Elastic Crawler

Abstract

To secure a sufficient drive power while suppressing a surface pressure on the ground plane side of the drive lug of a crawler body.SOLUTION: A ground plane side of an elastic crawler comprises: a drive lug 10, including central lug parts 13, arranged in engagement holes 9 of a crawler body 6 in the crawler width direction, and side part lug parts 14, alternately arranged on one side in the crawler width direction in correspondence with the central lug part 13 on both sides in the crawler turning direction of each engagement hole 9; and inter-lug recesses 11 arranged between the side part lug parts 14 on both sides in the crawler turning direction on the opposite side of the side part lug part 14 with respect to each engagement hole 9. The wide part lug part 14 has a wide lug part 17 on a side closer to the central lug side 13, and the wide lug part 17 is formed integrally with two adjacent central lug parts 13 in the crawler turning direction astride two adjacent core grids 7 in the crawler turning direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elastic crawler that is attached to a crawler device of a construction machine or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] The elastic crawler used in the crawler device comprises a crawler body made mainly of an elastic material such as rubber, and core wires embedded in the crawler body at approximately equal intervals in the direction of crawler rotation (Patent Document 1).

[0003] The core metal has engagement portions arranged between the engagement holes of the crawler body, guide protrusions arranged on both sides of the engagement portions in the crawler width direction, and protrusions to prevent lateral displacement that also serve as roller rolling paths and protrude to both sides in the crawler rotation direction on the outer sides of each guide protrusion in the crawler width direction and are arranged so that their tip sides overlap in the crawler rotation direction. The crawler body has side lug portions that constitute drive lugs arranged on the outer side of one of the guide protrusions, and an inter-lug recess arranged on the outer side of the guide protrusion opposite the side lug portion, so that the side lug portions and the inter-lug recess are arranged alternately in the crawler rotation direction.

[0004] The side lug portions constituting the drive lug have a wide lug portion formed on the side closer to the guide protrusion and spanning two adjacent cores, and a narrow lug portion formed on the outside of the wide lug portion and spanning two adjacent cores and narrower than the wide lug portion. The inter-lug recess has a narrow recess that is approximately as narrow as the engagement hole, and a wide recess that is wider than the narrow recess and located on the outside of the narrow recess. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-28048 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In this conventional elastic crawler, the wide lug portion of the side lug section is located near the engagement hole in the center of the crawler's width direction, which has the advantage of reducing the surface pressure on the ground contact surface at the center of the crawler body and reducing damage to the drive lugs.However, in conventional crawlers, the drive lugs on both sides in the crawler's width direction are independent and there is a discontinuity between them in the crawler's width direction, and the part of the crawler body corresponding to the engagement hole in the center of the crawler's width direction has a groove shape in the direction of crawler rotation, which makes it difficult to ensure sufficient driving force between the crawler and the ground.

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention aims to provide an elastic crawler that can ensure sufficient driving force while suppressing the surface pressure on the contact surface side of the drive lug of the crawler body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a crawler body that is mainly made of an elastic material and has drive lugs, and core metals embedded in the crawler body at approximately equal intervals in the crawler rotation direction, each core metal having an engagement portion arranged between engagement holes in the crawler body, guide protrusions arranged on both sides of the engagement portion in the crawler width direction, one-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions that protrude to one side in the crawler rotation direction on the outer side of each guide protrusion in the crawler width direction, and another-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions that protrude to the other side in the crawler rotation direction on the outer side of each guide protrusion in the crawler width direction and prevent lateral displacement of the core metal in the crawler width direction between the one-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions on the adjacent core metal side. and a lateral displacement prevention projection, the crawler body is provided with drive lugs including a central lug portion arranged in the crawler width direction between the respective engagement holes, and side lug portions arranged alternately on one side of the crawler width direction in correspondence with the central lug portion on both sides of each engagement hole in the crawler rotation direction, and an inter-lug recess arranged on the ground contact surface side between the side lug portions on both sides in the crawler rotation direction on the opposite side of each engagement hole from the side lug portions, the side lug portions having a wide lug portion on the side closer to the central lug portion, and the wide lug portion straddling two of the core metals adjacent in the crawler rotation direction and being formed integrally with two of the central lug portions adjacent in the crawler rotation direction. The ground contact surfaces of the central lug portion and the side lug portions form a continuous flat surface at the same height. It is something.

