Wear Liner Assembly With Embedded Fastener for Rear-Access Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wear liner assemblies in the materials handling industry, particularly in mining, face challenges such as the need for expensive scaffolding and lifting apparatus for installation and removal, limited options for material selection due to access constraints, and issues with stud and nut fastener arrangements leading to potential damage and premature wear.
Innovation Solution
A wear liner assembly with a first fastener portion encapsulated within the wear liner and extending through a hole in the backing plate, allowing for secure attachment to a structure without requiring access to the rear side, and minimizing clamping loads on the wear layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If stud and nut fastener arrangements are used to secure wear liners, then the wear liners can be firmly held in place during service, but expensive scaffolding and lifting apparatus are required for installation and removal
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of passing fasteners through the wear liner from the accessible side (inside), the patent inverts the approach by having fasteners extend from the inaccessible side (rear) through the backing plate. The first fastener portion is embedded in the backing plate while the second fastener portion extends rearwardly, allowing installation from the inside only without requiring scaffolding or lifting apparatus.
Solution Approach 2:
The first fastener portion is nested within the backing plate, embedded in recesses formed in the rear surface. This nesting allows the fastener to be securely held in place during installation while enabling access from only the inside of the structure.
2Reliability
If conventional bolt and nut fastening systems are used, then the wear liner can be secured to the structure, but large holes are required in the wear liner which result in premature wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fastener embedding location from the wear liner material and relocates it to the backing plate. The first fastener portion is embedded in recesses in the backing plate, not in the wear liner itself. This extraction eliminates the need for large holes through the wear liner, preventing premature wear while maintaining secure attachment capability.
3Device complexity
If access is limited to only the inside of the structure, then installation costs may be reduced, but material selection and attachment method options are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional fastening approach by embedding the first fastener portion in the backing plate and extending the second fastener portion rearwardly. This inversion enables installation from the inside only, matching the access constraint, while still allowing the use of composite wear liners (ceramic, polymer, rubber) that would otherwise require rear access for conventional fastening.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a wear liner assembly (13) adapted to be secured to a structure (15). The wear liner assembly comprises a wear liner (14) having a first material secured to a backing plate (17). The backing plate has at least one hole (43) therethrough. A first fastener portion is adapted to co-operate with a second fastener portion to securing the wear liner to the structure. The first fastener portion is received in the at least one hole and is at least partially housed within the wear liner.