Link and crawler

Abstract

To provide a link that can effectively discharge sediment, and to provide a crawler including the same.SOLUTION: A link 20 is fitted with a shoe 13 and used for a linkage 12. The link 20 includes a hole 30 for discharging soil formed such that an installation surface 34 to the shoe 13 is cut and branches into multiple parts in a turning direction of the shoe 13 on a side part opposite to the shoe 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a link used in a crawler belt and a crawler belt including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, tracks used in tracked vehicles such as hydraulic excavators have a link device with links connected in an endless manner, and shoe plates attached to each link and suspended across the link device. When such tracked vehicles travel on muddy ground, the area around the tracks may become covered in soil. Although the soil needs to be removed by washing the vehicle, the tracks on the ground have two parallel rows of links with the shoe plates at the bottom, making it difficult to remove the soil because soil and water tend to accumulate between the links. Some tracked vehicles have soil removal holes in the shoe plates, but if soil gets stuck under the shoe plates, it becomes difficult to remove the soil.

[0003] For example, some links are provided with openings for weight reduction and for arranging nuts for fastening bolts that secure the shoe plate (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Although such openings in links can be used to discharge dirt that accumulates between the links, there is a height from the shoe plate mounting surface to the opening, so dirt and water tend to remain between the links even after cleaning. In particular, when an attachment that blocks the soil discharge hole in the shoe plate, such as a rubber pad, is attached, dirt is discharged only through the opening on the link side, and dirt may not be discharged effectively. There is also a concern that the attachment may be damaged by the pressure of dirt from the soil discharge hole in the shoe plate.

[0004] Also known is a link device in which a hole having a threaded portion into which a bolt is screwed is formed inside the link in order to fix the shoe plate (see, for example, Patent Document 2). With this configuration, an opening for arranging a nut for fastening the bolt is not necessary, so there is no need to provide an opening in the link. In particular, when the link is manufactured from a flat plate or rolled material, forming an opening requires a processing step, so openings are sometimes not provided. If no openings are provided in the link like this, it is difficult to discharge soil, and if the vehicle runs with soil stuck between the links, parts of the undercarriage may wear or break, or the track may come off. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-249797 A [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2015-525705 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, it is required to be able to effectively discharge soil and sand.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned points, and has an object to provide a link capable of effectively discharging soil and sand, and a crawler belt including the link. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention described in claim 1 is a link to which a rotating member is attached and which is used in a link device, the link having a hole portion for removing soil formed on the side facing the rotating member by cutting out the hole portion so as to divide the installation surface on the rotating member into multiple parts in the direction of rotation of the rotating member.

[0009] The invention described in claim 2 is the link described in claim 1, which is provided with a bolt hole portion opened on each of the installation surfaces divided by a hole portion on the side facing the rotating member, and into which a mounting bolt for attaching the rotating member is screwed.

[0010] The invention described in claim 3 is a crawler belt including a link device in which a plurality of links described in claim 1 or 2 are connected endlessly, and a shoe, which is a rotating member, attached to the side of each link.

[0011] The invention described in claim 4 is a track in which the shoe of the track described in claim 3 has a groove-shaped removed portion on the surface facing the link, and the link and shoe are attached at a position where the hole portion and the removed portion are connected. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the invention as recited in claim 1, earth and sand can be effectively discharged through the cutout portion.

[0013] According to the invention as recited in claim 2, the rotating member can be easily attached via the bolt hole portion.

[0014] According to the invention as recited in claim 3, it is possible to provide a crawler which is inexpensive and has good maintainability against soil and sand.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 4, the opening for discharging soil and sand can be made large, and for example, when cleaning the track, water that flows into the removal section can be discharged through the hole that opens the side, making it easier to discharge soil and sand. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional side view showing a first embodiment of a link and a crawler belt including the link according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a side view showing a tracked vehicle equipped with the track. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view showing a second embodiment of a link and a crawler belt including the link according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional side view showing a third embodiment of a link and a crawler belt including the link according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional side view showing a fourth embodiment of a link and a crawler belt including the link according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The present invention will be described in detail below based on a first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a third embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and a fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0018] First, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 will be described.

[0019] In Fig. 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a tracked vehicle. In this embodiment, a hydraulic excavator, which is a work machine, is taken as an example of the tracked vehicle 1. In the tracked vehicle 1, an upper rotating body 3 is provided rotatably with respect to a lower traveling device 2, and a work device 4, a cab 5 in which an operator sits, and the like are mounted on the upper rotating body 3.

