EA041562B1 - WEAR ELEMENT, EDGE AND INSTALLATION PROCESS - Google Patents

Description

The technical field to which the invention belongs

The present invention relates to wear elements for earthmoving equipment.

Prerequisites for the invention

During mining and construction operations, wear parts are commonly used to protect earthmoving equipment such as earthmoving buckets. During use, wear elements gradually wear out as a result of abrasion and heavy loads. After working out, wear elements are removed from the equipment and replaced. The use of wear elements provides an economical approach to earthmoving and other earthmoving operations because it reduces the need to repair or replace more expensive underlying equipment such as a blade or other pieces of equipment.

Wear items are typically attached to earthmoving equipment by a mechanical means (eg, a locking pin, bolt, or other locking mechanism). During excavation, wear elements may be subjected to forces acting in various directions, which may include axial, vertical, and lateral loads. Retaining wear items throughout their life prevents damage to downstream equipment such as crushers, limits maintenance time on earthmoving equipment, and prevents damage to underlying wear surfaces.

The essence of the invention

The present invention provides wear elements for earthmoving equipment that are mechanically attachable to the equipment. Wear units according to the invention are reliable, safe, easy to use, versatile, high performance and/or easily replaceable with low downtime.

In one embodiment, a wear element for earthmoving equipment receives a raised edge. Both the recess and the protrusion include flat bearing surfaces that converge forward and abut against each other to transfer the forces applied to the wear element to the edge.

In another embodiment, the wear assembly includes a wear member attached to the edge of the earth moving equipment by a latch in the bore of the wear member that abuts against a transverse bearing surface of a protrusion attached to the edge. The protrusion has abutment surfaces that converge in the forward direction and away from the transverse surface. The converging bearing surfaces of the protrusion are adopted in the recess of the wear element with corresponding forward converging surfaces. In one example, the bearing surfaces are flat.

In another embodiment, a wear member with spaced legs defines a cavity for receiving an edge of earthmoving equipment. The wear element includes a first recess in the first leg and a second recess in the second leg for receiving individual protrusions attached to the edge. One recess has walls converging forward. In one example, the forward converging walls of the recess are flat. In another example, the protrusion includes a transverse rear abutment surface against which a latch received in a wear member bore can abut. The features of these examples are optional and may be used together or separately.

In another embodiment, a wear member with spaced legs defines a cavity for receiving an edge of earthmoving equipment. The cavity includes a front surface between the legs to abut against the edge. A hole continues through one leg to receive a retainer for attaching a wear element to the edge. The opening is elongated and has a major axis that extends generally parallel to the front surface of the cavity, and both the axis and the surface are angled to the direction of advancing of the lip during use.

In another embodiment, a wear member with spaced legs defines a cavity for receiving an edge of earthmoving equipment. The wear element includes a first recess in the first leg and a second recess in the second leg, each of which receives a separate ledge attached to the edge. The longitudinal axis of the first recess continues at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the second recess. In one example, the longitudinal axis of the first recess extends at an angle of less than 25° relative to the longitudinal axis of the second recess, but other orientations are possible.

In another embodiment, a wear member with spaced legs defines a cavity for receiving an edge of earthmoving equipment. Each of the legs includes a recess for receiving a protrusion attached to the edge, wherein the longitudinal axis of the recess in one leg is perpendicular to the front surface of the edge and the longitudinal axis of the recess in the other leg is parallel to the direction of advancement of the edge during operation of the excavation equipment, moreover the axes are oriented at an angle to each other in the transverse direction.

In another embodiment, a wear element is mounted on the stepped edge of the earthmoving equipment and is mounted over first and second protrusions attached to opposite sides of the edge. One protrusion has a longitudinal axis that is perpendicular to the front surface of the edge, and the other protrusion has a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the direction of advancement of the edge during operation of the earth moving equipment, the axes being oriented at an angle to each other in the transverse direction.

In another embodiment, a wear member with spaced legs defines a cavity for receiving an edge of earthmoving equipment. Each of the legs includes a recess for receiving a protrusion attached to the edge, wherein the longitudinal axis of one recess is oriented non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the other recess. In one example, one recess includes abutment surfaces that converge toward the front surface of the cavity. In another example, one recess includes generally parallel bearing surfaces. The features of these examples are optional and may be used together or separately.

In another embodiment, the edge of the earth moving equipment includes first and second protrusions attached to opposite sides of the edge. One protrusion has a longitudinal axis that is oriented non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the other protrusion. In one example, one protrusion includes abutment surfaces that converge toward the leading edge surface. In another example, one protrusion includes generally parallel bearing surfaces. The features of these examples are optional and may be used together or separately.

In another embodiment, a wear element with spaced legs forming a cavity is mounted on an edge of earth moving equipment that includes a lip on each of two opposite sides of the edge. The wear element includes a first recess that receives one protrusion in the axial direction, a second recess that receives another protrusion at an angle in the transverse direction relative to the longitudinal axis of the first recess during installation of the wear element on the edge.

In another embodiment, a wear element with spaced legs forming a cavity is mounted on the edge of an earthmoving equipment. The wear element includes a recess that receives a corresponding protrusion attached to the edge. The recess and the protrusion include respective abutment surfaces that abut against each other during use. During installation of the wear element, one bearing surface moves parallel to its respective bearing while the other bearing surface approaches its respective bearing surface.

