Arcuate Frame Access Aperture for Skid Steer Loaders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power machine frames, particularly those of loaders, face stress-induced cracking around access apertures due to operational stresses, limiting access and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a fully arcuate access aperture with a perimeter defined by intersecting ellipses or circles, providing increased access area and structural strength by eliminating sharp edges and distributing stresses uniformly, while allowing for removably secured covers to access internal components like chain cases and drive motor mounts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional rectangular or circular access aperture is used in the frame, then manufacturing is simpler, but stress concentration occurs at sharp edges leading to cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The access aperture is designed with a fully arcuate perimeter consisting of multiple arcuate segments that are smoothly connected, eliminating sharp edges and corners. This curved geometry distributes stresses uniformly around the aperture perimeter, preventing stress concentration and subsequent cracking while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized arcuate segment fabrication and assembly.
2Ease of operation
If the access aperture size is increased to improve component accessibility, then maintenance becomes easier, but structural strength of the frame is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fully arcuate perimeter design with multiple smoothly connected arcuate segments creates an optimized aperture geometry that maximizes opening size while minimizing stress concentration. The curved segments distribute loads evenly around the aperture, allowing a larger access opening without compromising the frame's structural integrity or load-bearing capacity.
3Manufacturing precision
If sharp edges are present at the access aperture perimeter, then manufacturing precision is easier to achieve, but stress concentration leads to cracking under operational loads
Solution Approach 1:
The access aperture employs a fully arcuate perimeter constructed from multiple arcuate segments with smoothly connected transitions. This eliminates sharp edges and corners that would concentrate stress under operational loads. The curved geometry naturally distributes stresses uniformly around the entire aperture perimeter, preventing crack initiation and propagation while maintaining manufacturability through modular segment assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
Power machine frames, and corresponding power machines such as skid steer loaders, have fully arcuate access aperture features formed in a first frame panel providing access to a volume internal to the first frame panel or otherwise positioned interior to the frame. The fully arcuate access aperture has a fully arcuate perimeter in the first frame panel.