[0009] The side lug portions have narrow lug portions that are arranged outside the wide lug portions and are narrower than the wide lug portions, and the inter-lug recesses have a narrow recess on the side closer to the engagement hole that is approximately the same width as or narrower than the distance between the two adjacent central lug portions in the crawler rotation direction, and a wide recess on the outside of the narrow recess that is wider than the narrow recess, and of the pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions on the side of the side lug portions, at least the anti-lateral slippage protrusion on the central lug portion side is arranged to correspond to the wide lug portions, and of the pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions on the inter-lug recess side, at least the anti-lateral slippage protrusion on the central lug portion side is arranged to correspond to the narrow recess.

[0010] The side lug portions may have narrow lug portions that are arranged outside the wide lug portions and are narrower than the wide lug portions, and the inter-lug recess may have a narrow recess on the side closer to the engagement hole that is approximately the same width as the distance between the two adjacent central lug portions in the crawler rotation direction or narrower than the distance between the central lug portions, and a wide recess on the outside of the narrow recess that is wider than the narrow recess, and the pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions on the side of the side lug portions may be arranged corresponding to the wide lug portions or to the boundary between the wide lug portions and the narrow lug portions, and the pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions on the inter-lug recess may be arranged corresponding to the narrow recess or to the boundary between the narrow recess and the wide recess. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention has the advantage that sufficient driving force can be ensured while suppressing the surface pressure on the ground contact surface side of the drive lug of the crawler body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a crawler device showing a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the elastic crawler. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front cross-sectional view of the elastic crawler. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the elastic crawler. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the elastic crawler on the outer roller rolling path side. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the elastic crawler. [Figure 9] (a) is a plan view of the core bar, and (b) is a front view of the core bar. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a bottom view of an elastic crawler showing a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a bottom view of an elastic crawler showing a third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B show a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 10A is a front cross-sectional view of a lateral displacement prevention protrusion, and FIG. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B show a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 10A is a front view of a lateral displacement prevention protrusion, and FIG. 10B is a front view of another lateral displacement prevention protrusion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 10 illustrate a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the crawler device 1 includes a drive wheel 2 and a driven wheel 3 made of sprockets arranged at the front and rear, and an elastic crawler 4 rotatably wound around the drive wheel 2 and the driven wheel 3. A plurality of rollers 5 that guide the elastic crawler 4 are arranged between the drive wheel 2 and the driven wheel 3.

[0014] As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the elastic crawler 4 comprises an endless belt-shaped crawler body 6 mainly made of an elastic material 12, core wires 7 in the crawler width direction embedded in the crawler body 6 at approximately equal intervals in the crawler rotation direction, and tension members 8 such as steel wires embedded in the crawler body 6 in the crawler rotation direction on the contact surface side of each core wire 7.

[0015] As shown in Figures 4, 7 and 8, the crawler body 6 has engagement holes 9 between each core bar 7 at the center of the crawler width direction, and drive lugs 10 on the ground contact surface side and inter-lug recesses 11 formed between each drive lug 10 are arranged in an alternating staggered pattern in the direction of crawler rotation.

[0016] The drive lugs 10 include central lug portions 13 in the crawler width direction that are arranged between the engagement holes 9 corresponding to each core bar 7, and side lug portions 14 that are arranged on one side of the central lug portion 13 in the crawler width direction, with inter-lug recesses 11 arranged on the other side of the central lug portion 13 in the crawler width direction. Therefore, the side lug portions 14 are alternately arranged on one side of the central lug portion 13 in the crawler width direction, and the inter-lug recesses 11 are alternately arranged on the other side of the central lug portion 13 in the crawler width direction. The side lug portions 14 and the inter-lug recesses 11 are alternately arranged in the crawler rotation direction and the crawler width direction.

[0017] The central lug portion 13 has a length slightly longer than the dimension of the engagement hole 9 in the crawler width direction, and is provided approximately parallel to the crawler width direction in correspondence with the engagement portion 15 of each core bar 7. The side lug portions 14 are alternately arranged on either side in the crawler width direction in correspondence with each central lug portion 13.

