Crawler Inner Face Geometry for Meandering Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crawler designs with a slanted inner peripheral face suffer from localized force application and meandering issues due to torsional and pressure forces during wheel wrapping, leading to potential damage and reduced progression performance.
Innovation Solution
A crawler with a resilient body featuring a tensile member embedded within, comprising flat and slanting portions, guide protrusions, and a flat surface, where the slanting portion shifts from the outer to the inner peripheral side during curvature, aligning the driving and idling wheels to suppress meandering and distribute forces more evenly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the inner peripheral face of the crawler is slanted to suppress meandering, then meandering is suppressed, but localized forces are applied to the crawler causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The inner peripheral face is divided into distinct regions: a slanted region for meandering suppression and a flat region for force distribution. This local differentiation allows each region to perform its specific function optimally without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The crawler's inner peripheral face is segmented into multiple functional zones (slanted portion and flat portion) rather than using a uniform structure. This segmentation enables the crawler to simultaneously achieve meandering suppression and force distribution.
2Productivity
If the whole inner peripheral face is slanted to improve progression performance, then progression performance is improved, but torsional forces and pressure forces are applied in a localized manner
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the inner peripheral face are assigned different geometric properties: the slanted portion provides progression performance while the flat portion distributes stress. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between performance and stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The flat portion converts the potentially harmful localized stress into a beneficial force distribution mechanism, transforming the stress concentration problem into a force distribution solution that protects the crawler.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a slanted face is used to suppress meandering, then meandering is suppressed, but damage to the crawler inner peripheral face occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The crawler structure incorporates both slanted and flat portions with distinct functions: the slanted portion maintains alignment and suppresses meandering, while the flat portion ensures durable force distribution, together achieving both reliability and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the inner peripheral face into functional zones, the design achieves both meandering suppression and damage prevention, enhancing overall crawler reliability without sacrificing alignment stability.
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 solution effectively moderates localized forces and suppresses meandering, reducing damage to the crawler and enhancing alignment of the driving and idling wheels, thereby improving vehicle progression and crawler durability.
Implementation Method 1
a crawler main body formed by a resilient body having an endless belt shape
Implementation Method 2
a tensile body that is wound along a turning direction of the crawler main body and is embedded in the crawler main body
Data Source
AI summary
A crawler includes a crawler main body (a rubber crawler main body (12)), a tensile body (70), guide protrusions (16), and flat surfaces (40). The tensile body (70) is provided with a flat portion (72) that is arranged along a width direction of the crawler main body and a slanting portion (74) that is slanted and arranged at a width direction outer side of the crawler main body relative to the flat portion (72). The guide protrusions (16) are formed at an inner peripheral face of the crawler main body at a width direction middle portion of the crawler main body. The flat surfaces (40) are formed at the width direction outer sides of the crawler main body relative to the guide protrusions (16). Turning wheels (a driving wheel (100), an idling wheel (102) and rolling wheels (104)) provided at a vehicle roll on the flat surfaces (40). In a linear region of the crawler main body as seen in a side view of the crawler main body, if a thickness from an imaginary plane projected from the flat portion (72) in the width direction of the crawler main body to an end edge at a crawler main body width direction outer side of the slanting portion (74) is represented by L, then a result of subtracting a turning direction length of the crawler main body at the flat portion (72) from a turning direction length of the crawler main body at the slanting portion (74) is less than 2πL.