Caterpillar track and caterpillar track

Abstract

The invention provides a caterpillar track capable of effectively discharging silt and a caterpillar track provided with the caterpillar track. The caterpillar track (20) is provided with the tile (13) and is used for the caterpillar track device (12). The caterpillar track (20) is provided with a soil discharge hole part (30) on a side part opposite to the tile (13), and the soil discharge hole part (30) is formed in a notch shape in a manner that an installation surface (34) for the tile (13) is divided into a plurality of parts in the advancing direction of the tile (13).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a chain rail for a crawler and a crawler equipped with the chain rail. Background Art

[0002] Traditionally, crawler tracks for crawler vehicles such as hydraulic excavators have a track device and a tile, wherein the track device has track rails connected in a ring manner, and the tile is installed on each track and suspended on the track device. When such a crawler vehicle is used to travel on muddy ground, the area around the track may be covered with mud and sand. Although mud and sand need to be removed by washing the car, it is not easy to remove mud and sand because the crawler in the ground state is a state in which two rows of track rails are arranged in parallel with the tile as the bottom surface, forming a structure in which mud and water are easily accumulated between the track rails. Although there are also soil discharge holes on the tile, it is difficult to discharge soil if mud and sand are sandwiched under the tile.

[0003] For example, in some chain rails, openings are provided for reducing weight or for arranging nuts for bolts that fasten the tile plates (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). The openings of such chain rails can be used to discharge the mud and sand accumulated between the chain rails, but due to the height from the tile plate mounting surface to the openings, mud and sand and water are likely to remain between the chain rails even after cleaning. In particular, in the case of accessories such as rubber pads that block the soil discharge holes of the tile plates, the mud and sand are sometimes not discharged effectively because the mud and sand are discharged only at the openings on the chain rail side. In addition, the accessories may also be damaged due to the pressure of the mud and sand from the soil discharge holes of the tile plates.

[0004] In addition, a chain rail device is also known, in which a hole portion having a threaded portion for screwing a bolt is formed inside the chain rail in order to fix the shoe plate (for example, refer to Patent Document 2). In this structure, there is no need to configure an opening for a nut for tightening the bolt, so there is no need to provide an opening in the chain rail. In particular, in the case of manufacturing the chain rail from a flat plate or a rolled material, providing an opening also requires a processing step, so sometimes no opening is provided. In the case where an opening is not provided on the chain rail as described above, mud and sand are difficult to discharge, and when traveling with mud and sand stuck between the chain rails, parts of the lower traveling body may be worn or damaged, or the crawler may fall off.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-118271

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-118271 Summary of the invention

[0009] As mentioned above, there is a need to be able to efficiently discharge sediment.

[0010] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a chain rail capable of effectively discharging mud and sand, and a crawler including the chain rail.

[0011] Means for solving problems

[0012] The present invention according to claim 1 is a chain rail, which is equipped with a bypass component and is used in a chain rail device, wherein a soil discharge hole portion is provided on the side opposite to the bypass component, and the soil discharge hole portion is formed in a notch shape in a manner that divides the installation surface of the bypass component into a plurality of portions in the travel direction of the bypass component.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 2, in the chain rail described in claim 1, there are bolt hole portions, which are respectively opened on the installation surface for screwing in mounting bolts for mounting the bypass component, wherein the installation surface is divided by the hole portion at the side opposite to the bypass component.

[0014] The invention according to claim 3 is a crawler belt comprising: a link rail device formed by connecting a plurality of link rails according to claim 1 or 2 in an annular manner; and a shoe which is a bypass member mounted on a side of each link rail.

[0015] The invention according to claim 4 is a crawler, wherein in the crawler according to claim 3, the shoe has a groove-shaped removal portion on a surface opposite to the link rail, and the link rail and the shoe are installed at a position where the hole portion and the removal portion communicate with each other.

[0016] Effects of the Invention

[0017] According to the invention of claim 1, mud and sand can be efficiently discharged through the notch portion.

[0018] According to the invention of claim 2, the return member can be easily mounted through the bolt hole portion.

