Corner Adapter Wedge Slot Geometry for Durable Bucket Edges
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current work implement adapters lack durability and longevity, failing to meet customer requirements for longevity and durability in applications such as bucket assemblies used in earth moving and construction equipment.
Innovation Solution
A corner adapter with a body defining a vertical and horizontal direction, featuring a nose portion, bifurcated legs, and a throat portion, which includes apertures for mounting mechanisms and a horizontal slot with a sloped portion forming an acute angle, providing a wedge configuration for secure attachment to a work implement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If current adapters are mechanically attached to the working edge, then they can be easily installed and removed, but they lack durability and longevity
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter is divided into multiple components including a body, first leg, second leg, throat portion, and nose portion. Each segment serves a specific function in load distribution and attachment, allowing the adapter to be installed easily while maintaining durability through optimized structural segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter incorporates a three-dimensional slot structure with vertical and horizontal dimensions that engages with the work implement in multiple directions. This multi-dimensional attachment geometry enhances durability by distributing forces across multiple planes while maintaining ease of installation through a single-piece design.
2Ease of manufacture
If the adapter uses a simple attachment structure, then it is easy to manufacture, but it cannot effectively distribute load and reduce stress
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter features curved surfaces and rounded transitions in the slot geometry and leg configurations. These curved elements distribute stress more evenly across the attachment interface while maintaining manufacturability through standard forming processes, enhancing load distribution without requiring complex multi-part assemblies.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter utilizes optimized geometric parameters including slot angles, leg dimensions, and throat portion contours that are specifically designed to distribute loads effectively. These parameter optimizations achieve superior load distribution and stress reduction while maintaining a simple, manufacturable single-piece structure.
3Reliability
If the adapter body is made more robust to increase durability, then it can withstand higher loads, but it increases the overall size and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter employs local reinforcement strategies where material is concentrated in high-stress areas such as the throat portion and leg root regions, while maintaining thinner sections in low-stress areas. This localized quality optimization achieves high durability and load-bearing capacity without increasing overall adapter weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter is designed to utilize composite construction principles where different material properties are optimized for specific regions. The body, legs, and throat portion are configured to work together as a composite structure that maximizes strength-to-weight ratio, providing robust load distribution while minimizing overall weight.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The corner adapter enhances the durability and longevity of work implement attachments by distributing load effectively and reducing stress on the adapter and base edge, ensuring stable operation and extended tool life.
Implementation Method 1
the first bifurcated leg includes a first sloped portion disposed in the vertical slot, the first sloped portion forming a first acute angle with the direction of assembly ranging from 20 degrees to 40 degrees
Data Source
AI summary
The first and the second legs and the throat portion of an adapter include an upper surface and a lower surface that at least partially define a slot, and a clearance void disposed at the closed end of the slot. A ratio of the clearance void width to the clearance void height ranges from 2.0 to 3.0.