AU2007203167A1 - A surface engaging tool including high tensile inserts - Google Patents

Description

06/07 '07 FRI 16:57 FAX 61 8 82119433 Lescar Perrln 007 14009AU

ORIGINAL

Complete Specification Applicant Title: Address for Service: James A Calderwood A surface engaging tool including high tensile inserts LESICAR PERRIN, 49 Wright Street, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to melus: COMS ID No: SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:35 Date 2007-07-06 06/07 '07 FRI 16:57 FAX 61 8 82119433Leca Prin108 Les1car Perrin Z008 2 S A surface engaging tool including high tensile inserts 3 The present invention relates to surface engaging tools and, in particular, to the use of l'-n high tensile inserts which are braze welded to the tip or contact edge of such tools for No increain~g thi stent and lifespan making thema particularly suitable for use when excavating extremely hard rock BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIMON o The present inventor is the owner of a number of 90-pending patent applications including PCT/AU2006100121 8 and AU2006904612, relating to ripper boot improvements, o for particular use wit bulldozers used to excavate bard rock to locate precious stones such as 010 opal. In particular, the inventor has been involved in improving the wear resistance of such boots by using replaceable high tensile tips, improving their mounting means within the boot, as well as altering their angle of afttack The inventor has realised that the use of high tensile tips such as tungsten need not be limited to ripper boots only, and that such material could be used in other small to large scale surface engaging equipment A problem to date has been in attaching and securing high tensile material to the tip or along the contact edge of such tools. As those skilled in the art would realise, surface engaging tools are typically made of steel and therefore welding of any material to a tip or end thereof will cause weakening of the surrounding metal, and under heavy impact conditions, the tool becomes prone to fracture at these weak spots. For this reason, the use of welded on high tensile tips on such tools has not been adopted in the wear parts industry, It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome this problem or to at least provide the public with a useful alternative.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a surface engaging tool capable of engaging extremely hard ground through use of at least one high tensile insert welded to a contact surface thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE6 INVENTION Therefore in one form of the invention there is proposed a surface engaging tool comprising: a rigid body including at least one edge adapted to contact surface during use; and at least one slot lining said contact edge; and COMS ID Na:SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:35 Date 2007-07-06 06/07 '07 FRI 16:57 FAX 61 8 82119433 LscrPri 0 Lesicar Perrin [a 009 3 o a high tensile insert adapted to be fixedly engaged within each slot to thereby improve the strength characteristics of the tool.

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l'-n Preferably said insert includes at least a portion which is correspondingly shaped with oN said slot for engagement therewith.

In preference said insert is of a frusto-triangular shape including a head which protrudes a short distance outwardly trorn said contact edge.

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Preferably said tool includes a plurality of inserts spaced apart equally along the Cl contact edge of the tool.

o Preferably each insert is braze welded into the slot In preference subsequent to welding the insert into said slot, the tool is heat treated- Preferably the tool is tempered until the required physical properties of the metal surrounding the welded areas are regained.

Advantageously said high tensile material is tungsten metal.

in preference said tool is in the form of a ripper boot of the type adapted to be.

mounted to a shank of a bulldozer or like equipmnent, said ripper boot including a carrier means adapted to connect said ripper boot to said sbank- Alternatively said tool is in the form of a bulldozer blade or a grader blade.

BRIEF DESCRIPTON OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. hin the drawings: Figure I illustrates a front perspective view of a ripper boot including high tensile inserts along its contact edge, in accordance with the present invention; figure 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the ripper boot of Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates a side cross sectional view of the ripper boot of Figure 1; Figure 4 illustrates a front perspective view of an alternate ripper boot including high tensile inserts along its contact edge; COMS ID No: SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:35 Date 2007-07-06 06/07 '07 FRI 16:58 FAX 61 8 82119433Leca Prinroo Les1car Perrin Z010 4 oFigure 5 illustrates a front perspective view of a grader blade including high tensile inserts along its contact edge; and -t Figure 6 illustrates a front perspective view of a bulldozer blade including high tensile IN net aogiscotc de oCnet ln t otc de DESCRIPTION OF TE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying odrwigs Although then description inlue exmlr emoimns other emboimnts Cl are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from o the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be 010 used throughout the drawings and the following des .cription to refer to the same and like parts.

The present invention relates to ground engaging tools 10 having high tensile inserts 12 welded along a contact edge 14 thereof. Reference to a "contact edge" herein refers in most cases to an edge of the tool which is the first to contact the ground or surface.

Figures 1-3 illustrate the invention when applied to ripper boots l0a, Figure 4 illustrates the invention when applied to an alternate zipper boot l Ob, Figure 5 illustrates the invention when applied to a grader blade 1 Oc, end Figure 6 illustrates the invention when applied to a bulldozer blade IlOd. It is to be understood that the invention could equally well be applied to any other ground engaging tool, or any tool requirig high tensile contact edges.

Referring firstly to Figures 1-3, the ripper boot 10a includes a carrier section 16 which is hollow and conformed to fit over a ripper boot tyne (not shown), and a solid engaging section 18 which includes a contact edge 14. Four slots 20 line the edge 14 and are shaped to receive high tensile inserts 12 which are preferably secured therein by bronze welding so that they protrude slightly outwardly -from the contact edge 14. This is to ensure that the high tensile material, preferably tunigsten, is the fist material that contacts the surface to be broken up during operation of the boot. The result is a surface engaging tool of superior strength characteristics and which may be used to rip through extremely hard surfaces, for example, such a tool would be suitable in the ripping of hard sandstone.