[0018] Each side lug portion 14 has a wide lug portion 17 that straddles almost both ends of the wing portions 16 of two cores 7 adjacent in the crawler rotation direction, and is provided on the side closer to the central lug portion 13, and a narrow lug portion 18 that is narrower than the wide lug portion 17 and straddles the middle portions of the wing portions 16 of the two cores 7, and is provided on the side farther from the central lug portion 13. The wide lug portion 17 and the narrow lug portion 18 are connected together via a boundary lug portion 19 whose width changes from the wide lug portion 17 to the narrow lug portion 18. As shown in Figure 7, the wide lug portion 17 has a lug top that corresponds approximately to the maximum dimension between the outer sides of the wing portions 16 of the two cores 7, and the narrow lug portion 18 has a lug top that corresponds approximately to the width between the middle portions of the wing portions 16 of the two cores 7.

[0019] The inter-lug recess 11 is a recess that characterizes the rise of the side lugs 14 from the ground contact surface of the crawler body 6. It is located between the side lugs 14 on both sides in the crawler rotation direction and is arranged with the engagement hole 9 sandwiched in the crawler width direction. This inter-lug recess 11 has a narrow recess 20 that is approximately the same as or narrower than the distance between the two central lugs 13 located closer to the engagement hole 9, and a wide recess 21 that is wider than the narrow recess 20 and located outside the narrow recess 20. On the wide recess 21 side, a jam prevention protrusion 22 is provided in the crawler rotation direction to prevent stones, mud, etc. from getting jammed between the side lugs 14. The jam prevention protrusion 22 is slightly lower in height than the side lugs 14. The drive lug 10, inter-lug recess 11, and jam prevention protrusion 22 are approximately symmetrical with respect to a center line in the crawler width direction that passes through the center of the engagement hole 9.

[0020] 1 to 4 and 8 to 10, the core metal 7 is made by casting or forging, and includes: engagement portions 15 that are arranged between the engagement holes 9 of the crawler body 6 and that engage with engagement protrusions on the outer peripheries of the drive wheels 2 and driven wheels 3; guide protrusions 25 that protrude in the crawler thickness direction from both sides of this engagement portion 15 in the crawler width direction toward the side opposite the ground contact surface and guide the drive wheels 2 and driven wheels 3 from both sides; flat wing portions 16 that protrude outward in the crawler width direction from each guide protrusion 25; and one-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26 and the other-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions 27 that protrude from each wing portion 16 on both sides in the crawler rotation direction. Note that the core metal 7 may be manufactured by methods other than casting or forging.

[0021] The one-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 26 and the other-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 27 also serve as roller rolling sections 28, 29, with the anti-ground contact side being flat. Between the one-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 26 and the other-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 27, the roller rolling sections 28, 29 and a flat intermediate roller rolling section 30 are provided in a convex shape on the anti-ground contact side of the wing section 16 of the core 7, and these form an outer roller rolling path 31 for the roller 5 to roll on. The intermediate roller rolling section 30 is rectangular in plan view.

[0022] As shown in Figures 5 and 9, each lateral displacement prevention protrusion 26, 27 has a horizontally elongated rectangular or horizontally elongated flat shape in which the dimension B in the crawler width direction from the lateral displacement prevention surface side 26b, 27b to the opposite anti-lateral displacement prevention surface side 26c, 27c is longer than the dimension A from the contact surface side 26a, 27a to the roller rolling portion 28, 29. By configuring the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 in this horizontally elongated rectangular or horizontally elongated flat shape, it is possible to ensure a predetermined strength while keeping the dimension A in the crawler thickness direction small. The contact surface side 26a, 27a of each lateral displacement prevention protrusion 26, 27 is inclined upward at a gentle angle α (see Figure 6) from the upper surface side 16a of the wing portion 16 of the core 7 toward the tip.

[0023] The one-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 26 and the other-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 27 are arranged to protrude in opposite directions from both sides in the crawler width direction of the intermediate roller rolling part 30 to both sides in the crawler rotation direction. The one-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 26 of one adjacent core bar 7 and the other-side lateral slippage prevention protrusion 27 of the other adjacent core bar 7 are arranged side by side in the crawler width direction, and overlap by a predetermined amount in the crawler rotation direction so that the tip ends do not come apart even when the adjacent core bar 7 are bent relatively in a mountain fold or a valley fold.

[0024] The ground contact side 26a, 27a of each lateral displacement prevention protrusion 26, 27 is located on the upper surface 16a of the wing portion 16 of the core 7, i.e., at an intermediate position approximately half the dimension in the crawler thickness direction from the ground contact side of the wing portion 16 to the central roller rolling portion 30, and forms an inclined surface that slopes upward at an angle α from this intermediate position toward the tip side. Note that although the ground contact side 26a, 27a of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 are inclined at the angle α, they may also be inclined at an angle that is parallel to the roller rolling portions 28, 29 of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 or close to parallel.

