Crawler Belt Master Link Segmented Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crawler belt systems face difficulties in easy connection and disconnection due to the need for specialized equipment and risk of bolt fracture under impact loads, with uneven clamping force distribution in previous solutions.
Innovation Solution
A crawler belt design featuring a master link with a central through hole and slit aperture, adjusted by spacers, allows for controlled clamping force application using bolts, enabling easy connection and disconnection without specialized equipment and ensuring even force distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a master pin with great clamping allowance is used for connection, then the master pin can be removed or inserted by use of a press machine, but the removal and insertion of the master pin requires a press machine and involves a lot of trouble
Solution Approach 1:
The master link is divided into two separate half links that can be independently manipulated. This segmentation allows the crawler belt to be disconnected by simply separating the half links without requiring a press machine, while still maintaining secure connection when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a pin that requires pressing to remove/insert, the invention inverts the approach by using a splittable link structure where the connection is maintained by the interlocking geometry of the half links themselves, eliminating the need for pressing equipment
2Ease of operation
If a splittable master link with convex and concave parts is used, then the crawler belt can be easily connected and disconnected, but the convex part and the concave part have to be tightly engaged which raises the need for special equipment capable of machining with high accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The master link employs asymmetric convex and concave engagement surfaces that are designed to mate together in a specific orientation. This asymmetry provides inherent alignment guidance during assembly, reducing the need for high-precision machining while ensuring proper engagement
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement surfaces between convex and concave parts are designed with specific local geometric features that concentrate the contact area, providing sufficient mechanical interlocking without requiring uniform high precision across the entire mating surface
3Reliability
If the slit aperture width is adjusted using spacers, then the clamping force can be evenly distributed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A spacer element is introduced as an intermediary component between the engagement surfaces of the master link. This spacer mediates the contact between the convex and concave parts, distributing the clamping force evenly across the engagement interface while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
Data Source
AI summary
A crawler belt and a master link for use in the crawler belt enable easy connection and disconnection of the crawler belt. The crawler belt has a track chain in which a plurality of regular links are pivotally connected at their ends, the master link for connecting the of the track chain to form the crawler belt into a loop, and track shoes attached to the regular links and the master link respectively. The crawler belt has a slit aperture which leads only to a pin insertion hole formed at the other end of the master link and is configured such that a clamping force, generated by tightening a master bolt that imparts a tightening force to the master link to narrow the slit aperture, is allowed to work on only the regular pin inserted into a pin insertion hole leading to the slit aperture.