Shroud support structure, shroud and shroud mounting system

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for mechanically securing shrouds to a lip of earth-working equipment are disclosed. Some systems include a boss mounted to the surface of the lip, where the boss is secured in a slot of the shroud. The boss and the slot of the shroud include at least two pairs of load-bearing surfaces. A first pair of the load-bearing surfaces are spaced apart by a first distance in a lateral direction of the shroud and face opposing lateral directions, and a second pair of the load-bearing surfaces are spaced apart by a second distance in the lateral direction of the shroud, spaced a vertical distance from the surface of the bucket lip, and face towards the surface of the bucket lip. The load-bearing surfaces of the boss bear against complementary load-bearing surfaces in the slot of the shroud to secure the shroud on the lip.

Description

WEAR MEMBER, EDGE AND PROCESS OF INSTALLATIONRelated Applications

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 695,755 filed September 17, 2025, entitled “WEAR MEMBER, EDGE AND PROCESS OF INSTALLATION,’’ the entity of which is incorporated by reference herein and made a part hereof.Field of the Disclosure

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

[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. It lessens the need to repair or replace the more expensive underlying equipment, such as the 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 various directional forces, including 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 assemblies including wear members (e.g., shrouds) and bases 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] In one example, the disclosure pertains to a wear assembly including a shroud to protect the digging edge of excavating equipment, such as the lip of a bucket and a base or shroud support structure. The shroud mounts to a shroud support structure disposed on the surface of a bucket lip. The shroud support structure may include a boss that includes a first pair of bearing surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a first distance in a lateral direction that is transverse to the longitudinal direction, and facing away from each other in the lateral direction. The boss may include a second pair of bearing surfaces spaced apart by atleast a second distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a third distance from the surface of the bucket lip, and facing towards the surface of the bucket lip. The first pair of bearing surfaces and the second pair of bearing surfaces are arranged to bear against complementary bearing surfaces on the shroud. The first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced by at least a fourth distance in the longitudinal direction from the second pair of bearing surfaces.

[0007] In some examples, a shroud includes a slot at a rear of the shroud to receive the boss mounted on the surface of a bucket lip. The slot in the shroud may include a first pair of bearing surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a first distance in the lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and facing inward towards each other in the lateral direction. The second pair of bearing surfaces may be spaced apart by at least a second distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a third distance from an inside surface of shroud, and facing away from the inside surface of the shroud. The first pair of bearing surfaces and the second pair of bearing surfaces are arranged to bear against complementary bearing surfaces disposed on the boss. The first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced by at least a fourth distance in the longitudinal direction from the second pair of bearing surfaces.

[0008] Another example may include a shroud mounting system comprising a boss mounted to a surface of a bucket lip and a shroud. The boss may include a first pair of bearing surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a first distance in a lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and facing away from each other in the lateral direction. The boss may also include a second pair of bearing surfaces spaced apart by at least a second distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a third distance from the surface of the bucket lip, and facing towards the surface of the bucket lip. The shroud may have a slot at a rear of the shroud to receive the boss. The slot may include a third pair of bearing surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a fourth distance in the lateral direction, and facing inward towards each other in the lateral direction. The slot may also include a fourth pair of bearing surfaces spaced apart by at least a fifth distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a sixth distance from an inside surface of the shroud, and facing away from the inside surface of the shroud. The first pair of bearing surfaces and the second pair of bearing surfaces may be arranged to bear against the third pair of bearing surfaces and the fourth pair of bearing surfaces, respectively. The first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced by at least a seventh distance in the longitudinal direction from the second pair of bearing surfaces.

[0009] In another example, 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 extended usable life. It is easy to manufacture, requires reduced maintenance, and provides an easy replacement procedure. The inventive system reduces wearon the underlying digging edge of the equipment and minimizes the amount of material to be discarded when replacement is required.

[0010] 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 given 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

[0011] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limited to the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicate the same elements and in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the lip of an excavating bucket with a wear assembly;Fig. 2 is an exploded view of an enlarged portion of Fig. 1 ;Fig. 3 is a top view of a shroud support structure of the lip of Fig. 1 ;Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the shroud support structure of the lip of Fig. 1 ;Fig. 5 is a front view of the shroud support structure of the lip of Fig. 1 ;Figs. 6A and 6B are rear perspective views of the shroud of Fig. 1 ;Fig. 7A is a cross-section view of a shroud assembly taken along line i-i in Fig. 1 ;Fig. 7B is a cross-section view of the shroud assembly taken along line ii-ii in Fig. 1 ;Fig. 8 is a bottom view of a boss insert before mounting it onto the shroud support structure of Fig. 4;Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the boss illustrated in Fig. 7 mounted to the shroud support structure of the lip of Fig. 1 ;Fig. 10 is a bottom view of a top leg of the shroud of Fig. 1 , including a slot for receiving the boss mounted to the lip of Fig. 1 ;Fig. 11 is a cross-section view of the shroud, taken along line i-i in Fig. 1 , illustrating details of the slot for receiving the boss mounted to the lip;Fig. 12 is a cross-section view of the shroud, taken along line iii-iii in Fig. 1 , illustrating details of the slot for receiving the boss mounted to the lip; andFig. 13 is a cross-section view of the shroud, taken along line iv-iv in Fig. 1 , illustrating details of the slot for receiving the boss mounted to the lip.Detailed Description of Disclosed Examples

[0012] Wear members are applied to many kinds of earth-working equipment to extend its service life. 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.

[0013] The figures show one example of a lip 14 on a digging edge of an excavating bucket (not shown) for attachment to earth-working equipment. 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 earth-working equipment used in various industries, such as mining, construction, and dredging. For example, the lip 14 may be on the digging edge of any type of bucket, such as a hydraulic excavator, front-end loader, cable shovel, dragline bucket, bucket wheel excavator, etc. The lip 14 may be a portion of the outer rim of a bucket and receives the most wear due to engaging earthen material. The lip 14 on the digging edge of the bucket may include the sides of the bucket or at least a portion thereof.