In another embodiment, a wear element with spaced legs forming a cavity is mounted on the edge of an excavation equipment. The wear member includes a recess in each leg that receives a corresponding protrusion attached to the edge. The recesses and projections include respective abutment surfaces which bear against each other during use. During installation of the wear element, three of the respective bearing surfaces move parallel to each other while one bearing surface approaches the other respective bearing surface.

In another embodiment, the stepped edge of the earth moving equipment includes stepped segments, each of which has a leading surface that extends perpendicular to the direction of advance of the edge during operation of the equipment, with adjacent stepped segments spaced apart from each other in the transverse and axial direction and transition segments connect adjacent stepped segments to each other. The leading surfaces of the transition segments are inclined relative to the direction of edge advancement during operation of the equipment. The tabs are attached on opposite sides of each transition segment. All protrusions on one side are in the same orientation, while not all protrusions on the opposite side are in the same orientation. The wear elements are designed to be mounted over the ledges for mounting on the edge.

In another embodiment, the stepped edge of the excavation equipment includes stepped segments, each of which has a leading surface that extends perpendicular to the direction of advance of the edge during operation of the equipment, and adjacent stepped segments are spaced apart from each other in the transverse and axial direction, and transition segments connecting adjacent stepped segments to each other, wherein the front surfaces of the transition segments are inclined with respect to the direction of advancing of the edge during operation of the equipment. The tabs are attached on one side of each transition segment. The longitudinal axis of each protrusion attached to one side is perpendicular to the leading surface of each transition segment, and each wear element is mounted on the edge by moving in a direction parallel to the direction of advancing the edge during operation of the equipment.

- 2 041562 for earthworks.

In another embodiment, the stepped edge of the earth moving equipment includes stepped segments, each of which has a leading surface that extends perpendicular to the direction of advance of the edge during operation of the equipment, with adjacent stepped segments spaced apart from each other in the transverse and axial direction and the transition segments connect adjacent stepped segments to each other, and the leading surfaces of the transition segments are inclined relative to the direction of advance of the edge during operation of the equipment. The tabs are attached on opposite sides of each transition segment. The longitudinal axis of each protrusion attached to one side is perpendicular to the leading surface of each transition segment, while the longitudinal axis of each protrusion attached to the other side is parallel to the direction of edge advancement during operation of the earthmoving equipment.

In another embodiment, a shroud for covering a digging edge on earthmoving equipment includes a front end and a rearwardly open cavity. The cavity has opposite first and second surfaces to embrace the edge and a front surface extending between the first and second surfaces. The first surface includes a recess with opposing flat abutment surfaces to abut against a protrusion on an edge. These bearing surfaces converge towards the front surface.

In another embodiment, a shroud for covering a digging edge on earthmoving equipment includes a front end and a rearwardly open cavity. The cavity includes opposite first and second surfaces for covering the edge and a front surface extending between the first and second surfaces. Each of the first and second surfaces includes a recess for receiving a protrusion on the edge, and each of the recesses includes opposite support surfaces configured to abut against the received protrusion. Opposite bearing surfaces in a recess in the first surface converge towards the front surface.

In another embodiment, a shroud for covering a digging edge on earthmoving equipment includes a front end and a rearwardly open cavity. The cavity includes opposite first and second surfaces for covering the edge and a front surface extending between the first and second surfaces. The first surface includes a first recess for receiving a first protrusion on the edge, the first recess having a first longitudinal axis. The second surface includes a second recess for receiving a second protrusion on the edge, the second recess having a second longitudinal axis which is oriented at an angle in a transverse direction with respect to the first longitudinal axis.

In another embodiment, a shroud for covering a digging edge on earthmoving equipment includes a front end and a rearwardly open cavity. The cavity includes opposite first and second surfaces for covering the edge and a front surface extending between the first and second surfaces. The first surface includes a first recess with opposing first bearing surfaces for abutting against a protrusion on an edge. These first bearing surfaces converge towards the front surface. The second surface includes a second recess with opposing second abutment surfaces to abut against a protrusion on the edge. One of the first bearing surfaces is parallel to the second bearing surfaces, and the other first bearing surface is transverse to the second bearing surfaces.

In another embodiment, a shroud for mounting on a digging bucket blade that has a forward-facing driving surface, main segments in which the driving surface extends parallel to the width of the bucket, and transition segments in which the driving surface is inclined relative to the main segments, includes a front end , a rearwardly open knife receiving cavity so that the guard segment is positioned over a portion of the driving surface, and a latch receiving hole having an elongated configuration. The cavity includes first and second opposing surfaces and a front surface extending between the first and second surfaces so as to be positioned against the leading surface. The hole for receiving the latch has a length along which the main axis continues. The front surface and the main axis are generally parallel to the leading surface in the transition segment adopted in the cavity.

