Pivoting Track Wheel Assembly for Load Distribution and Tensioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Off-road vehicles experience performance issues and premature track failure due to varying loads and conditions when transitioning between soft, slippery terrain and hard surfaces, such as roads, leading to wear and deterioration, and potential loss of control during braking or rim pull events.
Innovation Solution
A track system with elastomeric tracks and a track-engaging assembly featuring pivotable track-contacting wheels and adjustable tensioning mechanisms, including pivot axes and multiple tensioning stages, to enhance load distribution and track tensioning, particularly for vehicles operating on inclined surfaces and roads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the vehicle uses conventional track systems with fixed wheels, then the track system is simple and reliable, but the track experiences severe wear and deterioration when roading on hard surfaces, leading to premature failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the track-contacting wheels pivotable about a pivot axis. This allows the wheels to dynamically adjust their orientation in response to different terrain conditions - rotating to follow the track contour on soft ground and maintaining proper alignment on hard surfaces, thereby reducing track wear while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the track system by introducing a pivotable wheel mechanism with a pivot axis below the rotation axis. This parameter change allows the wheels to alter their contact geometry with the track, optimizing performance and reducing wear across varying terrain conditions from soft ground to hard roads
2Adaptability or versatility
If the vehicle travels on side hills or inclined surfaces, then the vehicle can access more terrain, but additional loads are induced in the track system's tracks and wheels
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable wheel mechanism dynamically responds to inclined surfaces by allowing wheels to laterally oscillate and adjust their position. This dynamic adjustment distributes loads more evenly across multiple wheels and reduces concentrated stresses on individual track components, enabling terrain accessibility while managing forces
3Productivity
If the vehicle moves faster on roads to minimize non-productive time, then productivity increases, but severe wear and deterioration of tracks occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable wheels dynamically adjust during high-speed road travel to maintain optimal contact with the track, reducing impact loads and vibrational stresses. This allows the vehicle to travel faster on roads while minimizing the severe wear that would otherwise occur at elevated speeds, thereby extending track lifespan while maintaining productivity
4Ease of operation
If the tensioner retracts and releases the track during braking or rim pull events, then the track system responds to force changes, but the track may ratchet over the drive sprocket, leading to loss of control and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable wheels provide dynamic adjustment during braking and rim pull events, allowing the track to accommodate tension changes without rigid constraint. This reduces the likelihood of track ratcheting over the drive sprocket by distributing stress dynamically, maintaining control stability while preserving operational responsiveness
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 system improves traction and reduces wear by optimizing load distribution and track tensioning, enhancing performance and durability across different terrains and conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a track that is elastomeric and comprises a ground-engaging outer surface and an inner surface opposite to the ground-engaging outer surface
Data Source
AI summary
A track system for traction of a vehicle (e.g., an agricultural vehicle) in which the track system is designed to better perform when the vehicle is roading, travelling on a side hill or other inclined surface, is braking or undergoing other rim pull events, and/or in other situations, such as by enhancing load distribution (e.g., with wheels that can laterally oscillate and be wider) and/or track tensioning (e.g., with different tensioning stages).