Wear member, edge and process of installation

Abstract

A wear member for earth working equipment, the earth working equipment including a base with a boss for interfacing with the wear member for attachment to the earth working equipment. The wear member includes a boss recess that extends rearwardly along a longitudinal axis, the boss recess having a diverging portion adjacent respective sidewall bearing surfaces. The boss of the earth working equipment extends rearwardly about a longitudinal axis. The boss having a diverging portion adjacent two rear sidewall bearing surfaces. The wear member may also include an exterior surface having two scoops, each extending from a front to a rear of the wear member.

Description

WEAR MEMBER, EDGE AND PROCESS OF INSTALLATIONRelated Applications

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 691 ,657, filed September 6, 2024, entitled “WEAR MEMBER, EDGE AND PROCESS OF INSTALLATION,” which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein and made a part hereof.Field of the Invention

[0002] The field of the present disclosure relates to wear members for earth working equipment.Background of the Invention

[0003] During mining and / or construction operations, replaceable wear members are typically used to protect earth working equipment, such as excavation buckets. During use, the wear members gradually wear down due to the abrasive conditions and heavy loading. Once depleted, the wear members are removed from the equipment and replaced. Using wear members provides a cost-effective approach to digging and other earth working operations because it lessens the need of having to repair or replace the more expensive underlying equipment such as a lip of a bucket or other portions of the equipment.

[0004] Wear members are commonly secured to earth working equipment by mechanical means (for example, a lock pin, bolt, or other fastening mechanism). During earth working operations, wear members may be subjected to a variety of directional forces, which can include axial, vertical, and lateral loads. Retention of the wear members over their service life prevents damage to downstream equipment such as crushers, limits maintenance downtime of the earthmoving equipment, and prevents damage to underlying surfaces.Summary of the Disclosure

[0005] The present disclosure pertains to wear members for earth working equipment that are mechanically secured to the equipment. The wear assemblies of the disclosure are reliable, safe, easy to use, versatile, given to high productivity and / or readily replaceable with little machine downtime.

[0006] The present invention pertains to a wear assembly to protect the digging edge of excavating equipment, such as the lip of a bucket. The wear assembly includes a wear member mounted to a base of the equipment, and lock to hold the wear member to the base.

[0007] In one example, a wear member for earth working equipment receives a boss of a lip. The wear member has a recess with a boss recess that extends rearwardly along a longitudinal axis, the boss recess having a diverging portion adjacent respective sidewall bearing surfaces.

[0008] In another example, a wear member for earth working equipment receives a boss of a lip. The wear member has a recess with a boss recess that extends rearwardly about a longitudinalaxis, the boss recess having a diverging portion adjacent respective sidewall bearing surfaces and two upper interior bearing surfaces adjacent the boss recess.

[0009] In yet another example, a wear member with one or more legs that form a recess to receive an edge of earth working equipment. The wear member includes an exterior surface, the exterior surface having two scoops that extend from a front to the rear of the wear member.

[0010] In a further example, a wear member with one or more legs that form a recess to receive an edge of earth working equipment. The wear member includes an exterior surface, the exterior surface having two scoops that extend from a front of the wear member to the rear and push material rearward and laterally.

[0011] In one example, a wear member with spaced legs forms a recess to receive an edge of earth working equipment. The recess defined by a front bearing surface with a centrally located bearing vertically projecting surface.

[0012] In another example, a wear member with spaced legs forms a recess to receive an edge of earth working equipment. The recess defined by a front bearing surface with a centrally located bearing vertically projecting surface and two upper interior bearing surfaces that narrow in a rearward direction.

[0013] In yet another example, a wear member with spaced legs forms a recess to receive an edge of earth working equipment. The recess defined by top bearing surfaces that complement an upper boss of a lip and lower bearing surface that complement a lower boss of a lip, wherein the top bearing surfaces narrow in a rearward direction.

[0014] In a further example, a wear member with one or more legs that form a recess to receive an edge of earth working equipment. The wear member includes an exterior surface, the exterior surface having at least one side scallop that extends from a front of the wear member to the side of the wear member to push material rearward and laterally.

[0015] In yet a further example, a wear member with one or more legs that form a recess to receive an edge of earth working equipment. The wear member includes an exterior surface, the exterior surface having two scoops that extend from a front of the wear member to the rear and at least one side scallop that extends from a front of the wear member to the side of the wear member to push material rearward and laterally.