In another embodiment, a blade assembly for an earth moving bucket includes a blade and a shroud. The knife has a forward facing leading surface, main segments in which the leading surface extends parallel to the width of the bucket, and transition segments in which the leading surface is inclined relative to the main segments. The guard segment is attached to the transition segment and includes a front end, a rearwardly open knife receiving cavity to position the guard segment over a portion of the driving surface, and a latch receiving hole. The cavity includes first and second opposing surfaces and a front surface extending between the first and second surfaces so as to be positioned against the leading surface. The latch receiving hole has an elongated configuration with a length along which the main axis extends. The front surface and the main axis are generally parallel to the leading surface in the transition segment adopted in the cavity.

In another embodiment, the digging blade includes a forward facing driving surface, an inner surface, an outer surface, main segments in which the driving surface extends parallel to the width of the bucket, and transition segments in which the driving surface is inclined relative to the main segments. At least one transition segment includes a first protrusion with a first longitudinal axis on the inner surface and a second protrusion with a second longitudinal axis on the outer surface, which is oriented at an angle in the transverse direction relative to the first longitudinal axis.

In another embodiment, the digging blade includes a forward facing driving surface, an inner surface, an outer surface, main segments in which the driving surface extends parallel to the width of the bucket, transition segments in which the driving surface is inclined relative to the main segments, a plurality of first lugs, which are the same and have a first longitudinal axis on the inner surface, and a plurality of second protrusions that are the same and have a second longitudinal axis on the outer surface. The first longitudinal axis of at least one of the first projections is oriented at an angle in the transverse direction relative to at least one of the second longitudinal axes.

In another embodiment, the digging blade includes a forward facing driving surface, an inner surface, an outer surface, main segments in which the driving surface extends parallel to the width of the bucket, transition segments in which the driving surface is inclined relative to the main segments, and a plurality of protrusions on one of the inner and outer surfaces. The protrusions are the same, and at least one of the protrusions is oriented so that its longitudinal axis is at an angle relative to at least one other protrusion.

In another embodiment, the digging knife includes a forward-facing driving surface, an outer surface, an inner surface with a beveled portion adjacent to the driving surface, a plurality of first lugs attached to only the beveled portion, and a plurality of second lugs separate from the first lugs, attached only to the outer surface.

In another embodiment, a method of mounting a wear member to a digging edge on earthmoving equipment includes providing a shroud having spaced legs, each leg including a recess formed by opposing abutment surfaces that receives a protrusion at the edge. . The guard segment moves rearward to receive the edge in the cavity formed between the legs, whereby one protrusion moves parallel to opposite bearing surfaces of one recess and one protrusion approaches one of the bearing surfaces in the other recess. In the hole in the protective segment, a latch is received for engaging the protective segment and one of the protrusions for attaching the protective segment to the edge.

The various features of the above embodiments may be used independently or in conjunction with all or some of the different features to secure the wear member to the edge of the earthmoving equipment. The features mentioned are illustrative summaries of some ideas of the various concepts of the invention and are not intended to be exhaustive or essential. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the described embodiments will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of certain embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The following is a more specific and detailed description of some of the embodiments with reference to the drawings, which show these some embodiments and which are inherently non-limiting.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a wear assembly.

Fig. 2 is an exploded top perspective view of the wear assembly of FIG. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the wear assembly of FIG. 1 in a section taken along the longitudinal axis of the wear unit.

Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of the security segment of FIG. 1.

Fig. 5 is a rear perspective view of the security segment of FIG. 1.

Fig. 6 is a rear perspective view of the security segment of FIG. 1.

Fig. 7 is a rear perspective view of the security segment of FIG. 1.

Fig. 8 is a front perspective view of the first protrusion of the wear assembly of FIG. 1.

Fig. 8A is a front perspective view of an alternative first projection design.

- 4 041562

Fig. 9 is a side view of the first projection.

Fig. 10 is a front perspective view of the second protrusion of the wear assembly of FIG. 1.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the second projection.

Fig. 12 is an exploded plan view of a blade portion with teeth and shrouds, the shrouds being the wear units of FIG. 1.

Fig. 13 is an exploded bottom view of the knife of FIG. 12.

Fig. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of the shroud opening in the wear assembly of FIG. 1 with the retainer in the folded orientation adopted.

Fig. 14A is the same sectional view as in FIG. 14 with the latch in the unfolded orientation in the release position, for example, for installation, removal and/or delivery.

Detailed description of embodiments of the present invention

Wear elements are used on many types of earthmoving equipment to extend equipment life. The present invention relates to wear elements and locking systems for attaching wear elements to the edges of earth moving equipment, wear assemblies using them, edges of earth moving equipment, and processes for fitting wear elements to such edges.

The drawings show one embodiment of a wear assembly 10 including a wear member 12 for attachment to earthmoving equipment. In the illustrated example, the wear element is a shroud 12 attached to the edge of an earth moving bucket; wherein the edge shown is formed by a knife 14 having an elongated body with a bottom or outer surface 14A, a top or inner surface 14B and a leading surface 14C. In this example, the inner surface 14B includes the chamfer or surface 14D in the vicinity of the driving surface 14C and the back behind the chamfer. The shrouds of the invention may also be attached to the sidewalls of the bucket, ripper teeth and/or other edges of earthmoving equipment; those. shrouds 12 may be used with various earth moving components having earth moving edges, including buckets, knives, ripper teeth, and the like, for example.