[0019] According to the invention of claim 3, a crawler track which is inexpensive and has good maintainability against mud and sand can be provided.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 4, since it can be used for discharging large mud and sand, for example, when cleaning the crawler, the water flowing into the removal part can be discharged through the hole part opening its side surface, so the mud and sand can be discharged more easily. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a first embodiment of a link rail and a crawler belt including the link rail according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 It is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a part of the above-mentioned crawler track.

[0023] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing a part of the crawler track.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a side view showing a crawler-type vehicle equipped with the crawler track.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a second embodiment of a link rail and a crawler belt including the link rail according to the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a third embodiment of a link rail and a crawler belt including the link rail according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a fourth embodiment of a link rail and a crawler belt including the link rail according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Next, we will refer to Figures 1 to 4 The first embodiment shown in FIG. Figure 5 The second embodiment shown in FIG. Figure 6 The third embodiment shown and Figure 7 The fourth embodiment shown will be described in detail.

[0029] The following, Figures 1 to 5 The illustrated embodiment will be described in detail.

[0030] Figure 4 1 denotes a crawler vehicle. In the present embodiment, a hydraulic excavator as a working machine can be cited as the crawler vehicle 1. In the crawler vehicle 1, an upper rotating body 3 is rotatably provided on a travel device 2 at a lower portion, and a working device 4, a cab 5 for an operator to sit in, and the like are mounted on the upper rotating body 3.

[0031] In the travel device 2, the sprocket 7 driven by the travel motor is pivotally supported on one end of the crawler frame 6 respectively arranged on the left and right parts of the machine body, the idler wheel 8 is pivotally supported on the other end, a plurality of lower rollers 9 are pivotally supported on the lower side, a plurality of upper rollers 10 are pivotally supported on the upper side, and the crawler 11 is respectively wound around the sprocket 7, the idler wheel 8, the lower roller 9 and the upper roller 10 installed on the left and right parts of the machine body.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, the crawler 11 is composed of a shoe (shoe plate) 13 as a circling member suspended and mounted on a circular chain track device 12 that is arranged symmetrically or substantially symmetrically. In addition, the shoe 13 is configured to be driven by the chain track device 12 to circulate.

[0033] The track device 12 is composed of a plurality of plate-shaped track rails (track track rails) 20 connected by cylindrical bushings 21 and cylindrical pins 22. In the present embodiment, the plurality of track rails 20 are sequentially connected to both ends of the bushings 21 and the pins 22. Therefore, a pair of left and right track rails 20, 20 and another pair of left and right track rails 20, 20 are connected by bushings 21 and pins 22. That is, in the example shown, for each shoe 13, a row of track devices 12 is provided at the center portion of the shoe 13 in the left-right direction.

[0034] Figures 1 to 3 The chain rail 20 shown is arranged so that the thickness direction is the left-right direction, the longitudinal direction is the front-back direction, and the transverse direction or the width direction is the up-down direction. The chain rail 20 has a flat-plate-shaped chain rail main body 24 with the largest thickness and a flat-plate-shaped first connection part 25 and a second connection part 26 with a thickness smaller than that of the chain rail main body 24. The first connection part 25 and the second connection part 26 are located on the opposite side to each other with the chain rail main body 24 as a standard. The first connection part 25 constitutes one end of the chain rail 20, and the second connection part 26 constitutes the other end of the chain rail 20. In the present embodiment, the first connection part 25 is displaced in a step-like manner in one direction in the thickness direction relative to the chain rail main body 24, and the second connection part 26 is displaced in a step-like manner in the other direction in the thickness direction. That is, the first connection part 25 and the second connection part 26 are alternated in the thickness direction with the chain rail main body 24 as a reference.