[0016] In one example, an edge of earth working equipment includes an inner surface and / or an outer surface and a leading edge support, the leading edge support including a boss that extends rearwardly about a longitudinal axis, the boss being a generally V-shaped structure having a diverging portion adjacent two sidewall bearing surfaces.

[0017] In another example, an edge of earth working equipment includes an inner surface and / or an outer surface and a leading edge support, the leading edge support including a boss that extends rearwardly about a longitudinal axis, the boss being a generally V-shaped structure having a diverging portion adjacent two sidewall bearing surfaces situated atop a top surface ofthe leading edge support, the top surface of the leading edge support having bearing surfaces adjacent the generally V-shaped structure.

[0018] In a further example, an edge of earth working equipment includes an inner surface and / or an outer surface and a leading edge support, the leading edge support including a boss that extends rearwardly along a longitudinal axis, the boss having a front thrust bearing surface with a centrally located vertically projecting bearing surface.

[0019] In yet another example, an edge of earth working equipment includes an inner surface and / or an outer surface and a leading edge support, the leading edge support including a top surface with two inwardly directed bearing surfaces that narrow in a rearward direction and boss situated atop the top surface, the boss extends rearwardly along a longitudinal axis, and includes a front thrust bearing surface with a centrally located vertically projecting bearing surface.

[0020] In one example, an edge of earth working equipment includes an inner surface and / or an outer surface and a leading edge support, the leading edge support including a boss that extends rearwardly along a longitudinal axis, the boss being a generally V-shaped structure having a diverging portion adjacent two sidewall bearing surfaces situated atop atop surface of the leading edge support and two rear surfaces separated by a gap to engage a lock.

[0021] In a preferred construction of the present invention, the wear assembly provides high reliability in operation. The system stably supports the wear member in a reduced stress environment that resists breakage under heavy loading and provides an extended usable life. It is easy to manufacture, requires reduced maintenance, and provides an easy replacement procedure. The inventive system reduces wear on the underlying digging edge of the equipment and minimizes the amount of material to be discarded when replacement is required.

[0022] The present inventive system is further able to withstand loads and provide suitable protection with a smaller part as compared to many conventional mechanically attached parts. It enables mechanical attachment of the wear part without the formation of holes in the equipment or reliance on adjacent adapters. Additionally, it does not suffer loss due to unintended loosening of fastening means.

[0023] The various features of the above-noted examples can be used independently of each other or collectively with all or some of the different features in securing a wear member to an edge of earth working equipment. The noted features are exemplary summary observations of certain ideas of the various concepts of the disclosure and are not intended to be exhaustive or essential. The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the disclosed examples will be more readily understood in view of the following detailed description of certain examples and the accompanying drawings. Understanding that the drawings depict only certain examples and are not, therefore, to be considered limiting in nature, these examples will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] Fig. 1 is perspective view of lip of an excavating bucket with a wear assembly.

[0025] Fig. 2 is an exploded view of and enlarged portion of Fig. 1 .

[0026] Fig. 3 is a cross section view of the wear assembly of Fig. 1 taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

[0027] Fig. 4 is a top view of a boss of the lip of Fig. 1 .

[0028] Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the boss of Fig. 1 .

[0029] Fig. 6 is a front view of the boss of Fig. 1

[0030] Fig. 4A is a top view of a boss of the lip of Fig. 1 .

[0031] Fig. 5A is a bottom view of the boss of Fig. 1 .

[0032] Fig. 6A is a front view of the boss of Fig. 1

[0033] Fig. 7 is a front view of a shroud of Fig. 1 .

[0034] Fig. 8 is a rear perspective view of the shroud of Fig. 1 .

[0035] Fig. 9 is a first side perspective view of the shroud of Fig. 1 .

[0036] Fig. 10 is a top view of the shroud of Fig. 1 .

[0037] Fig. 11 is a bottom view of the shroud of Fig. 1 .Detailed Description of Disclosed Examples

[0038] Wear members are applied to many kinds of earth working equipment to extend the service life of the equipment. The present disclosure is related to wear members and fastening systems for securing the wear members to edges of earth working equipment, wear assemblies involving the same, edges of earth working equipment, and processes for installing wear members on such edges.

