CN118119751A

CN118119751A - Excavator wear assembly

Info

Publication number: CN118119751A
Application number: CN202280070405.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: S·贝克; I·阿什比; D·休姆; B·沃特曼; B·利莱; T·劳勒
Original assignee: Kames Enterprise Co ltd
Current assignee: Kames Enterprise Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-10-21
Filing date: 2022-10-20
Publication date: 2024-05-31
Also published as: EP4419755A1; AU2022372233A1; WO2023064987A1; CA3233320A1

Abstract

An excavator wear member is disclosed. The excavator wear member has: a socket cavity open at a rear end of the wear member. The receptacle cavity is at least partially defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, opposing side walls, and a front support surface. The excavator wear member has a third mating face extending laterally between each opposed side wall and one of the top or bottom walls. Each of the third mating surfaces also extends substantially rearward from the front support surface to the rear end of the receptacle cavity in a plane within the receptacle cavity.

Description

Excavator wear assembly

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a wear member assembly for earth excavation equipment. The present invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to mounting a wear member to a mounting nose of a lip of earth excavation equipment.

Background

An excavator tooth assembly mounted to a cutting lip of an excavator bucket or the like typically includes replaceable excavating teeth and an adapter secured to the cutting lip of the bucket or the like by welding or the like. In some cases, the adapter may include an adapter body and an adapter nose welded to or integrally formed with the lip. The adapter body has a socket-like recess at its rear end to receivably locate the socket portion of the adapter nose. The digging tooth is mounted to the forward end of the adapter body.

In use, the excavator tooth, adapter and nose are subjected to a substantial amount of load forces along the longitudinal axis and in the vertical and lateral directions. A close fit is required between the point of digging and the front portion of the adapter and between the socket portions of the adapter socket and nose and their corresponding mounting pins to avoid premature wear between the components.

The maximum load experienced by the excavator wear assembly is the vertical load, which tends to create a large moment that can rotate the teeth off the front of the adapter and/or rotate the adapter off the nose. In addition, lateral and rotational loads are often imposed on such tooth assemblies.

Furthermore, after a certain degree of use, a hammering phenomenon occurs between the nose and the surfaces on the wear member that are in contact and are loaded. The hammer phenomenon is wear that causes displacement of material on these surfaces. The hammering phenomenon can reduce the effectiveness and ability of these abutment surfaces to continue to function to carry the load generated in use. This condition may reduce the life and/or reliability of the assembly.

Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present application. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present application as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application.

Object of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least alleviate one or more of the above problems and/or to provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

Other preferred objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description.

Disclosure of Invention

In one form, although not necessarily the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in an excavator wear member comprising:

a socket cavity open at a rear end of the wear member, the socket cavity being at least partially defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, opposed side walls, and a front support surface; and

A third mating surface extending laterally at an angle between each opposing side wall and one of the top wall or the bottom wall;

wherein each third mating surface also extends substantially rearward from the front support surface to the rear end of the receptacle cavity in a plane within the receptacle cavity.

In another form, the invention resides in an excavator mounting nose comprising:

a top surface, a bottom surface, two opposing side walls and a front support surface; and

A third mating surface extending laterally at an angle between each opposing sidewall and one of the top or bottom surfaces;

wherein each third mating surface extends rearwardly from the front support surface to a rear end of the mounting nose in a substantially planar surface.

In another form, the invention resides in a lock assembly for releasably securing an excavator wear member to a mounting nose, the lock assembly having:

A body member adapted to be positioned within a locking aperture of a wear member;

A latch member pivotally positioned within the cavity of the body member; and

A biasing member located within the cavity of the body member, the biasing member adapted to apply a force to the latch member that tends to cause the latch member to at least partially protrude out of the cavity of the body member;

Wherein the lock assembly is movable between a locked position in which the latch member extends at least partially out of the cavity under the force of the biasing member to thereby secure the wear member to the mounting nose, and a released position in which the latch member is located within the cavity of the body member and the wear member is removable from the nose.

In another form, the invention resides in an excavator wear assembly comprising:

an excavator mounting nose as defined above;

a wear member as defined above, the wear member adapted to receive at least a portion of an excavator mounting nose in a socket cavity of the wear member; and

At least one lock assembly adapted to releasably secure a wear member on the excavator mounting nose.

In another form, the invention resides in an excavator wear member comprising:

a socket cavity open at a rear end of the wear member, the socket cavity being at least partially defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, opposed side walls, and a front support surface;

A lock aperture extending from an outer surface of at least one of the side walls through the at least one of the side walls to the receptacle cavity; and

A lock assembly securely retained within the lock aperture;

Wherein the lock assembly is movable between a locked position securing the wear member on the excavator mounting nose, a released position in which the wear member is movable from the excavator mounting nose, and an intermediate position for shipment and transport of the wear member such that the lock assembly continues to be securely held within the lock aperture in the intermediate position.

Drawings

In order to assist in understanding the invention and to enable one skilled in the art to put the invention into practice, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of a mounting nose portion forming part of the excavator wear assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B illustrates a rear perspective view of the mounting nose shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2C illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the mounting nose illustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2D shows a top view of the mounting nose shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2E shows a side view of the mounting nose shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 2F illustrates a front view of the mounting nose illustrated in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A illustrates a side view of a wear member that forms part of the excavator wear assembly illustrated in FIG. 1 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the wear member shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C illustrates a rear view of the wear member shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D illustrates a rear right perspective view of the wear member shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3E illustrates another rear right perspective view of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3F illustrates a rear left perspective view of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3G illustrates another rear left perspective view of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3H illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the wear member shown in FIG. 3A, wherein the cross-section is taken through a central axis of the wear member;

FIG. 4A illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an inner surface of a first side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the inner surface of the first side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4C illustrates another perspective cross-sectional view of the inner surface of the first side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4D illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of an outer surface of a first side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 4E illustrates a close-up front perspective view of a lock aperture extending through a sidewall of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4F illustrates a close-up rear perspective view of a lock aperture extending through a sidewall of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an inner surface of a second side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 5B illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of the inner surface of the second side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 5C illustrates another perspective cross-sectional view of the inner surface of the second side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 5D illustrates a perspective cross-sectional view of an outer surface of the second side of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 5E illustrates a close-up rear perspective view of a lock aperture extending through a sidewall of the wear member shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5F illustrates a close-up front perspective view of a lock aperture extending through a sidewall of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 6A shows a cross-sectional side view of a wear member according to an embodiment of the invention mounted on a mounting nose according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6B shows a cross-sectional top view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A is a top view of a lock assembly according to another embodiment and forming a portion of the excavator wear assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7B illustrates a top perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C illustrates a side view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7D illustrates a bottom perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7E illustrates a bottom exploded perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7F illustrates a top exploded perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A illustrates a perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in a locked position;

FIG. 8B illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in a locked position;

FIG. 8C illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in a locked position;

FIG. 9A illustrates a perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in an intermediate or shipping position;

FIG. 9B illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in an intermediate or shipping position;

FIG. 9C illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in an intermediate or shipping position;

FIG. 10A illustrates a perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in the home position and positioned in an unlocked position;

FIG. 10B illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in an unlocked position;

FIG. 10C illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 7A in situ and positioned in an unlocked position;

FIG. 11 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12A illustrates a perspective rear view of a wear member forming a portion of the excavator wear assembly illustrated in FIG. 11 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12B illustrates a cross-sectional partial side view of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13A illustrates a top perspective view of a lock assembly in a locked position forming part of the excavator wear assembly shown in FIG. 11 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13B illustrates a lower side perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A;

FIG. 14A illustrates a top perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A in a released position;

FIG. 14B illustrates a lower side perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 14A;

FIG. 15A illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A in a locked position in situ;

FIG. 15B illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A in a locked position in situ;

FIG. 16A illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A in an intermediate position in situ;

FIG. 16B illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A in an intermediate position in situ;

FIG. 17A illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A in a home position in a released position;

FIG. 17B illustrates a cross-sectional top view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 13A in a home position in a released position;

FIG. 18 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19A illustrates a perspective view of a mounting nose forming part of the excavator wear assembly illustrated in FIG. 18 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19B shows a rear perspective view of the mounting nose shown in FIG. 19A;

FIG. 19C shows a cross-sectional top view of the mounting nose shown in FIG. 19A;

FIG. 19D shows a side view of the mounting nose shown in FIG. 19A;

FIG. 20A illustrates a cross-sectional top view of a wear member forming part of the excavator wear assembly illustrated in FIG. 18 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20B illustrates a rear view of the wear member shown in FIG. 20A;

FIG. 20C illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 20A;

FIG. 21A illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the wear member illustrated in FIGS. 20A-20C mounted on the mounting nose illustrated in FIGS. 19A-19D;

FIG. 21B shows a cross-sectional top view of the arrangement shown in FIG. 21A;

FIG. 22A illustrates a top side exploded perspective view of a lock assembly according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22B illustrates a bottom side exploded perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 22A;

FIG. 23A illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 22A positioned in a locked position;

FIG. 23B illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 22A in situ and positioned in a locked position;

FIG. 24A illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 22A positioned in an intermediate or shipping position;

FIG. 24B illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 22A in situ and positioned in an intermediate or shipping position;

FIG. 25 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26A illustrates a cross-sectional perspective view of a wear member that forms part of the excavator wear assembly illustrated in FIG. 25 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26B illustrates a close-up perspective view of the wear member illustrated in FIG. 26A, taken horizontally;

FIG. 27A illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of a lock assembly that forms part of the excavator wear assembly of FIG. 25 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 27B illustrates a cross-sectional plan view of the lock assembly illustrated in FIG. 27A;

FIG. 27C illustrates a perspective view of the lock assembly shown in FIG. 27A; and

Fig. 28 shows a cross-sectional plan view of the lock assembly shown in fig. 25 positioned within the lock aperture of the wear member shown in fig. 26A-26B.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly 1000 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The excavator wear assembly 1000 has a mounting nose 100, a wear member 200, the wear member 200 being adapted to receive at least a portion of the mounting nose 100 in a socket cavity (not shown in fig. 1) opening at a rear end thereof. In an embodiment, the excavator wear assembly 1000 further includes two lock assemblies 300 adapted to releasably secure the wear member 200 on the mounting nose 100.

