One-Piece Plough Guide Trough Casting Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plough guide troughs for chain-drawn coal ploughs have high production complexity and costs due to their three-part construction, which increases wear and requires welding, leading to transitional edges that further contribute to wear issues.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece casting design for the plough guide trough integrates the front wall, guide strip, guide beam, and pockets, eliminating the need for welding and transitional edges, while incorporating reworked guide surfaces and weight-reducing recesses, along with inspection openings and a dismountable closure lid for improved functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a three-part construction with welding is used for the plough guide trough, then the wear resistance is increased by using highly wear-resistant casting material, but the production complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the previously separate middle part and two end parts into a single integral casting. The plough guide trough is now produced as one piece without welding joints, eliminating the complex multi-part construction while maintaining the wear-resistant material properties throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the welding process from the manufacturing sequence. By producing the plough guide trough as a single casting, the welding steps that were essential in the prior art are completely removed, simplifying production while maintaining structural integrity.
2Reliability
If a three-part construction with welding is used for the plough guide trough, then the wear resistance is increased by using highly wear-resistant casting material, but the production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the previously separate middle part and two end parts into a single integral casting. The plough guide trough is now produced as one piece without welding joints, eliminating the complex multi-part construction while maintaining the wear-resistant material properties throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the welding process from the manufacturing sequence. By producing the plough guide trough as a single casting, the welding steps that were essential in the prior art are completely removed, simplifying production while maintaining structural integrity.
3Strength
If welding is used to join the three parts of the plough guide trough, then the structural integrity is maintained, but transitional edges are created that increase wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the previously separate middle part and two end parts into a single integral casting. The plough guide trough is now produced as one piece without welding joints, eliminating the complex multi-part construction while maintaining the wear-resistant material properties throughout the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the welding process from the manufacturing sequence. By producing the plough guide trough as a single casting, the welding steps that were essential in the prior art are completely removed, simplifying production while maintaining structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A plough guide trough for plough guides of chain-drawn coal ploughs, comprising two superposed chain guide ducts separated by an integrally cast sliding spacer member, with a top guide strip, a bottom guide beam and a bottom slideway for guiding the plough. The top chain guide duct is covered by a front wall comprising the guide strip and merging into the guide beam and a slot lead-through for a plough guiding hook or plough knife is formed between the guide beam and the slideway. Pockets in the front wall receive a toggle coupling for neighboring plough guide troughs, wherein the front wall, the guide strips, the guide beam, the pockets and a back wall comprising the slideway form a one-piece casting extending over the length of the plough guide trough.