Excavating Tooth Assembly with Nested Engagement and Self-Service Pin Removal
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional tooth assemblies for earth-moving machinery suffer from issues such as a weak connection between the adapter and tooth, excessive movement leading to breakage, difficulty in removing the pin for replacement, and the need for additional tools, resulting in costly downtime.
Innovation Solution
A tooth assembly design featuring engagement members with surfaces extending in multiple directions for enhanced stability, a pin with a compression member for secure attachment and easy removal, and a mechanism allowing the new tooth to pry out the old pin, eliminating the need for additional tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the nose member is made small to reduce material usage, then the adapter complexity is reduced, but the strength and reliability of the connection between adapter and tooth deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement member is nested within the opening of the other component. Specifically, the engagement member extending from the adapter is received by the opening in the tooth, and the engagement member extending from the tooth is received by the opening in the adapter, creating a nested configuration that enhances connection strength without increasing overall adapter complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement members have surfaces extending in multiple directions (first direction and second direction perpendicular to each other), adding dimensional complexity to the connection interface. This multi-directional surface extension provides stability and strength in multiple loading directions without requiring a larger nose member
2Reliability
If the adapter and tooth are tightly fitted to reduce movement, then the reliability of the connection improves, but the device complexity increases due to tighter tolerances
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between adapter and tooth is segmented into multiple engagement members rather than a single monolithic connection. This segmentation allows each engagement member to handle specific directional loads, providing tight fit and reliability without requiring extremely tight overall tolerances across the entire assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement members extend in multiple directions with surfaces in perpendicular directions, creating a multi-dimensional connection that inherently reduces excessive movement between components. This multi-directional engagement provides stability without requiring overly complex assembly procedures
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple pin design is used to reduce device complexity, then the ease of manufacture improves, but the ease of operation for pin removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth assembly is designed so that a new tooth can be used to remove the pin from the assembly. The engagement member of the new tooth serves as a pry tool to lever the pin out of its seat, allowing the assembly to remove its own pin without requiring external tools like hammers or punches
4Ease of operation
If additional tools are provided for pin removal, then the ease of operation for tooth replacement improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tooth assembly is designed to be self-sufficient for pin removal. The engagement member structure of the tooth itself provides the necessary leverage to remove the pin, eliminating the need for separate external tools. The system uses its own components to perform the maintenance function
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement member serves multiple functions: it provides structural connection between adapter and tooth, provides stability in multiple directions, and also serves as a removal tool for the pin. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate dedicated removal tools
Data Source
AI summary
A tooth assembly having an adapter, a tooth, and a pin. The adapter and the tooth each have a first portion and a second portion. The first portion of the adapter is adapted to be combined with an earth-digging implement. The second portion of the adapter is adapted to be combined with the tooth. The second portion of the adapter has an opening adapted to receive an engagement member extending from the second portion of the tooth. The first portion of the tooth is adapted to engage the material being displaced by the implement and the second portion is adapted to be combined with the adapter. The second portion of the tooth has an opening adapted to receive an engagement member extending from the second portion of the adapter. The pin is inserted through openings in both the adapter and the tooth to secure the two components together during operation.