Swivel Ball Bushing End Link for Heavy Equipment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heavy equipment chain links and swivel ball bushings face significant wear and limited adaptability to off-axis loads, requiring improved designs for increased durability and ease of use and repair.
Innovation Solution
The design of an end link with a swivel ball bushing that allows rotation about two mutually perpendicular axes, providing enhanced resistance to wear and adaptability, with a projection and slot configuration that prevents rotation about a perpendicular axis, allowing for pivoting movements up to 30 degrees, and a cylindrical bore for pin reception.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a swivel ball bushing is designed to tilt out of plane to provide greater resistance to wear, then wear resistance is improved, but the design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The swivel ball features a spherical geometry that enables it to tilt and rotate smoothly within the bushing. This spherical design provides the necessary curvature to accommodate off-axis loads and directional changes while maintaining simple manufacturing processes. The spherical shape is a classic example of using curvature to achieve complex motion capabilities without proportionally increasing design complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the projection and slot are shaped to allow rotation about two mutually perpendicular axes, then adaptability to off-axis loads is improved, but the constraint control becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The projection and slot configuration creates a dynamic constraint system that allows controlled rotation about two mutually perpendicular axes. The geometry of the projection and slot works together to permit rotation in multiple directions while maintaining precise control over the range of motion. This dynamic constraint mechanism enables the bushing to adapt to off-axis loads and directional changes without requiring complex external constraint systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An end link for use with heavy equipment includes a body and a swivel ball bushing. The body has first and second openings and defines a main body plane. The first opening has a slot located on a side thereof proximate the second opening and a truncated substantially spherical inner surface. The swivel ball bushing is seated within the first opening. The swivel ball bushing has a truncated substantially spherical outer surface in nesting engagement with the inner surface of the body and a projection at one end seated in the slot. The projection and slot are shaped to allow rotation of the swivel ball bushing relative to the body in two opposing directions about one axis of rotation or two mutually perpendicular axes of rotation.