Track Joint Retainer Plate With Stop Ring Pin Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Track chain pins in track-type machines tend to 'walk out' of their bores due to friction, leading to decoupling of links and requiring maintenance or failure, which existing pin retainers like those in the '761 patent fail to prevent effectively.
Innovation Solution
A retainer plate with a recess and a stop ring configuration that secures the pin within the bore, using a stop ring that nests within the recess to prevent axial movement and collapse, maintaining the pin's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring is used to keep the retaining plate in place, then the pin is retained in the pin bore, but the spring frequently collapses allowing the retaining plate and pin to walk out
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the spring component from the retention system entirely. Instead of using a spring to apply radial force to the retaining plate, the design uses a stop ring that nests within a recess in the retaining plate to provide axial positioning and prevent collapse. This extraction of the spring eliminates the reliability problem of spring collapse while maintaining pin retention functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop ring acts as an intermediary element between the retaining plate and the pin bore. It nests within the recess of the retaining plate and provides the necessary axial constraint, preventing the retaining plate from moving axially or collapsing. This intermediary component solves the spring durability issue by providing a simpler, more reliable retention mechanism.
2Reliability
If a retaining plate is positioned next to the pin, then the pin is held in position, but the retaining plate can walk out of the pin bore when the spring collapses
Solution Approach 1:
The recess is pre-formed in the retaining plate during manufacturing, creating a prepared structure that receives the stop ring. This preliminary action ensures that when the assembly is put together, the stop ring automatically nests within the recess, providing immediate axial constraint and preventing any subsequent walking or collapse of the retaining plate without requiring additional adjustment or assembly steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A track joint assembly may include a first track shoe including at least one forward pin lug, a second track shoe including at least one back pin lug, a pin extending through a pin bore coupling the first track shoe to the second track shoe, a retainer plate positioned within the pin bore and including an interior surface adjacent the pin, an exterior surface opposite the interior surface, and a recess extending at least partially along an outer circumferential edge of the exterior surface, a stop ring positioned within a stop groove formed in an inner circumferential surface of the pin bore, the stop ring positioned adjacent the exterior surface of the retainer and extending radially inward from the inner circumferential surface such that the stop ring blocks the retainer plate from withdrawing from the pin bore.