[0039] The figures show one example of a lip of a bucket for attachment to earth working equipment, the lip 14 with a plurality of wear assemblies 10 attached thereto. Referring to Figs. 1-3, a lip or digging edge 14 and wear assembly 10 is illustrated. The illustrated lip 14 may be associated with an excavating bucket (not shown). The lip shown is not meant to be a limiting example, as embodiments of this disclosure can be used with lips or other digging edges in a wide range of buckets used in various industries, such as mining, construction, and dredging. The bucket may be any type of bucket, such as a hydraulic excavator, front end loader, cable shovel, dragline bucket, bucket wheel excavator, etc. The digging edge 14 of the bucket is a portion of the outer rim of the bucket and receives the most wear due to engaging earthen material. The digging edge 14 may include the sides of the bucket or at least a portion thereof.

[0040] The lip or base 14 has an elongate body with a bottom or outer surface 8, a top or inner surface 7, and a leading surface 14A as the lip front as defined by a longitudinal direction L. The edge 14 has a direction of advance during operation of the earth working equipment (e.g., a digging operation) that is generally in the longitudinal direction L though the edge can be moved in many directions. The movement of the edge during a digging operation can, e.g., be a generallylinear advance (such as, e.g., with a chain bucket, a dragline bucket, or a ripper shank) or a compound motion, e.g., with a swinging movement (such as, e.g., with a hydraulic excavator). The leading surface 14A may include beveled portions or surfaces adjacent inner and outer surface 7, 8, respectively, but other leading edge configurations are possible. Leading surface 14A can optionally be curved in an outer to inner direction. As other examples, the lip 14 may be generally flat from front end to rear end and / or from side-to-side as illustrated. Alternatively, digging edge 14 may be curved in a lateral direction (not shown).

[0041] The lip 14 can be formed by a casting process or cut from plate. The digging edge 14 can be formed as a single piece or be welded together from separately formed sections. In the illustrated example, the digging edge 14 is a cast lip. In some cases, lips are added to buckets to replace or define the edge of the bucket. The lip 14 may be welded or otherwise attached to the bucket. As noted above, the digging edge could also be wall of the bucket, i.e., without a separate lip.

[0042] To reduce wear, wear assemblies 10 are added to the digging edge 14. Referring to Fig. 1 , the lip 14 is shown having a plurality of wear assemblies 10 attached to the digging edge. The wear assembly 10 includes a wear member 12, and a lock or fastening member 16. The wear member 12 mounts onto the support structure or base of an earth working equipment and the lock retains the wear member 12 to the base. The base as disclosed herein can be a digging edge 14 for a bucket or other equipment, noses on adapters, bosses, and other structures. For ease of discussion, the mounting of a shroud 12 to a lip 14 of a bucket is disclosed herein. Nevertheless, the wear members 12 could be adapters, points, wing shrouds, wear plates, and the like, and / or the bases could be digging edges on other equipment such as dredge cutter heads, rolling drums, blades, etc. Shrouds 12 can be used in connection with a variety of different earth working components having earth working edges including, for example, buckets, lips, ripper shanks and the like.

[0043] The illustrated lip 14 includes a plurality of noses 9 with openings on the sides for locks to secure the wear members in the form of tooth components, but other configurations are possible. The portions situated in-between the plurality of noses 9 are fit areas 9A for other types of wear members 12 (e.g., shrouds). The lip 14 may have other structures for mounting wear members, accommodate other locking arrangements, and / or receive weld-on wear members.

[0044] In one wear assembly 10 in the illustrated example, a lock or retainer 16 secures the shroud 12 to the lip 14. In the illustrated example, the locks associated with the shrouds are those described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,612,214, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. The locks 16 may be other configurations, such as a bolt and nut combination defining a retainer 16 or other kinds of fasteners.

[0045] The illustrated fit area 9A includes a rear flat bearing surface 5, forward of which is an leading edge support 28, also called an insert or base 28. The flat bearing surface 5 bears against a complementary bearing surface at the rear of the shroud 12. The leading edge support28 may be provided to provide bearing surfaces that are used for fitting the shroud 12 to the digging edge 14.Although the leading edge support 28 is preferably an integral portion of the lip 14 (i.e., without being a discrete member secured in the lip) it could also be a separate insert that is welded to the lip or secured in other ways. The leading edge support 28 is preferably cast or otherwise formed in a harder alloy than the lip 14 to aid in reducing the rate of wear in and maintenance of the lip 14, but various alloys with the same or lesser hardness could be used. During installation, the leading edge support 28 is inserted into a cutout of the lip (not shown). A weld material may be applied in-between the leading edge support 28 and the lip 14 to form the leading edge support 28. Afterwards, the shroud 12 is positioned onto the leading edge support 28. During end of life of the leading edge support 28, the entire piece can be cut out and replaced as in installation. Other leading edge supports or configurations are possible.