[0014] Referring to Fig. 1 , the lip 14 may have an elongated body with a bottom (or outer) surface 8 and a top (or inner) surface 7 extending in a lateral direction La, and a plurality of wear assemblies 10 installed on a leading edge 14A as the lip front as defined by a longitudinal direction Lo. Lip 14 has a direction of advance during the operation of the earth-working equipment (e.g., a digging operation) that is generally in the longitudinal direction Lo. However, the lip can be moved in many directions. The lip movement during a digging operation can, e.g., be a generally linear advance (e.g., with a chain bucket, a dragline bucket, or a ripper shank) or a compound motion, e.g., with a swinging movement (e.g., with a hydraulic excavator). The leading edge 14A may include beveled portions or surfaces adjacent to inner and outer surfaces 7 and 8, respectively, but other leading-edge configurations are possible.

[0015] The lip 14 may be generally flat or have flat portions from front to rear in direction Lo and / or from side-to-side in direction La as illustrated (e.g., with flat top surface 7, flat bottom surface 8). Alternatively, lip 14 may be curved or have curved portions in the lateral or longitudinal directions (not shown).

[0016] The lip 14 can be formed by a casting process or cut from a 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 lip 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 a wall of the bucket, i.e., without a separate lip.

[0017] To reduce wear, the plurality of wear assemblies 10 are added to the lip 14 along the leading (digging) edge 14A of the bucket. Referring to Fig. 1 , the plurality of wear assemblies 10 may include different types of wear assemblies attached to other portions of leading edge 14A. For example, leading edge 14A may include a plurality of noses covered by wear members 11 in the form of teeth, points, or wear assemblies that extend outwardly in the longitudinal direction Lo. The plurality of noses and wear members 11 may include openings on the sides for locks to secure the wear members, though other configurations are possible. The noses may be separated laterally with gaps referred to herein as support structures 9. The gaps are covered by wear members 12, also referred to herein as shrouds. The lip 14 may have other structures for mounting wear members, accommodate the same or other locking arrangements. In other examples, the lip 14 may receive weld-on wear members.

[0018] Leading edge 14A may have various profiles on which wear members are distributed. For example, as shown in Fig. 1 , leading edge 14A may have straight or generally straight profile such that wear members 11 and shrouds 12 are distributed linearly in the lateral direction across leading edge 14A. In other examples, leading-edge 14A may be curved in the vertical direction, with the outer wear assemblies (e.g. at the lateral extremes of leading edge 14A) offset above or below in the vertical direction from one or more center wear assemblies (e.g., at the center of the leading edge 14A) . In another example, the leading edge 14A may be curved or stepped in the longitudinal axis, e.g., such that a spade-shape is created, and the outer wear assemblies (e.g. at the lateral extremes of leading edge 14A) are offset in the longitudinal direction from one or more center wear assemblies (e.g., at the center of the leading edge 14A).

[0019] Referring to Figs. 2-6B, shroud 12 mounts onto the shroud support structure 9, which may be attached, or integral, to leading edge 14A for a bucket or other equipment. For ease of discussion, the mounting of a shroud 12 to a lip 14 of a bucket is disclosed herein, though shroud 12 could be an adapter, a point, a wing shroud, a wear plate, and the like, and / or the support structure 9 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 earthworking components having earth-working edges, including, for example, buckets, lips, ripper shanks, and the like.

[0020] Shroud 12 includes an exterior working surface for contacting earth or other material during the operation of the bucket and an interior surface for interfacing to support structure 9 on lip 14. The exterior working portion of shroud 12 includes (as shown in Figs. 2 and 6) a top surface 12A, a bottom surface 12B, side surfaces 12C and 12D, a top rear surface 12E, and a bottom rear surface 12F. The top surface 12Aand bottom surface 12B converge at a front digging edge, which optionally may include a front surface 12G along the digging edge. In some examples, side surfaces 12C and 12D may be parallel to each other or may converge towardsthe front or rear of shroud 12. During operation, the exteriorworking surface of shroud 12 protects the lip, eases penetration of the earth or other material, and / or aids in moving material into the bucket.

[0021] As further detailed below, with shroud 12 positioned on support structure 9, a lock 16 may releasably secure shroud 12 to the lip 14. In the illustrated example, the lock 16 associated with shroud 12 may be as described in U.S. Pat. No. 10,612,214, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. In other examples, the lock 16 may be a bolt and nut combination or other kinds of fasteners. During the end of the life of the boss 28, the entire piece can be cut out and replaced (e.g., by welding a new boss insert 28A onto the boss base 28B).

[0022] As shown in Figs. 3-5, shroud support structure 9 includes a top surface 9A on or integral with top surface 7 of lip 14, a bottom surface 9B on or integral with bottom surface 8 of lip 14, and a leading-edge surface 9C connecting top and bottom surfaces 9A and 9B, respectively, along leading edge 14A.

[0023] The top, bottom, and leading-edge surfaces 9A, 9B, and 9C, respectively, include a plurality of bearing surfaces that bear against a respective plurality of complementary bearing surfaces on top, bottom, and leading-edge surfaces 21 A, 21 B, and 21C of shroud 12. As illustrated in Figs. 3-5, the plurality of bearing surfaces on shroud support structure 9 may include bearing surfaces 5, 13A, and 15A (e.g., on top surface 9A), bearing surfaces 6, 13B, and 15B (e.g., on bottom surface 9B), and bearing surfaces 13C and 15C on leading-edge surface 9C. In some examples, bearing surface 5 and / or bearing surface 6 may have a lateral width greater than one-third the width of shroud support structure 9 (e.g., greater than one-third the distance between the outside edges of surfaces 13A and 15A). In the illustrated example, the shroud support structure 9 includes all the bearing surfaces 13A, 13B, 13C, 15A, 15B, 15C, 5, and 6, though a subset of any combination of these bearing surfaces may be included as a possible configuration.

