received by a locking member 192 (e.g., a nut, etc.) and locked in engagement therewith. Fasteners 190 alone or fasteners 190 and locking members 192 together (locking engagement) are configured to secure rail segments 170 to respective upper rails 132 or lower rails 134. In one embodiment, fasteners 190 may extend from outer sides 158 of rails 132 / 134 to inner sides 178 of rail segments 170. In another embodiment, fasteners 190 may extend from inner sides 178 of rail segments 170 to outer sides 158 of rails 132 / 134. In one embodiment, one or more rail segments 170 may be made of a heat treated material, such as heat treated steel.

[0034] exist Figure 6-8 In the illustrated embodiment, the back plate 136 is disposed between the bottom surface 174 of the rail segment 170 and the inner side 156 of the upper rail 132 or the lower rail 134 to which the rail segment 170 is mounted. The back plate 136 is also disposed between the rail segment 170 mounted to the upper rail 132 and the rail segment 170 mounted to the lower rail 134. The back plate 136 is also disposed between the rail segment 170 and the back 144 of the moldboard 130.

[0035] A method of reinforcing a moldboard assembly 126 is also disclosed. The method may include longitudinally mounting (e.g., welding) an upper rail 132 and a lower rail 134 to a back 144 of a moldboard 130, wherein the upper rail 132 is oriented to be inclined upward at a first angle θ from a vertical plane V and the lower rail 134 is oriented to be inclined downward at a second angle β from the vertical plane, each of the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134 including a top 152, a bottom 154, an inner side 156, and an outer side 158 disposed opposite the inner side 156; and mounting a back plate 136 to the inner side 156 of the upper rail 132 and the inner side 156 of the lower rail 134, wherein the back plate 136 is disposed between the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134. In one embodiment, the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134 may be made of a material (e.g., steel) that may or may not have been heat treated.

[0036] The method may also include drilling a plurality of rail holes 162 in the upper rail 132 and the lower rail 134 mounted to the back 144 of the moldboard 130, and positioning the first rail segment 170 on the upper rail 132 and aligning a plurality of segment holes 186 in the first rail segment 170 with some of the plurality of rail holes 162 in the upper rail 132 to form a first plurality of channels 188 extending from the outer side 158 of the upper rail 132 to the inner side 178 of the first rail segment 170; and securing the first rail segment 170 to the upper rail 132 with a first plurality of fasteners 190, each fastener 190 of the first plurality of fasteners being arranged in the first plurality of channels 188 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0037] The method may also include positioning the second guide rail segment 170 on the lower guide rail 134, and aligning the plurality of segment holes 186 in the second guide rail segment 170 with some of the plurality of guide rail holes 162 in the lower guide rail 134 to form a second plurality of channels 188 extending from the outer side 158 of the lower guide rail 134 to the inner side 178 of the second guide rail segment 170; fixing the second guide rail segment 170 to the lower guide rail 134 with a second plurality of fasteners 190, each fastener 190 of the second plurality of fasteners being arranged in a one-to-one correspondence in the second plurality of channels 188; and installing the back plate 136 to the inner side 156 of the upper guide rail 132 and the inner side 156 of the lower guide rail 134, wherein the back plate 136 is arranged between the first guide rail segment 170 and the upper guide rail 132, and between the second guide rail segment 170 and the lower guide rail 134. In one embodiment, the first rail segment 170 and / or the second rail segment 170 may be made of a heat treated material.

[0038] Industrial Applicability

[0039] Generally, the above disclosure may be used with a machine 100, such as a motor grader 102, having a blade 116 that includes a moldboard assembly 126. By providing the moldboard assembly 126 with the upper and lower rails 132, 134 without heat treatment, a low cost may be achieved. For reinforcement, but at an increased cost, hardened rail segments 170 with heat treatment may be attached to the upper and lower rails 132, 134. For example, a user may wish to reinforce an embodiment of the moldboard assembly 126 that does not initially include the rail segments 170 (e.g., Figure 2-4 The method of strengthening such a moldboard assembly 126 may include drilling a plurality of rail holes 162 (see FIG. 1 ) in the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134 mounted to the back 144 of the moldboard 130. Figure 5 ). In one embodiment, the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134 may be made of a material (e.g., steel) that may not be heat treated or may have been heat treated. The method may also include positioning one or more rail segments 170 on the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134, and aligning a segment hole 186 in each such rail segment 170 with some of the plurality of rail holes 162 in the upper rail 132 or the lower rail 134 to which the rail segment 170 will be coupled to form a plurality of channels 188, each extending from the outer side 158 of the associated upper rail 132 or the lower rail 134 to the inner side 178 of the rail segment 170. The method may also include securing the rail segment 170 to the corresponding upper rail 132 or the lower rail 134 with a plurality of fasteners 190, the plurality of fasteners 190 being at least partially disposed in the plurality of channels 188. In one embodiment, the rail segment 170 may be made of a heat-treatable material.