[0025] 6 and 7, the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 between the core metals 7 are arranged to correspond to the side lug portions 14 and the inter-lug recesses 11, respectively. That is, the pair of lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 on the side lug portion 14 side are arranged to correspond to the wide lug portion 17 so that their entire width in the crawler rotation direction corresponds to the inside of the side lug portion 14, or they correspond to the wide portion of the boundary lug portion 19 between the wide lug portion 17 and the narrow lug portion 18.

[0026] The pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on the inter-lug recess 11 side are arranged corresponding to the narrow recess 20 so that the side lugs 14 are located nearby in the crawler rotation direction, or are arranged corresponding to the narrow portion of the boundary between the narrow recess 20 and the wide recess 21. Therefore, as shown in Figure 6, the lug top surfaces 17a of the wide lugs 17 of the side lugs 14 widen around the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on the side lug 14 side, and the wide lug portions 17 of the side lugs 14 on both sides are close to the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on the inter-lug recess 11 side via the lug inclined surfaces 17b located very close in the crawler rotation direction.

[0027] Furthermore, of the pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on the side lug portion 14, if at least the anti-lateral slippage protrusion 26 on one side closer to the central lug portion 13 is positioned corresponding to the wide lug portion 17 and narrow recess 20, the anti-lateral slippage protrusion 27 on the other side positioned nearby can be positioned at the wide lug portion 17 and narrow recess 20 even if it is located away from the wide lug portion 17 and narrow recess 20.

[0028] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the guide projections 25 are integrally provided with a base 25a in the crawler thickness direction and a diamond-shaped apex 25b on the base 25a. The diamond-shaped apex 25b is formed in a generally diamond shape in plan view. The diamond-shaped apex 25b of each core 7 has acute-angled protrusions that protrude from the base 25a to both sides in the crawler rotation direction. The top surfaces of the diamond-shaped apexes 25b are flat and of approximately the same height, and these diamond-shaped apexes 25b form the inner roller rolling path 32 for the rollers 5 to roll on (see Figures 3 and 4).

[0029] In addition, the diamond-shaped tops 25b of each guide protrusion 25 overlap in the crawler rotation direction to form an inner roller rolling path 32 that is continuous without interruption in the crawler rotation direction, and a predetermined gap is provided so that the diamond-shaped tops 25b of the guide protrusions 25 do not interfere with each other in the crawler rotation direction even when wrapped around a drive wheel 2, etc.

[0030] The lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 protrude in opposite directions from the side surfaces of the intermediate roller rolling portion 30 on the wing portion 16 to both sides in the crawler rotation direction. The base sides of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 are integral with the upper surface sides 16a of the wing portion 16 of the core bar 7, and are received from below by the wing portion 16. Of these lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27, the one-side lateral displacement prevention protrusion 26 is located on the side closer to the guide protrusion 25 of the intermediate roller rolling portion 30, and the other-side lateral displacement prevention protrusion 27 is located on the side farther from the guide protrusion 25 of the intermediate roller rolling portion 30, and the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 of the core bar 7 adjacent in the crawler rotation direction are arranged adjacent in the crawler width direction. There is sufficient space between the tip of each anti-lateral slippage protrusion 26, 27 and the intermediate roller rolling portion 30 of the core wire 7 on the opposite side in the direction of crawler rotation so that the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 do not interfere with the intermediate roller rolling portion 30 of the core wire 7 even if adjacent core wires 7 are bent.

[0031] The anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27, which also serve as the roller rolling sections 28, 29, have anti-lateral slippage surfaces 26b, 27b that face each other in the crawler width direction and are close to each other in the crawler width direction, and the elastic material 12 of the crawler body 6 is interposed between the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 (see Figure 5).

[0032] The engaging portion 15, guide protrusion 25, intermediate roller rolling portion 30, and roller rolling portions 28, 29 are embedded in the elastic material 12 of the crawler body 6, and a coating layer 33 of a predetermined thickness is formed on the side of the crawler body 6 opposite the ground contact surface, following the uneven shape of the core metal 7, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. Note that the coating layer 33 is formed thinly to follow the uneven shape of the core metal 7, but the coating layer 33 may be omitted so that the uneven shape of the core metal 7 is exposed.