In an embodiment of wear assembly 1000, mounting nose 100 is a lip (not shown) secured to or integrally formed with an excavator bucket (not shown). Furthermore, in the described embodiment, the wear member is in the form of teeth that are releasably secured to the nose by two lock assemblies. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may equally be embodied as a wear assembly in the form of an adapter releasably secured to the mounting nose or teeth releasably secured to the mounting nose at the front end of the adapter. Furthermore, only a single lock assembly may be used to releasably secure the wear member to the mounting nose.

Fig. 2A-2F illustrate various views of the mounting nose 100. The mounting nose has a top surface 110, a bottom surface 120, and two opposing side walls 130.

The top surface 110 has a rear support surface 111 and a front support surface 112 separated by a middle support surface 113. Each of the rear support surface 111, the front support surface 112, and the intermediate support surface 113 is a planar surface. In an embodiment, the rear support surface 111 and the front support surface 112 lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other. Due to considerations regarding the manufacture of cast components, there may be some variance in exact parallelism, allowing for small inclinations of a few degrees as known for cast components.

The arcuate transition portion 114 separates the rear support surface 111 from the intermediate support surface 113. Similarly, an arcuate transition portion 115 separates the front support surface 112 from the intermediate support surface 113.

Similarly, the bottom surface 120 has a rear support surface 121 and a front support surface 122 separated by a middle support surface 123. Each of the rear support surface 121, the front support surface 122, and the intermediate support surface 123 is a flat surface. In an embodiment, the rear support surface 121 and the front support surface 122 lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other. Also, due to considerations regarding the manufacture of cast components, there may be some variance in parallelism with precision, allowing for small inclinations of a few degrees as known for cast components.

The arcuate transition portion 124 separates the rear support surface 121 from the intermediate support surface 123. Similarly, an arcuate transition 125 separates the front support surface 122 from the intermediate support surface 123.

In an embodiment, the intermediate support surface 113 of the top surface 110 and the intermediate support surface 123 of the bottom surface 120 are rearwardly divergent. Further, each of the rear and front support surfaces 111, 112 of the top surface 110 and the rear and front support surfaces 121, 122 of the bottom surface 120 lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other.

Each of the opposing side walls 130 has a rear support surface 131 and a front support surface 132 separated by a middle support surface 133. The intermediate support surfaces 133 on the respective opposite side walls diverge outwardly relative to each other as the intermediate support surfaces 133 extend from the respective front support surface 132 to the rear support surface 131.

An arcuate transition portion 135 separates each front support surface 132 from each intermediate support surface 131. Another arcuate transition portion 134 separates each intermediate support surface 133 from each rear support surface 131.

A lock recess 136 is located on each side wall 130. In an embodiment, a lock recess 136 is located on the front support surface 132 of each sidewall 130. Each lock recess 136 is formed by a rearwardly facing locking face 137, the locking face 137 extending from the front support surface 132 into the mounting nose 100. A locating surface 138 extends rearwardly from the inner end of each rearwardly facing locking surface 137 and terminates at the front support surface 132. Thus, each lock groove 136 has a wedge-shaped periphery when viewed in plan, and each lock groove 136 has a generally rectangular periphery when viewed from the side. The lock grooves 136 are adapted to non-rotatably receive the respective lock assemblies 300.

The mounting nose 100 also includes a front support surface 140. The front support surface 140 is planar and has an octagonal perimeter shape, as shown and discussed in more detail below. An arcuate transition portion 141 separates the front support surface 140 from each of the top surface 110, the bottom surface 120, and each opposing sidewall 130.

The mounting nose 100 also includes upper third mating surfaces 150A and 150B and lower third mating surfaces 160A and 160B.

Each of the upper third mating surfaces 150A and 150B extends rearward in a respective plane from the front support surface 140 to the rear end of the mounting nose 100. Each of the upper third mating surfaces 150A and 150B extends laterally from the top surface 110 to the respective opposing side wall 130.

In an embodiment, each upper third mating face 150A and 150B is planar and extends laterally from the top surface 110 to the respective side wall 130, and each upper third mating face 150A and 150B is oriented downwardly at an angle relative to both the front support surface 112 and the rear support surface 111 of the top surface 110. Each of the upper third mating surfaces 150A and 150B is oriented at an angle relative to both the front support surface 132 and the rear support surface 131 of the respective opposing side wall 130. In an embodiment, the orientation angle of these third mating surfaces is about 45 degrees.

Each of the lower third mating surfaces 160A and 160B extends rearward from the front support surface 140 to the rear end of the mounting nose 100. Each of the lower third mating surfaces 160A and 160B extends laterally from the bottom surface 120 to the respective opposing side wall 130.

In an embodiment, each lower third mating face 160A and 160B is planar and extends laterally from the bottom surface 120 to the respective side wall 130, and each lower third mating face 160A and 160B is oriented at an angle upward relative to the front support surface 122 and the rear support surface 121 of the bottom surface 120. Each of the lower third mating surfaces 160A and 160B is oriented at an angle relative to both the front support surface 132 and the rear support surface 131 of the respective opposing side wall 130. In an embodiment, the orientation angle of these third mating surfaces is about 45 degrees.

The upper third mating surface 150A is planar and has a rear portion 151A, a front portion 152A, and a middle portion 153A separating the rear portion 151A and the front portion 152A, all of which lie in the same plane. In an embodiment, the rear portion 151A has a relatively greater lateral extent than the front portion 152A. The front portion 152A has a relatively greater lateral extent than the middle portion 153A.

The upper third mating surface 150B is planar and has a rear portion 151B, a front portion 152B, and a middle portion 153B separating the rear portion 151B and the front portion 152B, all of which lie in the same plane. The rear portion 151B has a relatively larger lateral extent than the front portion 152B. The front portion 152B has a relatively greater lateral extent than the middle portion 153B.

The lower third mating surface 160A is planar and has a rear portion 161A, a front portion 162A, and an intermediate portion 163A separating the rear portion 161A and the front portion 162A, all of which lie in the same plane. The rear portion 161A has a relatively larger lateral extent than the front portion 162A. Front portion 162A has a relatively greater lateral extent than middle portion 163A.

The lower third mating surface 160B is planar and has a rear portion 161B, a front portion 161B, and an intermediate portion 163B separating the rear portion 161B and the front portion 162B, all of which lie in the same plane. The rear portion 161B has a relatively larger lateral extent than the front portion 162B. Front portion 162B has a relatively greater lateral extent than middle portion 163B.

Each third mating face is in a plane that diverges rearwardly relative to its opposing third mating face. For example, the upper third mating surface 150A is in a plane that diverges rearward relative to the lower third mating surface 160B. Similarly, the upper third mating surface 150B is in a plane that diverges rearward relative to the lower third mating surface 160A.

The radial transition portion 170 separates the top surface 110 from each respective upper third mating surface 150A, 150B. The radial transition portion 170 also separates each of the opposing sidewalls 130 from the respective upper third mating surface 150A, 150B and the respective lower third mating surface 160A, 160B. In addition, the radial transition portion 170 also separates the bottom surface 120 from each respective lower third mating surface 160A, 160B. Each of the radial transitions on the mounting nose 100 avoids orthogonal corners that are undesirable for manufacturing purposes and also create high stress zones when the wear assembly 1000 is in use.

While embodiments of the mounting nose have been described having a third mating surface extending laterally at an angle between each opposing side wall of the mounting nose and each of the top and bottom surfaces, it should be understood that the mounting nose may be configured to have a third mating surface extending laterally at an angle between each opposing side wall and each of the top or bottom surfaces.

The mounting nose 100 is symmetrical about a horizontal plane extending through a central axis of the mounting nose. Furthermore, the mounting nose 100 is symmetrical about a vertical plane extending through a central axis of the mounting nose.

Fig. 3A to 3H show a wear member 200 in the form of an excavating tooth having a front working end 201 and a socket cavity 202 open at its rear end. The socket cavity 202 is adapted to receive at least a portion of the mounting nose 100. The socket cavity 202 of the wear member 200 is formed in part by a top wall 210, a bottom wall 220, and two opposing side walls 230.

The top wall 210 of the socket cavity 202 is adapted to abut and engage at least a portion of the top surface 110 of the mounting nose 100.

The top wall 210 has a rear support surface 211 and a front support surface 212 separated by a middle support surface 213. Each of the rear support surface 211, the front support surface 212, and the intermediate support surface 213 is a planar surface. In an embodiment, the rear support surface 211 and the front support surface 212 lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other. Due to considerations regarding the manufacture of cast components, there may be some variance in exact parallelism, allowing for small inclinations of a few degrees as known for cast components.

The arcuate transition portion 214 separates the rear support surface 211 from the intermediate support surface 213. Similarly, an arcuate transition 215 separates the front support surface 212 from the intermediate support surface 213.

The bottom wall 220 of the socket cavity 202 is adapted to abut and engage at least a portion of the bottom surface 120 of the mounting nose 100, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The bottom wall 220 has a rear support surface 221 and a front support surface 222 separated by a middle support surface 223. Each of the rear support surface 221, the front support surface 222, and the intermediate support surface 223 is a flat surface. In an embodiment, the rear support surface 221 and the front support surface 222 lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other. Also, due to considerations regarding the manufacture of cast components, there may be some variance in parallelism with precision, allowing for small inclinations of a few degrees as known for cast components.

The arcuate transition 224 separates the rear support surface 221 from the intermediate support surface 223. Similarly, an arcuate transition 225 separates the front support surface 222 from the intermediate support surface 223.

In an embodiment, the intermediate support surface 213 of the top wall 210 and the intermediate support surface 223 of the bottom surface 220 diverge rearwardly. Further, each of the rear and front support surfaces 211, 212 of the top wall and the rear and front support surfaces 221, 222 of the bottom wall 220 lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other.