[0024] As shown in Figs. 6A and 6B, the interior surface of shroud 12 includes a top surface 21 A, a bottom surface 21 B, and a leading-edge surface 21 C that interfaces with top surface 9A, a bottom surface 9B, and leading-edge surface 9C, respectively, of shroud support structure 9 through a plurality of bearing surfaces on the shroud 12. The plurality of bearing surfaces on shroud 12 may include bearing surfaces 33A, 35A, 45A, and 45B (e.g., on top surface 21A), bearing surfaces 33B, 35B, and 46 (e.g., on bottom surface 21 B), and bearing surfaces 33C and 35C (e.g, on leading-edge surface 21C). In the illustrated example, the shroud 12 includes all of the bearing surfaces 33A, 33B, 33C, 35A, 35B, 35C, 45A, 45B, and 46, though a subset of any combination of these bearing surfaces may be included as a possible configuration.

[0025] The bearing surfaces are highlighted with stipple for illustration purposes only and do not indicate surface texture or that the whole surface is bearing, as the engagement of the two bearing surfaces may occur along any part of the stippled surface. In some cases, the nonstippled surfaces may be considered clearance during active use of the wear member.

[0026] When shroud 12 is assembled together with shroud support structure 9, bearing surfaces 5, 6, 13A-13C, and 15A-15C on shroud support structure 9 may interface and bear against one or more of bearing surfaces 45A / B, 46, 33A-33C, and 35A-C, respectively. In some examples, shroud 12 and shroud support surface 9 may be designed so that less than all of the bearing surfaces 5, 6, 13A-13C, and 15A-15C simultaneously touch their respective bearing surfaces 45A / B, 46, 33A-33C, and 35A-C (e.g., during installation and / or during operation) to allow some play in the installation. In some examples, all or some of the bearing surfaces bear only during loading in vertical, horizontal, rotational, and / or compound (combinations of vertical and horizontal) directions. In other examples, all bearing surfaces 5, 6, 13A-13C, and 15A-15C simultaneously bear against the respective bearing surfaces 45A / B, 46, 33A-33C, and 35A-C (e.g., during external loading).

[0027] Each bearing surface may be flush, recessed, or raised with respect to the surface to which they are attached. For example, bearing surfaces 5, 13A, and 15A may be raised with respect to top surface 9A, bearing surfaces 6, 13B, and 15B may be raised with respect to bottom surface 9B, and bearing surfaces 13C and 15C may be raised with respect to leading-edge surface 9C. Similarly, bearing surfaces 45A / B, 33A, and 35A may be raised with respect to the top surface 21A, bearing surfaces 46, 33B, and 35B may be raised with respect to the bottom surface 21 B, and bearing surfaces 33C and 35C may be raised with respect to leading-edge surface 21 C.

[0028] Optionally, each bearing surface may be bordered by a transition region. For example, on shroud support structure 9, bearing surface 5 may be bordered by transition region 5A, bearing surface 6 may be bordered by transition region 6A, bearing surfaces 13A, 13B, and 13C may be bordered by transition region 13D, and / or bearing surfaces 15A, 15B, and 15C may be bordered by transition region 15D. Similarly, on shroud 12, central top bearing surfaces 45A and 45B may be bordered by transition regions 45C and 45D, respectively, central bottom bearing surface 46 may be bordered by transition region 46A, bearing surfaces 33A, 33B, and 33C may be bordered by transition region 33D, and / or bearing surfaces 35A, 35B, and 35C may be bordered by transition region 35D.

[0029] Transition regions 5A, 6A, 13D, 15D, 45C, 45D, 46A, 33D, and 35D may have different profiles between the surfaces of shroud support structure 9 and their respective bearing surfaces. For example, transition regions 5A, 6A, 13D, 15D, 45C, 45D, 46A, 33D, and 35D may each havea constant slope or may be concave, convex, form a fillet, etc. The profiles may be the same for all of the transition regions, or they may be different. The transition regions may be weld material, and therefore not as uniform as illustrated.

[0030] The bearing surfaces are spaced and located in different positions to withstand external forces and torques on the shroud 12 against shroud support structure 9 during operation in which the external surface of the shroud is pressed against earth or other material. For example, bearing surfaces 13A-13C may be laterally spaced from bearing surfaces 15A-15C (e.g., by as distance N) so that forces are applied to the outer sides of the shroud instead of centrally. Additionally, the width of the bearing surfaces 13A-13C and 15A-15C may be narrower than the lateral spacing. The lateral spacing and / or the ratio of the bearing surface width to the lateral spacing being less than one may improve the resistance to linear forces along three axes and torsional forces about the three axes on shroud 12. In some examples, the distance N between 13A-13C and 15A-15C (e.g., the distance between 13A and 15A, the distance between 13B and 15B, and / or the distance between 13C and 15C) may be greater than one-third of the distance P between the outer edges of the surfaces. For example, the total width of 13A and 15A, the total width of 13B and 15B, and / or the total width of 13C and 15C may be less than two-thirds the distance P. In some examples the widths of 13A and 15A, the widths of 13B and 15B, and / or the widths of 13C and 15C may be the same so that each is less than one-third the distance P. While distances N and P are shown in Fig. 5 with respect to surfaces 13C and 15C, these distances may apply with respect to surfaces 13A and 15A, and / or to surfaces 13B and 15B. Additionally, the distances N and P may be the same or different as applied to 13A / 15A, 13B / 15B, and / or 13C / 15C.

[0031] Similarly, bearing surfaces 13A-13C and 15A-15C may be longitudinally spaced from bearing surfaces 5 and / or 6, and the width (in the longitudinal direction) of bearing surfaces 13A- 13C and / or 15A-15C and / or 5 and / or 6 may be narrower than the longitudinal spacing. The longitudinal spacing and / or the ratio of the bearing surface width to the longitudinal spacing being less than one may improve the resistance to linear forces along three axes and torsional forces about the three axes on shroud 12. For example, the longitudinal distance between surface 5 and surfaces 13A / 15A and / or the longitudinal distance between surface 6 and surfaces 13B / 15B may be greater than one-third of the distance between the outer edges of the surfaces. For example, the total length of 13A (or 15A) and 5 may be less than two-thirds the longitudinal distance between the outer edges of surfaces 13A / 15A and 5. Similarly, the total length of 13B (or 15B) and 6 may be less than two-thirds the longitudinal distance between the outer edges of surfaces 13B / 15B and 6. In some examples, the lengths of 13A / 15A and 5, may be the same so that each is less than one-third the distance between the outer edges of the surfaces. In someexamples, the lengths of 13B / 15B and 6, may be the same so that each is less than one-third the distance between the outer edges of the surfaces.