[0046] Referring to Figs. 4-6, the leading edge support 28 is substantially complementarily shaped relative to a depression or cutout on the shroud 12 for stabilization of the shroud 12. A main body 17 includes side surfaces 29a, 29b, inner or top surface 31 , an upper boss 28a situated upon the top surface 31 , a lower boss 28b, and a front thrust bearing surface 35 located inbetween the upper and lower bosses 28a, 28b. The main body 17 is illustrated as being near the leading edge 14A, but may be spaced rearward of the leading edge 14A as needed. The thrust bearing surface 35 may extend further forward than the leading surface 14A of the digging edge 14. The front bearing surface 35 may also be convex in a vertical direction extending from top surface 31 to the bottom surface 34a, 34b (e.g., perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L). The front bearing surface 35 may also be convex in a side-to-side direction, i.e., in a direction extending from side surface 29a to side surface 29b (e.g., along a horizontal plane). In one example, the convex side-to-side shape approximates the natural side to side motion commonly experienced by the shroud 12 during use to reduce wear and stress concentrations. Front bearing surface 35 could also have other side-to-side shapes including, for example, linear, concave, V- shaped, parabola, curved corners, logarithmic, golden ratio spiral, exponential, other non-single radii configurations, etc. The front bearing surface 35 bears against a complementary rearward facing centrally located bearing surface 53 on the shroud 12. The use of a support 28 reduces lip maintenance and the consequent machine downtime.

[0047] The thrust bearing surface 35 is illustrated as being generally rectangularly shaped with a centrally located lower recess 19 on a bottom surface of the thrust face 35. The recess 19 creates two projections 34a, 34b of the lower boss 28b. The projections 34a, 34b are adjacent the respective sides 29a, 29b of the thrust bearing surface 35 and extend downward and / or outwardly from the digging edge 14. The projections 34a, 34b extend lowerthan the outer surface 8 of the lip 14. The lower boss 28b includes surfaces 36a, 36b that connect the projections 34a, 34b to the outer surface 8 of the lip 14 (Fig. 5). The surfaces 36a, 36b may be ramped.

[0048] The upper boss 28a is a V-shaped structure connected with the thrust bearing surface 35 by connecting surface 41. The connecting surface 41 is preferably non-bearing and narrower than the side-to-side length of the front thrust bearing surface 35. In other examples, the upper boss 28a is not directly connected with front thrust bearing face 35. The V-shaped structure 28a is defined by a V that diverges rearwardly in the longitudinal direction L, but other configurations are possible (e.g., angled off axis, converging, and the like). The upper boss 28a is situated upon a top surface 31 of the leading edge support 28 and projects vertically inward from the top surface 31 . The upper boss 28a may incline vertically in a rearward direction. This ramping effect allows the projections 34a, 34b to not interfere with the rearward motion of the shroud 12 during installation prior to the projections 34a, 34b installing in their respective apertures 25a, 25b. In the illustrated example, the top surface 31 may incline vertically upward in a rearward direction along the longitudinal axis L, but other configurations are possible. In some cases, the upper boss 28a extends upward from the top surface 31. In the illustrated example, the upper boss 28a may bevel or curve into the bearing top surface 31 (Fig. 6). The top surface 31 includes bearing portions 44a, 44b located with one on each side of the upper boss 28a that bears against a complementary surface on the shroud 12. The bearing portions 44a, 44b of the top surface 31 each have a forward surface 47a, 47b adjacent the connecting surface 41. Each portion 44a, 44b is adjacent a diverging side surface 52a, 52b of the upper boss 28a that diverge rearwardly. Each portion 44a, 44b as illustrated is generally trapezoidal shaped, but other shapes are possible.