The opposing side walls 230 of the socket cavity 202 are each adapted to abut and engage at least a portion of a corresponding side wall 130 of the mounting nose 100, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Each of the opposing side walls 230 has a rear support surface 231 and a front support surface 232 separated by a middle support surface 233. When the intermediate support surfaces 233 extend from the respective front support surfaces 232 to the rear support surfaces 231, the intermediate support surfaces 233 on the respective opposite side walls diverge outwardly relative to each other.

An arcuate transition 235 separates each front support surface 232 from each intermediate support surface 231. Another arcuate transition 234 separates each intermediate support surface 233 from each rear support surface 231.

A lock aperture 280 extends through each sidewall 230 from an outer surface of each sidewall 230 into the cavity 202. In an embodiment, a lock aperture 280 extends through the front support surface 232 of each opposing sidewall 230.

Wear member 200 also includes a front support surface 240. The front support surface 240 is adapted to abut and engage the front support surface 140 of the mounting nose 100, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The front support surface 240 is planar and has an octagonal perimeter shape, as shown and discussed in more detail below. An arcuate transition portion 241 separates the front support surface 240 from each of the top wall 210, the bottom wall 220, and each of the opposing side walls 230.

Wear member 200 also includes upper third mating surfaces 250A and 250B and lower third mating surfaces 260A and 260B. The upper third mating surfaces 250A and 250B are adapted to engage with the upper third mating surfaces 150A and 150B in wear conditions during use, as discussed in more detail below.

Each of the upper third mating surfaces 250A and 250B extends rearward in a respective plane from the front support surface 240 to the rear end of the cavity 202 of the wear member 200. Each of the upper third mating surfaces 250A and 250B extends laterally from the top wall 210 to the respective opposing side wall 230.

In an embodiment, each upper third mating surface 250A and 250B is planar and extends laterally from the top wall 210 to the respective side wall 130, and each upper third mating surface 250A and 250B is oriented downwardly at an angle relative to both the front support surface 212 and the rear support surface 211 of the top wall 210. Each of the upper third mating surfaces 250A and 250B is oriented at an angle relative to both the front support surface 232 and the rear support surface 231 of the respective opposing side wall 230. In an embodiment, the orientation angle of these third mating surfaces is about 45 degrees.

Each of the lower third mating surfaces 260A and 260B extends rearward from the front support surface 240 to the rear end of the cavity 202 of the wear member 200. Each of the lower third mating surfaces 260A and 260B extends laterally from the bottom wall 220 to the respective opposing side wall 230.

In an embodiment, each lower third mating surface 260A and 260B is planar and extends laterally from the bottom wall 220 to the respective side wall 230, and each lower third mating surface 260A and 260B is oriented at an angle upward relative to both the front support surface 222 and the rear support surface 221 of the bottom wall 220. Each of the lower third mating surfaces 260A and 260B is oriented at an angle relative to both the front support surface 232 and the rear support surface 231 of the respective opposing side wall 130. In an embodiment, the orientation angle of these third mating surfaces is about 45 degrees.

The upper third mating surface 250A is planar and has a rear portion 251A, a front portion 252A, and a middle portion 253A separating the rear portion 251A and the front portion 252A, all of which lie in the same plane. The rear portion 251A has a relatively greater lateral extent than the front portion 252A. The front portion 252A has a relatively greater lateral extent than the intermediate portion 253A.

The upper third mating surface 250B is planar and has a rear portion 251B, a front portion 252B, and a middle portion 253B separating the rear portion 251B and the front portion 252B, all of which lie in the same plane. The rear portion 251B has a relatively greater lateral extent than the front portion 252B. The front portion 252B has a relatively greater lateral extent than the intermediate portion 253B.

The lower third mating surface 260A is planar and has a rear portion 261A, a front portion 262A, and a middle portion 263A separating the rear portion 261A and the front portion 262A, all of which lie in the same plane. The rear portion 261A has a relatively larger lateral extent than the front portion 262A. The front portion 262A has a relatively larger lateral extent than the middle portion 263A.

The lower third mating surface 260B is planar and has a rear portion 261B, a front portion 261B, and a middle portion 263B separating the rear portion 261B and the front portion 262B, all of which lie in the same plane. The rear portion 261B has a relatively larger lateral extent than the front portion 262B. The front portion 262B has a relatively larger lateral extent than the middle portion 263B.

Each third mating face is in a plane that diverges rearwardly relative to its opposing third mating face. For example, the upper third mating surface 250A is in a plane that diverges rearward relative to the lower third mating surface 260B. Similarly, the upper third mating surface 250B is in a plane that diverges rearward relative to the lower third mating surface 260A.

The radial transition 270 separates the top wall 210 from each respective upper third mating surface 250A, 250B. The radial transition portion 170 also separates each of the opposing sidewalls 230 from the respective upper third mating surface 250A, 250B and the respective lower third mating surface 260A, 260B. In addition, the radial transition 270 also separates the bottom wall 220 from each respective lower third mating surface 260A, 260B. Each of the radial transitions on the mounting nose 200 avoids orthogonal corners that are undesirable for manufacturing purposes and also create high stress regions when the wear assembly 1000 is in use.

As shown, in the embodiment, the cavity 202 has an octagonal perimeter cross-sectional shape as it opens at the rear end of the wear member 200.

While embodiments of the wear member have been described having a third mating surface extending laterally at an angle between each opposing side wall of the wear member and each of the top and bottom walls, it should be understood that the wear member may be configured to have a third mating surface extending laterally at an angle between each opposing side wall and each of the top or bottom walls.

Fig. 4A-4C illustrate cross-sectional side and perspective views of an inner surface of a first sidewall 230 of a wear member 230. Fig. 4D-4F illustrate perspective and close-up views of an outer surface of the first sidewall 230 of the wear member 200.

As shown, the keyhole 280 extends from the outer surface of the sidewall 230 through the sidewall 230 into the cavity 202. In use, when the wear member 200 is positioned on the mounting nose 100, each of the lock apertures 280 extending through the respective side wall 230 is configured to be at least partially aligned with the respective lock recess 136 positioned on the opposite side wall 130 of the mounting nose 100.

The lock aperture 280 has an inner aperture 281 opening into the cavity 202 of the wear member 200 and an outer aperture 282 opening onto the outer surface of the sidewall 230.

The inner aperture 281 has a generally arcuate front face 283 and a rear support face 284. The rear face 284 of the inner aperture 281 is generally forward facing and is adapted to carry loads from a lock assembly (not shown in fig. 4), as will be discussed in more detail below. In an embodiment, the rear face 284 is generally planar.

The inner orifice has an upper face 285 and a lower face 286, each of the upper face 285 and the lower face 286 extending from respective opposite ends of the rear support face 284 and terminating at respective opposite ends of the generally arcuate front face 283. The upper face 285 and the lower face 286 diverge forwardly.

In use, the inner aperture 281 is adapted to locate a body of a lock assembly therein, as will be discussed in more detail below. In some embodiments, the body of the lock member (not shown in fig. 4) is secured within the inner aperture 281 by way of a chemical or mechanical fastening means.

The outer aperture 282 opens onto the outer surface of the sidewall 230 and extends from the outer surface and terminates at the inner aperture 281.

The outer orifice 282 has a generally arcuate front face 287 and a rear face 288. The rear face 288 is tapered such that the rear face 288 converges with the generally arcuate front face 287 as the outer aperture 282 extends from the outer surface of the sidewall 230 to the inner aperture 281. The upper face 289 extends from the top end of the rear face 288 to the upper end of the generally arcuate front face 287. The lower face 290 extends from the lower end of the rear face 288 to the upper end of the generally arcuate front face 287.

The lower face 290 has an inwardly extending feature 292, the feature 292 being located proximal to the generally arcuate front face 287, thereby forming an inwardly facing retaining surface 293, which will be discussed in more detail below.

The outer aperture 282 has a relatively smaller cross-sectional area than the inner aperture 281, thereby forming a load bearing locking surface 294 between the outer aperture 282 and the inner aperture 281. The locking surface 294 is adapted to abut and engage an outer surface of a body of a lock assembly in use, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 5A-5C show cross-sectional side and perspective views of an inner face of a second sidewall 230 of the wear member 230, the second sidewall 230 being opposite the sidewall shown in fig. 4A-4F. Fig. 5D-5F show perspective and close-up views of the outside of the second sidewall 230 of the wear member 200.

The features of the lock aperture 280 are the same as described with reference to fig. 4A-F, except that on this second opposing side wall 230, features 292 are located on the upper face 289, proximate to the generally arcuate front face 287, thereby forming an inwardly facing retaining surface 293 over an upper extent of the aperture, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 6A shows a cross-sectional side view of the wear member 200 according to and mounted on the mounting nose 100, and fig. 6B shows a cross-sectional top view of the arrangement shown in fig. 6A.

As shown, the front support surface 140 of the mounting nose 100 abuts and engages the front support surface 240 of the cavity 202 of the wear member 200. The abutment bears the axial load when the excavator is excavating.

Rear support surface 211 abuts and engages rear support surface 111, front support surface 212 abuts and engages front support surface 112, rear support surface 221 abuts and engages rear support surface 121, and finally front support surface 222 abuts and engages front support surface 122. The series of engagement and abutment surfaces carry lateral loads when the excavator is excavating.

As shown, when the wear member is initially installed on the mounting nose, intermediate support surface 213 is opposite intermediate support surface 113 and intermediate support surface 223 is opposite intermediate support surface 123. These opposing surfaces facilitate assembly and preferably there is a small amount of clearance between these opposing surfaces. As previously mentioned, in use, at least some of the aforementioned primary support surfaces are subjected to severe loading and impact conditions and are prone to wear and hammering phenomena that affect the fit of the socket 202 of the wear member 200 on the mounting nose 100. When such wear occurs, particularly at the front support surface, the opposing intermediate support surfaces advantageously become abutted and in contact, carrying axial and lateral loads after a degree of internal wear or hammering has occurred.