[0032] Some or all of the bearing surfaces may be flat (e.g., 5, 6, 13A / 13B, 15A / 15B, 45A / 45B, 46, 33A / 33B, 35A / 35B as illustrated), or some or all of the bearing surfaces may be curved (e.g., with a concave or convex surface such 13C / 15C and 33C / 35C). Each of the bearing surfaces may be generally parallel to the respective surfaces to which they are attached; however, some or all of the bearing surfaces may be offset by an angle from the respective surfaces of the shroud support structure 9 or shroud 12. Some examples may include bearing surfaces that are ramped or angled. For example, non-bearing surface 9A may be concave, resulting in bearing surfaces 13A and 15A angled inward towards each other (and opposing bearing surfaces 33A and 35A angled outwards away from each other). Non-bearing surface 9B may be flat, resulting in bearing surfaces 13B and 15B being substantially planer with each other (and opposing bearing surfaces 33B and 35B being substantially planer with each other). Non-bearing surface 9C may be concave, resulting in bearing surfaces 13C and 15C angled inward towards each other (and opposing bearing surfaces 33C and 35C angled outwards away from each other). In some examples, from a top view, bearing surfaces 13C and 15C may be curved and / or positioned along an arc c-c, as shown in Fig. 3 (e.g., along a concave contour of the front edge of lip 14). Bearing surfaces 13A-13C are illustrated as laterally spaced from bearing surfaces 15A-15C, but other configurations are possible (e.g., offset).

[0033] In other examples, bearing surfaces 13A and 15A may be planer with each other and face directly up (and opposing bearing surfaces 33A and 35A being planer and facing directly down), bearing surfaces 13B and 15B may be planer with each other and facing directly down (and opposing bearing surfaces 33B and 35B being planer and facing directly down), and / or bearing surfaces 13C and 15C may be planer with each other and face directly forward (and opposing bearing surfaces 33C and 35C being planer and facing directly backward). Similarly, as shown in the figures, bearing surfaces 5 and 6 may be angled forward (e.g., tilted in the direction of the longitudinal Lo axis), though in some examples, bearing surface 5 may face directly up, and bearing surface 6 may face directly down. As used herein, the direction a surface faces is the direction of a vector perpendicular to the surface.

[0034] The bearing surfaces may have a variety of shapes, including, for example, linear, concave, V-shaped, parabola, curved corners, logarithmic, golden ratio spiral, exponential, other non-single radii configurations, etc. When the shroud is installed on the shroud support structure 9, there may be a clearance space between the shroud 12 and the shroud support structure 9, such that the surfaces of the shroud do not touch the surfaces of the lip under load except for the contact between the bearing surfaces described above.

[0035] Shroud support structure 9 may also include a boss 28 that includes a boss insert 28A mounted to a boss base 28b (shown apart for illustration in Fig. 2) located adjacent to the central top bearing surface 5. The boss 28 is illustrated forward of the central top bearing surface 5, but other configurations are possible. For example, the central top bearing surface 5 may be forward of the boss 28, situated to the sides of the boss 28, and / or not exist as the slot surfaces may interact with the boss insert in lieu of the lip, or some combination thereof. As further described below, boss 28 includes additional bearing surfaces that hold down and prevent rotation of shroud 12 and that have a geometry that makes manufacturing and inspection of shroud 12 easier (e.g., by reducing tolerance requirements, allowing for easier cores during casting, and the like). Although boss 28 may be an integral portion of lip 14 (e.g., without being a discrete member secured in the lip), it may include (as illustrated) a separate boss insert 28A that may be welded or secured in other ways to the boss base 28B on lip 14 to create some or all of the features of boss 28. The boss 28 (or just boss insert 28A) may be cast or otherwise formed in a harder alloy than the lip 14 to aid in reducing the rate of wear in and maintenance of boss 28, but various alloys with the same or lesser hardness may be used. Boss insert 28A may be mounted or integral to boss base 28B, which may be a raised surface with respect to top surface 9A. Alternatively, boss base 28B may be a planer region within top surface 9A. A weld material may be applied inbetween the boss insert 28A and boss base 28B in openings 28C and 28D to fix the boss insert 28A to the base 28B and form the boss 28. Shroud 12 may be positioned onto support structure 9 with the boss 28 positioned within a slot 70 on an inner wall (e.g., within top surface 21 A) of shroud 12, but other configurations are possible.

[0036] Figs. 7A and 7B illustrate a cross-section view of shroud 12 mounted on shroud support structure 9 taken along longitudinal lines i-i and ii-ii, respectively, in Figs. 1 and 3. Longitudinal line i-i bifurcates shroud 12 and shroud support structure 9 along a center line of the assembly to illustrate the interface between boss 28 on shroud support structure 9 and a corresponding slot 70 in shroud 12. Longitudinal line ii-ii is offset from the center line of the shroud and bifurcates shroud support structure 9 and shroud 12 to illustrate the interface between bearing surfaces 13A, 13B, and 13C on shroud support structure 9 and corresponding bearing surfaces 33A, 33B, and 33C on shroud 12.

[0037] As shown in Figs. 6, 7A and 7B, surfaces 12A, 12C, 12D, and 12E of the exterior surface and the top surface 21A of the interior surface form an upper leg 30. Similarly, surfaces 12B, 12C, 12D, and 12F of the exterior surface and the bottom surface 21 B of the interior surface form a lower leg 32. Upper leg 30 and lower leg 32 are connected at a leading-edge surface 21 C of the interior surface. The upper and lower leg 30, 32 and the leading edge surface 21 C define a cavity, channel, or recess 22 to receive lip 14, such that the lip is received in the cavity 22, with each leg 30 and 32 extending rearward to straddle the lip support structure 9 along surfaces 9Aand 9B, respectively. On installation of shroud 12 to lip 14, the cavity 22 of shroud 12 receives lip 14 as the shroud 12 moves or is slid rearward (e.g., towards the lip or bucket).