[0020] The traveling device 2 has a track frame 6 provided on the left and right sides of the body, one end of which is supported by a sprocket 7 driven by a traveling motor, and the other end of which is supported by an idler 8 for free rotation, and the lower part is supported by a plurality of lower rollers 9 for free rotation, and the upper part is supported by a plurality of upper rollers 10 for free rotation, and a track 11 is wrapped around the sprockets 7, idlers 8, lower rollers 9 and upper rollers 10 on the left and right sides of the body.

[0021] 3, the crawler belt 11 is configured by hanging and attaching a shoe (shoe plate) 13, which is a rotating member, across an endless link device 12 that is configured symmetrically or approximately symmetrically. The shoe 13 is driven to rotate by the link device 12.

[0022] The link device 12 is configured by connecting a plurality of plate-like links (track links) 20 by cylindrical bushes 21 and columnar pins 22. In this embodiment, the plurality of links 20 are connected in sequence at both ends of the bushes 21 and the pins 22. Thus, one link 20, 20 forming a left-right pair is connected to another link 20, 20 forming a left-right pair by the bushes 21 and the pins 22. That is, in the illustrated example, one row of link devices 12 is set for each shoe 13 in the center of the shoe 13 in the left-right direction.

[0023] The link 20 shown in Figs. 1 to 3 is arranged with the thickness direction as the left-right direction, the longitudinal direction as the front-rear direction, and the short-side direction or width direction as the up-down direction. The link 20 has a flat link body 24 having the greatest thickness, and a flat first connecting portion 25 and a flat second connecting portion 26 having a thickness smaller than that of the link body 24. The first connecting portion 25 and the second connecting portion 26 are located on opposite sides of each other with respect to the link body 24. The first connecting portion 25 constitutes one end of the link 20, and the second connecting portion 26 constitutes the other end of the link 20. In this embodiment, the first connecting portion 25 is offset in a step-like manner to one side in the thickness direction with respect to the link body 24, and the second connecting portion 26 is offset in a step-like manner to the other side in the thickness direction. That is, the first connecting portion 25 and the second connecting portion 26 are alternately arranged in the thickness direction with respect to the link body 24.

[0024] The link body 24 is a portion that connects the link device 12 or the link 20 to the shoe 13. In this embodiment, the link 20 and the shoe 13 are connected to each other by a mounting bolt 27 that is a connecting member. In the link body 24, a bolt hole portion 28 having a threaded portion therein, into which the mounting bolt 27 is screwed, is formed in the side portion facing the shoe 13, i.e., in the lower portion in FIG. 1, along the vertical direction that is perpendicular to the rotation axis direction of the link 20 from the lower portion to the upper portion. In the illustrated example, the bolt hole portion 28 is formed on the first connecting portion 25 side, i.e., one end side, and the second connecting portion 26 side, i.e., the other end side, in the link body 24. The mounting bolt 27 is inserted from a mounting hole 29 formed in the shoe 13 and screwed into the bolt hole portion 28, thereby connecting the link 20 and the shoe 13 to each other. The bolt hole portion 28 extends beyond the vertical center of the link body 24 (link 20).

[0025] In the present embodiment, the bolt holes 28 are formed in pairs. In the example shown in the figure, the bolt holes 28 are formed in pairs at one end side and the other end side of the link 20 in the link body 24, spaced apart from each other.

[0026] Furthermore, the link body 24 is formed with a hole 30 for removing soil from the crawler belt 11 and the link device 12. The hole 30 penetrates the link body 24 in the thickness direction. That is, the hole 30 communicates with the inside and outside of the link 20. The hole 30 divides the installation surface 34 of the link 20 on the shoe 13 into front and rear, which is the rotation direction of the shoe 13. The bolt hole 28 is opened in each of the divided front and rear installation surfaces 34. Therefore, the hole 30 is formed between the bolt hole portions 28 on the side facing the shoe 13, that is, at the lower part in FIG. 1. For example, the entire hole 30 is located closer to the shoe 13 side than the center of the link body 24 (link 20) ​​in the vertical direction. The hole 30 forms the link 20 into a gate shape. When the shoe 13 is attached to the link 20, the flat surface 31 of the shoe 13 that faces the link 20 is brought into close contact with the mounting surface 34 of the link 20, so that the hole 30 forms an opening with the surface 31 as one side.

[0027] The shape of the hole 30 may be any shape as long as it can efficiently discharge soil and sand. In this embodiment, the hole 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape having a width in the longitudinal direction of the link 20, and both corners located away from the shoe 13 are curved in an arc shape. In addition, the hole 30 is formed so as not to widen at least in the direction away from the shoe 13.