[0033] In order to facilitate bending of the crawler body 6, an inner recess 35, an outer recess 36, and a connecting recess 37 are formed on the side opposite the ground contact surface between adjacent core metals 7. The inner recess 35 is disposed on the inside near the engagement hole 9 of the crawler body 6, and is formed between the engagement hole 9 and the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 so as to avoid the guide protrusion 25. The outer recess 36 is formed outward of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 of the crawler body 6 in the crawler width direction.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the roller 5 is integrally formed with a small diameter wheel portion 39 located at the center of the crawler width direction and a large diameter wheel portion 40 located outside each of the small diameter wheel portions 39, and the small diameter wheel portion 39 rolls on the inner roller wheel rolling path 32 of the guide protrusion 25, while the large diameter wheel portion 40 rolls on the outer roller wheel rolling path 31 of the roller wheel rolling portions 28, 29 of the lateral slippage prevention protrusions 26, 27 in the crawler rotation direction.

[0035] The elastic crawler 4 configured as described above has the following advantages. The crawler body 6 is guided by the rollers 5 while wrapped around the drive wheels 2 and driven wheels 3, and rotates forward and backward by the drive of the drive wheels 2. The drive lugs 10 dig into the ground and rotate in the crawler rotation direction, generating a driving force that allows the crawler to travel.

[0036] In addition to the wide lug portions 17 of the side lug portions 14 corresponding to the two core wires 7, the drive lug 10 also has a central lug portion 13 in the crawler width direction located between each engagement hole 9 in the central part of the crawler body 6, so that the ground can be securely gripped even in the central part of the crawler body 6, and the side lug portions 14 and central lug portion 13 can reduce the surface pressure on the contact surface of the drive lug 10 compared to conventional methods, while improving driving force.

[0037] In addition, the wide lug portion 17 straddles two core wires 7 adjacent to each other in the direction of crawler rotation and is formed integrally with two central lug portions 13 adjacent to each other in the direction of crawler rotation. Since the wide lug portions 17 are located on both sides of the central lug portion 13 in the crawler width direction, the durability of the central lug portion 13 itself is improved compared to when the central lug portion 13 is independent from the wide lug portions 17, and sufficient driving force can be obtained.

[0038] The inter-lug recess 11 between the wide lug portions 17 is a narrow recess 20 that is approximately the same as or narrower than the distance between the two adjacent central lug portions 13 in the crawler rotation direction on the side closer to the engagement hole 9, so that the width in the crawler rotation direction of the wide lug portion 17 of the side lug portion 14 adjacent in the crawler rotation direction can be easily secured.

[0039] Furthermore, the side lug portion 14 has a narrow lug portion 18 on the outside of the wide lug portion 17 that is narrower than the wide lug portion 17, and the outside of the narrow recess 20 in the crawler width direction is a wide recess 21 that is wider than the narrow recess 20.Therefore, even though the side lug portion 14 near the engagement hole 9 has the wide lug portion 17, the soil discharge performance of the crawler body 6 can be improved.

[0040] There are a pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on each of the side lug portion 14 side and the inter-lug recess 11 side, and these anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 prevent lateral slippage in the crawler width direction between adjacent core wires 7. Each of these anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 can achieve the following effects.

[0041] That is, with regard to the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 on the side lug portions 14, at least the lateral displacement prevention protrusion 26 on the central lug portion 13 side corresponds to the wide lug portion 17, so the thickness of the elastic material 12 on the ground contact side 26a, 27a of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 can be increased, thereby absorbing vibrations to that extent. This effect is further improved if the pair of lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 on the side lug portions 14 correspond to the wide lug portion 17 or to the wide portion of the boundary between the wide lug portion 17 and the narrow lug portion 18.

[0042] Furthermore, of the pair of anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on the inter-lug recess 11 side, at least the anti-lateral slippage protrusion 26 on the central lug portion 13 side corresponds to the narrow recess 20, and since the side lug portions 14 of the drive lug 10 are located near the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on both sides in the crawler rotation direction, it is possible to position the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 close to the side lug portions 14 on both sides in the crawler rotation direction.

[0043] Therefore, the thickness of the elastic material 12 on the contact surface sides 26a, 27a of the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 can be ensured by the side lug portions 14 on both sides in the crawler rotation direction, and vibrations can be absorbed in the same way as in the case of the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 sides of the side lug portions 14. This effect is further improved by having the pair of lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 on the inter-lug recess 11 side correspond to the narrow recess 20 or to the narrow portion of the boundary between the narrow recess 20 and the wide recess 21.

