Tracked Vehicle Wheel Debris Ejector Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tracked vehicles face issues with debris accumulation in wheels, which is abrasive and leads to wear and rust due to the shape of the wheels preventing debris from escaping, causing damage over rough terrain.
Innovation Solution
A debris ejector is attached to the wheel's hub-facing surface, shaped to slope and slant, redirecting debris away from the wheel as it rotates, ensuring debris is ejected and does not accumulate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wheel shape is designed to engage the track, then the wheel provides stable propulsion, but debris accumulates inside the wheel and cannot escape
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the debris removal function from the wheel's natural rotation by adding a separate debris ejector component. The ejector is attached to the wheel and actively removes debris that would otherwise accumulate due to the wheel's track-engaging shape, thus separating the propulsion function from the debris management function.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris ejector acts as an intermediary component between the wheel and the debris. It is positioned to intercept debris that has accumulated inside the wheel and redirect it outward, mediating the interaction between the wheel's rotating motion and the debris removal process.
2Strength
If debris is allowed to accumulate in the wheel, then the wheel maintains its structural integrity, but the abrasive debris wears away the painted surface and promotes rust
Solution Approach 1:
The debris ejector extracts harmful debris from the wheel interior before it can cause abrasive wear to the painted surface. By continuously removing debris, the system protects the wheel's surface durability while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris ejector performs preliminary removal of debris before it can cause significant wear damage. By acting continuously or at frequent intervals, the ejector prevents the cumulative abrasive effect that would otherwise degrade the painted surface and promote rust over time.
3Speed
If the wheel rotates to propel the vehicle, then movement is achieved, but the rotating motion causes debris to tumble and slide, increasing wear
Solution Approach 1:
The debris ejector serves as an intermediary that intercepts debris during the wheel's rotation. It uses the wheel's rotational motion to its advantage by positioning the ejector to engage debris at specific points in the rotation cycle, redirecting it outward before it can tumble and slide against the wheel surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The debris ejector continuously extracts debris from the wheel interior during rotation, removing the source of abrasive wear. This allows the wheel to rotate for propulsion without the harmful tumbling and sliding action of debris against the wheel surface.
Data Source
AI summary
A debris ejector attached to the hub-facing surface of the rim of a tracked work vehicle. The debris ejector has a leading face that is shaped so to slope from a base adjacent the hub-facing surface towards a ridge of the debris ejector and also slant from an inner end of the debris ejector adjacent the inner edge of the rim to an outer end adjacent the outer edge of the rim such that the shape of the leading face redirects debris so that the debris moves away from the hub-facing surface and away from the disk as the wheel rotates.