As shown, each front support surface 131 abuts and engages a corresponding front support surface 231. Further, each rear support surface 132 abuts and engages a corresponding rear support surface 232. The series of engagement and abutment surfaces carry lateral loads when the excavator is excavating.

Similar to the above, when the wear member is initially installed on the mounting nose, each intermediate support surface 233 is opposite a corresponding intermediate support surface 133. These opposing surfaces facilitate assembly and preferably there is a small amount of clearance between these opposing surfaces. As previously mentioned, in use, at least some of the aforementioned primary support surfaces are subjected to severe loading and impact conditions and are prone to wear and hammering phenomena that affect the fit of the socket 202 of the wear member 200 on the mounting nose 100. When such wear occurs, particularly at the front support surface, the opposing intermediate support surfaces advantageously become abutted and in contact, carrying axial and lateral loads after a degree of internal wear or hammering phenomena has occurred.

As previously described, in an embodiment, the excavator wear assembly 1000 further includes two lock assemblies 300 adapted to releasably secure the wear member 200 on the mounting nose 100. Those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments may have only a single lock assembly 300 to accomplish this function.

Fig. 7A-7F illustrate various views of a lock assembly 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Lock assembly 300 has a body member 310, a latch member 330 pivotally secured to body member 310, a tab member 360, and a biasing member 301.

The body member 310 has an outer periphery that complements the shape of the inner aperture 281. The body member is adapted to be non-rotatably positioned within the inner aperture 281. In a preferred embodiment, body member 310 is secured within inner aperture 281 by means of chemical or mechanical fastening means. Optionally, body member 310 is adapted to be loosely positioned within inner aperture 281 such that it can exit inner aperture 281 into cavity 202 without mounting nose 100, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Body member 310 has a generally arcuate front wall 313 and a rear support wall 314. In use, the generally arcuate front wall 313 is adapted to oppose and engage the generally arcuate front face 283 of the inner aperture 281. In addition, the rear support wall 314 is adapted to oppose and engage a rear support surface 284 of the inner aperture 281 to facilitate carrying loads and releasably securing the wear member 200 on a mounting nose, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Body member 310 also has an upper wall 315 and a lower wall 316, each of upper wall 315 and lower wall 316 extending from a respective opposite end of rear support wall 314 and terminating at a respective opposite end of generally arcuate front wall 313. In use, the upper wall 315 and the lower wall 316 diverge forwardly.

Body member 310 also has an outer face 317 and an inner face 318. When the body member 310 is positioned within the inner aperture 281 and the wear member 200 is positioned on the mounting nose 100, the outer face 317 is adapted to engage and oppose the load bearing locking face 294 of the aperture 280. Further, when body member 310 is positioned within inner aperture 281 and wear member 200 is positioned on mounting nose 100, inner face 318 is adapted to oppose and engage side wall 130 of mounting nose 100.

Body member 310 has an inner cavity 319 that is open on inner face 318 and a tab aperture 320 that extends from outer face 317 into inner cavity 319. Tab aperture 320 opens onto an outer surface 317 of body member 310.

Tongue aperture 320 has a generally arcuate front wall 321, front wall 321 having a substantially identical arc to the arc of generally arcuate front wall 313. A chamfer 322 extends around the generally arcuate front wall 321 within the tab aperture 320. The ramp 322 is positioned inwardly within the tab aperture 320 of the outer face 317. The inclined surface 322 has a first inclined portion 322A, a second inclined portion 322C, and an apex portion 322B separating the first inclined portion 322A from the second inclined portion 322C.

The first inclined portion 322A has a terminating end 322A'. The terminating end 322A 'of the first angled portion 322A is positioned relatively farther within the tab aperture 320 than the terminating end 322C' of the second angled portion 322C such that the terminating end 322A 'of the first angled portion 322A is farther from the outer face 317 of the body member 310 than the terminating end 322C' of the second angled portion 322C. The ramp 322 is configured such that the first sloped portion 322A converges with the outer face 317 of the body member 310 as the first sloped portion 322A extends from the terminating end 322A' to the apex portion 322B. In addition, as second inclined portion 322C extends from apex portion 322B to terminating end 322C', second inclined portion 322C diverges from outer face 317 of body member 310. This configuration facilitates movement of lock member 300 between the locked and released positions as arm 363 of tab member 360 traverses ramp 322, as will be discussed in greater detail below.

The inner cavity 319 has a stop flange 311 (as shown in fig. 8C and 9C), the stop flange 311 being located within the inner cavity 319 proximal to the inner face 318. The inner cavity 319 also has a biasing flange 312 as shown.

The lock assembly 300 also includes a biasing member 301. The biasing member 301 is positioned within the interior cavity 319 of the body member 310. Specifically, the biasing member 301 is positioned such that a face of the biasing member 301 opposes and engages the biasing flange 312 and is so captively held due to the face contact with the latch member 330, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The biasing member 301 is suitably formed of a resiliently deformable material such as rubber, elastomer, or the like. The biasing member 301 is adapted to provide a force on the latch member 330, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The lock assembly 300 also includes a latch member 330 pivotally secured to the body member 310 within the interior cavity 319. The latch member 330 has an inner face 331 and an outer face 332. The outer face has a first portion 332A that is substantially parallel to the inner face 331 and a second portion 332B that diverges forward relative to the inner face 331.

A pair of pivot apertures 333 are located on opposite sides of latch member 330. The pivot apertures are adapted to receive pins 302, the pins 302 passing through corresponding apertures in the body member, thereby rotatably securing the latch member 330 to the body member 310 at least partially within the cavity 319.

The latch member 330 has a stop surface 334, the stop surface 334 being adapted to engage a stop flange 311 of the body member 310 when the lock assembly is in the locked and shipping position, as discussed further below.

In addition, the latch member 330 also has a locking surface 335, the locking surface 335 being adapted to engage with the rearward facing locking surface 137 of the lock recess 136 on the mounting nose 100 when the lock assembly 300 is in the locked position, thereby releasably securing the wear member 200 to the mounting nose 100, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The latch member 330 has a tab 336 extending from the second portion 332B of the outer face 332. The tab 336 terminates in a head portion 337. The lock recess 338 and shipping recess 339 are located on the outside of the head portion 337. As shown, the lock recess 338 is radially spaced from the shipping recess 339.

The latch member 330 is shaped to be located substantially within the inner cavity 319 and tab aperture 320 when the lock assembly 300 is in the release position, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The lock assembly 300 further includes a tab member 360 rotatably secured to the head portion 337. Tab member 360 has a generally circular main portion 361, main portion 361 having an interior cavity 362 adapted to rotatably enclose head portion 337. Arm 363 extends from main portion 361. Arm 363 has a blind bore 364 extending from interior cavity 362 in the longitudinal direction of arm 363. Blind bore 364 has a biasing member 365 and a pawl 366 located therein.

The biasing member 365 exerts a biasing force on the pawl 366 that tends to urge the pawl 366 out of the blind bore 364. When the arm is rotatably positioned such that the blind bore is aligned with either of these notches 338, 339, the pawl 366 is adapted to be positioned within the lock notch 338 and shipping notch 339. Otherwise, the pawl 366 contacts the outside of the head portion 337.

The underside of arm 363 is adapted to engage ramp 322 of body member 310. The main portion 361 has a tool positioning structure 361A thereon to receive a driving tool or the like.

As previously described, the lock assembly 300 is adapted to move between a locked position in which the wear member 200 is releasably secured to the mounting nose 100 with the respective faces of the two members abutting as previously described, and a released position in which the wear member 200 is removable from the mounting nose 100. Preferably, the lock assembly 300 is also capable of movement to a shipping or intermediate position, as discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 8A-8C illustrate the lock assembly 300 in place positioned within the lock aperture 280 on the wear member 200. In the figures shown in fig. 8A-8C, the lock assembly 300 is in a locked position in which the wear member 200 is releasably secured to the mounting nose 100.

In this position, arm 363 of tab member 360 is located on ramp 322 at terminal end 322A' of first angled portion 322A, and pawl 366 is pushed out of blind bore 364 and into locking notch 338 by biasing member 365. The position of the pawl 366 in the locking recess 338 serves to releasably retain the lock assembly 300 in the locked position because some force is required to rotate the tab member 360 relative to the latch member 330. Moreover, arm 363 is located behind feature 292 of sidewall 230 such that it contacts inwardly facing retaining surface 293.

In this position, the biasing member 301 exerts a force on the latch member 330 to cause the latch member 330 to protrude at least partially out of the cavity of the body member 310. In an embodiment, the latch member 330 extends out of the body member 310 into the lock recess 136 of the mounting nose 100. In this position, the locking surface 335 of the tab member 330 opposes and engages the rearward facing locking surface 136 to releasably secure the wear member 200 to the mounting nose 100, as abutment of these surfaces tends to resist axial forces tending to push the wear member 200 away from the mounting nose 100.

As noted above, in a preferred form, the body member is permanently secured within the lock aperture by chemical or mechanical fastening means. When the wear member 200 is pushed away from the mounting nose 100 in use, forces are applied to the locking face 335 of the latch member 330 by the rearwardly facing locking face 137 of the respective lock recess 136, which forces are resisted by the contact of the support surface 314 with the respective rear face 284 of the inner aperture 281.

Fig. 9A and 9C illustrate the lock assembly 300 in place positioned within the lock aperture 280 on the wear member 200. Fig. 9B shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly 300. In the diagrams shown in fig. 9A-9C, the lock assembly 300 is in an intermediate or shipping position.

This position differs from the locked position in that the arm of tab member 360 has rotated on the first angled portion 322A of ramp 322 such that pawl 366 has been pushed back into blind hole 364 to overcome the force of biasing member 335 and then pushed into shipping recess 339 in place. Unless a force is applied to the tool positioning structure 361A to rotate the tab member 360 relative to the latch member 330, it is held in this position by the position of the pawl 366 in the shipping recess 339 to prevent further rotation. In this position, the wear member 200 is transported for use.