[0035] The link rail body 24 is a part that connects the link rail device 12 or the link rail 20 to the shoe 13. In the present embodiment, the link rail 20 and the shoe 13 are connected to each other by mounting bolts 27 as connecting members. Figure 1 In the lower part of the chain rail 20, a bolt hole portion 28 is formed from the lower part to the upper part in the up-down direction in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis direction of the chain rail 20, and the bolt hole portion 28 has a threaded portion inside for screwing the mounting bolt 27. In the example shown, the bolt hole portions 28 are respectively formed on the first connection portion 25 side, that is, one end portion side, and the second connection portion 26 side, that is, the other end portion side, of the chain rail main body 24. The chain rail 20 and the shoe 13 are connected to each other by inserting the mounting bolt 27 inserted from the mounting hole 29 formed in the shoe 13 into the bolt hole portion 28 and screwing it. In addition, the bolt hole portion 28 extends beyond the central portion in the up-down direction in the chain rail main body 24 (chain rail 20).

[0036] In the present embodiment, the bolt hole portions 28 are formed in pairs. In the example shown, the bolt hole portions 28 are formed in pairs in the link rail body portion 24 at one end side and the other end side away from the link rail 20 .

[0037] Furthermore, a soil discharge hole 30 for discharging soil from the crawler 11 and the track device 12 is formed in the track body 24. The hole 30 passes through the track body 24 in the thickness direction. That is, the hole 30 connects the inside and outside of the track 20. The hole 30 divides the setting surface 34 of the track 20 for the shoe 13 into front and back, which is the detour direction of the shoe 13. The bolt hole 28 is respectively opened on the front and back setting surfaces 34 after the division. Therefore, on the side opposite to the shoe 13, that is, on the side opposite to the shoe 13, Figure 1 The hole portion 30 is formed between the bolt hole portions 28 at the lower portion of the shoe 13. For example, the entire hole portion 30 is located at a position close to the shoe 13 side relative to the center portion of the chain rail body portion 24 (chain rail 20) in the vertical direction. The chain rail 20 is formed into a door shape by the hole portion 30. When the shoe 13 is mounted on the chain rail 20, the flat surface 31 of the shoe 13 facing the chain rail 20 is in close contact with the installation surface 34 of the chain rail 20, so that an opening with the surface 31 as one side is formed by the hole portion 30.

[0038] The hole 30 may be in any shape as long as the mud and sand can be effectively discharged. In the present embodiment, the hole 30 is formed into a substantially quadrilateral having a width in the longitudinal direction of the chain rail 20, and two corners at a position away from the shoe 13 are curved into an arc. In addition, the hole 30 is formed so as not to expand at least in the direction away from the shoe 13.

[0039] Preferably, the hole portion 30 is located at a position communicating with a removal portion 32 formed in the tile 13, and more preferably, the hole portion 30 is located at a position where the width center coincides with or substantially coincides with the removal portion 32. In other words, the chain rail 20 and the tile 13 are installed at a position where the hole portion 30 and the removal portion 32 communicate. The removal portion 32 is formed to suppress the amount of material used to form the tile 13 without correspondingly reducing the yield strength, and is also used for soil discharge at the same time. The removal portion 32 is formed in a groove shape on the surface 31 and is linearly connected in the entire left and right width direction of the tile 13. The removal portion 32 is formed to expand toward the chain rail 20, for example. In addition, the removal portion 32 is located behind a ground engaging protrusion (engagement rod) 33 formed on the outer side surface of the tile 13, for example. In the present embodiment, a plurality of removal portions 32 are formed on the tile 13, and any one of the removal portions 32 is located at a position communicating with the hole portion 30.

[0040] The first connection portion 25 is also referred to as an inner connection portion, and is located on the inner side in the thickness direction of the plurality of chain rails 20 connected to each other. In addition, the second connection portion 26 is also referred to as an outer connection portion, and is located on the outer side in the thickness direction of the plurality of chain rails 20 connected to each other. That is, in the connected chain rails 20, the second connection portion 26 of the other chain rail 20 overlaps the outer side of the first connection portion 25 of one chain rail 20.

[0041] The first connection portion 25 is formed with a first hole portion 35 into which the bushing 21 is press-fitted. The first hole portion 35 is formed in a circular shape and penetrates the first connection portion 25 in the thickness direction.

[0042] The second connection portion 26 has a second hole portion 36 which is a hole portion into which the pin 22 is press-fitted. The second hole portion 36 is formed in a circular shape and penetrates the second connection portion 26 in the thickness direction.

