Working machine

Abstract

To provide a support structure suitable for piping connecting a supercharger and an intercooler in a limited inner space of a building for a work machine.SOLUTION: A work machine includes: a self-travelable lower traveling body (2); and an upper revolving body (3) rotatably attached on the lower traveling body, wherein the upper revolving body includes: a building (8) configured to form a skeleton using a plurality of support members (20a, 20b, 20c); an engine (9), a supercharger (17), and an intercooler (11a) arranged in the building; and an intercooler piping (25) connecting the supercharger and the intercooler. The work machine includes a bracket (30) attached to at least one of the plurality of support members and supports the intercooler piping.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a working machine such as a hydraulic excavator, and more particularly to a support structure for piping in an engine room.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a hydraulic excavator as a working machine includes a self-propelled lower traveling body, an upper revolving body rotatably mounted on the lower traveling body, and a working device provided on the front side of the upper revolving body so as to be capable of pitching. An engine house is provided in the upper revolving body, and an engine is mounted in this house. Various pipes are routed around the engine, and these pipes are supported by supports.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a configuration in which an air cleaner and a supercharger (turbocharger) are connected via an intake pipe and an air hose, and these intake pipe and air hose are supported by a support plate. More specifically, the intake pipe and the air hose are connected via an intake pipe relay body, and this intake pipe relay body is fixed to the support plate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] An intercooler is installed between the engine and the supercharger, and it is important how to support the pipe (intercooler pipe) connecting the supercharger and the intercooler in the limited internal space of the engine house. However, Patent Document 1 does not mention anything about the support structure for the pipe connecting the supercharger and the intercooler.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a suitable support structure for a pipe connecting a supercharger and an intercooler in a limited internal space of a building of a working machine.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention includes a self-propelled lower traveling body and an upper revolving body rotatably attached to the lower traveling body, wherein the upper revolving body includes a building having a framework formed by a plurality of support members, an engine, a supercharger, and an intercooler disposed in the building, and an intercooler pipe connecting the supercharger and the intercooler. In the working machine, a bracket attached to at least one of the plurality of support members and supporting the intercooler pipe and a cooling fan driven by the engine and taking in cooling air into the building, wherein the bracket is provided so as to cover a space above the cooling fan such that access to the cooling fan from above is restricted is characterized in that.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, a suitable support structure for a pipe connecting a supercharger and an intercooler can be provided in a limited internal space of a building. In addition, problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Embodiments of the working machine according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a hydraulic excavator 1 which is a representative example of the working machine according to the present invention. In addition, the front, rear, left, and right in this specification are based on the viewpoint of an operator who rides on and operates the hydraulic excavator 1, unless otherwise specified.

[0011] The hydraulic excavator 1 includes a lower traveling body 2 and an upper revolving body 3 supported by the lower traveling body 2. The lower traveling body 2 and the upper revolving body 3 are examples of a vehicle body. The lower traveling body 2 includes a pair of left and right crawlers. When the rotation of a traveling motor (not shown) is transmitted and the pair of left and right crawlers rotate, the hydraulic excavator 1 travels. However, the lower traveling body 2 may be a wheel-mounted type instead of crawlers.

[0012] The upper revolving body 3 is rotatably supported by the lower traveling body 2. The upper revolving body 3 rotates with respect to the lower traveling body 2 when the driving force of a swing motor (not shown) is transmitted. The upper revolving body 3 mainly includes a swing frame 5 serving as a base, a front working machine 4 rotatably attached in the vertical direction at the center of the front end of the swing frame 5, a cab (driver's seat) 7 disposed on the front left side of the swing frame 5, a counterweight 6 disposed at the rear end of the swing frame 5, and an engine house 8 (house) supported by the swing frame 5 between the cab 7 and the counterweight 6.

[0013] The front working machine 4 includes a boom 4a supported by the upper swing body 3 so as to be able to rise and fall, an arm 4b swingably supported at the tip of the boom 4a, a bucket 4c swingably supported at the tip of the arm 4b, and hydraulic cylinders 4d, 4e, 4f for driving the boom 4a, the arm 4b, and the bucket 4c. The counterweight 6 is for achieving a weight balance with the front working machine 4 and is a heavy object having an arc shape in plan view.

[0014] The cab 7 is formed with an internal space in which an operator who operates the hydraulic excavator 1 rides. Inside the cab 7, a seat (not shown) on which the operator sits and an operating device (such as a steering wheel, pedals, levers, switches, etc.) operated by the operator sitting on the seat are arranged. Then, when the operator boarding the cab 7 operates the operating device, the lower traveling body 2 travels, the upper swing body 3 swings, and the front working machine 4 operates.