[0044] When the crawler body 6 rotates, the small diameter wheel portion 39 of the roller 5 rolls in the crawler rotation direction on the inner roller rolling path 32 on the guide protrusion 25, and the large diameter wheel portion 40 rolls in the crawler rotation direction on the outer roller rolling path 31 of the intermediate roller rolling portion 30, roller rolling portions 28, 29, etc., so that the roller 5 can guide the crawler body 6 at four points in the crawler width direction. Moreover, the four roller rolling paths 31, 32 are continuous in the crawler rotation direction at approximately the same height without being interrupted between adjacent core metals 7, so that up and down vibration of the roller 5 when it rolls can be reduced.

[0045] In other words, the guide protrusions 25 of each core bar 7 are of the same height, and the inner roller rolling path 32 on the guide protrusions 25 is such that the diamond-shaped tops 25b of adjacent core bars 7 overlap in the direction of crawler rotation, so the small diameter wheel portion 39 can roll stably on the inner roller rolling path 32 formed on the inside of the crawler width direction by the guide protrusions 25 without vibrating up and down.

[0046] Furthermore, the intermediate roller rolling portion 30 of the core 7 and the roller rolling portions 28, 29 are at approximately the same height, and each roller rolling portion 28, 29 overlaps in the direction of crawler rotation, so the large diameter wheel portion 40 can roll stably on the two outer roller rolling paths 31 formed on the outside in the crawler width direction by the intermediate roller rolling portion 30 and the roller rolling portions 28, 29 of each core 7 without vibrating up and down.

[0047] Each core wire 7 has anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 that protrude on both sides in the direction of crawler rotation and also serve as roller rolling sections 28, 29. These anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 are configured in a horizontally elongated rectangular or horizontally elongated flat shape, which differs from the conventional structure, and therefore has the following advantages.

[0048] When the crawler body 6 bends, each of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 bends integrally with the elastic material 12 surrounding the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 within the elastic material 12. However, compared to the dimension A from the ground contact surface sides 26a, 27a of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 to the outer roller rolling path 31, the dimension B in the crawler width direction from the lateral displacement prevention surface sides 26b, 27b to the anti-lateral displacement prevention surface sides 26c, 27c is a long horizontally elongated rectangular or horizontally elongated flat shape, and the dimension A from the ground contact surface sides 26a, 27a to the roller rolling portions 28-30 is thinner than conventionally, so that the protrusions can bend smoothly integrally with the elastic material 12, and the flexibility of the crawler body 6 can be improved despite the presence of wide lug portions 17 that straddle two adjacent cores 7 on the side lug portions 14 of the drive lug 10.

[0049] This not only reduces the occurrence of cracks in the elastic material 12 of the crawler body 6 compared to conventional structures, but also allows the thickness of the elastic material 12 that constitutes the side lug portions 14 to be increased on the ground contact sides 26a, 27a of the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27, which has the advantage of improving the vibration absorption effect of the elastic material 12. Because the thickness of the elastic material 12 that constitutes the side lug portions 14 can be increased on the ground contact sides 26a, 27a of the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27, pressure on the elastic material 12 between the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 and the ground can be reduced, making it easy to prevent damage to the elastic material 12 of the side lug portions 14.

[0050] Furthermore, each of the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 is configured in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape or a horizontally elongated flat shape with a long dimension B in the crawler width direction from the lateral displacement prevention surface side 26b, 27b to the anti-lateral displacement prevention surface side 26c, 27c, so the dimension in the crawler width direction of the wheel rolling units 28, 29 can be easily ensured compared to when the dimension in the thickness direction of the crawler body 6 is long. Therefore, it is possible to increase the wheel width in the crawler width direction of the large diameter wheel portion 40 or to increase the spacing in the crawler width direction between the large diameter wheel portions 40, and this makes it possible to prevent the crawler body 6 from tilting in the crawler width direction.

[0051] There is a gap between the tip of each anti-lateral slippage protrusion 26, 27 and the intermediate roller rolling portion 30 of the core wire 7 on the opposite side of the crawler rotation direction, which is approximately the same as or greater than the crawler width dimension of each anti-lateral slippage protrusion 26, 27, so that compression of the elastic material 12 in this area can be prevented.

