Swivel Joint Flange Sealing for Working Machine Turn Base Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing working machines, such as backhoes, face challenges in preventing parts, tools, and fluids from falling through openings in the turn base plate and in securely attaching and removing the swivel joint, which can be heavy and complex to handle.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a swivel joint with an outer sleeve fixed to the turn base plate, an inner shaft that restrictively rotates with respect to the traveling frame, and a turn restrictor mechanism using flat portions to prevent rotation, along with a seal system to prevent fluid and dust ingress, facilitating easy attachment and removal of the swivel joint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a turn base plate with an opening portion is used to support the swivel joint, then the swivel joint can be easily attached and removed, but parts and fluids may fall through the opening portion
Solution Approach 1:
The flange portion acts as an intermediary element between the opening portion and the swivel joint. It covers the opening portion to prevent parts and fluids from falling through, while still allowing the swivel joint to be attached and removed through the same opening. The flange portion mediates between the conflicting requirements of openness for maintenance and closure for safety.
2Ease of operation
If the inner shaft is freely rotatable with respect to the traveling frame, then rotation is smooth and easy, but uncontrolled rotation may occur during operation
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation restriction mechanism transforms the rotation system from completely free to dynamically controlled. The inner shaft can rotate smoothly when needed for operation, but the rotation is restricted to specific ranges or conditions through the restriction mechanism, providing both ease of operation and reliability through conditional freedom.
3Reliability
If additional stoppers are added to restrict rotation of the inner shaft, then rotation control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation restriction function is merged into the existing swivel joint structure rather than being implemented as separate stopper components. The flange portion and its interaction with the opening portion inherently provide rotation restriction without requiring additional stoppers, thereby improving reliability while avoiding increased device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A working machine includes a traveling device having a traveling frame, a turn base plate supported on the traveling frame and configured to turn around an axis extending in a vertical direction, the turn base plate having an opening portion through which the axis extends, and a swivel joint including an outer sleeve fixed to the turn base plate, and an inner shaft inserted to the opening portion and inserted to the outer sleeve so as to rotate about the axis, the inner shaft being configured to restrictively rotate with respect to the traveling frame. The outer sleeve has a flange portion fixed to the turn base plate on a periphery of the opening portion and covering the opening portion.