When in the shipping position, such as when the wear member 200 is delivered in place, there is typically no mounting nose 100, and in those cases, contact of the stop surface 334 on the flange 311 prevents the latch member 330 from completely backing out of the cavity of the body member 310.

Fig. 10A and 10C illustrate the lock assembly 300 in place in the wear member 200 in a released position, wherein the wear member 200 is removable from the mounting nose 100. Fig. 10B shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the lock assembly 300 in the released position.

To reach this position, tab member 360 has been rotated relative to latch member 330 such that the underside of arm 363 contacts ramp 322 and travels over first angled portion 322A to top point portion 322B and then onto second angled portion 322C to reach terminating end 322C' of second angled portion 322C.

The travel of arm 363 toward apex portion 322B and beyond apex portion 322B tends to force tab member 360 outwardly away from lock aperture 280. When tab member 360 is rotatably secured to the head of latch member 330, this movement transfers a force to latch member 330 that is opposite the biasing force provided by biasing member 301 and tends to pull latch member 330 back into the cavity of body member 310.

The travel of arm 363 away from apex portion 322B toward terminating end 322C' of second angled portion 322C transfers a force to latch member 330 that is opposite the biasing force provided by biasing member 301 and continues to pull latch member 330 back into the cavity of body member 310.

As such, the locking surface 335 of the latch member 330 is out of engagement with the rearward facing locking surface 136 of the lock recess of the mounting nose 100 and the wear member 200 is free to be removed from the mounting nose 100.

Further, assuming that the travel of arm 363 from terminating end 322A 'to apex portion 322B resists the force of biasing member 301, when the lock assembly is in the locked position, the frictional force exerted between the underside of arm 363 and ramp 322 increases from terminating end 322A' to a maximum when arm 363 has traveled to apex portion 322B. Due to the configuration of the second inclined portion 322C as described previously, the friction force that rotates the tab member continues to increase as the arm portion travels from the apex portion 322B to the terminating end 322C' of the second inclined portion 322C.

Fig. 11 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly 2000 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. As previously described, the excavator wear assembly 2000 has a mounting nose 100, a wear member 2200, the wear member 2200 being adapted to receive at least a portion of the mounting nose 100 in a socket cavity (not shown in fig. 11) open at a rear end thereof. In an embodiment, the excavator wear assembly 2000 further includes two lock assemblies 2300 adapted to releasably secure the wear member 2200 on the mounting nose 100.

The mounting nose 100 is identical to that described above with reference to the previous embodiments and has the features described. As previously described, the mounting nose 100 is a lip (not shown) secured to or integrally formed with an excavator bucket (not shown). Furthermore, in the described embodiment, the wear member is in the form of teeth that are releasably secured to the nose by two lock assemblies. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may equally be embodied as a wear assembly in the form of an adapter releasably secured to the mounting nose or teeth releasably secured to the mounting nose at the front end of the adapter. Furthermore, only a single lock assembly may be used to releasably secure the wear member to the mounting nose.

Fig. 12A illustrates a perspective rear view of a wear member 2200 forming a portion of an excavator wear assembly 2000. Fig. 12B shows a cross-sectional partial side view of wear member 2200.

Wear member 2200 has many of the same features as previously described with reference to wear member 200. However, the wear member 2200 differs in that each of the lock apertures 2280 has a different configuration as described below.

As previously described, the keyhole 2280 extends from outside the sidewall 2230 through the sidewall 2230 into the cavity 2202. In use, when the wear member 2200 is located on the mounting nose 100, each of the lock apertures 2280 extending through the respective side wall 2230 is configured to be at least partially aligned with the respective lock groove 136 located on the opposite side wall 130 of the mounting nose 100, as previously described.

The keyhole opening 2280 has an inner aperture 2281 opening into the cavity 2202 of the wear member 2200 and an outer aperture 2282 opening onto the outer surface of the sidewall 2230.

The inner aperture 2281 has a front face 2283 and a rear support face 2284. The rear support surface 2284 of the inner aperture 2281 is generally forward facing and is adapted to carry a load from a lock assembly (not shown in fig. 12), as will be discussed in more detail below. In an embodiment, rear face 2284 is substantially planar.

The inner aperture 2281 has an upper face 2285 and a lower face 2286, with the upper face 2285 and lower face 2286 each extending from a respective opposite end of the rear support surface 2284 and terminating at a respective opposite end of the generally arcuate front face 2283. Upper face 2285 and lower face 2286 diverge forwardly.

In use, the inner aperture 2281 is adapted to locate a body of a lock assembly therein, as will be discussed in more detail below. In some embodiments, the body of the lock member is secured within the inner aperture 2281 by chemical or mechanical fastening means.

The outer aperture 2282 opens onto the outer surface of the sidewall 2230 and extends therefrom and terminates at the inner aperture 2281.

The outer orifice 2282 has a front face 2287 and a rear face 2288. The front face 2287 and the rear face 2288 extend within the outer aperture 2282 from the outer surface of the sidewall 2230 to the inner aperture 2281 at an angle to the central axis of the inner aperture 2281. Upper face 2289 extends from the top end of rear face 2288 to the upper end of front face 2287. Lower face 2290 extends from a lower end of rear face 2288 to an upper end of front face 2287.

The outer orifice 2282 has a relatively smaller cross-sectional area than the inner orifice 2281, thereby forming a load bearing locking surface 2294 between the outer orifice 2282 and the inner orifice 2281. The locking surface 2294 is adapted to abut and engage an outer surface of the body of the lock assembly in use, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 13A and 13B illustrate views of a lock assembly 2300 according to another embodiment of the invention, with the lock assembly in a locked position. Fig. 14A and 14B illustrate views of a lock assembly 2300 according to another embodiment of the invention, with the lock assembly in a released position. Lock assembly 2300 has a body member 2310, a latch member 2330 pivotally secured to body member 2310, a retainer member 2360 rotatably secured to body member 2310, and a biasing member 2301.

Body member 2310 has an outer perimeter that complements the shape of inner aperture 2281. The body member is adapted to be positioned within the inner aperture 2281. In a preferred embodiment, body member 2310 is secured within inner aperture 2281 by chemical or mechanical fastening means. Optionally, body member 2310 is adapted to be loosely positioned within inner aperture 2281 such that it can exit inner aperture 2281 into cavity 2202 without mounting nose 100.

Body member 2310 has a front wall 2313 and a rear support wall 2314. In use, the front wall 2313 is adapted to oppose and engage with the front face 2283 of the inner aperture 2281. In addition, the rear support wall 2314 is adapted to oppose and engage the rear support surface 2284 of the inner aperture 2281 to carry a load and releasably secure the wear member 2200 on the mounting nose 100, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Body member 2310 also has an upper wall 2315 and a lower wall 2316, with upper wall 2315 and lower wall 2316 each extending from a respective opposite end of rear support wall 2314 and terminating at a respective opposite end of front wall 2313. The upper and lower walls 2315, 2316 diverge forwardly in use.

Body member 2310 also has an outer face 2317 and an inner face 2318. Outer face 2317 is adapted to engage and oppose load bearing locking surface 2294 of aperture 2280 when body member 2310 is positioned within inner aperture 2281 and wear member 2200 is positioned on mounting nose 100. Further, inner face 2318 is adapted to oppose and engage side wall 130 of mounting nose 100 when body member 2310 is positioned within inner aperture 2281 and wear member 2200 is positioned on mounting nose 100.

Body member 2310 has an inner cavity 2319 that opens onto an inner face 2318 and a retainer aperture 2320 that extends from an outer face 2317 into the inner cavity 2319. Holder orifice 2320 opens onto outer face 2317 of body member 2310.

The inner cavity 2319 has a stop flange 2311 (best shown in fig. 15-17) within the inner cavity 2319 proximal to the inner surface 2318.

The retainer orifice 2320 has a biasing flange 2312 and a retainer flange 2321, as best shown in fig. 15-17.

The lock assembly 2300 also includes a biasing member 2301. Biasing member 2301 is positioned within interior cavity 2319 of body member 2310. In particular, biasing member 2301 is positioned such that a face of biasing member 2301 opposes and engages biasing flange 2312 and is held so constrained due to contact with a face of latch member 2330, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The biasing member 2301 is suitably formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber, elastomer, or the like. The biasing member 2301 is adapted to provide a force on the latch member 2330, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Lock assembly 2300 further includes a latch member 2330 pivotally positioned within interior cavity 2319 within body member 2310. Latch member 2330 has an inner face 2331 and an outer face 2332. The outer face has a first portion 2332A that is substantially parallel to the inner face 2331 and a second portion 2332B that diverges forward from the inner face 2331.

Latch member 2330 has a stop surface 2334, stop surface 2334 being adapted to engage stop flange 2311 of body member 2310 when the lock assembly is in a locked position and an intermediate position as discussed further below. The stop surface is also adapted to engage a retaining surface 2311A of body member 2310 when the lock assembly is in the release position.

In addition, the latch member 2330 also has a locking surface 2335, the locking surface 2335 being adapted to engage with the rearward facing locking surface 137 of the lock recess 136 on the mounting nose 100 when the lock assembly 2300 is in the locked position, thereby releasably securing the wear member 2200 to the mounting nose 100, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Latch member 2330 has a tool aperture 2336 extending from outside 2332 within latch member 2330. Tool aperture 2336 is configured to receive a tool, such as a pry bar or the like, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The latch member 2330 is shaped to be located substantially within the interior cavity 2319 and the retainer aperture 2320 when the lock assembly 2300 is in the release position, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The retainer member 2360 is rotatably fixed to the body member 2310 and has an outer face 2361 and an inner face 2362. The inner face 2362 is adapted to abut the outer face 2332 of the latch member 2330 when the lock assembly 2300 is in the locked position. The retainer member 2360 has a biasing member 2363 and a slidable lock 2364 secured within the cavity opening on the outer face 2361. Slidable lock 2364 has a lock lip 2364A, lock lip 2364A being adapted to abut biasing flange 2312 of body member 2310 when the lock assembly is in the locked position. The retainer 2360 also has a tool aperture 2364B, the tool aperture 2364B configured to receive a tool, such as a crowbar.