[0052] 11 illustrates a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 on the side lug portion 14 are arranged within the range of the wide lug portion 17 in the crawler width direction, and the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 on the inter-lug recess 11 are arranged within the range of the narrow recess 20 in the crawler width direction.

[0053] In this way, when the spacing between the outer roller rolling paths 31 in the crawler width direction is narrow, each of the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 can be provided within the range of the wide lug portion 17 and the narrow recess 20.

[0054] Figure 12 illustrates a third embodiment of the present invention. When the drive lug 10 of the crawler body 6 has a central lug portion 13 and side lug portions 14, the side lug portions 14 can be provided with narrow lug portions 18 bent to one side in the crawler rotation direction relative to the wide lug portions 17, as shown in Figure 12. Therefore, the side lug portions 14 are not limited to those in which the wide lug portions 17 and narrow lug portions 18 are provided linearly in the crawler width direction, as exemplified in the first and second embodiments.

[0055] For example, as in the third embodiment, the wide lug portions 17 and narrow lug portions 18 can be configured to be bent midway along the side lug portions 14, or the side lug portions 14 can be provided at an angle relative to the central lug portion 13. It goes without saying that the inter-lug recesses 11 of the crawler body 6 are bent to correspond to the shapes of the side lug portions 14.

[0056] In this third embodiment, as shown in Figure 12, the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on the side lug portion 14 are positioned to correspond to the wide lug portion 17, and the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 on the inter-lug recess 11 are positioned to correspond to the narrow recess 20.

[0057] In this way, it is also possible to arrange the wide lug portions 17 in correspondence with the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 on the side lug portions 14 side, and to arrange the narrow recesses 20 in correspondence with the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 on the inter-lug recess 11 side. With this configuration, damage to the elastic material 12 on the contact surface sides 26a, 27a can be prevented regardless of whether it is on the side lug portion 14 side or the inter-lug recess 11 side, which has the advantage of further improving the durability of the crawler body 6.

[0058] FIG. 13 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b), the lateral displacement prevention projections 26, 27 are formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular or horizontally elongated flat shape, with a dimension B in the crawler width direction greater than a dimension A in the thickness direction of the crawler body 6. The roller rolling sections 28, 29 are formed on the opposite side of the projections to the ground contact surface, and the contact surface sides 26a, 27a preferably have inclined surfaces 26h, 27h with upward-pointing tips. In this case, the inclined surfaces 26h, 27h may have a large angle α with respect to a line segment parallel to the roller rolling sections 28, 29, as shown in FIG. 13(b). The extension of the inclined surface 26h may also pass through or near the center of the inclined movement of the core 7 within the elastic material 12 when the crawler body 6 is bent.

[0059] 14 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The core 7 is generally manufactured by forging or casting, but when manufactured by forging, it is desirable to provide a draft angle for the die at each part of the core 7, such as by forming the lateral displacement prevention protrusions 26, 27 in a trapezoidal shape. However, if the die or the like is removed, the draft angle may not be necessary.

[0060] For example, in the case of a horizontally elongated rectangular or horizontally elongated flat anti-slip protrusion 26, as shown in Figure 14(a), the opposing surfaces of the upper side 26d, lower side 26e, left side 26f, and right side 26g can be made approximately parallel to the crawler width direction and crawler thickness direction, and the four corners between the opposing surfaces can be configured to be rounded.

[0061] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14(b), of the anti-lateral slippage protrusion 26, among the upper side 26d, lower side 26e, left side 26f, and right side 26g, the upper side 26d, which becomes the roller rolling portion 28, and the right side 26g, which becomes the anti-lateral slippage surface side 26b, can be made flat or nearly flat, and the other left side 26f and lower side 26e can be made arc-shaped or have other curved surfaces.

[0062] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications are possible. For example, in the embodiments, the drive lugs 10 constituting two left and right rows of lugs are provided on the ground contact surface side of the outer periphery of the crawler body 6, but the shape, structure, and arrangement of the drive lugs 10 can be modified as desired.

[0063] In the first embodiment, a roller 5 having a small diameter wheel portion 39 and a large diameter wheel portion 40 is used, but the roller 5 may also have left and right large diameter wheel portions 40. Alternatively, the left and right rollers 5 may be provided separately. The anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 may be horizontally elongated rectangular or horizontally elongated flat, as long as the dimension B is longer than the dimension A, and various cross-sectional shapes can be selected within the scope of the concept of a horizontally elongated shape.

