Deformable Lug Groove Self-Cleaning Rubber Crawler
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rubber crawlers for tracked vehicles experience traction loss due to soil material filling the spaces between lugs, which reduces grip, especially in muddy conditions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a groove in the upright sidewall of the lug that deforms under bending, allowing soil material to be pushed out as the lug bends during vehicle movement, thereby self-cleaning the spaces between the lugs and improving traction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rubber crawler uses a solid lug structure without grooves, then the lug provides structural strength and stability, but soil material fills the spaces between lugs causing traction loss
Solution Approach 1:
The upright sidewall of the lug is segmented by introducing grooves that divide the solid structure into sections. These grooves create channels that prevent soil material from filling the entire space between lugs, allowing the sidewall to maintain structural integrity while enabling soil removal through the segmented pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves act as extraction channels that remove soil material from the space between lugs. By creating these voids in the upright sidewall, the design actively extracts harmful soil accumulation that would otherwise fill the inter-lug spaces and reduce traction.
2Strength
If the lug material is rigid, then the lug maintains structural integrity, but the groove cannot deform to push out soil material
Solution Approach 1:
The lug is designed with local quality differentiation: the main body of the lug remains rigid to maintain structural integrity, while the groove portion is made of deformable material or has a structure that allows localized deformation. This enables the groove to bend and push out soil material without compromising the overall strength of the lug.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove is designed to be dynamic rather than static. When the rubber crawler bends during operation, the groove deforms elastically to change its cross-sectional shape, increasing its height and decreasing its depth to actively push soil material outward. This dynamic behavior allows soil removal while the lug itself maintains structural integrity.
3Ease of manufacture
If the groove has a uniform cross-section, then the manufacturing is simpler, but the groove cannot effectively remove soil material through bending deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The groove cross-section is designed with asymmetric dimensions: the initial height is smaller than the initial depth, creating a specific geometric configuration that optimizes deformation behavior. When the lug bends, this asymmetric shape allows the groove to effectively push soil material outward while maintaining manufacturability through defined geometric parameters.
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 deformation of the groove mechanism effectively removes soil material from between the lugs, enhancing traction properties and maintaining grip in challenging conditions.
Implementation Method 1
the lug is at least partly made of a material which is deformable at the position of the groove when subjected to the bending to facilitate removal of soil material contained in the groove
Data Source
AI summary
A rubber crawler for a tracked vehicle involves an endless rubber belt body for revolving around first and second members that are spaced from each other, which belt body has an outer peripheral face including a plurality of lugs that protrude outwardly from the belt body, each of which lugs has a ground-contacting surface and a sidewall extending outwardly from the belt body to the ground-contacting surface, the sidewall having a groove extending transversely to the length direction of the belt body, and each of which lugs is at least partially made of material that is deformable, at the groove of the sidewall, when the belt body bends to facilitate removal of soil from the groove.