The wear member 12 preferably includes an opening 24 in which a retainer 16 is received for releasably attaching the wear member to an edge. The edge can have various designs, including designs with a straight leading surface, or with a leading surface that is stepped or swept with the central part located in front or behind relative to the outer parts of the edge. The edge has a direction of advance during operation of earth moving equipment (eg digging) which generally corresponds to the direction of arrow 6 (FIGS. 12 and 13); in this document, this direction is referred to as forward direction. The actual movement of the edge during operation can be a generally linear advance (as, for example, with a wireline shovel bucket or a ripper tooth) or a compound movement with oscillatory movement (as, for example, with a hydraulic excavator).

In the example of a bucket, the edge may be formed by a blade 14. Along the front of the blade, teeth 7 and shrouds 12 are attached. knife or attached by mechanical means. The adapter includes a protruding nose 9, on which a tip 8A is mounted, which is attached to the adapter by means of a retainer (not shown). Guards 12 are attached to blade 14 between adjacent teeth 7. Other configurations of blade, teeth and guards are possible. As one alternative example, the blade may only include shrouds, such as in a load haul bucket. The knife may be formed through a casting process, or the knife may be cut from a plate. Also, the knife can be welded from separately formed parts.

The protective segment 12 includes a front end or a working part 26 and a rear end or a mounting part 28 (FIGS. 1-7). In this embodiment, the flank tapers towards a narrow leading lip 26A, but other designs are possible. During use during the digging process, the working part 26 is in contact with the ground or other material to protect the knife and facilitate penetration into the material and/or collecting material into the bucket. Mounting portion 28 includes a first leg 30, which in the illustrated embodiment is an inner or upper leg 30, and an opposing second leg 32, which is an outer or lower leg 32. Legs 30, 32 are spaced apart to provide forming a cavity 40 for receiving the knife 14, whereby each leg extends backwards along the knife when the guard segment is installed. The front surface or end wall 42 connects the first and second legs at the front end of the cavity 40.

The first leg 30 has an inner surface 33 which defines the first or inner surface of the cavity 40 and which may include one or more first or inner bearing surfaces 34 which abut against the inner or upper surface of the knife when assembled (FIG. 5 and 7). The first bearing surfaces in this example are formed as raised bearing pads 34A, 34B, although this is not required; the inner surface 33 itself may form a support surface, or other embodiments may be envisaged. The inner support surfaces abut against the bevelled edge 14D of the knife. Alternatively, the front support surfaces 34A are inclined towards the rear support surfaces 34B, whereby the support surfaces 34A abut against the front bevelled surface 14D of the knife, while the support surfaces 34B abut against the inner or top surface 14B of the knife. The first leg also includes a rear surface 30A.

The second or outer leg 32 includes an inner surface 35 that defines the second or outer surface of the cavity 40. The inner surface 35 may include one or more second or outer abutment surfaces 36 abutting against the generally flat outer or bottom surface 14A of the blade ( Fig. 6). In this example, the second bearing surfaces 36 are formed as raised bearing pads, although this is not required; the inner surface 35 itself may form the support surface, or other embodiments may be envisaged. The second leg includes a rear surface 32A (FIGS. 5 and 7).

The front surface 42 extends between the legs 30, 32 and connects them. Front surface 42 is adjacent to or abuts leading or front surface 14C of knife 14 when the guard is fully seated on the knife. The opening 24 extends through the first leg 30 and opens to the cavity 40 to receive the latch 16. Other designs are possible for attaching the wear element. Other modifications to the wear member 12 are also possible. For example, the wear member cavity is shaped to match the configuration of the edge 14 and may be shaped differently to fit different edges.

Each shroud 12 has a longitudinal axis 44 which is formed by a center line extending generally in the direction of the edge 14 advance during operation of the earth moving equipment (FIGS. 2 and 4). Baseline 38 extends along front surface 42 and corresponds to leading surface 14C when the shroud is in place. Although the front of the cavity 40 (i.e., the portion along the front surface 42) may have different configurations (for example, include recesses), the front surface 42 is that part of the front of the cavity that extends generally parallel to the leading edge. against which it should be located.

The first leg 30 preferably includes a first or clearance recess 48 in the inner surface 33 that extends forward from the back surface 30A of the leg (FIGS. 6 and 7). In the first recess 48 is the first bearing recess 50, which extends at a greater depth from the inner surface 33 than the first recess 48. The recess 50 includes bearing surfaces 50A and 50B, which converge in the forward direction, i. to front surface 42. In this example, bearing surfaces 50A, 50B extend forward from opening 24, but other designs are possible. The bearing surfaces 50A, 50B may be flat, but other shapes such as curved converging surfaces are possible. The axis 100 of the first recess extends centrally between the bearing surfaces 50A, 50B and perpendicular to the front surface 42. The rear recess 50C extends between the leg rear surface 30A and the hole 24 as a whole in alignment with the bearing recess 50, although in this example it has a different extent (which is optional). Although the recesses 50, 50C are described in this document as separate recesses separated by an opening 24, they can be considered as one recess with a front and a back. The rear recess axis 52 continues as the center line of the rear recess 50C and is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the guard segment 12. Other alternatives are possible. For example, the first leg may have only abutment recess 50 without a back recess 50C, provided there is sufficient clearance to receive the corresponding protrusion 20. Also as another example, the support surfaces 50A, 50B may protrude from the inner surface 33 to form a recess 50 as opposed to their formations in a depression in the inner surface. Alternatively, the support surfaces 50A, 50B may also be formed on the second leg 32 with a corresponding offset of the protrusion 20 which is received therein towards the opposite surface 14A of the edge 14. Other designs are possible. In some embodiments, the rear recess axis 52 may be generally parallel to the recess axis 100. Other executions are possible.