According to the embodiments shown, each insert 12 is of a fmusto-triangular shape having a rectangular cross-section along its height, the insert being welded to the tool so that the head of the frusto-triangle is directed outwardly. It is to be understood that thle shape of the inserts are not to be limited to frusto-triangular. The shape of the insert can be altered to COMS ID No: SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:35 Date 2007-07-06 06/07 '07 FRI 16:58 FAX 61 8 82119433Leca Prin101 Lesicar Perrin [a oil o suit the tool, or the application. For example, it may be that in some environments, a rounded or pointed head is more suitable.

The carrier section 16 is typically held in place by utilisation of a pair of co-axially o aligned retaining holes 22 and 24 located in opposed side walls 26 and 28 of the carrier section 12 respectively. A retaining pin (not shown) is adapted to extend through the holes 22 and 24 and through an aperture (not shown) associated with the available tyne. It is to be ___understood that the eatrer 12 may be conformed to fit any available ripper boot or loader o bucket shank, and that the present invention is not intended to be limited to only this form of Figure 4 illustrates an alternate ripper boot I Ob including substantially the same features as ripper boot 10a, except it is thinner and only accommodates two inserts 12 at a tip thereof. Figur 5 illustrates a conventional grader blade 1 Oc comprising a longitudinal body 26 that is curved along its height The grader blade 10c is typically associated with a powered machine (not shown) which drives the blade, and includes a bottom edge 28 attached to the body 26 by bolts 30, and used to grade or level a ground surface. It is this bottom edge 28 that includes a plurality of welded on high tensile inserts 12. A conventional bulldozer blade l Od is shown in Figure 6, and similarly, a plurality of high tensile inserts 12 lines the lower edge 32 of the blade l0d- The blade 10e in this case comprises a longitudinal tray-type body 34 for storing the ground or nibble that has been ripped through contact with edge 32, also bolted to the body 34 using bolts 36- Again, although not shown, the blade 10d is adapted to be moved by a human-operated powered machine- In order for the tools 10 to maintain their intended physical properties alter welding, they may need to be subjected to frther heat treatment- Those skilled in the art would realise that welding the inserts 12 in place causes the surrounding metal to heat up and thereby lose some of its important physical properties which enable it to withstand strong impact. Further heat treatment such as tempering is therefore required to prevent fracture of the metal at weak spots surrounding the welds. The preferred welding method is braze or bronze welding which involves the depositing of a filler metal 3 8 such as bronze into the joint between the slot and the insert.

In so far as the dimensions of the inserts are concerned, it is estimated that for ripper boots, they should be within the range of one fifteenth to one tenth the length of the boot. For example, for a ripper boot that is approximately 30cm long, the inserts should be approximately 2-3 cm. An insert that is 3cm long would have a width of approximately 4mm.

The number of inserts should be proportional to the desired strength characteristics of the COMS ID No: SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:35 Date 2007-07-06 06/07 '07 FRI 16:58 FAX 61 8 82119433 LscrPri 1 Lesicar Perrin Z 012 6 o tool. In general, for a ripper boot having a contact edge of approximately Scmi for example, four inserts could be used which are spaced apart by approximately 1cm, as shown in Figure o The present invention therefore provides for an improved tool of the type used to engage and penetrate bard surfaces, in particular hard surfaces which would otherwise damage or decrease the lifespan of conventional wear parts. The tool may be in the fonn of a ripper boot a bulldozer blade, a grader blade, or other similar equipment, and achieves this by en having one or more high tensile inserts welded to a tip or along a first contact edge thereof.

0 Those skilled in the art would realise the benefit of being able to increase the efficiency and lifespan of wear parts by including tungsten or high tensile material inserts, particularly in the o mininag industry in which wear parts may require replacement every few hours. Furthermore, less maintenance is required on the carrying tool during operation which means that the associated machinery does not need to idle so often, saving considerable time and expense.

Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope. Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope end spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

1n any claims that follow and in the summary of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in the sense of "including", i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Dated this 6 July 2007 James A Calderwood By his Patent Attorneys LESICAR PERRIN COMS ID No: SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time (I-tm) 16:35 Date 2007-07-06

Claims (7)

1. 4. A surface engaging tool as in claims 1-3 wherein said tool includes a plurality of inserts spaced apart equally along the contact edge of the tool. S. A surface engaging tool as in any one of the above claims wherein the insert is braze welded into the slot.
2. 6. A surface engaging tool as in claim 5 wherein subsequent to welding the insert into said slot the tool is heat treated.
3. 7. A surface engaging tool as in any one of the above claims wherein said high tensile material is tungsten metal, S. A surface engaging tool as in any one of the above claims wherein said tool is in the form of a ripper boot of the type adapted to be mounted to a shank of a bulldozer or like equipment, said ripper boot including a carrier means adapted to connect said ripper boot to said shank
4. 9. A surface engaging tool as in any one of claims 1-7 wherein said tool is in the form of a bulldozer blade or a grader blade. A surfa~ce engaging tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1-3.
5. 11. A surface engaging tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 4. COMS ID No: SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:35 Date 2007-07-06 06/07 '07 FRI 16:59 FAX 61 8 82119433 Leslcar Perrin S1014 8
6. 12. A surface engaging tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure
7. 13. A surface engaging tool substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 6. COMS ID No: SBMI-08067439 Received by IP Australia: Time 16:35 Date 2007-07-06