[0028] Preferably, the hole 30 is located at a position communicating with the removal portion 32 formed in the shoe 13, and more preferably, at a position where the width center coincides or approximately coincides with the removal portion 32. In other words, the link 20 and the shoe 13 are attached at a position where the hole 30 and the removal portion 32 communicate with each other. The removal portion 32 is formed so as to suppress the amount of material used to form the shoe 13 without correspondingly reducing the yield strength, and is also used for soil removal. The removal portion 32 is formed in a groove shape on the surface 31 and linearly continues over the entire left and right width of the shoe 13. The removal portion 32 is formed so as to expand toward the link 20 side, for example. In addition, the removal portion 32 is located, for example, behind a ground engagement protrusion (grouser bar) 33 formed on the outer surface of the shoe 13. In this embodiment, a plurality of removal portions 32 are formed on the shoe 13, and any of the removal portions 32 is located at a position communicating with the hole portion 30.

[0029] The first connecting portion 25 is also called an inner connecting portion, and is located on the inner side in the thickness direction of the multiple links 20 that are connected to each other. The second connecting portion 26 is also called an outer connecting portion, and is located on the outer side in the thickness direction of the multiple links 20 that are connected to each other. In other words, among the connected links 20, the second connecting portion 26 of one link 20 is located on the outer side of the first connecting portion 25 of the other link 20, overlapping each other.

[0030] A first hole 35, into which the bushing 21 is press-fitted, is formed in the first connecting portion 25. The first hole 35 is formed in a circular shape and penetrates the first connecting portion 25 in the thickness direction.

[0031] A second hole 36, into which the pin 22 is press-fitted, is formed in the second connecting portion 26. The second hole 36 is formed in a circular shape and penetrates the second connecting portion 26 in the thickness direction.

[0032] A recess 38 into which the end of the bush 21 is inserted is formed in a stepped shape around the second hole 36. The recess 38 is formed along the outer periphery of the second hole 36 on the inside of the second connecting portion 26, i.e., on the side facing the first connecting portion 25 of the other link 20.

[0033] Link 20 can be manufactured by any manufacturing method, but as an example, in this embodiment, link 20 is formed by cutting out from a long rolled material. The step shape in the thickness direction between link body 24 and first connecting portion 25 and second connecting portion 26 is formed by rolling when the rolled material is formed. The entire shape of link 20 can be obtained by simply cutting out only the peripheral portions from this rolled material by laser cutting or punching at widths corresponding to the height of link 20.

[0034] It should be noted that first hole 35 and second hole 36 may be machined in a process either before or after link 20 is cut out from the rolled material. Bolt hole 28 and hole 30 are machined after link 20 is cut out from the rolled material.

[0035] 2, the bushing 21 is press-fitted across the first hole portions 35 of the left and right links 20. Both ends of the bushing 35 protrude from the outer side surfaces of the left and right links 20 and are inserted into the side portions of the links 20 overlapping the outsides of the links 20, which are recesses 38 in this embodiment.

[0036] The pin 22 is press-fitted between the second hole portions 36 of the links 20 that are stacked on the outside of the left and right links 20 through bushes 21 press-fitted into those links 20. The pin 22 is fitted into the bushes 21 with a gap therebetween, and a lubricant 42 such as grease or lubricating oil is interposed in the gap, and the gap is sealed with a seal member 43 to seal in the lubricant 42.

[0037] The seal member 43 is a seal ring formed into an annular shape by an elastic member. The seal member 43 is sandwiched between the end of the bush 21 and the periphery of the second hole portion 36 of the link 20, that is, the bottom portion of the recess 38 in this embodiment.

[0038] The link device 12 is assembled in an endless manner by press-fitting the bush 21 into the second hole 36 of one link 20, fitting the recess 38 of the other link 20 into the end of the bush 31 so as to sandwich the seal member 43, and press-fitting the pin 22 into the first hole 35 of the other link 20 through the bush 21 to sequentially connect the one link 20 to the other link 20. The track 11 is formed by attaching the shoes 13 to each link 20 of the assembled link device 12.

[0039] At this time, according to the present embodiment, by forming bolt holes 28 in the side of link 20 facing shoe 13, which open into front and rear installation surfaces 34 divided by hole 30, and into which mounting bolts 27 for mounting shoe 13 are screwed, it becomes possible to easily mount shoe 13 to link 20 via bolt hole 28, even in the case of crawler belt 11 for a large crawler vehicle in which it is difficult to punch holes for fastening mounting bolts 27 to link 20 with nuts. Since link 20 can be formed to be thin and lightweight overall, link 20 can be formed using rolled material as a base material, which improves durability and productivity and reduces processing costs, and since the rolled material can be made thin, material costs can be reduced, so that an inexpensive link 20 can be provided at low cost.