The knife 14 includes a first or inner ridge 20 on the bevel 14D of the inner or top surface 14B of the knife (FIGS. 2 and 3). However, the protrusion 20 may be located behind the bevel 14D or may be used on a knife without a bevel. The first protrusion includes side bearing surfaces 20A and 20B (FIGS. 2, 8 and 9) against which the bearing surfaces 50A, 50B abut, and a rear abutment surface 20E against which the latch 16 abuts when the shroud 12 is mounted on the blade 14. ; although other retainers are possible that abut against other surfaces. The first protrusion 20 may include a base with a seating surface 20F that is configured to fit on an edge. The base may include 20W mounting wings, although other mounting systems are possible. As one example, wings may not be provided. Side

- 6 041562 bearing surfaces 20A and 20B may be formed on a tab 20D extending upward from the base. The rear support surface 20E extends transversely between the side support surfaces 20A and 20B and faces generally rearward against the latch 16.

The side bearing surfaces 20A, 20B of the projection 20 are preferably flat and converge forward from the transverse bearing surface 20E. For example, the side abutments 20A and 20B may converge forward at an angle to each other in the range of 10-40°. Preferably, the side bearing surfaces converge forward at an angle to each other in the range of 15-30°. However, the convergence of the bearing surfaces 20A, 20B may lie outside these ranges. The bearing surfaces 50A, 50B also preferably have the same deangular orientation as the side bearing surfaces 20A, 20B. The protrusion 20 has a first protrusion axis 100A defined by a midline between the side support surfaces 20A, 20B. The axis 100A of the protrusion is generally perpendicular to the leading surface 14C of the knife, which is closest to where the protrusion 20 is attached. part of the foundry knife configuration.

When the guard 12 is mounted on the blade 14, the cavity 40 receives the blade 14 as the guard moves back. Mounting the guard 12 in a direction parallel to the direction of advance of the knife limits interference with adjacent teeth and/or noses attached to or forming part of the knife. This design allows the removal and/or installation of shrouds without the need to remove tips and/or adjacent tooth adapters. The support recess 50 receives the protrusion 20 so that the support surfaces 50A, 50B are positioned against the support surfaces 20A, 20B when the shroud 12 is mounted on the knife 14. The first recess 48 and the rear recess 50C provide clearance to receive the protrusion 20 and/or mounting wings 20W lug or other mounting device.

When the guard is seated on the knife and the lug 20 is received in the recess 50 of the guard, the latch 16 can be inserted into the hole 24. The hole 24 includes a support wall 24A configured to abut against the rear side of the latch 16. The opposite front side of the latch abuts against the support surface 20E of the first protrusion 20. By abutting the support wall 24A and the support surface 20E to secure the guard to the knife 14, longitudinal forces on the guard are counteracted to pull the guard off the knife. Hole 24 is preferably elongated and forms a major axis 24B along its length, although other hole shapes are possible. The axis of the opening 24B is preferably parallel to the front surface 42, although the axis of the opening 24B may be oblique or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 44 of the shroud. In one example, hole axis 24B is angled to longitudinal axis 44 in the range of 65-90°, although other orientations outside this range are possible. The orientation of the latch hole (ie the hole axis 24B) corresponds to the orientation of the first projection 20 (ie the transverse surface 20E). Other retainers may be provided for insertion into other holes.

In the illustrated embodiment, the latch 16 may include two parts that are foldable between a retracted position that is longer than the hole 24 (along major axis 24B) in the outer surface 45 of the first leg 30, to prevent loss or removal of the latch from wear element, and a folded position, the length of which is less than the hole 24, to allow the release and/or removal of the lock from the hole, which occurs when the guard is installed on the knife and/or the guard is removed from the knife. The lock may be of the type described in US Pat. No. 7,536,811 or US Patent Application 2017/0321396, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Other lock configurations are possible for attaching the guard to the knife; various impact and non-impact clamps can be used.

When loads are applied to the shroud during excavation, the abutment surfaces 50A and 50B of the abutment recess 50 abut against the projection surfaces 20A and 20B to transmit loads to the blade. The installation of the first protrusion on the beveled part of the knife makes it possible to install the protective segment on some knives having different thicknesses. As a result, the number of produced and/or stored sizes of the protective segment can be reduced. Attaching the shoulder 20 to the beveled surface 14D may also reduce the weight of the shroud and thin its profile to facilitate material penetration and/or reduce material jamming at the ladle inlet or ladle outlet. In one alternative embodiment, the protrusion 20 is provided on only one surface of the knife, in this example on the inside 14B and in particular on the slope 14D, although one protrusion may be provided behind the slope 14D or on the outside 14A. In another example, the protrusion 20 may extend forward over the driving surface 14C.

