Segmented Wheel Guards for Landfill Compactor Axle Debris Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Landfill compactors face challenges in preventing debris, such as wire and cable, from entraining around the axles of their wheels, which can lock the wheels and decrease efficiency and increase fuel consumption, with existing solutions adding significant weight and requiring extensive installation time.
Innovation Solution
A wheel guard design featuring an arcuate central beam with flanking legs that form a continuous barrier around the wheel rim, providing a reinforced surface with adjustable segments and chamfered edges for easy welding, which limits debris access and reduces weight and welding requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a radially extending wall made up of multiple plates is welded around the entire circumference of the rim, then debris access to the axle is prevented, but significant weight is added and fuel efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous radially extending wall is divided into multiple discrete wheel guards positioned between adjacent tips. Each wheel guard is a separate component that can be independently installed, reducing the total material required while maintaining the debris prevention function through the collective arrangement of segmented barriers.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of providing a continuous wall around the entire circumference, wheel guards are strategically positioned only at specific locations between adjacent tips where debris is most likely to enter. This localized protection approach reduces overall material usage and weight while maintaining effectiveness at critical entry points.
2Reliability
If a radially extending wall made up of multiple plates is welded around the entire circumference of the rim, then debris access to the axle is prevented, but significant installation time and effort are required
Solution Approach 1:
The division into discrete wheel guard components allows for modular installation. Each guard can be independently positioned and secured between tips, enabling parallel installation processes and reducing the overall time required compared to installing a single continuous wall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel guards are designed with pre-formed structures including the arcuate central beam and flanking legs, which are prepared in advance for easy attachment. The chamfered edges are pre-formed to facilitate welding, reducing on-site preparation time and enabling quicker installation.
3Weight of moving object
If the wheel guard includes an arcuate central beam with flanking legs forming a continuous barrier, then debris access is limited and weight is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The arcuate central beam and flanking legs are formed as one integral piece of material, combining multiple structural elements into a single manufactured component. This integration simplifies the manufacturing process by reducing the number of separate parts that need to be produced and assembled, while maintaining the complex barrier geometry for effective debris prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus and method for preventing debris from accessing and wrapping around the axles of a vehicle, such as a landfill compactor, are disclosed. The apparatus may include a wheel having a rim from which radially extend a plurality of cleats or tips. A subset of tips may be provided circumferentially around a laterally inner edge of the wheel. A wheel guard may be mounted between adjacent pairs of tips of the subset. Each wheel guard may be welded to the rim and to the adjacent pairs of tips. Each wheel guard may be a unitary piece of metal, or could be provided in two or more segment so as to be adjustable and thus facilitate use on wheels of differing diameters, or with different tip spacing. The wheel guards and adjacent tips form a continuous barrier around the circumference of the wheel to prevent debris from accessing and wrapping around the axles of the compactor.