[0040] Additionally, a user may wish to replace one or more rail segments 170 that have been installed to the upper rail 132 and / or the lower rail 134 of an embodiment of the moldboard assembly 126 that originally included the rail segments 170 (e.g., Figure 6-8134) or subsequently have a rail segment 170 loaded / mounted to an upper rail 132 or lower rail 134. To this end, the fastener 190 can be loosened or unlocked from the locking member 192, and / or completely or partially removed from the associated channel 188 (if desired), and the replaced rail segment 170 can be separated from the associated upper rail 132 or lower rail 134 and replaced with another rail segment 170. The fastener 190 can then be tightened or placed into locking engagement with the corresponding locking member 192 to secure the new rail segment 170 to the corresponding upper rail 132 or lower rail 134. Because there can be multiple rail segments 170 per upper rail 132 or lower rail 134, a user can replace a single rail segment 170 if desired (e.g., when one is subject to more wear than the others), or more than one rail segment 170 can be replaced if desired.

[0041] From the above, it will be appreciated that although only certain embodiments have been described for illustrative purposes, substitutions and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above description. These and other substitutions are considered equivalent and within the spirit and scope of the present invention and the appended claims.

Claims

1. A moldboard assembly, comprising: a moldboard, which includes a front portion and a back portion; an upper rail and a lower rail spaced apart from the upper rail, the upper rail and the lower rail each being mounted to and extending longitudinally on the back of the moldboard, the upper rail being oriented to be inclined upwardly from a vertical plane at a first angle, the lower rail being oriented to be inclined downwardly from the vertical plane at a second angle, each of the upper rail and the lower rail comprising: top; bottom; Inside; and an outer side, which is arranged opposite to the inner side; and A back plate is installed on the inner side of the upper guide rail and the inner side of the lower guide rail.

2. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the upper rail and the lower rail are made of a material that is not heat treated. 3 . The moldboard assembly of claim 1 , wherein the upper rail or the lower rail is mounted on the back of the moldboard. 4 . The moldboard assembly of claim 3 , wherein the upper rail or the lower rail is mounted to the back of the moldboard by a welded joint.

5. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of spaced gussets disposed along an outer side of the upper rail.

6. The moldboard assembly of claim 1, further comprising a first rail segment mounted to an inner side of the upper rail and a second rail segment mounted to an inner side of the lower rail, wherein the first rail segment is configured to reinforce the upper rail and the second rail segment is configured to reinforce the lower rail. 7 . The moldboard assembly of claim 6 , wherein the first rail segment or the second rail segment is made of a heat-treated material.

8. The moldboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the back plate is disposed between the first rail segment and the upper rail, and between the second rail segment and the lower rail.

9. A method of reinforcing a moldboard assembly, the method comprising: Drilling multiple rail holes in the upper and lower rails mounted to the back of the moldboard; positioning a first rail segment on the upper rail and aligning a plurality of segment holes in the first rail segment with some of the plurality of rail holes in the upper rail to form a first plurality of channels extending from an outer side of the upper rail to an inner side of the first rail segment; as well as securing the first rail segment to the upper rail with a first plurality of fasteners, each fastener of the first plurality of fasteners being arranged in a one-to-one correspondence within the first plurality of channels, The upper rail and the lower rail are both made of steel and are not heat-treated, and the first rail segment and the second rail segment are made of heat-treated material.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: mounting an upper rail and a lower rail longitudinally to a back of the moldboard, wherein the upper rail is oriented to be inclined upward at a first angle from a vertical plane and the lower rail is oriented to be inclined downward at a second angle from the vertical plane, each of the upper rail and the lower rail comprising a top, a bottom, an inner side, and an outer side disposed opposite the inner side; and A back plate is mounted to an inner side of the upper rail and an inner side of the lower rail, wherein the back plate is disposed between the upper rail and the lower rail.

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