The biasing member 2363 exerts a force on the slidable lock 2364 that tends to maintain the lock lip 2364 in engagement with the biasing flange 2312, as will be discussed in more detail below. The slidable lock 2364 may move within the cavity against the force of the biasing member 2363 and under the force of the biasing member 2363.

The retainer member 2360 also has a locking pawl 2365, the locking pawl 2365 being adapted to abut and engage the retainer flange 2321 when the lock assembly 2300 is in the locked position. As previously described, the lock assembly 2300 is adapted to move between a locked position in which the wear member 2200 is releasably secured on the mounting nose 100 and the respective faces of the two members abut as previously described, and a released position in which the wear member 2200 is removable from the mounting nose 100. Preferably, the lock assembly 2300 is also movable to a shipping or intermediate position, as discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 15A and 15B illustrate the lock assembly 2300 in place positioned within the lock aperture 2280 on the wear member 2200. In the figures shown in fig. 15A and 15B, the lock assembly 2300 is in a locked position in which the wear member 200 is releasably secured to the mounting nose 100.

In this position, biasing member 2301 exerts a force on latch member 2330 to cause latch member 2330 to protrude at least partially out of the cavity of body member 2310. In an embodiment, latch member 2330 extends out of body member 2310 into lock recess 136 of mounting nose 100. In this position, the locking face 2335 of the latch member 2330 opposes and engages the rearward facing locking face 136 to releasably secure the wear member 2200 to the mounting nose 100, as abutment of these faces tends to resist axial forces tending to push the wear member 2200 away from the mounting nose 100.

As noted above, in a preferred form, the body member is permanently secured within the lock aperture by chemical or mechanical fastening means. When the wear member 200 is pushed away from the mounting nose 100 in use, forces are applied to the locking face 2335 of the latch member 2330 by the rearward facing locking face 137 of the respective lock recess 136, which forces are resisted by the contact of the support surface 2314 with the respective rear face 2284 of the inner aperture 2281.

Further, in this position, the locking pawl 2365 of the retainer member 2360 abuts and engages the retainer flange 2321 of the locking member. In addition, lock lip 2364A of slidable lock 2364 abuts and engages biasing flange 2312 of body member 2310. This configuration ensures that retainer member 2360 cannot rotate relative to body member 2310.

Fig. 16A and 16B illustrate the lock assembly 2300 in place positioned within a lock aperture 2280 on the wear member 2200, with the lock assembly in an intermediate position between the locked position described above and a released position as will be described below.

To move the lock assembly 2300 to this position, a tool, such as a pry bar, is inserted into the tool aperture 2364B of the retainer member 2360 and a force is applied to the slidable lock 2364 by the tool to resist the biasing force of the biasing member 2363. The force applied by the tool moves the slidable lock laterally such that the lock lip 2364 is out of engagement with the biasing flange 2312, allowing the retainer member 2360 to rotate relative to the body member 2310 such that the inner surface 2362 of the retainer member 2360 moves out of abutment with a portion of the outer surface 2332 of the latch member 2330.

Retainer member 2360 continues to rotate relative to body member 2310 until it extends at least partially out of lock aperture 2280 as shown.

Fig. 17A and 17B illustrate the lock assembly 2300 in place positioned within the lock aperture 2280 on the wear member 2200, and the lock assembly in a release position, wherein the wear member 2200 is removable from the mounting nose 100.

A tool, such as a pry bar, is inserted into the tool aperture 2336 of the latch member 2330 to apply a force to the latch member 2330 that opposes the biasing force of the biasing member 2301. In this way, the latch member 2330 is moved out of the lock recess 136 and the locking face 2335 is moved out of engagement with the rearward facing locking face 137.

This movement continues until latch member 2330 is fully seated within the cavity of body member 2310, as shown. In addition to movement against the biasing force of biasing member 2301, the force exerted by the tool on latch member 2330 also causes a small degree of forward movement of latch member 2330 within the cavity of body member 2310 such that stop surface 2334 engages with body member retaining surface 2311A as shown. This engagement holds the latch member in place against the force applied to the latch member by the biasing member 2301.

Fig. 18 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly 3000 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Excavator wear assembly 3000 has many of the features as previously described with reference to the previous embodiments, and thus they are not all described and annotated again. The description of this embodiment will focus on features that are different from the previous embodiments, and features that are not annotated and/or described in the drawings should be interpreted as identical to those features in the previous embodiments.

As previously described, excavator wear assembly 3000 has a mounting nose 3100, a wear member 3200, wear member 3200 being adapted to receive at least a portion of mounting nose 3100 in a socket cavity (not shown in fig. 18) open at its rear end. In an embodiment, excavator wear assembly 3000 further comprises two lock assemblies 3300 that are adapted to releasably secure wear member 3200 on mounting nose 3100.

Fig. 19A-19D illustrate different views of the mounting nose 3100. As previously described, the mounting nose 3100 has a top surface 3110, a bottom surface 3120, and two opposing side walls 3130.

As previously described, the top surface 3110 has a rear support surface and a front support surface separated by a middle support surface 3113. Each of the rear, front, and intermediate support surfaces 3113 is a substantially planar surface. In an embodiment, the rear support surface and the front support surface lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other. Due to considerations regarding the manufacture of cast components, there may be some variance in exact parallelism, allowing for small inclinations of a few degrees as known for cast components.

Similarly, as previously described, the bottom surface 3120 has a rear support surface and a front support surface separated by a middle support surface 3123. Each of the rear, front, and middle support surfaces 3123 is a flat surface. In an embodiment, the rear support surface and the front support surface lie in planes that are substantially parallel to each other. Also, due to considerations regarding the manufacture of cast components, there may be some variance in the exact parallelism.

In an embodiment, the intermediate support surface 3113 of the top surface 3110 and the intermediate support surface 3123 of the bottom surface 3120 diverge rearwardly. These intermediate support surfaces 3113, 3123 diverge rearwardly relative to each other so as to interact with complementary support surfaces on the wear member in a manner different from that described with reference to the previous embodiments, as will be discussed in more detail below.

As previously described, each of the opposing side walls 3130 has a rear support surface 3131 and a front support surface 3132 separated by a middle support surface 3133. The intermediate support surfaces 3133 on the respective opposite side walls diverge outwardly relative to one another as the intermediate support surfaces 3133 extend from the respective front support surface 3132 to the rear support surface 3131.

As previously described, these intermediate support surfaces 3133 are configured to interact with complementary support surfaces on the wear member, but in a manner different from that described with reference to the previous embodiments, as will be discussed in more detail below.

As previously described, a lock recess 3136 is located on each side wall 3130. In an embodiment, a lock recess 3136 is located on the front support surface 3132 of each side wall 3130. Each lock recess 3136 is formed by a rearwardly facing locking face 3137, the rearwardly facing locking face 3137 extending from the front support surface 3132 into the mounting nose 3100. A locating surface 3138 extends rearwardly from the inner end of each rearwardly facing locking surface 3137 and terminates in a front locking surface 3139. Thus, each lock recess 3136 has a generally rectangular periphery when viewed from the side and plane. The lock recess 3136 is configured to non-rotatably receive a corresponding lock assembly 3300.

Fig. 20A-20C illustrate wear member 3200 in the form of an excavating tooth, as previously described, wear member 3200 having a front working end 3201 and a socket cavity 3202 open at its rear end. The socket cavity 3202 is adapted to receive at least a portion of the mounting nose 3100. Socket cavity 3202 of wear member 3200 is formed in part by top wall 3210, bottom wall 3220, and two opposing side walls 3230. Wear member 3200 also includes a front support surface 3240. As previously described, the front support surface 3240 is adapted to abut and engage with the front support surface of the mounting nose 3100.

In this embodiment of wear member 3200, as shown, reference groove 3242 extends forward from front support surface 3240 within wear member 3200. The reference groove 3242 is adapted to receive and securely retain an implement to monitor characteristics associated with the wear member 3200 and, optionally, to transmit it to a remote receiver. Such an appliance is disclosed in WO 2021/026597, the contents of which are incorporated by cross-reference.

As previously described, the top wall 3210 of the socket cavity 3202 is adapted to abut and engage at least a portion of the top surface 3110 of the mounting nose 3100 and is formed in part by the intermediate support surface 3213. Similarly, and again as in the previous embodiments previously described, the bottom wall 3220 of the socket cavity 3202 is adapted to abut and engage at least a portion of the bottom surface 3120 of the mounting nose 3100 and is formed in part by the intermediate support surface 3223.

The opposing side walls 3230 of the socket cavity 3202 are each adapted to abut and engage at least a portion of a corresponding side wall 3130 of the mounting nose 3100 and are formed in part by the intermediate support surface 3233.

Fig. 21A shows a cross-sectional side view of wear member 3200 mounted on mounting nose 3100 according to the present embodiment, and fig. 21B shows a cross-sectional top view of the arrangement shown in fig. 21A.

As shown, when the wear member is initially installed on the mounting nose, the intermediate support surface 3213 is opposite the intermediate support surface 3113 and the intermediate support surface 3223 is opposite the intermediate support surface 3123.

These opposing surfaces facilitate assembly and preferably there is a small amount of clearance between these opposing surfaces. As previously described, in use, at least some of the primary support surfaces previously described are subjected to severe loading and impact conditions and are prone to wear and hammering phenomena that affect the fit of the socket 3202 of the wear member 3200 on the mounting nose 3100. When such wear occurs, particularly at the front support surface, the opposing intermediate support surfaces advantageously become abutted and in contact, carrying axial and lateral loads after a degree of internal wear or hammering has occurred.