The second leg 32 of the guard segment 12 includes a second support recess 46 in the inner surface 35 that extends forward from the rear wall 32A to receive a second

- 7 041562 or outer ledge 22. Recess 46 includes side support surfaces 46A and 46B and optionally a chin recess 46C further recessed from inner surface 35. Recess 46 has a second recess axis 102 formed by a midline between side support surfaces 46A, 46B , which is generally parallel to the longitudinal axis 44 of the guard 12. The chin recess 46C may be formed by an inclined surface 46D inclined towards the inner surface 35. Alternatively, the chin recess may optionally additionally or alternatively include a main surface 46E generally parallel inner surface 35, in front of the inclined surface 46D. Other configurations of the chin recess are possible.

The knife includes a second or outer projection 22 on the bottom surface 14A of the knife. The second protrusion includes side support surfaces 22A and 22B and optionally a chin 22E that extends outwardly from the knife in the forward direction (FIGS. 10 and 11). The side support surfaces 22A and 22B may be parallel to each other. Alternatively, the side bearing surfaces may converge in the forward direction. Other configurations are possible. The protrusion 22 includes a seating surface 22F which is fitted on the knife and an opposite outer surface 22D. The protrusion 22 may be attached to the blade by welding or by other means of attachment (eg bolts). The protrusion 22 includes a second protrusion axis 102A defined by a median line between the support surfaces 22A, 22B that are generally parallel to the blade advance direction shown by arrow 6.

When the guard 12 is installed on the knife 14, the cavity 40 receives the knife 14 as the guard moves backwards relative to the knife in the opposite direction of arrow 6. The first recess 50 receives the first projection 20 and the second recess 46 receives the second projection 22. When the guard segment fully seated on the knife, the side abutments 50A and 50B of the first abutment recess 50 are opposed to the abutments 20A and 20B of the first protrusion 20 and the side abutments 46A and 46B of the second abutment recess 46 are opposed to the side abutments 22A and 22B of the second protrusion 22. In the illustrated example, the chin 22E is received in the chin recess 46C and the latch 16 is received in the hole 24 for attaching the guard to the knife as previously described.

During the application of loads to the shroud during excavation, the support surfaces 50A and 50B of the recess 50 abut against the support surfaces 20A and 20B of the boss 20 to transfer the loads applied to the shroud during excavation to the blade. The support surfaces 46A and 46B of the recess 46 also abut against the support surfaces 22A and 22B of the projection 22 to transmit loads to the blade. The applied loads are transferred from the shroud to the blade via the lugs and bearing surfaces to limit blade wear. The applied loads are also transferred to the edge through the legs of the protrusion. The chin and chin recess include sloped surfaces to resist reverse forces acting on the guard against pushing the guard off the knife and thus reduce the effect of such forces on the retainer; as mentioned above, the chin and chin recess may not be provided. The use of only the top lug or the use of separate upper and lower lug (FIG. 3) allows the same shroud to fit knives of different thicknesses, thereby reducing the number of different types and/or sizes of shrouds that must be produced or stocked. stock. In the illustrated example, the projections are welded to the blade. Alternatively, one or both of the projections may be integral with the blade; for example, the projections may be part of a molded blade. Alternatively, one or both of the protrusions may be formed by welding material onto the knife or by other means.

In FIG. 12 shows an exploded top view of the knife 14 with guards 12 and teeth 7. The knife is stepped or swept, with the result that the center of the knife extends farther forward than the other parts. In an alternative design, the central portion may extend further back than the other portions. In this example, knife 14 includes a plurality of spaced apart staggered segments 60 in which the leading edge 14C of the knife extends generally perpendicular to the direction of advance of the knife along arrow 6, and a plurality of transition segments 62 connecting adjacent staggered segments 60. As can be seen in fig. 12, knife 14 includes a center stepped segment 60A and an outer stepped segment 60B, 60C on each side of the central stepped segment 60A. Additional outer stepped and transition segments can and usually also be provided outside the stepped segments 60B, 60C (not shown). All stepped segments 60 may be the same or may be different. The leading edges 14C of the transition segments 62 are inclined relative to the leading edges 14C of the stepped segments 60; and the angle α of inclination is usually less than 22°, but other configurations are possible. Straight knives have a straight leading edge across the width of the bucket and thus have a zero rake angle on transition segments extending between adjacent teeth. In a straight knife, there may be no difference between stepped and transition segments. The transition segments 62L, 62R on each side of the central stepped segment 60A are preferably mirrored from

- 8 041562 each other, with the transition segment 62L inclined in one direction and the transition segment 62R inclined in the other direction, but all preferably have the same angle of inclination. In this example, two teeth 7 are attached to each stepped segment and a shroud 12 is attached between each pair of adjacent teeth 7. Accordingly, shrouds 12 are attached to both the stepped segments and the transition segments. However, various other configurations are possible. As an alternative example, one tooth may be attached to each stepped segment and a guard segment may be attached to each transition segment.