[0015] The engine house 8 is supported by the swing frame 5 behind the front working machine 4 and in front of the counterweight 6. The engine house 8 has an internal space surrounded by an upper surface panel 8T, a pair of left and right side panels 8L, 8R, and a rear panel 8B. More specifically, the upper surface panel 8T defines the upper surface of the internal space, the side panel 8L defines the left surface of the internal space, the side panel 8R defines the right surface of the internal space, and the rear panel 8B defines the rear surface of the internal space.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the upper swing body 3 with the upper surface panel 8T removed. In the internal space of the engine house 8, components for operating the hydraulic excavator 1 (such as an engine 9, a post-treatment device 10, a heat exchanger 11, a cooling fan 12, a cooling water tank 13, a hydraulic pump 14, a supercharger 17, etc.) are accommodated. Also, the swing frame 5 supports the hydraulic oil tank 15 and the fuel tank 16 outside the engine house 8.

[0017] The engine 9 is arranged to the right of the heat exchanger 11 and the cooling fan 12, to the left of the aftertreatment device 10 and the hydraulic pump 14, and below the cooling water tank 13. The engine 9 generates the driving force for operating the hydraulic excavator 1 (more specifically, the cooling fan 12 and the hydraulic pump 14). In this embodiment, air compressed by the supercharger 17 and cooled by the heat exchanger 11 (intercooler 11a) is supplied to the engine 9.

[0018] The aftertreatment device 10 is arranged to the right of the engine 9. The aftertreatment device 10 purifies and discharges the exhaust gas discharged from the engine 9. The aftertreatment device 10 removes, for example, Nox, NO, CO, HC, etc. from the exhaust gas.

[0019] The heat exchanger 11 is arranged to the left of the cooling fan 12. The heat exchanger 11 includes a radiator 11b that exchanges heat between the cooling water that has cooled the engine 9 and the cooling air generated by the cooling fan 12, and then supplies the cooled water back to the engine 9. In this embodiment, the heat exchanger 11 also includes an intercooler 11a that cools the air compressed by the supercharger (turbocharger) 17, an oil cooler 11c that cools the hydraulic oil stored in the hydraulic oil tank 15, and the like.

[0020] The cooling fan 12 is arranged to the right of the heat exchanger 11, to the left of the engine 9, and below the cooling water tank 13. The cooling fan 12 rotates by the driving force of the engine 9 to generate cooling air in the engine compartment 8. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the upper space of the cooling fan 12 is entirely covered by a bracket 30 described later.

[0021] The cooling water tank (expansion tank) 13 is arranged to the right of the cooling fan 12 and above the engine 9. The cooling water tank 13 stores a part of the cooling water circulating between the engine 9 and the heat exchanger 11. A cap for closing the opening for replenishing the cooling water is attached to the upper surface of the cooling water tank 13.

[0022] The hydraulic pump 14 is arranged to the right of the aftertreatment device 10. The hydraulic pump 14 supplies the hydraulic oil stored in the hydraulic oil tank 15 to the hydraulic actuators (travel motor, swing motor, hydraulic cylinders 4d, 4e, 4f) when the driving force of the engine 9 is transmitted thereto. Thereby, the lower traveling body 2 travels, the upper swing body 3 swings, and the front working machine 4 operates.

[0023] The hydraulic oil tank 15 is arranged to the right of the front working machine 4, in front of the engine room 8, and behind the fuel tank 16. The hydraulic oil tank 15 stores the hydraulic oil supplied to the hydraulic actuators. The fuel tank 16 is arranged to the right of the front working machine 4 and in front of the hydraulic oil tank 15. The fuel tank 16 stores the fuel supplied to the engine 9.

[0024] Inside the engine room 8, the heat exchanger 11, the cooling fan 12, the engine 9, the aftertreatment device 10, and the hydraulic pump 14 are arranged in this order from left to right. Also, the cooling water tank 13 is arranged above the engine 9 and the cooling fan 12. That is, inside the engine room 8, the components for driving the hydraulic excavator 1 are three-dimensionally arranged. And these components require maintenance (for example, replenishing the cooling water to the cooling water tank 13, changing the engine oil, etc.).

[0025] Next, the detailed internal structure of the engine room 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. FIG. 3 is a view of the main part inside the engine room 8 seen from the rear, FIG. 4 is a view of the main part inside the engine room 8 seen from above, FIG. 5 is a view of the main part inside the engine room 8 seen from above showing the state where the bracket 30 is removed, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the main part inside the engine room 8 seen from the left rear, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the main part inside the engine room 8 seen from the left rear showing the state where the bracket 30 is removed, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the main part cut along the line A-A of FIG. 4.

