Segmented Rubber Track Lugs With Flex-Grooves for Hinging Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rubber track lugs for track-type vehicles face issues with side loading and over-torque, leading to degradation, limited durability, and reduced flexibility, which results in premature wear and increased replacement needs.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a flex-groove in the lugs that allows for around-wheel hinging motion, combined with a replaceable lug-receiving cap secured by mechanical means, such as bolts or molded-in members, made from thermoplastic elastomers, to enhance durability and flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional rigid lugs are used to increase strength and durability, then the lugs can resist lateral forces and mechanical damage, but the lugs lose flexibility and cannot bend around smaller radius wheels
Solution Approach 1:
The lug is segmented into multiple portions (first portion, second portion, third portion) connected by flex-grooves. This segmentation allows each segment to maintain structural strength while enabling relative movement between segments, providing both durability and flexibility needed to navigate around wheels of different radii.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates flexible elements within the lug structure, specifically the flex-grooves that create hinge-like motion capabilities. These flexible features allow the lug to bend and adapt to smaller radius wheels while the overall lug structure maintains its strength through the segmented design.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional solid lugs are used to maximize durability, then the lugs can withstand over-torque and lateral forces, but the lugs cannot accommodate wear through replacement and require entire track replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The lug is divided into replaceable segments (first portion, second portion, third portion) connected by flex-grooves. This segmentation enables individual portions to be replaced when worn, extending the overall service life of the track system without requiring replacement of the entire track.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables selective replacement of worn lug portions while retaining the remaining functional segments. This approach recovers usable portions of the lug structure and extends the operational life of the track system by allowing incremental replacement rather than complete replacement.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional lugs are used without flex-grooves, then the lugs maintain structural integrity, but the lugs are susceptible to wear from lateral forces and cannot perform hinging motion
Solution Approach 1:
The lug is segmented into multiple portions connected by flex-grooves, creating a structure that maintains overall integrity while allowing controlled movement. The segmentation enables the lug to absorb lateral forces through hinging motion rather than rigid resistance, reducing wear from lateral forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The flex-grooves introduce dynamic movement capability to the lug structure, allowing it to adapt its configuration in response to lateral forces. This dynamic behavior enables the lug to perform hinging motion and reduce wear by flexing rather than rigidly resisting lateral loads.
Data Source
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AI summary
A continuous flexible track (12) for extending about a plurality of aligned wheels on a vehicle or track module (10), the track includes an outer ground-engaging surface (22) and an inner wheel-engaging surface (24) having inwardly-projecting wheel-engaging lugs (26). Each lug has a proximal end (32), a distal surface (34), front and back surfaces (36, 38) and opposite side surfaces (40, 42). Each lug further includes a flex-groove (44) extending between the side surfaces and from the distal surface toward the proximal end, thereby dividing the lug into two portions to allow around-wheel hinging motion. In most preferred embodiments, a lug-receiving cap (50) may be positioned over and replaceably secured with respect to each lug. A method for prolonging the useful life of such a track is provided.