[0040] On the other hand, if a link 20 that does not have a hole for fastening a nut is used, it may be difficult to remove dirt and sand that adheres to or accumulates when the tracked vehicle 1 is driven on muddy ground, etc., by washing the vehicle.

[0041] Therefore, in this embodiment, in each link 20, a hole 30 for soil removal is cut out and formed on the side facing the shoe 13 so that the attachment surface 34 to the shoe 13 is divided into multiple parts in the direction of rotation of the shoe 13.As a result, soil that has accumulated between the links 20 flows over the surface 31 of the shoe 13 attached to the link 20, and can be effectively removed through the hole 30.

[0042] Furthermore, by making the link 20 symmetrical or nearly symmetrical vertically, except for the bolt hole portions 28 and hole portions 30 which can be post-machined, it is possible to process both the left and right links 20 from the same rolled material, so there is no need to prepare dedicated rolled materials for each of the left and right links 20, further reducing costs.

[0043] The link device 12 is formed by connecting a plurality of the links 20 in an endless fashion, and the mounting bolts 27 are inserted through each of the paired mounting holes 29 and screwed into the bolt holes 28 of the links 30 to attach the shoes 13 to the sides of the links 20, thereby providing the track 11 at low cost and with good maintenance properties against soil and sand. This reduces the chances of running with soil and sand stuck between the links 20, and prevents the parts of the running device 2 from being worn or damaged by soil and prevents the track 11 from coming off.

[0044] Furthermore, by forming a groove-shaped removal section 32 on the surface 31 of the shoe 13 facing the link 20 and attaching the link 20 to the shoe 13 at a position where the hole section 30 and the removal section 32 are connected, a large opening for discharging soil and sand can be made. For example, when the track 11 is washed, water that flows into the removal section 32 can be discharged through the hole section 30, which opens up the side of the section, making it easier to discharge soil and sand.

[0045] The shape of the hole 30 may be set arbitrarily. For example, it may be triangular with a width gradually decreasing from the shoe 13 side as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, or it may be semicircular as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6. These embodiments can also achieve the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0046] Further, the removal portion 32 of the shoe 13 is not an essential component. For example, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the surface 31 of the shoe 13 facing the hole 30 of the link 20 may be flat.

[0047] Furthermore, in each embodiment, the shoe 13 is configured to be attached to the link 20 via the attachment bolt 27, but this is not limiting, and the shoe 13 may be attached to the link 20 by welding or the like.

[0048] And, the link device 12 is formed endless by sequentially connecting links 20 of the same shape, but this is not limiting, and one link 20 to which the bush 21 is fitted and another link 20 to which the pin 22 is press-fitted may be formed separately. In this case, the first link 20 has a plurality of first holes 35, and the other link 20 has a plurality of second holes 36.

[0049] Furthermore, although the link device 12 is suitable for the crawler belt 11, it can also be applied to other than crawler belts. For example, by attaching moving members such as a conveyor plate and a conveyor bar to the links 20 of the link devices 12 connected in an endless manner, it is possible to configure a conveyor device to be used at a work site or the like. [Industrial Applicability]

[0050] The present invention can be utilized in industries that manufacture and sell tracks and links thereof for use in tracked vehicles such as work machines. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 11 Tracks 12 Link device 13. Shoe, a rotating component 20 Links 27 Mounting bolt 28 Bolt hole 30 Hole 31 sides 32 Removal section 34 Installation surface

Claims

1. A link to be used in a link device having a rotating member attached thereto, The side portion facing the moving member is provided with a hole portion for removing soil, which is formed by cutting out the surface for installation on the moving member so as to divide the surface into a plurality of portions in the moving direction of the moving member. A link characterized by:

2. The mounting surface is divided by holes on the side facing the rotating member, and has bolt holes into which mounting bolts for mounting the rotating member are screwed.

2. The link according to claim 1 .

3. a link device in which a plurality of links according to claim 1 or 2 are endlessly connected; A shoe which is a rotating member attached to the side of each link; A track comprising:

4. The shoe has a groove-shaped removed portion on a surface facing the link, The link and shoe are attached at a position where the hole and the removal portion communicate with each other.

4. The track according to claim 3.

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