Elastic Crawler Core Metal Ribs for Roller Vibration Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing elastic crawlers with core metals experience vertical movement and vibration of rollers due to torsional rotation of guide protrusions, leading to deterioration of traveling vibration.

Innovation Solution

The elastic crawler design incorporates ribs connecting roller disengagement preventing protrusions and core metal blade parts, enhancing torsional rigidity and suppressing vertical movement of rollers by structurally supporting guide protrusions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If roller disengagement preventing protrusions protrude to mesh each other between adjacent core metals, then lateral displacement between core metals is suppressed, but guide protrusions still twist and rotate causing roller vibration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelateral displacement suppressionVSAvoidroller vibration
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces ribs that extend in the crawler thickness direction (third dimension) to connect the roller disengagement preventing protrusions. This dimensional addition creates a rigid triangular structure that prevents torsional rotation of the guide protrusions while maintaining the lateral displacement suppression function of the meshing protrusions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite structure combining the core metal blade parts, guide protrusions, roller disengagement preventing protrusions, and ribs into an integrated rigid framework. This composite structure maintains flexibility where needed while providing rigid support to prevent guide protrusion rotation and roller vibration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Force

If guide protrusions allow rollers to roll from downstream to upstream side, then pressing force is applied to press crawler against ground, but guide protrusions twist and rotate causing vertical movement of rollers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepressing forceVSAvoidguide protrusion stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The ribs extending in the crawler thickness direction create a three-dimensional rigid structure that resists torsional forces. When rollers apply pressing force causing the crawler to press against the ground, the ribs prevent the guide protrusions from twisting and rotating, thereby eliminating vertical roller movement while preserving the necessary pressing force.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Strength

If ribs connect roller disengagement preventing protrusions to core metal blade parts, then torsional rigidity is enhanced and guide protrusion rotation is suppressed, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetorsional rigidityVSAvoidcore metal structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ribs are integrated as part of the core metal structure, merging the function of lateral displacement prevention and torsional rigidity enhancement into a single unified component. This integration avoids adding separate complex mechanisms while achieving both objectives through the rib geometry that connects existing structural elements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4357225B1Elastic crawler with core metal
Publication Date: 2025.08.13 BRIDGESTONE CORP
  • EP4357225B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4357225B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4357225B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

There is provided an elastic crawler with core metals aimed at suppressing vertical movement of a roller to reduce vibration by increasing torsional rigidity of a guide protrusion with respect to a core metal blade part. In an elastic crawler 10 with core metals having a configuration in which rollers 5 arranged along a ground roll on a top surface 22f of a guide protrusion 22, roller disengagement preventing protrusions 23A, 23B; 24A, 24B respectively protrude in opposite directions of a crawler circumferential direction from a pair of guide protrusion bases 21b, 21b of a core metal main body 21; the roller disengagement preventing protrusions 23A, 24A; 23B, 24B protruding in the crawler circumferential direction to protrude to each other toward opposed core metal main bodies 21 of adjacent core metals 20 mesh each other in a crawler width direction; and ribs 25, 25 are formed that connect the roller disengagement preventing protrusions 24A, 24B on a side of a core metal blade part among the roller disengagement preventing protrusions 23A, 24A; 23B, 24B meshing each other in the crawler width direction and core metal blade parts 21c, 21c.