[0038] As shown in Fig. 7A, when assembled, the boss 28 (or just boss insert 28A of boss 28) is positioned in slot 70, and central top bearing surface 5 and central bottom bearing surface 6 of the shroud support structure 9 may bear against central top bearing surface 45A and central bottom bearing surface 46 of shroud 12, respectively. As shown in Fig. 7B, bearing surfaces 13A, 13B, and 13C of the shroud support structure 9 may also bear against bearing surfaces 33A, 33B, and 33C, respectively. Though not shown in Figs. 7A and 7B, bearing surfaces 15A, 15B, 15C, and 45A of the shroud support structure 9 may similarly bear against bearing surfaces 35A, 35B, 35C, and 5, respectively. Other than the bearing surfaces, shroud 12 and shroud support structure 9 may be spaced apart from one another and / or may be in contact with one another, but the contact may not be load-bearing. Other examples may include less or more bearing surfaces that form contact faces between shroud 12 and shroud support structure 9.

[0039] With the shroud 12 seated on the lip 14, lock or fastener 16 can be inserted from top surface 12A into opening 24 in the upper leg 30 and extending through slot 70 and (optionally) into the cavity of the shroud 12. In some examples, lock 16 does not come into contact with and / or is not retained to bearing surface 5 of the shroud support structure 9, but in other examples, lock 16 may be in contact with or fastened to surface 5. When inserted, a wall 16A of lock 16 bears against a back-bearing surface 51 of boss 28 to retain shroud 12 onto lip 14. The walls of lock 16 may bear against one or more inner surfaces 24A, 24B, 24C, and / or 24D of hole 24 to retain lock 16 in hole 24 and to also retain shroud 12 onto lip 14. Other arrangements for securing the shroud 12 and other variations of the shroud are possible. For example, the cavity of shroud 12 and the corresponding shroud support member 9 could have varied shapes to complement different edges. Optionally, retainers could extend through both legs of the shroud and / or into or through shroud support member 9.

[0040] In addition to the bearing surfaces described above, boss 28 includes advantageous bearing surfaces that bear against complementary bearing surfaces in slot 70 of the upper leg 30 of shroud 12 to retain shroud 12 on lip 14 during operation. Figs 8 and 9 illustrate the boss insert 28A, which may be on a flat or a raised surface (e.g., on boss base 28B) on top surface 9A of shroud support member 9. Bearing surface 5 may be positioned to the rear, adjacent to, and / or partially surrounding boss 28 (e.g., to the rear, adjacent to, and / or partially surrounding boss base 28B). The boss insert 28A may have a bottom surface 19 with a rectangular or substantially rectangular perimeter formed by a front surface 54, a back surface 51 (also referred to as back- bearing surface 51 above when relating to the lock 16), a first side surface 55A, and a second surface side surface 55B. The surfaces 51 , 54, 55A, and 55B may be perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to bottom surface 19. In some examples, the first and second sidesurfaces 55A and 55B may converge in the direction from the back surface 51 to the front surface 54, for example, to form a trapezoidal perimeter of the bottom surface 19. The corners of the perimeter at the junctions of the back surface 51 and the side surfaces 55A and 55B and at the junctions of the front surface 54 and the side surfaces 55A and 55B may be chamfered or rounded, with the radii of the corners being the same or different for the corners at the front surface 54 as compared to the corners at the back surface 51 .

[0041] Front surface 54, back surface 51 , and side surfaces 55A and 55B may have respective heights that may be the same or different, and that may form a perimeter of a top surface 53 opposite the bottom surface 19. In some examples, the junction of the top surface 53 and the front, back, and side surfaces 54, 51 , 55A, and 55B may be chamfered. Boss insert 28A may include one or more holes or openings (e.g., 28C, 28D) extending from the top surface 53 to the bottom surface 19. The openings 28C, 28D may be rectangularly rounded, but other shapes and sizes are possible. As previously described, bottom surface 19 may be fused, welded, bolted, or secured in another way to boss base 28B. Openings 28C and 28D may be used to attach boss insert 28A to boss base 28B, for example, by providing access to the surface area of the boss base 28B and boss insert 28A for welding or fusing the pieces along the inner perimeters of the openings (e.g., with a plug weld), or for providing a trough hole to insert a bolt screwed into boss base 28B.

[0042] The top surface 53 of boss insert 28A may be planer, or as illustrated, may be divided into multiple surfaces, such as top surfaces 53A and 53B, positioned at different heights and / or at different angles with respect to each other and with respect to top surface 9A of shroud support structure 9. For example, top surface 53B may be parallel or substantially parallel to top surface 9A, whereas top surface 53A may be angled down from the rear of shroud 12 towards the front (digging edge) of shroud 12. The downward angle may aid the insertion of boss 28 into slot 70 of shroud 12. In other examples, surface 53 may be stepped such that the transition between surface 53A and 53B is a straight or angled vertical wall, chamfer, fillet, etc. While top surface 53 is illustrated as including planer surfaces, in other examples, top surface 53 may include curved surfaces that are concave, convex, dished, etc. In other examples, top surface may comprise a combination of flat and curved surfaces.

[0043] Boss insert 28A may further include overhangs 56A and 56B that extend from, and span a partial length of side surfaces 55A and 55B, respectively, longitudinally towards the front (digging edge) of lip 14. In some examples, overhangs 56A and 56B may extend the length of the top surface 53B. Each of the overhangs may be flush with the top surface of boss insert 28A (e.g., flush with top surface 53B) and have a height that is less than the height of side surfaces 55A and 55B such that they have bottom surfaces 50A and 50B, respectively that overhang top surface 9A of boss support structure 9. The bottom surfaces 50A and 50B may partially overhangboss base 28B and / or bearing surface 5. Overhangs 56A and 56B may have back edges 57A and 57B, respectively, that may be flush with the back surface 51 of bearing insert 28A. Overhangs 56A and 56B may have front edges 58A and 58B, respectively, that may be angled towards side surfaces 55A and 55B, respectively. Side edges 59A and 59B of overhangs 56A and 56B, respectively, may be substantially parallel to side surfaces 55A and 55B or substantially parallel with the longitudinal center axis of shroud 12. In other examples, overhangs 56A and 56B may have other shapes and dimensions.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 8, bottom surfaces 50A, 50B of overhangs 56A, 56B may form bearing surfaces that are separated by at least a distance K (Fig. 8) and are a vertical distance (see Fig. 5) from the surface of the bucket lip. Side surfaces 55A, 55B may also form side bearing surfaces 52A, 52B, respectively separated by at least a distance L. As shown in Fig 9, side bearing surfaces 52A, 52B of the side surfaces (e.g., vertical side surfaces 55A, 55B) are in front of (towards the digging edge) overhangs 56A, 56B and separated by at least a distance M from bearing surfaces 50A and 50B on the undersides of the overhangs, but other configurations are possible and the surfaces may not be separated. The side bearing surface 52A, 52B may be equal to or some portion of side surfaces 55A, 55B, respectively. The distance M allows for the bearing surfaces 50A, 50B, 52A, and 52B to be larger for a given area of the boss. The bearing surfaces 52A, 52B may be closer than bearing surfaces 50A, 50B to the longitudinal center axis of shroud 12.

