Support Block Bore Design for Indexable and Rotatable Cutting Tools
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing earth working machines lack a support block design that can selectively receive and retain either a non-rotatable, indexable cutting tool or a rotatable cutting tool, depending on the material being excavated, limiting their versatility in handling hard and soft materials effectively.
Innovation Solution
A support block with a bore featuring both a cylindrical and non-cylindrical portion, allowing it to index and securely hold a non-rotatable cutting tool, while accommodating a rotatable cutting tool by enabling rotation within the cylindrical portion, thus allowing for the use of either type of tool based on material type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the support block uses a single bore design, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to handle different material types (hard and soft) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support block incorporates a universal bore design that can accommodate both rotatable cutting tools (with cylindrical shanks) and non-rotatable cutting tools (with non-cylindrical shanks) through the same mounting interface. The bore includes a cylindrical portion for receiving cylindrical shanks and a non-cylindrical portion for receiving non-cylindrical shanks, enabling one support block to serve multiple functions for different material types.
Solution Approach 2:
The bore is segmented into distinct portions: a cylindrical portion for rotatable tool shanks and a non-cylindrical portion for non-rotatable tool shanks. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific tool type while maintaining a unified bore structure in the support block.
2Ease of manufacture
If the support block uses a cylindrical bore only, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to retain non-rotatable cutting tools deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bore exhibits local quality variations along its length. The cylindrical portion provides uniform geometry for easy manufacturing and rotatable tool retention, while the non-cylindrical portion provides specialized geometry for non-rotatable tool retention. Each portion has the specific quality needed for its function, optimizing both manufacturability and tool retention reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the support block uses a non-cylindrical bore only, then the ability to index non-rotatable cutting tools is improved, but the ability to accommodate rotatable cutting tools deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The support block achieves universality by incorporating both cylindrical and non-cylindrical portions in the bore. The non-cylindrical portion provides indexing capability for non-rotatable tools through its geometric features, while the cylindrical portion maintains compatibility with rotatable tools that have cylindrical shanks, allowing the same support block to serve both tool types effectively.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for excavating and/or trenching hard and soft ground material includes a support block having a bore with a cylindrical portion and a non-cylindrical portion with flat surfaces and a cutting tool mounted in the bore, which may be a non- rotatable cutting tool having a shank with flat surfaces or a rotatable cutting tool having a shank with a cylindrical portion. The non-cylindrical portion of the bore rotatably engages the cylindrical portion of the rotatable cutting tool and the flat surfaces of the bore engage the flat surfaces of the non-rotatable cutting tool. A further embodiment includes a support block having a bore with flat surfaces along the entire length of the bore that engage the flat surfaces of the shank of the non-rotatable cutting tool and which bore receives the cylindrical portion of the shank of the rotatable cutting tool but does not restrain rotation thereof. In yet another embodiment, the support block may have two non-cylindrical portions and a single cylindrical portion, while the cutting tool may have a shank with two non-cylindrical portions and a single cylindrical portion corresponding to those within the bore of the support block.