[0043] A recess 38 is formed in a stepped manner around the second hole 36, into which the end of the bushing 21 is inserted. The recess 38 is formed along the outer circumference of the second hole 36 inside the second connection portion 26, that is, on the side of the other link rail 20 opposite to the first connection portion 25.

[0044] In addition, the link rail 20 can be manufactured by any manufacturing method, but as an example, in the present embodiment, the link rail 20 is formed by cutting from a long rolled material. The step shape of the link rail body portion 24, the first connecting portion 25, and the second connecting portion 26 in the thickness direction is formed by rolling when the material is rolled. By laser cutting or punching, only the peripheral portion is cut out from the rolled material at each width corresponding to the height of the link rail 20, and the overall shape of the link rail 20 can be obtained.

[0045] It should be noted that the first hole portion 35 and the second hole portion 36 may be processed in any step before or after the link rail 20 is cut out of the rolled material. The bolt hole portion 28 and the hole portion 30 are processed after the link rail 20 is cut out of the rolled material.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, the bushing 21 is pressed between the first hole portions 35 of the left and right rails 20. Both ends of the bushing 21 protrude from the outer side surfaces of the left and right rails 20 and are inserted into the side surfaces of the rails 20 overlapped on the outer sides of the rails 20, and in this embodiment, are inserted into the recessed portions 38.

[0047] The pin 22 is pressed into the second hole portion 36 of the chain rail 20 overlapped on the outer side of the chain rail 20 through the bushing 21 pressed into the left and right chain rails 20. The pin 22 is fitted into the bushing 21 through a gap, a lubricant 42 such as grease or lubricating oil is added to the gap, and the gap is sealed by the sealing member 43 to seal the lubricant 42.

[0048] The sealing member 43 is an annular sealing ring made of an elastic member and is sandwiched between the end of the bushing 21 and the periphery of the second hole 36 of the chain rail 20 , and in this embodiment, between the end of the bushing 21 and the bottom surface of the recess 38 .

[0049] Furthermore, the link rail device 12 is assembled in an annular manner by pressing the bushing 21 into the second hole portion 36 of one link rail 20, fitting the recess 38 of the other link rail 20 to the end of the bushing 21 to clamp the sealing member 43, and pressing the pin 22 into the first hole portion 35 of the other link rail 20 through the bushing 21, thereby sequentially connecting one link rail 20 and the other link rail 20. The crawler 11 is constructed by mounting the shoe 13 to each link rail 20 of the assembled link rail device 12, respectively.

[0050] At this time, according to the present embodiment, a bolt hole portion 28 is formed on the side of the link rail 20 opposite to the shoe 13, and the bolt hole portion 28 is opened on the front and rear setting surface 34 divided by the hole portion 30, and the mounting bolt 27 for mounting the shoe 13 is screwed in, so that, for example, even in the crawler 11 of a large crawler-type vehicle in which the hole portion for fastening the mounting bolt 27 to the link rail 20 with a nut is difficult to punch, the shoe 13 can be easily mounted on the link rail 20 through the bolt hole portion 28. Since the link rail 20 can be formed to be thin as a whole and light in weight, the link rail 20 can be formed using a rolled material as a base material, so that the durability and productivity can be improved, and the processing cost can be suppressed, and the material cost can be suppressed by making the rolled material thinner, so that the low-cost and inexpensive link rail 20 can be provided.

[0051] On the other hand, in the case of using the chain rail 20 having no hole portion for fastening the nut, when the crawler vehicle 1 travels on muddy ground or the like, it may be difficult to remove the mud and sand adhered or accumulated by washing the vehicle.

[0052] Therefore, in the present embodiment, in each chain rail 20, on the side opposite to the tile 13, a soil discharge hole portion 30 is provided by notching in a manner that divides the installation surface 34 for the tile 13 into a plurality of portions in the traveling direction of the tile 13, so that the mud and sand accumulated between the chain rails 20 flows through the surface 31 of the tile 13 installed on the chain rail 20, thereby being effectively discharged through the hole portion 30.