[0049] The upper boss 28a includes two arms 48a, 48b that define the V-shaped structure, each arm having a top surface 50, diverging side surfaces 52a, 52b, bearing side surfaces 54a, 54b, rear surfaces 56a, 56b, inner surfaces 58a, 58b, and a medial surface 60 which in the illustrated embodiment is curved. Each surface of the upper boss 28a preferably being non-bearing with the shroud, with the exception of the bearing side surfaces 54a, 54b. The top surface 50 may include upper portions 50a, 50b situated atop each of the top arms 48a, 48b. The surface portions 50a, 50b may converge forwardly to join together to be adjacent the connecting surface 41 , but other configurations are possible. Each of the diverging side surfaces 52a, 52b diverge rearwardly to be adjacent parallel bearing side surfaces 54a, 54b. The parallel bearing side surfaces 54a, 54b each bear against complementary surfaces on the shroud 12. The rear surfaces 56a, 56b are separated by a recess or gap 57. The rear surfaces 56a, 56b engage a lock 16 once fully installed (Fig. 3). The recess 57 is defined by inner surfaces 58a, 58b and medial surface 60. The inner surfaces 58a, 58b defining an inner portion of the V-shaped structure. The curved surface 60 connecting the two inner surfaces 58a, 58b.

[0050] The leading edge support 28 may optionally not include a lower boss 28b. The leading edge support 28 preferably has a bearing front thrust surface 35, a connecting surface 41 , bearing portions 44a, 44b of the top surface 31 , and bearing side surfaces 54a, 54b that bear againstcomplementary surfaces in the shroud 12. The upper surface 7 of the lip also includes a flat bearing surface 5 to further contribute to the stabilization of the shroud 12.

[0051] Referring to Figs. 4A-6A, a leading edge support 28A is substantially similar to the leading edge support 28 as discussed above with the following differences and is similarly referenced with a prime “ ’ ” added to the reference number. The leading edge support 28’ may be situated more rearward from the leading edge 14A’. The leading edge support 28’ is substantially complementarily shaped relative to a depression or cutout on the shroud 12 for stabilization of the shroud 12. The cutout on the shroud 12 for the leading edge support 28’ is substantially similar to leading edge support 28 as will be further discussed below.

[0052] The upper boss 28a’ is illustrated to be more triangular shaped over the V-shape of the previous example by removing the gap on the rear lock bearing surface 56’. The upper boss 28a’ triangular-shaped structure is connected with the thrust bearing surface 35’ by connecting surface 41 ’. The upper boss 28a’ is situated upon a top surface 31 of the leading edge support 28 and projects vertically inward from the top surface 31 ’. In the illustrated example, the upper boss 28a’ may bevel or curve into the bearing top surface 31 (Fig. 6). The top surface 31 includes bearing portions 44a, 44b located with one on each side of the upper boss 28a that bears against a complementary surface on the shroud 12.

[0053] The triangle-shaped structure 28a’ is defined by a surfaces 52a’, 52b’ that diverge rearwardly in the longitudinal direction L, but other configurations are possible (e.g., angled off axis, converging, and the like). The upper boss 28a has a top surface 50’, diverging side surfaces 52a’, 52b’, bearing side surfaces 54a’, 54b’, and a rear lock bearing surface 56’. Each surface of the upper boss 28a preferably being non-bearing with the shroud, with the exception of the bearing side surfaces 54a’, 54b’. Each of the diverging side surfaces 52a’, 52b’ diverge rearwardly to be adjacent parallel bearing side surfaces 54a’, 54b’. The parallel bearing side surfaces 54a’, 54b’ each bear against complementary surfaces on the shroud 12. The rear surface 56’ engage a lock 16 once fully installed and mechanically attached to the lip (Fig. 3).

[0054] The leading edge support 28a’ may optionally not include a lower boss 28b’. The leading edge support 28’ preferably has a bearing front thrust surface 35’, a connecting surface 41 ’, bearing portions 44a’, 44b’ of the top surface 31 ’, and bearing side surfaces 54a’, 54b’ that bear against complementary surfaces in the shroud 12, but other configurations and combinations of these surfaces are envisioned.