Similar to the above, when the wear member is initially installed on the mounting nose, each intermediate support surface 3233 is opposite a corresponding intermediate support surface 3133. These opposing surfaces facilitate assembly and preferably there is a small amount of clearance between these opposing surfaces. As previously described, in use, at least some of the primary support surfaces previously described are subjected to severe loading and impact conditions and are prone to wear and hammering phenomena that affect the fit of the socket 3202 of the wear member 3200 on the mounting nose 3100. When such wear occurs, particularly at the front support surface, the opposing intermediate support surfaces advantageously become abutted and in contact, carrying axial and lateral loads after a degree of internal wear or hammering has occurred.

However, the embodiments described with reference to fig. 18-20C have been constructed such that there is less clearance between these intermediate support surfaces than the other embodiments described above. The inventors have found that by varying the gap between these intermediate support surfaces, the time at which these surfaces contact during operation can be varied. The smaller the gap, the faster the intermediate surface contacts after the wear assembly is first used. Similarly, the larger the gap, the longer the intermediate surface contacts after first use.

The ability to selectively configure the extent of the gap by design and manufacture allows for the provision of wear assemblies configured for specific environments and/or specific excavation conditions.

Fig. 22A illustrates a top side exploded perspective view of a lock assembly 3300, and fig. 22B illustrates a bottom side exploded perspective view of the lock assembly 3300, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

The lock assembly 3300 has the same features and operates in a similar manner as the embodiment of the lock assembly described with reference to fig. 7-10, except as described below. In addition, this embodiment of the lock assembly 3300 is adapted to releasably secure any embodiment of a wear member as described herein to any embodiment of a mounting nose as described herein.

As previously described, the lock assembly 3300 has a body member 3310, a latch member 3330 pivotally secured to the body member 3310, a tab member 3360, and a biasing member 3301.

The body member 3310 has an outer perimeter (identified with reference to note 281 in the previous embodiment) that complements the shape of the inner bore of the wear member. The body member 3310 is adapted to be non-rotatably positioned within the inner bore 281. In a preferred embodiment, body member 3310 is secured within inner aperture 281 by chemical or mechanical fastening means. Optionally, body member 3310 is adapted to be loosely positioned within inner aperture 281 such that it can exit inner aperture 281 into cavity 202 without mounting nose 3100. The body member has features as described with respect to the embodiments disclosed above with reference to fig. 7-10.

The lock assembly 3300 has a latch member 3330, with the latch member 3300 pivotally secured to the body member 3310, the body member 3310 having an interior cavity of the body member 3310 as previously described with reference to the previous embodiments.

The latch member 3330 differs from the previous embodiments in that it has a locating recess 3380 extending within the latch member 3330 at the second portion 3332B of the outer surface 3332 as shown.

As previously described, the lock assembly 3300 also includes a tab member 3360 that is rotatably secured to the head portion 3337 of the latch member 3330. The tab member 3360 differs from the previous embodiments in that the tab member 3360 has a lock recess 3368 and a shipping recess 3369 on the inner surface of the tab member 3360 as shown.

The lock member 3300 also has a biasing member 3370 and pawl 3371 that are separated by a washer 3372. The biasing member 3370, pawl 3371 and washer 3372 are adapted in use to be positioned within the locating recess 3380.

In use, the biasing member 3370 exerts a biasing force on the pawl 3371 that tends to urge the pawl 3371 out of the positioning recess 3380. The pawl 3371 is adapted to be positioned within the lock recess 3368 and the shipping recess 3369 when the arm is rotatably positioned such that the positioning groove aligns with either of those recesses 3368, 3369 in the locked position and in the shipping position. Otherwise, the pawl 3371 contacts the inner surface of the tab member 3360 in the intermediate position.

Lock assembly 3300 also has a dust plug 3380 formed from plug body 3381 and an arm 3382 extending from plug body 3381, as shown. Plug body 3381 is adapted to be securely positioned within tool positioning structure 3361A of main portion 3361 of tab member 3360. The arm portion 3382 is adapted to be positioned in use within the aperture 3390 of the body 3310 by an interference fit.

The dust plug 3380 is preferably formed of an elastically deformable material (e.g. plastic or the like) and serves to ensure that dirt and fines do not build up within the tool locating formation 3361A in use, thereby ensuring that the driving tool can access the formation when it is desired to remove the lock from its locking position in use.

As previously described, lock assembly 3300 is adapted to move between a locked position, in which wear member 3200 is releasably secured on mounting nose 3100, and in which the respective faces of the two members abut as previously described, and a released position, in which wear member 3200 is removable from mounting nose 3100. Preferably, the lock assembly 3300 is also movable to a shipping or intermediate position, as discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 23A shows a cross-sectional perspective view of lock assembly 3300, and fig. 23B shows a cross-sectional perspective view of lock assembly 3300 positioned within a keyhole 3280 on wear member 3200. In the figures shown in fig. 23A and 23B, the lock assembly 3300 is in a locked position, wherein the wear member 3200 is releasably secured to the mounting nose 3100.

In this position, the arm portion 3363 of the tab member 3360 is located on the inclined surface 3322 at the terminal end 3322A' of the first inclined portion 3322A, and the pawl 3371 is pushed out of the positioning groove 3380 and into the lock recess 3368 by the biasing member 3370. The location of the pawl 3371 in the lock recess 3368 serves to releasably retain the lock assembly 3300 in the locked position because some force is required to rotate the tab member 3360 relative to the latch member 3330. Furthermore, arm 3363 is located behind feature 3292 of sidewall 3230 such that it contacts its inwardly facing retaining surface.

As previously described, in this position, biasing member 3301 exerts a force on latch member 3330 to cause latch member 3330 to at least partially protrude out of the cavity of body member 3310. In an embodiment, the latch member 3330 extends out of the body member 3310 into a lock recess 3136 of the mounting nose 3100 to releasably secure the wear member 3200 to the mounting nose 3100.

Fig. 24A shows a perspective cross-sectional view of lock assembly 3300, while fig. 24C shows lock assembly 3300 positioned within a keyhole opening 3280 on wear member 3200. In the diagrams shown in fig. 24A and 24B, the lock assembly 3300 is in an intermediate or shipping position.

This position differs from the locked position in that the arm portion 3363 of the tab member 3360 has been rotated on the first sloped portion 3322A of the sloped surface 3322 such that the pawl 3371 has been pushed back into the positioning groove 3380 to overcome the force of the biasing member 3370 and then pushed into the shipping recess 3369 at the proper location. Unless a force is applied to the tool positioning structure 3361A to rotate the tab member 3360 relative to the latch member 3330, it is held in this position by the position of the pawl 3371 in the shipping recess 3369 to prevent further rotation. Suitably, in this position, wear member 3200 is transported for use.

When in the shipping position, such as when wear member 3200 is delivered to the field, there is typically no mounting nose 3100, and in those cases, contact of a stop surface (not shown in this embodiment, but the same as the embodiment described with reference to fig. 7) on the flange (also not shown in fig. 24A or 24B) prevents latch member 3330 from completely backing out of the cavity of body member 3310.

Further rotation of tab member 3360 relative to latch member 3300 operates as previously described to move lock assembly 3300 to the release position, whereby latch member 3330 is fully seated within the cavity of body member 3310, and wear member 3200 is removable from mounting nose 3100. As described above with respect to the embodiment described with reference to fig. 7.

Fig. 25 illustrates an exploded perspective view of an excavator wear assembly 4000 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The excavator wear assembly 4000 has many of the features previously described with reference to the previous embodiments and thus, they are not all described and annotated again. The description of this embodiment will focus on features that are different from the previous embodiments, and features that are not annotated and/or described in the drawings should be interpreted as identical to those features in the previous embodiments.

As previously described, the excavator wear assembly 4000 has a mounting nose 4100, a wear member 4200, the wear member 4200 being adapted to receive at least a portion of the mounting nose 4100 in a socket cavity (not shown in fig. 25) open at a rear end thereof. In this embodiment, the excavator wear assembly 4000 further includes two lock assemblies 4300 adapted to releasably secure the wear member 4200 on the mounting nose 4100.

The mounting nose 4100 has been described differently with reference to the previous embodiments.

Fig. 26A shows a cross-sectional perspective view of the wear member 4200, and fig. 26B shows a close-up perspective view of the wear member 4200 taken horizontally.

The wear member 4200 has features as previously described with reference to the previous embodiments. The wear member 4200 also has a detent in the inner aperture 4281 of each lock aperture 4280. In particular, as shown, the wear member 4200 has a front detent 4910 in the arcuate front face 4283, a lower detent 4920 in the lower face 4286, and an upper detent 4930 in the upper face 4285.

Fig. 27A shows a partially exploded perspective view of the lock assembly 4300, fig. 27B shows a cross-sectional plan view of the lock assembly 4300, and fig. 27C shows a perspective view of the lock assembly 4300.

The lock assembly 4300 has features as previously described with reference to the previous embodiments. In this embodiment, lock assembly 4300 also has a front fitting recess 4380 located on a generally arcuate front wall 4313 of body member 4310. As shown, a locating hole 4381 extends in body member 4310 from within front assembly recess 4380. A second locating hole, not shown, also extends in body member 4310 from within front assembly recess 4380 as shown.

The front biasing member 4390 is configured to be securely positioned within the front fitting recess 4380, as shown. The front biasing member 4390 is formed from a body member 4391 and two shanks 4392, with shanks 4392 extending from the body member 4391 within the locating recess 4380. The body member 4391 of the front biasing member 4390 has an outer face that generally follows the arc of the arcuate front wall 4313 of the body member 4310 of the lock assembly 4300 in a plane.

In cross section, the body member 4391 of the front biasing member 4390 tapers (as best shown in fig. 28) such that it is proximal to the inner face of the front fitting recess 4380 at the proximal end of the front fitting recess 4380 that is proximal to the outer face 4317 of the body member 4310 and distal to the inner face of the front fitting recess 4380 at the proximal end of the front fitting recess that is proximal to the inner face 4318 of the body member 4310.

