Shimless Wear Pad Adjustment Using a Sliding Tapered Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wear pad adjustment methods require the removal of hardware, which is time-consuming and leads to equipment downtime due to the need for frequent hardware replacement in tight spaces.
Innovation Solution
A wear pad with a tapered adjustment plate that slides relative to the wear pad to compensate for erosion, eliminating the need for hardware removal by using a fastener system with a counter-sunk cavity and adjustment slot for threaded inserts, allowing for in-place adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a shim is used to replace worn thickness of a wear pad, then the wear pad thickness can be restored, but hardware removal is required which is time-consuming and leads to equipment downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The wear pad assembly is segmented into multiple components: the wear pad itself, a tapered adjustment plate, and a retaining clip. This segmentation allows the adjustment plate to be independently adjusted without removing the retaining hardware, enabling thickness restoration while minimizing equipment downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment plate is made adjustable and reconfigurable through the tapered design that works with the slot in the wear pad. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the system to adapt to wear without requiring complete disassembly and replacement, reducing the time lost during maintenance operations.
2Manufacturing precision
If hardware is removed to replace a wear pad, then the worn thickness can be compensated, but the procedure must be repeated multiple times for multiple wear pads increasing downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The tapered adjustment plate with slot design serves multiple functions: it compensates for wear in the current wear pad position, and can be easily repositioned and reused for multiple wear pad locations along the boom. This multi-functionality eliminates the need to repeat the hardware removal procedure for each wear pad, maintaining productivity across multiple adjustment locations.
3Manufacturing precision
If a traditional wear pad adjustment system is used, then wear compensation is possible, but hardware removal in tight spaces makes the process complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment functionality is extracted from the retaining hardware itself. The retaining clip remains in place while the tapered adjustment plate is independently removed, adjusted through the slot, and reinstalled. This extraction of the adjustment function from the hardware removal process simplifies the operation, especially in tight spaces where hardware removal would be difficult.
Data Source
AI summary
A shimless wear pad preferably includes a wear pad, an adjustment plate and at least one fastener. The wear pad includes a wear surface on a top and a wear tapered surface on a bottom. The wear pad includes at least one counter sunk cavity for retaining a threaded insert for threadably engaging the fastener. The adjustment plate includes an adjustment tapered surface on a top and a support surface on a bottom. An adjustment slot is formed through substantially all of a length of the adjustment plate. The adjustment slot provides clearance for the at least one fastener. The adjustment plate will be mounted between the wear pad and a stationary structure. The wear surface of the wear pad will make contact with a moving surface of a moving structure. The support surface of the adjustment plate makes contact with a retention surface of the stationary structure.