Track Link Assembly With Bushing-Coupled Shoes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing track chain assemblies require thicker links and bolts due to integrally formed track shoes, leading to increased manufacturing and maintenance costs, and differing wear rates between links and shoes necessitate separate servicing.
Innovation Solution
A track link assembly with offset links and a bushing element that securely couples track shoes, allowing for thinner links and easier maintenance, where the bushing includes shoe holes for secure attachment of track shoes, reducing the need for thick bolts and enabling separate servicing of components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If track shoes are integrally formed with links, then structural simplicity is achieved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase due to requiring thicker links and larger bolts
Solution Approach 1:
The track assembly is divided into separate components: links and track shoes are manufactured independently, then coupled together using pins and bushings. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, with links designed for structural strength and track shoes designed for ground engagement, eliminating the need for integral forming and reducing overall manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Pins and bushings serve as intermediary elements that couple the track shoes to the links. This intermediary coupling mechanism allows for easier assembly and disassembly compared to integral forming, enables separate manufacturing of components, and reduces the need for thicker links and larger bolts while maintaining structural integrity.
2Reliability
If track shoes are bolted to links, then secure attachment is achieved, but link thickness and bolt size must increase to support the connection
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing acts as an intermediary element between the link and track shoe, providing a secure attachment point. The bushing is press-fitted into the link, creating a robust connection that eliminates the need for thick links and large bolts while maintaining reliable attachment of the track shoe.
Solution Approach 2:
The pin is nested within the bushing, which is nested within the link aperture. This nested arrangement creates a compact, secure connection mechanism that provides reliable attachment without requiring increased link thickness or bolt size, as the nested components work together to distribute and transmit loads efficiently.
3Ease of manufacture
If links and track shoes are integrally formed, then manufacturing is simplified, but maintenance and replacement become difficult when components wear at different rates
Solution Approach 1:
The track assembly is segmented into separately manufacturable links and track shoes that can be independently replaced. This segmentation allows maintenance personnel to replace only the worn component (either links or track shoes) without replacing the entire assembly, significantly improving ease of repair and reducing maintenance costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular design enables selective replacement of worn components. When track shoes wear out, only the track shoes need to be replaced, not the links. Conversely, when links wear, only the links are replaced. This selective discarding and recovering of worn components reduces waste and maintenance costs compared to replacing the entire integral assembly.
4Strength
If thicker links are used to support track shoes, then connection strength is improved, but production cost and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing serves as a strength-enhancing intermediary that provides a robust connection point for the track shoe without requiring thicker links. The bushing is press-fitted into the link aperture, creating a secure attachment that maintains connection strength while allowing use of thinner, lighter links that are faster to manufacture and assemble.
Data Source
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AI summary
A track link assembly (10) comprises a plurality of link subassemblies (12). Each link subassembly (12) may include a pair of links (14) coupled together. Each link (14) may include a first aperture (16) and a second aperture (18), and the second aperture (18) of each link (14) may be larger than the first aperture (16). The track link assembly (10) may include a pin element (20) extending through the first aperture (16) of a first link (14) and the second aperture (18) of a second link (14) in each link subassembly (12). The track link assembly (10) may include a bushing element (22) with a central opening (24). The bushing element (22) may surround a portion of the pin element (20) and extend through the second aperture (18) of the second link (14) of each link subassembly (12). The bushing element (22) may include at least one hole (56) configured to couple a track shoe (54) to the bushing element (22).