Excavator Wear Assembly With Integral Lock Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wear assemblies for excavating equipment face challenges in stability, strength, durability, penetration, safety, and ease of replacement, particularly due to harsh conditions and heavy loading, which lead to frequent wear and replacement needs.
Innovation Solution
A wear assembly design featuring a wear member with a socket and a lock that is integral and movable about an axis, allowing secure attachment and easy release without adjustment threads, reducing the risk of loss and simplifying installation, and incorporating resilient members and a tool-receiving formation for pivotal and shifting movements to enhance stability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional wear members are used with separate locks, then the lock can be replaced independently, but the lock may be dropped or lost during installation and shipping costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The lock is integrated into the wear member as a single integral component, eliminating the need for separate lock assembly and reducing the risk of loss during installation and shipping
2Reliability
If threaded locks are used for adjustment, then the lock can be securely fastened, but the installation process becomes more complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The threaded adjustment mechanism is removed from the lock design, replacing it with a simplified integral lock structure that secures through direct engagement without requiring threading operations
Solution Approach 2:
The lock is pre-configured as an integral component during manufacturing, eliminating the need for field adjustment or threading operations during installation
3Strength
If wear members are designed for heavy loading, then they can withstand harsh conditions, but they wear out faster and require more frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The lock is designed to be movable between hold and release positions, allowing dynamic adjustment and secure engagement that optimizes the wear member's performance and extends its service life under heavy loading conditions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances the stability, strength, and durability of wear members, reduces the risk of dropping or losing the lock during installation, and simplifies the installation process, leading to improved part management and extended usable life of wear components.
Implementation Method 1
A wear member (12) may include a resilient member (112), which releasably maintains the lock (17) in each of the hold and release positions
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A wear member (12) for attachment to excavating equipment comprising a front end (28), a rear end (46), a socket (16) that opens in the rear end (46) to receive a nose (14) fixed to the excavating equipment, a through-hole (81) in communication with the socket (16), and a lock (17) connected in the through-hole (81) and maintained as a single integral component through installation and use, the lock (17) being movable between a hold position where the lock (17) can secure the wear member (12) to the nose (14) and a release position where the wear member (12) can be released from the nose (14), the lock (17) and the through-hole (81) being cooperatively structured to releasably retain the lock (17) in each of said hold and release positions irrespective of the receipt of the nose (14) in the socket (16), wherein the lock (17) is free of a threaded adjustment for movement between the hold position and the release position.