[0045] The bearing surfaces 50A, 50B, 52A, and 52B may bear against corresponding bearing interfaces in slot 70 of shroud 12 when the shroud is in active use on the shroud support structure 9A as further described with respect to Figs. 10-13. When the shroud is not in active use on the shroud support structure 9A, one or more of bearing surfaces 50A, 50B, 52A, and 52B may not contact or may not bear against corresponding bearing interfaces in slot 70 of shroud 12 Fig. 10 illustrates a bottom view of the upper leg 30 of the shroud 12, which includes the slot 70 for receiving the boss 28.

[0046] As shown in Figs. 10-13, the slot 70 is formed through the top rear surface 12E and runs longitudinally forward along interior wall 21A for a length beyond the hole 24. The slot 70 communicates with both the hole 24 and the cavity 22 of the shroud 12. The slot 70 runs perpendicular with the hole 24, but other configurations are possible. The interior of the slot 70 is defined by front surfaces 74, 78A, and 78B (towards the digging edge), top surfaces 73A and 73B, bottom surfaces 76A and 76B, lower side surfaces 75A and 75B, and upper side surfaces 71 A and 71 B. The lower side surfaces 75A and 75B run the length or substantially the length of the slot 70 from the front (towards the digging edge) to the back (towards the bucket) and are separated by a distance to form a gap that partially opens inward to the interior surface 21 A. Slot 70 includes an opening 77 rearward of the hole 24 along the top rear surface 12E of the shroud12. As shroud 12 is positioned onto shroud support structure 9 of lip 14, boss insert 28A passes through the opening 77, and boss insert 28A and boss base 28B passes through the gap between inner surfaces 75A and 75B of the cavity.

[0047] The front surface 74, top surface 73A, and lower side surfaces 75A and 75B of the cavity are arranged to enclose the front portion of the boss 28, including front surface 54, top surface 53A, and the forward portions of side surfaces 55A and 55B that include side bearing surfaces 52A and 52B. The front surfaces 78A and 78B, bottom surfaces 76A and 76B, top surface 73B, and upper side surfaces 71A and 71 B of the cavity are arranged to enclose the back portion of boss 28, including back surface 51 , top surface 53B, and the rear portions of side surfaces 55A and 55B including the overhangs 56A and 56B.

[0048] With respect to the front portion of boss 28 in slot 70, a portion of side surfaces 75A, 75B include vertical bearing surfaces 72A, 72B that bear against side bearing surfaces 52A, 52B, respectively, of boss insert 28A to prevent movement of the shroud 12 in the lateral direction, but other configurations are possible. For example, the vertical bearing surfaces 72A, 72B may be substantially similar to the side surfaces 75A, 75B. The vertical bearing surfaces 72A.72B may be parallel or substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of the shroud or may converge toward the longitudinal center line in the direction towards the front (digging edge) of the shroud. Bearing surfaces 72A, 72B may be separated by a minimum distance S (Fig. 12), that may be complimentary (e.g., substantially the same) to the minimum width L (Fig. 8) between bearing surfaces 52A, 52B on boss 28.

[0049] Front surface 74 and top surface 73A may be shaped substantially complementary to the front surface 54 and top surface 53A of boss 28, though they need not be complimentary. Front surface 74 and top surface 73A may provide a clearance from boss 28. As shown in Figure 12, side surfaces 75A, 75B may be curved, chamfered, or otherwise shaped to provide a clearance from boss 28, except for where vertical bearing surfaces 72A, 72B contact side bearing surfaces 52A, 52B during active use of the shroud when it experiences loading forces.

[0050] With respect to the back portion of the boss 28 in slot 70, the width of the cavity increases above side surfaces 75A, 75B and to the rear of vertical bearing surfaces 72A, 72B to form a pair of channels 79A and 79B in which overhangs 56A and 56B of the boss 28 are positioned in, respectively. The channel 79A is bounded by top surface 73B, side surface 71 A, front surface 78A, and bottom surface 76A that joins side surface 75A. The channel 79B is bounded by top surface 73B, side surface 71 B, front surface 78B, and bottom surface 76B that joins side surface 75B. Bottom surfaces 76A and 76B may be, entirely or partially, bearing surfaces that are complimentary to the bearing surfaces 50A and 50B on the undersides of overhangs 56A and 56B to prevent vertical displacement of the shroud 12 away from the shroud support structure 9(e.g., with respect to surface 9A). Bearing surfaces 76A and 76B (and complimentary bearing surfaces 50A and 50B) are shown as being angled downward towards the longitudinal center of the shroud, which resists lateral loading of shroud 12, though in some variations, they may have no angle. The downward angle of bearing surfaces 50A and 50B may also increase the retaining force of the shroud on the shroud support structure in a more compact space of boss 28 than if the surfaces were facing directly downward. The downward angles of 50A, 50B, 76A, and 76B may result in a stronger and more compact design of boss 28. Bearing surfaces 76A, 76B may be separated by a minimum distance R (Fig. 13), that may be complimentary (e.g., substantially the same) to the minimum width K (Fig. 8) between bearing surfaces 50A, 50B on boss 28. Bearing surfaces 76A, 76B may be separated (e.g., positioned behind) by a minimum distance T (Fig. 1 1) from bearing surfaces 72A, 72B. The minimum distance T may be complimentary (e.g., substantially the same) to the minimum width M (Fig. 9) between bearing surfaces 52A, 52B and bearing surfaces 50A, 50B on boss 28.

