Elastic Crawler Lug Design for Vibration and Fuel Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional elastic crawlers experience increased vibration and reduced ride comfort due to elasticity differences between core-embedded and core-free parts, leading to compromised fuel efficiency and ride quality.
Innovation Solution
An elastic crawler design featuring an endless belt-like main body with embedded cores, recesses on the inner surface, and lugs on the outer surface, including connecting lugs that form gaps to reduce elasticity differences and enhance durability, allowing for improved bending and reduced vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If lugs are formed only on parts overlapping core-embedded regions, then fuel efficiency is improved through enhanced bending capability, but ride comfort deteriorates due to increased vibration from elasticity differences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by forming lugs only in specific regions where cores are embedded, while leaving other regions without lugs. This localized lug formation allows the crawler to bend easily in core-embedded regions (improving fuel efficiency) while maintaining elasticity in core-free regions (reducing vibration). The recesses are similarly positioned to align with lug locations, creating localized structural modifications that optimize both bending and vibration characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The crawler body is segmented into distinct regions: lug-formed regions over cores and non-lug regions in spaces between cores. This segmentation allows different parts of the crawler to have different mechanical properties - the lug regions provide structural support and bending capability, while the non-lug regions maintain elasticity and cushioning, thereby resolving the contradiction between fuel efficiency and ride comfort.
2Reliability
If lug volume is increased to improve durability, then manufacturing complexity increases, but this may affect bending capability and fuel efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing lug volume throughout the crawler, the patent applies local quality by concentrating lug formation only in regions where cores are embedded. The lugs are formed with specific dimensions (width 5-15mm, height 5-15mm) that provide sufficient durability while maintaining the overall bending capability of the crawler. This localized approach avoids excessive manufacturing complexity while achieving the desired durability improvement.
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 design achieves both low fuel consumption and excellent ride comfort by reducing power loss during running and suppressing vibration, while increasing lug durability and fuel efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an endless belt-like main body having elasticity
Implementation Method 2
a track roller rolling surface formed on an inner circumferential surface of the main body
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an elastic crawler and an elastic crawler device capable of achieving both low fuel consumption and excellent ride comfort. The elastic crawler comprises: a main body; cores respectively having a pair of wings and being embedded in a circumferential direction; a track roller rolling surface formed on an inner circumferential surface of the main body; a recess formed on the inner circumferential surface in a manner extending from the track roller rolling surface toward a widthwise outer side; lugs formed on an outer circumferential surface of the main body, the lugs respectively extending in a width direction between the cores from one end overlapping the track roller rolling surface in a thickness direction toward the other end overlapping a part in which the wings of the cores are embedded in the thickness direction. The elastic crawler device comprises the elastic crawler, a sprocket and a track roller.