[0055] With reference to Figs. 7-1 1 , the shroud 12 includes an exterior working portion 26 having a front edge 26A, mounting portion 26B having rear surfaces 30A, 32A, and an opening 24 that receives a lock 16 to releasably secure the shroud 12 to the digging edge 14. In this example, the working portion 26 may include a top or inner surface 23 and an outer or bottom surface 18. During use, the working portion 26 contacts the earth or other material during the excavation process to protect the lip, ease penetration, and / or gather material in the bucket 1 . The bottom surface 18 includes a rear portion 60 and a forward portion 61. The forward portion 61 of theouter surface 18 and the inner surface 23 converge to a working edge 26A. The front working edge 26A may include two forward converging surfaces 59a, 59b. The forward portion 61 preferably makes up between 50-60% of a length M of the bottom surface 18. The larger forward portion 61 raises the working portion 26 centerline C and aids in penetration.

[0056] The shroud 12 includes side surfaces 68a, 68b that extend from the front end 26A to the rear end 26B. The side surfaces 68a, 68b may converge in a rearward direction, but other configurations are possible. The convergence allows for easier longitudinal placement to and from the fit area 5 as the side surfaces 68a, 68b are situated away from the tooth assemblies adjacent the shroud during installation and removal.

[0057] The inner surface 23 includes two scoops 62a, 62b that tunnel out the inner surface 23, but other configurations are possible. The scoops 62a, 62b include an inner surface defined by two side surfaces 64a, 64b, 65a, 65b and an end surface 66a, 66b (which is rounded in the illustrated embodiment) located near the front end edge 26A. In the illustrated embodiment, the two side surfaces 64a, 64b, 65a, 65b in each scoop curve to converge and then diverge in a rearward direction a distance away from one another defining a scoop width W, but other configurations are possible. The outer side surfaces 65a, 65b extend rearwardly in a curve toward the respective sides 68a, 68b of the shroud 12. The inner side surfaces 64a, 64b curve rearwardly and encircle the lock opening 24. The depth of the scoops 62a, 62b may change as the scoops 62a, 62b extend rearwardly. In the illustrated example, the scoops 62a, 62b have a deeper depth near the front edge 26A than at a rear edge 26B. The scoops 62a, 62b curve towards one another as they approach the front edge 26A and diverge rearwardly around the opening 24, but other configurations are possible. The curvature of the scoops may change as the scoops 62a, 62b extend forwardly. The scoops 62a, 62b may extend to or nearly to the front edge 26A, e.g., within 0-20 cm of the front edge 26A. Scoops in addition to or in lieu of may be located on the outer surface 18. The scoops 62a, 62b re-direct material to the sides of the shroud 12 and advantageously move the earthen material away from the lock 16 to reduce wear of the lock 16.

[0058] The illustrated inner surface 23 of the shroud 12 includes two side scallops 70a, 70b that tunnel out the inner surface 23 and create two separate concave surfaces 78a, 78b on the front edge 26A, but other configurations are possible. The side scallops 70a, 70b include an inner surface defined by two side surfaces 74a, 74b, 75a, 75b and a concave end surface 78a, 78b located near the front end edge 26A. The two side surfaces 75a, 75b of the side scallops 70a, 70b are illustrated to align with the respective sides 68a, 68b, but other configurations are possible. The side surfaces 74a, 74b preferably curve from the concave end surface 76a, 76b to the respective side 68a, 68b. The curvature of side surfaces 74a, 74b is illustrated to align with inner side surfaces 65a, 65b of the respective scoops 62a, 62b, but other configurations are possible. The depth of the side scallops 70a, 70b may change as the side scallops 70a, 70b extend rearwardly, but other configurations are possible. In the illustrated example, the sidescallops 70a, 70b have a constant depth from front to rear. The side scallops 70a, 70b may extend to or nearly to the front edge 26A, e.g., within 0-20 cm of the front edge 26A. The side scallops 70a, 70b re-direct material sideways and advantageously move the earthen material away from the lock 16 to reduce wear of the lock 16. Two additional side scallops 70c, 70d are located on the outer surface 18. The side scallops and scoops reduce the overall weight of the shroud 12, which improves cost and increases manufacturing capabilities as more shrouds are producible with less overall material. The side scallops 70c, 70d may extend beyond the length of the forward portion 61 of the bottom surface 18. The illustrated side scallops 70c, 70d on outer surface 18 converge rearwardly, but other configurations are possible. The side scallops 70c, 70d re-direct material sideways during digging.