[0051] Front surfaces 78A and 78B, side surfaces 71 A and 71 B, and top surface 73B may be shaped substantially complementary to the shape of the front edges 58A and 58B of overhangs 56A and 56B, the side edges 59A and 59B of overhangs 56A and 56B, and top surface 53B of boss 28, though they need not be complimentary. Front surfaces 78A and 78B, side surfaces 71 A and 71 B, and top surface 73B may provide a clearance from boss 28. As shown in Figure 13, bottom surfaces 76A and 76B may be shaped (e.g., curved, chamfered, or otherwise shaped) to provide a clearance from boss 28, except for where bearing surfaces 76A and 76B contact bearing surfaces 50A and 50B of boss 28. With boss 28 seated in slot 70, the back surface 51 of the boss may align with the inner surface 24A of hole 24. Lock 16 may be inserted in hole 24 after boss 28 is seated in the slot such that the wall 16A of lock 16 bears against the back surface 51 of boss 28 to prevent the boss from backing out of the slot, thus retaining the shroud 12 on the shroud support structure 9 on lip 14. Additional outer surfaces of lock 16 may also bear against the inners surfaces 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D of hole 24 to retain shroud 12 on the shroud support structure 9.

[0052] As described above, the surfaces of the cavity provide clearance from boss 28 except for bearing surfaces 72A, 72B, 76A, and 76B. The clearances may be such that the surfaces of the shroud do not touch the surfaces of the boss under load, except for at the bearing surfaces. The clearances provide for easier installation and removal of the shroud as well as more generous transitions of permitted movement of the shroud 12 during operation. In other examples, one or more of the cavity surfaces may contact boss 28, but may preferably be non-load bearing.

[0053] In some variations, top surfaces 53A and / or 53B may provide a load-bearing surface that bears against one or more complimentary load-bearing surfaces on top surfaces 73A and / or 73B of the slot 70. In some examples, a material such as weld material may fill openings 28C and / or28D to be flush with and form an integral part of surfaces 53B and / or 53A, respectively. In other examples, the fill material may be recessed from surfaces 53A and 53B and thus not part of a load-bearing surface complementary to top surfaces 73A and / or 73B of slot 70. These bearing surfaces may supplement or replace bearing surfaces 5, 6, 45A, 45B and / or 46 for resisting vertical loads. Thus, in some examples, bearing surfaces 5, 6, 45A, 45B, and / or 46 may be eliminated.

[0054] While slot 70 and boss 28 have been described as being in the upper leg 30 and top surface 9A, respectively, slot 70 and boss 28 could be placed in lower leg 32 and bottom surface 9B.

[0055] The bearing surfaces on the shroud 12 and shroud support structure 9, as described herein, are designed and positioned to work in different combinations to resist a number of forces on shroud 12 experiences during the operation of the bucket. For example, the combination of side bearing surfaces 52A, 52B (and complimentary bearing surfaces 72A, 72B), bearing surfaces 50A, 50B (and complimentary bearing surfaces 76A, 76B), and / or bearing surfaces 5,6, 13A, 13B, 13C, 15A, 15B, 15C (and complimentary bearing surfaces 45A, 45B, 46, 33A, 33B, 33C, 35A, 35B, 35C) provide resistant to torsional, horizontal, and / or vertical loading and prevent angular twisting and displacement of shroud 12 with respect to shroud support structure 9 on lip 14.

[0056] For example, as previously described, the lateral spacing between bearing surfaces 13A- 13C and bearing surfaces 15A-15C, and / or the ratio of the bearing surface width to the lateral spacing between bearing surfaces 13A-13C and bearing surfaces 15A-15C being less than one, may improve the resistance to linear forces along three axes and torsional forces about the three axes on shroud 12. Similarly, bearing surfaces 13A-13C and 15A-15C may be longitudinally spaced from bearing surfaces 5 and / or 6, and the width (in the longitudinal direction) of bearing surfaces 13A-13C and / or 15A-15C and / or 5 and / or 6 may be narrower than the longitudinal spacing. The longitudinal spacing between bearing surfaces 13A-13C I 15A-15C and bearing surfaces 5 or 6, and / or the ratio of the bearing surface width to the longitudinal spacing being less than one, may improve the resistance to linear forces along three axes and torsional forces about the three axes on shroud 12.

[0057] In other examples, as shown in Fig. 8, bearing surfaces 50A and 50B are a distance M from side bearing surfaces 52A and 52B and their complements on the shroud 12, which enables the boss 28 to resist torsional and / or vertical forces on shroud 12, which in turn keeps lock 16 aligned with the back surface 51 of boss 28 to prevent loosening of the lock and retention on the lip 14.

[0058] In some examples, side bearing surfaces 52A, 52B and their complements on the shroud 12, along with bearing surfaces 13C, 15C and their complements on the shroud 12, may work together to resist horizontal forces on shroud 12.

[0059] As another example, as previously described with respect to Figs. 3-5, bearing surfaces 13C and 15C may be angled inward towards each other such that they converge rearwardly towards the center of the shroud. In some examples, from a top view, bearing surfaces 13C and 15C (and complimentary bearing surfaces 33C and 35C on the shroud) may be curved and positioned along an arc c-c as shown in Fig. 3. The bearing surfaces 13C and 15C (and complimentary bearing surfaces 33C and 35C on the shroud) may resist thrust forces on the digging edge of shroud 12, while bearing surfaces 52A and 52B (and complimentary bearing surfaces 72A and 72B) and / or bearing surfaces 50A and 50B (and complimentary bearing surfaces 76A and 76B) prevent rotation of the shroud 12 about the arc c-c.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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 the 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

CLAIMS:1 . A shroud support structure disposed on a surface of a bucket lip for mounting a shroud, the shroud support structure comprising a boss that includes: a first pair of bearing surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a first distance in a lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and facing away from each other in the lateral direction; and a second pair of bearing surfaces spaced apart by at least a second distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a third distance from the surface of the bucket lip, and facing towards the surface of the bucket lip, wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces and the second pair of bearing surfaces are arranged to bear against complementary bearing surfaces on the shroud, and wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced by at least a fourth distance in the longitudinal direction from the second pair of bearing surfaces.