Lugs 20 are attached to each segment 60, 62 onto which the guard 12 is mounted. In this example, the knife includes a left lug 20L on the left transition segment 62L, a center lug 20C on the center stepped segment 60A, and a right lug 20R on the right transition segment 62R ; wherein the terms left and right are used in this document only for ease of explanation based on the view of FIG. 12. 12L left shroud shown as 20L lug mounted. The central shroud 12C is shown as being mounted on the ledge 20C. The right shroud 12R is shown as being mounted on the ledge 20R. Although all the projections 20 are preferably of the same design, they are each secured at different knife orientations. The left and right shield segments are sloped in opposite directions to match the slope of the leading surfaces of the transition segments 62 to which they attach. The projection axis 100A for each first projection 20 is generally perpendicular to the leading edge 14C of the stepped or transition segment 60, 62 to which it is attached, and generally perpendicular to the front surface 42 of the guard segment 12 mounted thereon. In FIG. 12, reference lines 38L, 38C, 38R show the orientation of the front surfaces 42 of three different guard segments 12L, 12C, 12R. As can be seen, the front surfaces 42 of the left and right shrouds 12L, 12R are inclined relative to the advancing direction 6 of the knife 14. inclined by more than 80° relative to the direction of advance of the knife (ie arrows 6); although other orientations are possible. The front surface 42 of the central shroud 12C is generally perpendicular to the direction of advance of the knife (ie, arrow 6) and perpendicular to the protrusion axis 100A of the central protrusion 20C. Some knives may include only left shrouds and right shrouds without center shrouds. As an alternative, the non-tilted straight knife only includes central guard segments.

In FIG. 13 shows an exploded bottom view of the blade 14 with guards 12 and teeth 7. The bottom surface 14A of the blade includes projections 22 attached to each blade segment 60, 62 to which the guard is attached. In this example, protrusion 22L is attached to transition segment 62L, protrusion 22C is attached to main or stepped segment 60A, and protrusion 22R is attached to transition segment 62R. Each of the second projections 22 preferably has the same design and the same orientation, i.e. so that each of the axes 102A of the second protrusion is generally parallel to the direction of advance of the knife (ie, line 6).

In FIG. 13 shows the shroud 12L just prior to mounting the blade 14 on the transition segment 62L. The first lip 20 is received in the first support recess 50 and the second lip 22 is received in the second support recess 46. As can be seen, the lip axes 100A, 102A are oriented at an angle to each to each other (FIGS. 2, 12 and 13) in the transverse direction (ie in the direction from one side to the other and not in relation to the axial or vertical directions). The axis 102 of the second recess is parallel to or aligned with the axis 102A of the second protrusion. Thus, the reception of the protrusion 22 in the recess 46 controls the positioning movement of the guard 12. This movement is parallel to the direction of advance of the knife along the arrow 6 and the passage of the teeth 7 away from the knife, whereby the guard can be mounted and removed without colliding with the teeth. The bearing surfaces 20A, 20B and 50A, 50B are sloped to resist back and side loads applied to the shrouds. When the guard segment 12 is attached to the transition segment 62, the recess axis 100 and the protrusion axis 100A are inclined with respect to the advance direction of the knife. According to the shroud 12L, the bearing surface 20A of the first protrusion 20 is generally inclined relative to the bearing surface 22A of the second protrusion 22. Then, during the installation of the shroud 12L, the bearing surface 50A moves parallel to the bearing surface 20A, the bearing surface 46A moves parallel to the bearing surface 22A, and the bearing surface 46B moves parallel to the support surface 22B. However, the support surface 50B moves towards the support surface 20B until they meet each other when the shroud 12L is fully seated on the knife 14. The clearance recess 48 and the back recess 50C allow the protrusion 20 to continue into the fully seated position against the support surfaces 50A, 50B on shroud 12. Dimples of other shapes or designs may be used to provide the required clearance. Removal of the protective segment 12L is carried out in the reverse order of installation.

The 12R right shroud installation is a mirror image of the 12L shroud installation. In particular, the bearing surface 50B of the first bearing recess 50 moves parallel to the bearing surface 20B of the first projection 20B, while the bearing surfaces 46A, 46B move parallel to the bearing surfaces 22A, 22B. During installation, bearing surface 50A moves towards and meets bearing surface 20A when the shroud is fully seated. Removal of the protective segment 12R is carried out in the reverse order of installation.

When the central shroud 12C is installed, the bearing surfaces 46A, 46B of the second bearing recess 46 move parallel to the bearing surfaces 22A, 22B of the second projection 22. However, both bearing surfaces 50A, 50B of the recess 50 move towards the bearing surfaces 20A, 20B, respectively, until they meet each other. with a friend. This also occurs when shrouds are fitted to straight and spade knives, including spade knives where the transition segments are less inclined. Removal of the protective segment 12C occurs in the reverse order of installation.

The guard segment 12 may optionally include an opening 54 for receiving a mechanically attachable lifting lug 56 such as that described in US Patent Application 2015/0013134, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. An integrally molded lug (not shown), one or more eyes elsewhere, or no lug may be used.

