Crane Wheel Block Alignment Using Interlocking Pins and Slots
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for mounting wheel blocks on end carriages, such as those in cranes, require precise machining and alignment to prevent skewing, which increases production costs and effort, and can lead to increased wear and stress on the end carriage due to lateral forces.
Innovation Solution
A simplified interlocking connection between the wheel block and the end carriage using pins and slots, where the pins on the wheel block's housing fit into slots on the plate, allowing for alignment without precise machining of the groove or plate surfaces, reducing production costs and eliminating the need for precise guidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If precise machining of groove side walls and plate side surfaces is performed to create interlocking guide surfaces, then alignment precision of the wheel block is improved, but manufacturing cost and effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment function is segmented between the groove (which provides the interlocking connection) and the plate (which provides positioning). The groove is machined with sufficient precision for alignment, while the plate's side surfaces require no precision machining, dividing the manufacturing effort appropriately.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of machining both the groove and plate side surfaces to create interlocking guide surfaces as in prior art, the invention inverts the approach by having the groove provide the interlocking connection through its bottom surface and sides, while the plate provides positioning through its base surface, eliminating the need for precision machining of the plate's side surfaces.
2Manufacturing precision
If precise machining of groove and plate surfaces is performed, then guidance accuracy is improved, but production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance function is segmented between the groove (providing lateral guidance through its sides) and the plate (providing positioning through its base surface). This segmentation allows the groove to be machined with necessary precision while the plate requires minimal machining, reducing total production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The groove is machined with sufficient precision to provide both interlocking and guidance functions, which is excessive for a simple positioning feature but necessary for the interlocking function. This partial over-engineering of the groove eliminates the need for equivalent precision machining of the plate, reducing overall production time.
Data Source
AI summary
An arrangement with an end carriage, a plate, and a wheel block which is detachably fastened to the end carriage and comprises a housing and a wheel that is mounted in the housing and projects out of the housing, wherein the plate is located between the end carriage and the wheel block and is fixedly connected to the end carriage and has a base surface directed towards the housing, and wherein the housing has a groove which receives the plate and which has a bottom surface, directed towards the base surface, and side walls delimiting the groove, wherein the wheel block is aligned relative to the end carriage by means of an interlocking connection between the wheel block and the plate.