Double-Web Idler Wheel Assembly for Lightweight Load Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing idler wheels for tracked machines are heavy, difficult to manufacture, and often require specialized foundries, limiting their production and customization due to their single-piece, forged or cast construction, which can lead to unsupported roll paths and inadequate load distribution.
Innovation Solution
A fabricated idler wheel design featuring a double-web construction with radially extending rim portions and oblique web portions that connect the cylindrical hub and annular tread, allowing for a strong, lightweight component that can be manufactured using widely available processes and materials, optimizing load distribution and reducing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional single-piece forged or cast construction is used for idler wheels, then strength and durability are improved, but weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The idler wheel is divided into multiple separate components including a hub, an annular tread, and multiple webs that are fabricated independently and then assembled together. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized separately and reduces the overall weight compared to a single-piece construction while maintaining structural integrity through the assembled configuration.
2Strength
If traditional single-piece forged or cast construction is used for idler wheels, then strength is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates due to requiring specialized foundries
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the idler wheel into separate components (hub, tread, webs) that can be fabricated using standard manufacturing processes, the invention eliminates the need for specialized foundries required for single-piece casting or forging. Each component can be manufactured using widely available fabrication techniques and then assembled together.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple separately fabricated components are combined through assembly to create the complete idler wheel. This merging of independently manufactured parts achieves the same functional result as single-piece construction but with greater manufacturing flexibility and accessibility.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If traditional single-piece construction is used for idler wheels, then durability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation into separate components actually reduces device complexity by allowing each component to be simpler in design and manufacturing. The hub, tread, and webs are individually simpler structures that are easier to fabricate and inspect than a complex single-piece component, while the assembly process maintains durability.
4Force
If traditional single-piece construction is used for idler wheels, then load distribution is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple webs connecting the hub to the annular tread create several load paths that distribute forces throughout the structure. This segmented approach achieves effective load distribution comparable to single-piece construction but with reduced material usage and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The idler wheel employs a composite structure combining different components (hub, tread, webs) that work together to distribute loads. This composite construction allows optimization of each component's material usage and geometry to achieve efficient load distribution while minimizing overall weight.
Data Source
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AI summary
An idler wheel for a tracked machine can comprise a cylindrical hub defining a central axis, an annular tread disposed concentrically about the cylindrical hub, a pair of side plates connecting the cylindrical hub and the annular tread, and a webbing connecting the cylindrical hub and the annular tread between the pair of side plates. A method for manufacturing an idler wheel comprises assembling a cylindrical hub, an annular tread, first and second side plates and at least one web.