Mining Shovel Crowd Machinery Guard with Rotatable Impact Plate

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional bumpers on mining shovels are insufficient in protecting the crowd machinery from heavy impacts and unusual angles, particularly in mining applications where large rocky materials can cause significant damage.

Innovation Solution

A crowd machinery guard system featuring a mounting bracket assembly, rotatable support legs, and an impact plate assembly with a cushion subassembly that moves to absorb and distribute impact forces, including an impact plate made of durable material and cushioning elements like elastomers or springs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional bumpers are used to protect the boom structure, then the boom is protected from small impacts, but the crowd machinery is not fully protected from heavy impacts or impacts at uncommon angles

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection of crowd machineryVSAvoiddamage from heavy impacts and unusual angles

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The guard assembly is designed with movable support legs that can rotate about pivot points, allowing the impact plate to dynamically adjust its position and orientation in response to impacts from various directions. This dynamic capability enables the guard to effectively protect against heavy impacts and uncommon angles that would defeat fixed conventional bumpers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The guard assembly is divided into multiple independent components including the impact plate, support legs, and mounting brackets. This segmentation allows each component to independently respond to impact forces, with the support legs able to rotate and the impact plate able to absorb energy, providing comprehensive protection that a single fixed bumper cannot achieve.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If conventional bumpers are used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the protection against large rocky materials and heavy impacts is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection against heavy impactsVSAvoidcomplexity of guard system

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The movable support legs with pivot points create a dynamic system that, while more complex than fixed bumpers, provides superior protection against heavy impacts from large rocky materials. The mechanical advantage of the lever arms and pivot points allows the system to absorb and redirect impact forces effectively.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the dipper door is stuck in the open position with rocky material, then the dipper can strike the crowd mechanism with great force, but conventional bumpers cannot protect against this scenario

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection of crowd machineryVSAvoidimpact force from dipper

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The dynamic support legs can rotate to accommodate impacts from various angles, including the scenario where the dipper strikes with great force after the door is stuck open. The impact plate serves as a sacrificial element that can absorb extreme forces while the movable support structure redirects remaining forces away from the crowd machinery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The cushioning elements are pre-installed on the impact plate to provide beforehand cushioning against potential heavy impacts. This prior cushioning is specifically designed to handle extreme force scenarios such as when the dipper door is stuck open and rocky material causes the dipper to strike with inordinate force.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

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

Effectively reduces damage to the crowd machinery by absorbing and distributing impact forces, providing comprehensive protection against dipper impacts and reducing maintenance and repair costs.

Implementation Method 1

at least one cushion subassembly coupled to the impact plate, the cushion subassembly including a dampening portion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDampening: Damping

Implementation Method 2

The cushion subassemblies (30) are made from an elastomer in exemplary embodiments

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS9051715B2Crowd machinery guard for mining shovel

Publication Date: 2015.06.09 CATERPILLAR GLOBAL MINING LLC

AI summary

A crowd machinery guard system for a mining shovel is provided. The crowd machinery guard system includes a mounting bracket assembly coupled to the front of the mining shovel frame. The crowd machinery guard system also includes at least one support leg rotatably coupled to the mounting bracket assembly, and an impact plate assembly coupled to the support leg. The impact plate assembly includes an impact plate configured to receive dipper impacts, at least one support leg bracket coupled to the impact plate, and at least one cushion subassembly including a dampening portion. The crowd machinery guard system is configured to absorb and distribute the force of dipper impacts.