Further, in use, a cavity is formed between the inner wall of body member 4391 and the outside of front fitting groove 4380, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Preferably, the front biasing member 4390 is formed of a resilient biasing material, such as plastic or the like, and is positioned within the front fitting recess 4380 by an interference fit or the like. In use, the biasing force of the front biasing member 4390 is adapted to urge the outer wall of the body member 4391 of the front biasing member 4390 into the front detent 4910 of the inner aperture 4281 of the wear member 4200, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The upper biasing member 4393 is resiliently configured to be securely positioned within the upper assembly groove 4382 of the body member 4310 of the lock assembly 4300, as shown. The upper mating recess 4382 of the body member 4310 of the lock assembly has a locating hole 4383 extending within the body member 4310 of the lock assembly 4300.

The upper biasing member 4393 has a body member 4394 and a handle 4395 extending from an underside of the body member 4394 at least partially within the illustrated locating hole 4383. The body member 4394 of the upper biasing member 4393 has an outer face that generally follows the taper of the upper wall 4315 of the body member 4310 of the lock assembly 4300 in a plane and additionally has a tapered edge.

Preferably, the upper biasing member 4393 is formed of a resilient biasing material, such as plastic or the like, and is positioned within the upper fitting recess 4382 by an interference fit or the like. In use, the biasing force of the upper biasing member 4393 is adapted to urge the outer wall of the body member 4394 of the upper biasing member 4393 into the upper detents 4930 of the inner aperture 4281 of the wear member 4200, as will be discussed in more detail below.

Similarly, lower biasing member 4396 is resiliently configured to be securely positioned within lower assembly recess 4384 of body member 4310, as shown. The lower fitting groove 4384 of the body member 4310 has a positioning hole 4385 extending inside the body member 4310.

The lower biasing member 4396 has a body member 4397 and a shank 4398 extending from an underside of the body member 4397 at least partially within the illustrated locating hole 4385. The body member 4397 of the upper biasing member 4396 has an outer face that generally follows the taper of the lower wall 4316 of the body member 4310 of the lock assembly 4300 in a plane and has a tapered edge.

Preferably, the lower biasing member 4396 is formed of a resilient biasing material, such as plastic or the like, and is positioned within the lower fitting recess 4384 by an interference fit or the like. In use, the biasing force of the lower biasing member 4396 is adapted to urge the outer wall of the body member 4397 of the lower biasing member 4396 into the lower detent 4920 of the inner aperture 4281 of the wear member 4200, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The lock assembly 4300 is adapted to be securely retained within the inner aperture 4281 of the lock aperture 4280 of the wear member 4200 even when the wear member is not located on the mounting nose. In this way, the wear member can be conveniently shipped with the lock assembly already installed and mechanically retained within the lock aperture. In this way, a wear member is provided having a lock resiliently retained therein. In an embodiment, two lock assemblies are resiliently retained within apertures extending on either side of the wear member. Suitably, the lock assembly is transported with the lock assembly in an intermediate or shipping position. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in alternative embodiments, the wear member may be provided with only a single lock assembly resiliently retained therein for shipping.

Fig. 28 shows a cross-sectional plan view of the lock assembly 4300 securely retained within the keyhole 4280 of the wear member 4200.

To securely retain the lock assembly 4300 within the inner aperture 4281 of the lock aperture 4280 of the wear member 4200, the lock assembly is pressed from the cavity of the wear member into the inner aperture 4281. The biasing members compress within their respective mounting recesses due to the force applied to each biasing member through the respective walls of the inner aperture 4281. Once the lock assembly 4300 is pushed within the lock groove by each biasing member within its corresponding detent on the wall of the inner aperture of the wear member and then held there at that force, the biasing force due to this compression is released. In this position, the lock assembly 4300 is adapted to be securely retained within the inner aperture 4281 of the lock aperture 4280 of the wear member 4200.

It should be appreciated that while the lock assembly 4300 has been described with reference to being adapted to be securely retained within the lock aperture 4280 of the wear member 4200, the lock assembly may be securely and non-rotatably retained within any suitably configured lock aperture of any excavator wear member. In other words, it is contemplated and disclosed herein that the lock assembly 4300 is not limited to use with wear members having the features described herein.

Features from one embodiment may be used with features from another embodiment. The combination of the embodiments and the disclosed features is not intended to be limited in the sense that they must be used together.

Throughout this specification, the aim has been to describe the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Variations of the particular embodiments may be implemented by those skilled in the relevant art and still fall within the scope of the invention. For example, various features from one embodiment may be combined with another embodiment.

It will be appreciated that various other changes and modifications may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, digging teeth may be mounted to the mounting nose in place of adapters. Furthermore, the locks disclosed herein may also be used to secure other types of wear members to the digging edge of an excavator. For example, a lock may be used to secure the shroud to the lip of the excavator.

Throughout the specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Claims

1. An excavator wear member, the excavator wear member comprising:

A socket cavity open at a rear end of the wear member, the socket cavity at least partially defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, opposing side walls, and a front support surface; and

A third mating face extending laterally at an angle between each opposing side wall and one of the top wall or the bottom wall;

wherein each third mating surface also extends substantially rearwardly from the front support surface to a rear end of the socket cavity in a plane within the socket cavity.

2. The excavator wear member of claim 1, wherein the third mating face extends at an angle between each opposed side wall and each of the top and bottom walls.

3. The excavator wear member of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the third mating surfaces further extends rearwardly from the front support surface towards the rear end of the socket cavity.

4. The excavator wear assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the third mating surfaces is substantially planar.

5. The excavator wear assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear portion of each third mating surface has a relatively greater lateral extent than the intermediate portion of each third mating surface.

6. The excavator wear assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the front portion of each third mating surface has a relatively greater lateral extent than the intermediate portion of each third mating surface.

7. The excavator wear assembly of claim 2, wherein each third mating face is located in a plane which diverges rearwardly relative to the plane of the opposed third mating face.

8. The excavator wear assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the top wall has rear and front support surfaces separated by an intermediate support surface.

9. The excavator wear assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom wall has rear and front support surfaces separated by an intermediate support surface.

10. The excavator wear assembly of claims 8 and 9, wherein the intermediate support surfaces of the top and bottom walls diverge rearwardly.

11. The excavator assembly of claims 8 and 9, wherein the rear and front support surfaces of the top wall and the rear and front support surfaces of the bottom wall all lie in generally parallel planes.

12. The excavator wear assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein each side wall has an intermediate support surface which diverges rearwardly relative to each other.

13. An excavator wear assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the third mating surfaces is adapted to engage with a respective third mating surface on the mounting nose only after wear on the wear member and/or other faces of the excavator mounting nose.

14. An excavator mounting nose, the mounting nose comprising:

a top surface, a bottom surface, two opposing side walls, and a front support surface; and

A third mating face extending laterally at an angle between each opposing sidewall and one of the top surface or the bottom surface;

Wherein each third mating surface extends rearwardly from the front support surface to a rear end of the mounting nose in a substantially planar plane.

15. The excavator mounting nose of claim 14, wherein the third mating face extends at an angle between each opposed side wall and each of the top and bottom surfaces.

16. The excavator mounting nose of claim 14 or claim 15, wherein each of the third mating faces also extends rearwardly from the front support face towards the rear end of the mounting nose.

17. The excavator mounting nose of any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein each of the third mating surfaces is substantially planar.

18. The excavator mount nose of any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the rear portion of each third mating face has a relatively greater lateral extent than the intermediate portion of each third mating face.

19. The excavator mount nose of any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the front portion of each third mating face has a relatively greater lateral extent than the intermediate portion of each third mating face.

20. The excavator mount nose of any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein each third mating face is located in a plane which diverges rearwardly relative to the plane of the opposed third mating face.

21. The excavator mounting nose of any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the top surface has a rear and a front support surface separated by a central support surface.

22. The excavator mounting nose of any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein the bottom surface has a rear and a front support surface separated by a central support surface.

23. The excavator mounting nose of any one of claims 14 to 22, wherein the intermediate support surfaces of the top and bottom surfaces diverge rearwardly.

24. The excavator mounting nose of any one of claims 21 and 22, wherein the rear and front support surfaces of the top surface and the rear and front support surfaces of the bottom surface all lie in generally parallel planes.

25. The excavator mounting nose of any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein each side wall has a central support surface which diverges rearwardly relative to each other.

26. The excavator mounting nose of any one of claims 14 to 25, wherein each of the third mating surfaces is adapted to engage with a respective third mating surface on an excavator wear member only after wear has occurred on the other faces of the mounting nose and/or the wear member.

27. A lock assembly to releasably secure an excavator wear member to a mounting nose, the lock assembly having:

A latch member pivotally positioned within the cavity of the body member;

A biasing member positioned within the cavity of the body member, the biasing member adapted to apply a force to the latch member that tends to cause the latch member to at least partially protrude out of the cavity of the body member; and

Wherein the lock assembly is movable between a locked position in which the latch member extends at least partially out of the cavity under the force of the biasing member to thereby secure the wear member on the mounting nose, and a released position in which the latch member is located within the cavity of the body member and the wear member is removable from the nose.

28. The lock assembly of claim 27, wherein the lock assembly is further movable to an intermediate position in which the lock assembly is located within a locking aperture of the wear member for shipment and/or transport of the wear member.

29. An excavator wear assembly, the excavator wear assembly comprising:

The excavator mounting nose of claim 14;

The wear member of claim 1, adapted to receive at least a portion of the excavator mount nose in a socket cavity of the wear member; and

At least one lock assembly adapted to releasably secure the wear member on the excavator mounting nose.

30. An excavator wear member, the excavator wear member comprising:

A socket cavity open at a rear end of the wear member, the socket cavity at least partially defined by a top wall, a bottom wall, opposing side walls, and a front support surface;

a lock aperture extending through at least one of the side walls from outside of the at least one of the side walls to the receptacle cavity; and

A lock assembly securely retained within the lock aperture;

Wherein the lock assembly is movable between a locked position securing the wear member to the excavator mounting nose, a released position in which the wear member is movable from the excavator mounting nose, and an intermediate position for shipping and transporting the wear member such that the lock assembly continues to be securely retained within the lock aperture in the intermediate position.