[0059] The mounting portion 26b includes a first leg 30, which in the illustrated example is an inner or top leg 30, and an opposite second leg 32, which is an outer or bottom leg 32. The legs 30, 32 are spaced to define a cavity, channel, or recess 40 to receive the lip 14, such that the legs straddle the lip, each leg 30, 32 extends rearward along the lip 14 when the shroud 12 is installed (Fig. 3).

[0060] The first leg 30 includes an interior surface 33 that forms a first or inner surface of a cavity 40. The interior surface can include inner bearing surfaces 39a, 39b where at least a portion of the inner bearing surfaces 39a, 39b bear (shown in cross-hatching) against the portions 44a, 44b of the top surface 31 of the upper boss 28a when assembled (Fig. 1) and a rear bearing surface 45 that bears against the flat bearing surface 5 of the lip 14. The interior surface 33 includes an interior recess 33A that communicates with the lock opening 24 for installation on the upper boss 28a. The recess 33A may extend further rearward to aid in the installation. The interior recess 33A includes two inner generally parallel bearing surfaces 22a, 22b adjacent respective converging surfaces 37a, 37b that converge forwardly in the longitudinal direction L. The two converging surfaces 37a, 37b converge to a central surface 46. The two converging surfaces 37a, 37b are preferably non-bearing. The two inner bearing surfaces 22a, 22b include portions 20a, 20b that are situated before the lock opening 24. The portions 20a, 20b of the two inner bearing surfaces 22a, 22b bear against the parallel bearing side surfaces 54a, 54b of the upper boss 28a.

[0061] The second or outer leg 32 includes an inclined interior surface 21 that defines a second or outer surface of cavity 40. The interior surface 21 can include one or more bearing surfaces to bear against the fit pad surface 27 on the lip 14 (See Fig. 5). The second leg may include apertures 25a, 25b that may communicate with a pocket 40A and may bear on portions of projections 34a, 34b. The interior surface 21 is inclined to align with the lower boss 28b of the leading edge support 28 on lip 14 to help resist upward and / or reverse loading. The second leg 32 includes a rear surface 32A.

[0062] An end wall 42 joins the first and second legs 30, 32 at the front end of cavity 40. The end wall 42 is defined by a front abutment surface 53 adjacent forward surfaces 43a, 43b, divergingrearwardly but other configurations are possible. The front abutment surface 53 is recessed into the pocket 40A from the front surfaces 43a, 43b. The pocket 40A may communicate with the interior recess 33A. The front abutment surface 53 includes two projections 48a, 48b that dip into the lower leg 32. The front abutment surface 53 may include a circular recess 49. The circular recess may have a diameter that is approximately half the width N of the front abutment surface 53. The front abutment surface 53 and central surface 46 bears against the front thrust surface 35 and connecting surface 41 of the leading edge support 28.

[0063] The opening 24 extends through the first leg 30 and opens to cavity 40 to receive a lock 16. The opening 24 passes between the bearing surfaces 22a, 22b of the shroud recess 33A. Other arrangements for securing the wear member are possible. Other variations in the wear member are also possible. For example, the cavity of the wear member is shaped to correspond to the configuration of edge and could have varied shapes to complement different edges. Optionally, retainers could extend through both legs of the shroud.

[0064] Each shroud 12 is installed on the lip along the longitudinal axis L (e.g., one by one down the edge) (Fig. 1). While the front of cavity 40 (i.e., along end wall 42) could have various configurations (such as including recesses), the end wall 42 is that portion of the front of the cavity 40 that extends generally parallel to the leading edge of leading edge support 28. The end wall 42 is designed to oppose the lip 14 transverse to the longitudinal axis.

[0065] On assembly of shroud 12 to lip 14, cavity 40 receives lip 14 as the shroud 12 moves or is slid rearward. The shroud 12 fitting surfaces include the front abutment surface 53, the central surface 46, the inner bearing surfaces 39a, 39b, the recess bearing surfaces 20a, 20b, and rear bearing surface 45 that bear against respectively the front thrust surface 35, the connecting surface 41 , bearing portions 44a, 44b of the top surface 31 , and bearing side bearing surfaces 54a, 54b of the upper boss 28, and fit pad 27 of the lip, and a rear flat bearing surface 5 of the lip, or some combination thereof. These fitting surfaces may also include surfaces that bear against a lower boss. With the shroud 12 seated on the lip 14, a lock or fastener 16 can be inserted into a hole or opening 24 and inner recess 33A. Opening 24 includes an inner surface 24A to bear against at least a portion of lock 16. This process is repeated for each shroud 12 across the lip 14.