[0064] It is desirable that the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 corresponding to the side lug portions 14 be located within the range of the wide lug portions 17, and that the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 corresponding to the inter-lug recess 11 be located within the range of the narrow recess 20. However, if the spacing between the outer roller rolling paths 31 in the crawler width direction is wide, the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 corresponding to the side lug portions 14 may be located in the wide portion of the boundary between the wide lug portions 17 and the narrow lug portions 20 that is closer to the wide lug portion 17, and the anti-lateral slippage protrusions 26, 27 corresponding to the inter-lug recess 11 may be located in the narrow portion of the boundary between the narrow recess 20 and the wide recess 21 that is closer to the narrow recess 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 4 Elastic Crawler 5 Wheels 6 Crawler body 7 Core 9 Engagement hole 10 Drive Lug 11 Inter-lug recess 12 Elastic materials 13 Center lug 14 Side lug 15 Engagement part 16 Wings 17 Wide lug section 17a Lug top surface 17b Lug inclined surface 18 Narrow lug section 19 Boundary lug section 20 Narrow recess 21 Wide recess 25 Guide protrusion 26 One-side lateral slip prevention protrusion 27 Other side anti-slip projection 28,29 Roller bearing 30 Intermediate roller rolling section 31 Outer wheel rolling path 32 Inner roller track

Claims

1. a crawler body made mainly of an elastic material and having drive lugs; and core metals embedded in the crawler body at substantially equal intervals in the crawler rotation direction; In an elastic crawler, each of the core metals has an engaging portion arranged between the engaging holes of the crawler body, guide protrusions arranged on both sides of the engaging portion in the crawler width direction, one-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions that protrude to one side in the crawler rotation direction on the outer side of each guide protrusion in the crawler width direction, and another-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions that protrude to the other side in the crawler rotation direction on the outer side of each guide protrusion in the crawler width direction and prevent lateral displacement of the core metal in the crawler width direction between the one-side lateral displacement prevention protrusions on the adjacent core metal side, the crawler body is provided with drive lugs including central lug portions arranged in the crawler width direction between the respective engagement holes, and side lug portions arranged alternately on one side of the crawler width direction in correspondence with the central lug portions on both sides of the respective engagement holes in the crawler rotation direction, and inter-lug recesses arranged on the ground contact surface side between the side lug portions on both sides of the crawler rotation direction on the opposite side of the side lug portions with respect to the respective engagement holes, The side lug portions have wide lug portions on the sides closer to the central lug portion, the wide lug portion is formed integrally with the two central lug portions adjacent to each other in the crawler rotation direction, straddling the two core metals adjacent to each other in the crawler rotation direction; The ground contact surfaces of the central lug portion and the side lug portions form a continuous flat surface at the same height. An elastic crawler characterized by:

2. The side lug portions have narrow lug portions that are arranged outside the wide lug portions and are narrower than the wide lug portions, the inter-lug recess includes a narrow recess on the side closer to the engagement hole, the narrow recess being approximately the same as or narrower than the distance between the two adjacent central lug portions in the crawler rotation direction, and a wide recess on the outside of the narrow recess and wider than the narrow recess, Among the pair of lateral displacement prevention protrusions on the side lug portions, at least the lateral displacement prevention protrusion on the central lug portion side is arranged corresponding to the wide lug portion, Of the pair of lateral displacement prevention protrusions on the inter-lug recess side, at least the lateral displacement prevention protrusion on the central lug portion side is arranged corresponding to the narrow recess. The elastic crawler according to claim 1 .

3. The side lug portions have narrow lug portions that are arranged outside the wide lug portions and are narrower than the wide lug portions, the inter-lug recess includes a narrow recess on the side closer to the engagement hole, the narrow recess being approximately the same as or narrower than the distance between the two adjacent central lug portions in the crawler rotation direction, and a wide recess on the outside of the narrow recess and wider than the narrow recess, the pair of lateral displacement prevention protrusions on the side lug portions are arranged corresponding to the wide lug portions or corresponding to the boundary portions between the wide lug portions and the narrow lug portions, The pair of lateral displacement prevention protrusions on the inter-lug recess side are arranged corresponding to the narrow recess or to the boundary portion between the narrow recess and the wide recess. The elastic crawler according to claim 1 .

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