[0026] The engine building 8 has a framework formed by building supports 20a, 20b, and 20c which are support members. As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, etc., the building supports 20a and 20b extend in the left-right direction, and the building support 20c extends in the front-back direction so as to connect the left end portions of the building supports 20a and 20b. Further, the building supports 20a, 20b, and 20c are supported by members (not shown) that constitute columns. Then, by surrounding this framework with the upper surface panel 8T, a pair of left and right side panels 8L, 8R, and the rear panel 8B, an internal space for accommodating the engine 9, the heat exchanger 11, etc. is formed in the engine building 8. Note that the reference numeral 22 shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 is a building support cover provided on the side portion of the building support 20a.

[0027] Various pipes and hoses are routed around the engine 9. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, etc., an engine intake duct 26, an intercooler pipe 25, an intercooler hose 27, a radiator hose 28, etc. are arranged around the engine 9.

[0028] The supercharger 17 and the intercooler 11a are connected by the intercooler pipe 25 and the intercooler hose 27. More specifically, the intercooler pipe 25 is configured to have one end portion 25a, an inclined pipe portion 25b, a straight pipe portion 25c, and the other end portion 25d, and has a three-dimensionally bent shape as a whole (see FIGS. 5 and 7). One end portion 25a is connected to the supercharger 17, and the other end portion 25d is connected to the intercooler hose 27. Thereby, the air heated up by the supercharger 17 flows through the intercooler pipe 25 and the intercooler hose 27 and is cooled by the intercooler 11a, and is supplied to the engine 9 via a pipe (not shown).

[0029] Also, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the intercooler pipe 25 is routed in the space above the engine 9 so as to avoid the engine oil filler port 9a of the engine 9. Therefore, when replacing the engine oil and pulling out the cap inserted into the engine oil filler port 9a upward, the intercooler pipe 25 does not get in the way.

[0030] The intercooler pipe 25 is supported by the bracket 30. FIG. 9 is a developed view showing the details of the bracket 30 and the intercooler pipe 25. As shown in FIG. 9, the bracket 30 is formed by bending a plate-like member at a substantially right angle, and has an upper surface portion 31 and a side surface portion 32. The upper surface portion 31 is provided with four holes 34 for inserting two U-bolts 40 and two holes 36 for fixing the bracket 30 to the building support 20c. Further, a notch (recess) 33 is provided in the upper surface portion 31. This notch 33 is for avoiding interference with the intercooler hose 27 and the radiator hose 28 (see FIG. 6). Also, two holes 35 for fixing the bracket 30 to the building support 20a are provided in the side surface portion 32.

[0031] The bracket 30 is directly fixed to the building supports 20a and 20c. Specifically, the side surface portion 32 of the bracket 30 is fixed to the building supports 20a with two bolts 43 (see FIGS. 4 and 6). Also, the upper surface portion 31 of the bracket 30 is fixed to a fixing piece 21 attached to the building support 20c (see FIGS. 5, 7, and 8) with two bolts 42. And the bracket 30 entirely covers above the cooling fan 12 in a state of being fixed to the building supports 20a and 20c (see FIGS. 4 to 7). Therefore, access to the cooling fan 12 is restricted unless the bracket 30 is removed. In other words, the access path to the cooling fan 12 from above is completely closed by the bracket 30, and an operator cannot touch the cooling fan 12 unless the bracket 30 is removed.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 9, etc., the intercooler pipe 25 is disposed below the bracket 30 and supported by the bracket 30 by two U-bolts 40 and eight nuts 41. More specifically, the U-bolt 40 is brought into contact with the intercooler pipe 25 from below, the heads (both ends) of the U-bolt 40 are passed through the holes 34 of the bracket 30 from the upper surface side, and then the nuts 41 are fastened to the U-bolt 40 from the upper surface side of the bracket 30, thereby fixing the intercooler pipe 25 to the lower surface side of the bracket 30. Note that although two nuts 41 are fastened to the U-bolt 40 to form double nuts, single nuts may also be used.

[0033] According to the present embodiment configured as described above, for example, the following operational effects are achieved.

[0034] The intercooler pipe 25 is directly supported by the building supports 20a and 20c via the bracket 30. On the other hand, the engine 9 is not directly supported by the building supports 20a and 20c. In other words, the vibration system of the intercooler pipe 25 and the vibration system of the engine 9 are independent. Therefore, resonance between the intercooler pipe 25 and the engine 9 is prevented. If the intercooler pipe 25 is supported by a bracket provided on the engine 9, since the vibration systems of the intercooler pipe 25 and the engine 9 are common, a special design for preventing resonance is required. However, with the configuration of the present embodiment, such a design is unnecessary.

