Pick Assembly Strike Tip Alignment for Wear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pick tools used for degrading hard or abrasive materials like rock, asphalt, and concrete tend to wear unevenly due to misalignment with the strike plane, leading to reduced efficiency and shorter working life.
Innovation Solution
A pick assembly design where the strike tip axis is oriented within a strike angle of at most 5 degrees with the strike plane, using a pick holder and base configuration that compensates for offset angles, allowing the strike tip to travel in a perpendicular arcuate path, thereby enhancing alignment and reducing wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pick holder is misaligned from the strike plane (offset angle) to promote rotation of the pick tool, then the pick tool rotates about its axis during use, but the strike tip axis becomes misaligned with the strike plane, leading to uneven wear and reduced efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The pick holder is pre-configured with a specific misalignment angle relative to the strike plane before the pick tool is installed. This preliminary geometric configuration ensures that when the pick tool is mounted, the strike tip axis will be properly aligned with the strike plane during operation, eliminating the need for field adjustment while maintaining both rotation capability and alignment precision
Solution Approach 2:
The misalignment angle is applied locally at the pick holder attachment point rather than uniformly throughout the entire pick assembly. This localized geometric modification allows the strike tip to maintain proper alignment with the strike plane while still enabling rotational motion about the strike tip axis during drum rotation
2Ease of manufacture
If the strike tip axis is misaligned with the strike plane, then the pick tool can be mounted on standard pick holders, but the strike tip experiences uneven wear and reduced working life
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameter of the pick holder configuration by introducing a specific misalignment angle relative to the strike plane. This parameter modification ensures that the strike tip axis remains aligned with the strike plane during operation, distributing wear evenly across the strike tip surface and significantly extending the working life of the pick tool while maintaining compatibility with standard mounting systems
3Duration of action of stationary object
If the strike tip axis is aligned within 5 degrees of the strike plane, then wear is reduced and working life is extended, but the pick tool requires precise alignment configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The pick holder is pre-configured during manufacturing with the precise misalignment angle needed to ensure the strike tip axis aligns within 5 degrees of the strike plane during operation. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for complex field alignment procedures, reducing device complexity while maintaining the extended working life benefits of proper alignment
Solution Approach 2:
The pick holder acts as an intermediary component that translates the drum's rotation into proper strike tip alignment. By incorporating the misalignment angle into the pick holder's geometry, it mediates between the drum's rotational axis and the strike plane, ensuring the strike tip remains properly aligned without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A pick assembly (100) comprising a pick tool (200), a pick holder (300) and a rotatable drive means (400); in which the pick holder is attached to the rotatable drive means and the pick tool comprises a base (220) and a strike element (210) capable of being attached to the base, the strike element comprising a strike tip (212) defining a strike tip axis (213) and the base capable of being attached to the pick holder; the pick holder and pick tool being configured in relation to the drive means operative to the strike tip axis being oriented to within a strike angle of at most 5 degrees with a strike plane on which the strike tip will travel when driven by the drive means.