[0066] The disclosure is described herein in the context of a shroud for a bucket. It should be understood that this is merely one example of the disclosed subject matter and is not meant to be limiting. Shrouds in accordance with the present disclosure may have other constructions for use on a wide variety of buckets including, for example, buckets for hydraulic excavators, loaders, cable shovels, face shovels, etc., or for use on other products such as ripper shanks. The wear members may be secured to a lip, to a base secured to the lip, to other portions of a bucket, or to other earth working equipment. Relative terms such as top, bottom, forward, rearward, left and right are used herein for ease of discussion and are not intended to be limiting.

[0067] With reference to the drawings, this specification describes particular examples and their detailed construction and operation. The examples described are set forth by way of illustration only and not limitation. The described features, structures, characteristics, and methods of operation may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more examples. In view of the disclosure herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various examples can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or with other methods, components, materials, or the like. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or methods of operation are not shown or not described in detail to avoid obscuring more pertinent aspects of the examples. It is intended that subject matter disclosed in any one portion herein can be combined with the subject matter of one or more other portions herein as long as such combinations are not mutually exclusive or inoperable. In addition, many variations, enhancements and modifications of the concepts described herein are possible. Those skilled in the art will recognize that many variations can be made to the details of the above-described examples without departing from the underlying principles of the disclosure.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A wear member for earth working equipment having a base with a boss, the wear member comprising: a. a boss recess that extends rearwardly along a longitudinal axis, the boss recess having a diverging portion adjacent respective sidewall bearing surfaces.

2. The wear member of claim 1 , wherein the boss recess is located at a rear of the wear member.

3. The wear member of any one of claims 1 -2, wherein the base is a lip of a bucket.

4. The wear member of any one of claims 1-3, further comprising two downward facing bearing surfaces located on opposite sides of the boss recess.

5. The wear member of claim 4, wherein the two downward facing bearing surfaces are located adjacent a forward end of the boss recess.

6. The wear member of claim 4, wherein the wear member is a shroud having at least an upper leg with an interior surface, and wherein the interior surface includes the boss recess and the two downward facing bearing surfaces.

7. The wear member of any one of claims 1 -6, wherein the boss recess includes a rearward facing thrust bearing surface.

8. A wear member to receive an edge of earth working equipment, the wear member comprising: a. an exterior surface having two scoops, each extending from a front to a rear of the wear member.

9. The wear member of claim 8, wherein the two scoops diverge from one another.

10. The wear member of any one of claims 8-9, wherein the at least one of the two scoops begin at the front near a central point and extend rearward to end at the rear and side of the exterior of the wear member to push material through the two scoops rearwardly and laterally.

11. A wear member to receive an edge of earth working equipment, the wear member comprising: a. an exterior surface having at least one side scallop that extends from a front of the wear member to a respective side of the wear member to push material rearward and laterally.

12. The wear member of claim 11 , wherein the front of the wear member where the side scallop is located is concave.

13. The wear member of any one of claims 11-12, further comprising at least one scoop located adjacent the side scallop and extending near the front of the wear member to a rear of the wear member.

14. The wear member of any one of claims 1 1-13, wherein the at least one scoop is two scoops that diverge from one another.

15. A leading edge support for a digging edge of earth working equipment comprising: a. a boss that extends rearwardly about a longitudinal axis, the boss having a diverging portion adjacent two rear sidewall bearing surfaces.

16. The leading edge support of claim 15, wherein the boss is a V-shaped structure.

17. The leading edge support of claim 16, wherein the boss includes a rear bearing surface to bear against a lock.

18. The leading edge support of claim 17, wherein the rear bearing surface includes a gap separating two portions of the rear surface.

19. The leading edge support of any one of claims 15-18, wherein the boss is a triangular shaped structure.

20. The leading edge support of any one of claims 15-19, further comprising a front thrust bearing surface with a centrally located vertically projecting bearing surface.

21. The leading edge support of any one of claims 15-20, wherein the boss is situated on a lower portion of the leading edge support and the lower portion includes two upward facing bearing surfaces adjacent the boss on opposite sides of the boss.

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