One or both of the protrusions may optionally include strain reliefs. The first protrusion 20 may include a stress reliever 20G between the side support surfaces and the protrusion wings 20W (FIG. 8A). The protrusion wings may be welded to the knife, wherein the middle part of the protrusion (ie, the part between the protrusion wings 20W and the protrusion support leg 20D) is not rigidly connected to the knife. Between the protrusion tab and the wings, strain reliefs such as notches of protrusion material or a portion of material with different material properties can be incorporated. The loads applied to the protrusion then cause the protrusion tab to deviate. Loads can be partially absorbed at the stress relievers on the sides of the lug tab to distribute the load more evenly across the wing welds. This limits stress concentrations that can lead to cracking in welds. Other types of voltage compensator may also be used, such as those described in US Pat. No. 8,925,220, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Opening 24 may optionally be provided with two positions for latch 16 (FIGS. 14 and 14A), a locked position and a released position, as described in US Patent Application 2017/0321396, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The wear assembly provides support for the wear element during operation. Forces applied to the wear member 12 may cause the wear member to shift and abut against the driving surface 14C, the converging surfaces 20A, 20B of the first shoulder 20, the side bearing surfaces 22A, 22B of the second shoulder 22, and/or the outer and inner surfaces 14A, 14B . Downward and/or backward loads can be partly compensated via the chin 22E and recess 46C if a chin is provided. The loads applied to the lugs are transmitted through the lugs to the blade. The first protrusion 20 may be attached to the bevelled front surface of the knife. This allows the wear element to be used with a range of different knife thicknesses without having to store different bases for different knife configurations, reducing the need to manufacture or stock additional types of parts for specific knives having different thicknesses. The wear assembly may provide weight and/or profile reduction and/or efficient replacement of worn wear parts and/or may reduce downtime and/or operating costs of earthmoving equipment.

The invention is described herein in the context of a bucket shroud. It should be understood that this is only one example of the subject matter of the invention and is not limiting. The shrouds of the present invention may be of other designs for use with a wide range of buckets including, for example, buckets for hydraulic excavators, loaders, rope shovels, front shovels, and the like. or for use with other products such as ripper teeth. The wear members may be attached to the blade, to a base attached to the blade, to other parts of the bucket, or to other earthmoving equipment. Relative terms such as top, bottom, front, back, left, and right are used herein for ease of description and are not limiting.

In the present description, with reference to the drawings, specific embodiments and their detailed arrangement and operation are described. The described embodiments are provided for purposes of illustration and not limitation. The described features, structures, characteristics, and methods of operation may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. From the present description, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various embodiments may be practiced without one or more specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and the like. In other examples, well-known designs, materials, or methods of operation are not shown or described in detail to avoid confusion.

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Claims (12)

more significant aspects of the embodiments. It should be understood that the subject matter described in any part of this document may be combined with the subject matter described in one or more other parts, unless these combinations are mutually exclusive or not feasible. In addition, it is possible to perform many changes, improvements and modifications of the ideas described here. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many changes to the details of the embodiments described above can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. CLAIM 1. A protective segment for a digging edge on earthmoving equipment, comprising a front end and a cavity open in the rear direction, including opposite first and second surfaces for covering the edges and a front surface extending between the first and second surfaces, the first surface including a recess for receiving a first protrusion on the edge, wherein the recess in the first surface has a first longitudinal axis, and the second surface includes a recess for receiving a second protrusion on the edge, the recess in the second surface having a second longitudinal axis, which is oriented at an angle in the transverse direction to the first longitudinal axis. 2. The security segment of claim 1, wherein each recess includes opposing abutment surfaces for abutting against a respective received protrusion, the opposing abutment surfaces in the recess in the first surface converging towards a front surface. 3. The protective segment according to claim 1, wherein the bearing surfaces in the recess in the first surface are flat. 4. Protective segment according to claim 2 or 3, in which the supporting surfaces converge at an angle of 10-40° to each other. 5. A security segment according to any one of the preceding claims, including a lock receiving opening in one of the first and second lock receiving surfaces behind the corresponding projection. 6. A security segment according to any one of claims 1, 3 or 4, including a latch receiving opening in the first surface behind the flat support surfaces. 7. A security segment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, including a lock receiving opening in the first lock receiving surface behind the projection. 8. A knife assembly, including a knife for an earth-moving bucket, containing a forward-facing leading surface, an inner surface, an outer surface, main segments in which the leading surface continues parallel to the width of the bucket, transition segments in which the leading surface is inclined relative to the main segments, and at least one transition segment includes a first protrusion with a first longitudinal axis on the inner surface and a second protrusion with a second longitudinal axis on the outer surface, which is located at an angle in the transverse direction with respect to the first longitudinal axis, and a protective segment according to any one of claims 1 -7. 9. The knife assembly according to claim 8, in which the inner surface includes a beveled part adjacent to the leading surface, and a rear part behind the beveled part, a plurality of first protrusions attached to the beveled part and located completely in front of the rear part, and a plurality of second protrusions, separated from the first protrusions attached to the outer surface. 10. The knife assembly according to claim 9, including main segments in which the leading surface extends parallel to the width of the bucket, and transition segments in which the leading surface is inclined relative to the main segments. 11. A knife assembly according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein each first protrusion includes a pair of flat support surfaces that converge towards a leading surface. 12. Knife assembly according to claim 11, in which the supporting surfaces converge at an angle of 10-40° to each other. -