[0053] Furthermore, since the chain rail 20 has a vertically symmetrical or substantially symmetrical shape except for the bolt hole portion 28 and the hole portion 30 that can be processed later, the left and right chain rails 20 can be processed from one rolled material, thereby eliminating the need to prepare dedicated rolled materials for the left and right chain rails 20, which can further reduce costs.

[0054] Furthermore, for the chain rail device 12 in which a plurality of the above-mentioned chain rails 20 are connected in a ring shape, since the crawler 11 is configured by screwing the mounting bolts 27 inserted from each of the paired mounting holes 29 into each of the bolt hole portions 28 of the chain rail 30, thereby mounting the shoe 13 to the side portion of each of the chain rails 20, it is possible to provide a crawler 11 which is inexpensive and has good maintainability against mud and sand. Therefore, the possibility of traveling with mud and sand clogging between the chain rails 20 can be reduced, and the wear or damage of the components of the traveling device 2 by mud and sand and the fall-off of the crawler 11 can be suppressed.

[0055] Furthermore, by forming a groove-shaped removal portion 32 on the surface 31 of the shoe 13 opposite to the chain rail 20, and installing the chain rail 20 and the shoe 13 at a position where the hole portion 30 and the removal portion 32 are connected, a large opening for discharging mud and sand can be obtained, and for example, when cleaning the track 11, water flowing into the removal portion 32 can be discharged through the hole portion 30 on the side thereof, so that mud and sand can be discharged more easily.

[0056] The shape of the hole 30 can be set arbitrarily. Figure 5 The embodiment shown may be a triangular shape with a width gradually decreasing from the side of the tile 13, such as Figure 6 The embodiments shown may also be semicircular in shape. These embodiments may also achieve the same functions and effects as the first embodiment.

[0057] In addition, the removed portion 32 of the shoe 13 is not necessary. Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the surface 31 of the shoe 13 opposite to the hole 30 of the chain rail 20 may be flat.

[0058] Furthermore, in each embodiment, the shoe 13 is configured to be mounted on the chain rail 20 by the mounting bolts 27 , but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the shoe 13 may be mounted on the chain rail 20 by welding or the like.

[0059] Furthermore, the link rail device 12 is formed in a ring shape by sequentially connecting the link rails 20 of the same shape, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed separately with one link rail 20 on which the bushing 21 is mounted and another link rail 20 stacked on the outside of the one link rail 20 and with the pin 22 pressed in. In this case, a plurality of first holes 35 are formed in one link rail 20, and a plurality of second holes 36 are formed in the other link rail 20.

[0060] In addition, the chain rail device 12 is suitable for the crawler 11, but can also be applied to devices other than crawlers. For example, it is also possible to construct a conveying device used at a work site by installing a conveying plate or a conveying rod or other bypassing components on the chain rail 20 of the circularly connected chain rail device 12.

[0061] Industrial Applicability

[0062] The present invention can be utilized in industries that manufacture and sell crawler tracks and their links used in crawler-type vehicles such as working machines, for example.

[0063] Description of Reference Numerals

[0064] 11 Tracks

[0065] 12Chain track device

[0066] 13 Tiles as bypass components

[0067] 20 Chain track

[0068] 27 Mounting Bolts

[0069] 28 bolt hole

[0070] 30 hole section

[0071] 31 sides

[0072] 32 Removal

[0073] 34 Setting surface

Claims

1. A chain track, which is equipped with a bypass component and is used in a chain track device, characterized in that: A soil discharge hole is provided on the side opposite to the bypass component. The soil removal hole is formed in a notch shape so as to divide the installation surface of the detour member into a plurality of parts in the traveling direction of the detour member.

2. The chain track according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting surface is provided with bolt holes, each of which is opened on the mounting surface and into which mounting bolts for mounting the detour component are screwed, wherein the mounting surface is divided by the hole at a side opposite to the detour component.

3. A crawler, characterized in that: have: A chain track device, which is formed by connecting a plurality of chain tracks as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in a ring-shaped manner; Shoes, which are the bypass components installed on the side of each chain track.

4. The crawler belt according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shoe has a groove-shaped removal portion on the surface opposite to the chain track, The chain rail and the shoe are installed at a position where the hole portion and the removal portion are connected.

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