Track Link Bolt Recess for Wear Sensor Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing track assemblies with integrated wear sensing devices face difficulties in removing or replacing these devices, which are crucial for predictive maintenance and avoiding costly on-site repairs.
Innovation Solution
The track assembly design incorporates a bolt with an extended section that includes a recess for the wear sensing device, allowing for easy insertion and removal of the device, and enabling its replacement without disassembling the bolt.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wear sensing device is inserted directly into a bore inside the track link body, then the device is protected and securely mounted, but it becomes difficult to remove or replace the device
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the mounting structure into two parts: the bolt (which remains fixed in the track link body) and the wear sensing device (which can be independently removed). By making the bolt removable and separable from the track link body, the wear sensing device can be easily replaced without removing the entire bolt assembly, thus resolving the contradiction between secure mounting and ease of replacement.
Solution Approach 2:
The wear sensing device is extracted from the traditional embedded bore mounting and relocated to mount on the removable bolt. This extraction allows the device to be easily removed and replaced by simply taking off the bolt, while still maintaining secure mounting when the bolt is in place. The bolt acts as an intermediary carrier that provides both security and ease of removal.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the wear sensing device is mounted inside the track link body, then the device is protected against rough operating conditions, but the device lifetime is reduced due to difficulty in replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system transitions from a static embedded bore to a dynamic removable bolt configuration. The bolt can be easily removed and reinstalled multiple times throughout the device's lifetime, allowing replacement when worn or malfunctioning. This dynamic approach extends the effective service life of the wear sensing device by enabling maintenance and replacement without permanent installation.
3Ease of repair
If a bolt with extended section and recess is used to mount the wear sensing device, then the device is easily replaceable, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bolt design merges multiple functions into a single component: the fastening function (clamping the shoe), the mounting function (providing a recess for the wear sensing device), and the protective function (shielding the device). By combining these functions into one integrated bolt structure, the overall system complexity is minimized while achieving easy replaceability of the wear sensing device.
Data Source
AI summary
A track assembly of a track-type mobile machine comprises a track link body with at least two window openings, a track shoe, and a plurality of bolts with which the track shoe is attached to the track link body, wherein the track shoe is clamped with the track link body along a clamping length of the bolt, the clamping length extending from a bolt head of the bolt to a fastening section of the bolt, wherein the track assembly further comprises a wear sensing device for measuring wear of at least one surface portion of the track link body. In order to provide a track assembly where the wear sensing device is easily removable from the track link body and a mounted wear sensing device can easily be replaced by a new one, it is suggested that the bolt comprises a bolt section adjoining the clamping length, the bolt section extending into a receiving bore arranged in the track link body, the receiving bore extending from the window opening to the surface portion of the track link body where the wear is to be measured, wherein at least the part of the bolt section received in the receiving bore comprises a recess in which the wear sensing device is arranged.