2. The shroud support structure of claim 1 , wherein respective planes of the first pair of bearing surfaces converge in a forward longitudinal direction of a digging edge of the bucket lip.

3. The shroud support structure of claim 1 , wherein the second pair of bearing surfaces facing towards the surface of the bucket lip are angled in the lateral direction.

4. The shroud support structure of claim 1 , wherein the boss comprises: a pair of opposing side surfaces, wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces are disposed on the pair of opposing side surfaces, respectively; and a pair of overhangs extending laterally from the pair of opposing side surfaces, respectively, wherein the second pair of bearing surfaces are disposed on respective bottom surfaces of the pair of overhangs.

5. The shroud support structure of claim 1 , further comprising a top bearing surface disposed on the surface of the bucket lip, wherein: the top bearing surface is arranged to bear against one or more of the complementary bearing surfaces on the shroud; and the boss is disposed on the surface of the bucket lip at least partially in front of the top bearing surface in the longitudinal direction.

6. The shroud support structure of claim 5, wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces, the second pair of bearing surfaces, the top bearing surface, and the complementary bearingsurfaces on the shroud prevent contact between the bucket lip and all other surfaces of the shroud.

7. The shroud support structure of claim 1 , wherein: the first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced apart by at least the first distance symmetrically about a longitudinal center line of the shroud; the second pair of bearing surfaces are spaced apart by at least the second distance symmetrically about the longitudinal center line of the shroud; and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

8. The shroud support structure of claim 7, further comprising a third pair of bearing surfaces disposed on a digging edge of the surface of the bucket lip, wherein: the third pair of bearing surfaces face in a forward longitudinal direction of the shroud; the third pair of bearing surfaces are spaced apart by at least a fifth distance symmetrically about the longitudinal center line of the shroud; and the fifth distance is greater than the first distance and the second distance.

9. The shroud support structure of claim 8, wherein the third pair of bearing surfaces are disposed along a concave contour, and wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces inhibit rotation of the shroud about the concave contour.

10. A shroud having a slot at a rear of the shroud to receive a boss mounted on a surface of a bucket lip, wherein the slot comprises: a first pair of bearing surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a first distance in a lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and facing inward towards each other in the lateral direction; and a second pair of bearing surfaces spaced apart by at least a second distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a third distance from an inside surface of shroud, and facing away from the inside surface of the shroud, wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces and the second pair of bearing surfaces are arranged to bear against complementary bearing surfaces disposed on the boss, and wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced by at least a fourth distance in the longitudinal direction from the second pair of bearing surfaces.1 1. The shroud of claim 10, wherein respective planes of the first pair of bearing surfaces converge in a forward longitudinal direction of a digging edge of the bucket lip.

12. The shroud of claim 10, wherein the second pair of bearing surfaces are angled in the lateral direction.

13. The shroud of claim 10, wherein the slot comprises: a pair of opposing side surfaces, wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces are disposed on the pair of opposing side surfaces, respectively; and a pair of channels extending laterally from the pair of opposing side surfaces, respectively, wherein the second pair of bearing surfaces are disposed on respective bottom surfaces of the pair of channels.

14. The shroud of claim 10, further comprising a top bearing surface disposed on the inside surface of the shroud, wherein: the top bearing surface is arranged to bear against one or more of the complementary bearing surfaces disposed on the surface of the bucket lip; and the second pair of bearing surfaces are at least partially in front of the top bearing surface in the longitudinal direction.

15. The shroud of claim 14, wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces, the second pair of bearing surfaces, the top bearing surface, and the complementary bearing surfaces disposed on the surface of the bucket lip prevent contact between the bucket lip and all other surfaces of the shroud.

16. The shroud of claim 10, wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced apart by at least the first distance symmetrically about a longitudinal center line of the shroud; the second pair of bearing surfaces are spaced apart by at least the second distance symmetrically about the longitudinal center line of the shroud; and the second distance is greater than the first distance.

17. The shroud of claim 16, further comprising a third pair of bearing surfaces disposed on a digging edge of the inside surface of the shroud, wherein: the third pair of bearing surfaces face in a reverse longitudinal direction of the shroud; the third pair of bearing surfaces are spaced apart by at least a fifth distance symmetrically about the longitudinal center line of the shroud; and the fifth distance is greater than the first distance and the second distance.

18. The shroud of claim 17, wherein the third pair of bearing surfaces are disposed along a convex contour, and wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces inhibit rotation of the shroud about the convex contour.

19. A shroud mounting system comprising: a boss mounted to a surface of a bucket lip, wherein the boss includes: a first pair of bearing surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a first distance in a lateral direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, and facing away from each other in the lateral direction; and a second pair of bearing surfaces spaced apart by at least a second distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a third distance from the surface of the bucket lip, and facing towards the surface of the bucket lip; and a shroud having a slot at a rear of the shroud to receive the boss, wherein the slot includes: a third pair of bearing surfaces extending in the longitudinal direction, spaced apart by at least a fourth distance in the lateral direction, and facing inward towards each other in the lateral direction; and a fourth pair of bearing surfaces spaced apart by at least a fifth distance in the lateral direction, spaced vertically by at least a sixth distance from an inside surface of the shroud, and facing away from the inside surface of the shroud; wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces and the second pair of bearing surfaces are arranged to bear against the third pair of bearing surfaces and the fourth pair of bearing surfaces, respectively; and wherein the first pair of bearing surfaces are spaced by at least a seventh distance in the longitudinal direction from the second pair of bearing surfaces.

20. The shroud mounting system of claim 19, wherein the first pair, the second pair, the third pair, and the fourth pair of bearing surfaces prevent contact between the bucket lip and all other surfaces of the shroud.

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