[0035] In addition, since the upper space of the cooling fan 12 is entirely covered by the bracket 30, it is possible to prevent the operator from accidentally touching the operating cooling fan 12. Therefore, safety is also improved.

[0036] Furthermore, by providing the notch 33 in the bracket 30 and passing the intercooler hose 27 and the radiator hose 28 between the notches 33, there is no need to provide a gap between the bracket 30 and each of the hoses 27, 28 to prevent their interference, and the bracket 30 can be arranged at a lower position. As a result, the height dimension of the engine room 8 can be suppressed to be lower. Also, since the lower part of the bracket 30 can be visually recognized through the notch 33, visual inspection of the interior is easy.

[0037] Also, since the nut 41 is provided on the upper surface of the bracket 30, the bracket 30 can be easily removed, improving the maintainability.

[0038] Thus, according to the present embodiment, in the limited internal space of the engine room 8, the intercooler piping 25 can be suitably supported by the bracket 30.

[0039] It is preferable to provide a plurality of holes in the upper surface portion 31 of the bracket 30 because the flow of the cooling air generated by the cooling fan 12 becomes smoother.

[0040] <Modification Example> FIG. 10 is a view showing a modification of the mounting structure of the bracket 30. Note that FIG. 10 is a view seen from the same direction as FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 10, in this modification, a vibration-proof rubber 50 is provided between the bracket 30 and the fixing piece 21 of the building support 20c. This modification is effective when the vibration of the intercooler piping 25 is large because the vibration transmitted from the bracket 30 to the building support 20c can be suppressed by the vibration-proof rubber 50.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the hydraulic excavator 1 including the crawler-type lower traveling body 2 has been described as an example of the working machine. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it may be applied to a hydraulic excavator including a wheel-type lower traveling body. In addition, it can be widely applied to other working machines such as wheel loaders, dump trucks, and hydraulic cranes.

[0042] In addition, the above-described embodiments are examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention only to those embodiments. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention in various other ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs

[0043] 1 Hydraulic excavator (working machine) 2 Lower traveling body 3 Upper slewing body 4 Front working machine 8 Engine house (house) 8B Rear panel 8L, 8R Side panels 8T Top panel 9 Engine 9a Engine oil filler port 11 Heat exchanger 11a Intercooler 11b Radiator 11c Oil cooler 12 Cooling fan 13 Cooling water tank 17 Supercharger (turbocharger) 20a, 20b, 20c House support (support member) 21 Fixed piece 22 House support cover 25 Intercooler piping 25a One end 25b Diagonal piping section 25c Straight piping section 25d The other end 26 Engine intake duct 27 Intercooler hose 28 Radiator hose 30 Bracket 31 Top plate 32 Side plate 33 Notch 34, 35 Holes 40 U-bolt 41 Nut 42 Bolt 43 bolts 50 vibration isolators

Claims

1. A work machine comprising a self-propelled lower traveling body and an upper revolving body rotatably attached to the lower traveling body, wherein the upper revolving body is a building with a framework formed by a plurality of support members, an engine, a supercharger, and an intercooler disposed in the building, and an intercooler pipe connecting the supercharger and the intercooler, further comprising a bracket attached to at least one of the plurality of support members for supporting the intercooler pipe, and a cooling fan driven by the engine for taking in cooling air into the building, wherein the bracket is provided so as to cover a space above the cooling fan so as to restrict access to the cooling fan from above.

2. The work machine according to claim 1, wherein a vibration-proof rubber is provided between the bracket and the support member to which the bracket is attached.

3. The work machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intercooler pipe is disposed below the bracket and fixed to the bracket via a U-bolt and a nut, and the U-bolt is disposed below the bracket and the nut is disposed above the bracket with the bracket therebetween.

4. A self-propelled lower traveling body and an upper revolving body rotatably attached to the lower traveling body, comprising wherein the upper revolving body is a building with a framework formed by a plurality of support members, an engine, a supercharger, and an intercooler disposed in the building, In a work machine including an intercooler pipe connecting the supercharger and the intercooler, It is provided with a bracket that is attached to at least one of the plurality of support members and supports the intercooler pipe. The intercooler pipe is disposed below the bracket and is fixed to the bracket via a U-bolt and a nut. The U-bolt is disposed below the bracket and the nut is disposed above the bracket with the bracket sandwiched therebetween. The bracket is provided with a notch. A work machine, characterized in that an intercooler hose connecting the intercooler and the intercooler pipe is disposed inside the notch.

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