EP2715000A1

EP2715000A1 - Ground engaging tool tooth tip

Info

Publication number: EP2715000A1
Application number: EP12726679.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jesus Torres GOMAR
Original assignee: Caterpillar Inc
Current assignee: Caterpillar Inc
Priority date: 2011-05-27
Filing date: 2012-05-25
Publication date: 2014-04-09
Also published as: CN103562467A; US20120297649A1; WO2012166565A1; CN103562467B

Abstract

A tooth tip (12) for a ground engaging tool (10) has an elongate body disposed along a longitudinal axis (88) extending from a relatively wide back surface (32) to a relatively narrow front surface (30). The tooth tip may also have a cavity (22) extending from the back surface towards the front surface and a bottom surface (24) extending between the back surface and the front surface. The bottom surface may include a front face (24a) proximate the front surface and a back face (24b) proximate the back surface. The front face and the back face may be separated by a ridge (38). The tooth tip may also include a scallop (40) positioned on the bottom surface extending from a first end (52) proximate the ridge to a second end (54) located towards the front surface.

Description

GROUND ENGAGING TOOL TOOTH TIP

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a tooth tip for a ground engaging tool. Background

Many construction and mining machines, such as excavators, wheel loaders, hydraulic mining shovels, cable shovels, bucket wheels, and draglines make use of buckets to dig material out of the earth. These buckets are subjected to extreme wear from the abrasion and impacts experienced during the digging operation. Buckets and other earth-working tools are often protected against wear by including ground engaging tools (GET). GET is typically fashioned as teeth, edge protectors, and other components which are attached to the bucket in the area where the most damaging abrasion and impacts occur. One purpose of the GET is to serve as wear material and absorb wear that would otherwise occur on the bucket. A GET is generally designed to be replaced when worn. In some arrangements, the teeth comprise one piece tips which are welded to a lip of the bucket. When these tips are worn, they are cut off the lip and replaced. In other arrangements, each tooth includes an adaptor which is either releasably attached to a nosepiece on a bucket lip, or is welded directly to the bucket lip. A tooth tip is releasably attached to the adaptor, typically with a locking pin. In this type of GET, the tooth tip is replaced when worn by removing the locking pin and sliding the tooth tip off the adaptor.

During the digging operation, the tooth tip of the GET is subject to large mechanical stresses. Rupture of the tooth tip during operation can increase the operating cost of the machine. If the tooth tip breaks and falls off the bucket during operation, it could be fed into a crusher or other processing machine and cause more expense and damage. Therefore, the tooth tip should be designed to withstand these large mechanical stresses. Typically, the tooth tip is an iron alloy component produced by casting. The casting and the subsequent heat treatment operations induce residual stresses on the tooth tip which add to the mechanical stresses during operation. In some cases these stresses may be large enough to cause failure of the tooth tip during fabrication and/or operation.

U.S. Patent No. 5,841,033 issued to Burris et al. (the '033 patent) and assigned to the assignee of the current application discloses a process for decreasing the residual stresses and increasing the fatigue life of a component such as a tooth tip. In the Ό33 patent, one or more post-fabrication operations (rolling, bending, pitting, etc.) are carried out to reduce the residual stress in the component after fabrication. While the process of the '033 patent may be suitable for some applications, for other applications it may not be optimal. The present disclosure is directed to overcoming this or other limitations in existing technology.

Summary

In one aspect, a tooth tip for a ground engaging tool is disclosed. The tooth tip has an elongate body disposed along a longitudinal axis extending from a relatively wide back surface to a relatively narrow front surface. The tooth tip may also have a cavity extending from the back surface towards the front surface and a bottom surface extending between the back surface and the front surface. The bottom surface may include a front face proximate the front surface and a back face proximate the back surface. The front face and the back face may be separated by a ridge. The tooth tip may also include a scallop positioned on the bottom surface extending from a first end proximate the ridge to a second end located towards the front surface.

In another aspect, a bucket for a machine is disclosed. The bucket includes an adapter coupled to the bucket and a tooth tip removably coupled to the adapter. The tooth tip may include an elongate body disposed along a longitudinal axis extending from a relatively wide back surface to a relatively narrow front surface, and a cavity extending from the back surface to a far end wall positioned towards the front surface. The cavity may be configured to removably couple with the adapter. The tooth tip may also include a bottom surface extending between the back surface and the front surface. The bottom surface may include a raised ridge region located proximately above the far end wall of the cavity, a front face extending from the ridge to the front surface, and a back face extending from the ridge to the back surface. The tooth tip may also include a scallop positioned on the bottom surface. The scallop may be an elongated depression extending along the longitudinal axis from a first end located on the ridge region to a second end positioned towards the front surface.

In yet another aspect, a tooth tip for a ground engaging tool is disclosed. The tooth tip includes an elongate body extending along a longitudinal axis from a relatively wide back surface to a relatively narrow ground engaging front surface. The tooth tip may include a cavity extending into the elongate body from the back surface to a far end wall positioned towards the front surface. The cavity may be configured to removably couple with an adapter of the ground engaging tool. The tooth tip may also include a scallop positioned on the far end wall. The scallop may be a depression that extends into the elongate body by a depth of between about 5-30% of a depth of the cavity.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a bucket of an earthmoving machine;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a portion of the bucket of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 A is a perspective view of an exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the tooth tip of FIG. 3 A;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of another exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1; FIG. 4B is a top view of the tooth tip of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view of the tooth tip of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an illustration showing the relative positions of a riser and a scallop in an exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of another exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the tooth tip of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of another exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the tooth tip of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A is a perspective view of another exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the tooth tip of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 1 OA is a perspective view of another exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1 OB is a cross-sectional view of the tooth tip of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 1 1 A is a perspective view of another exemplary tooth tip that may used with the bucket of FIG. 1 ; and

FIG. 1 IB is a cross-sectional view of the tooth tip of FIG. 1 1A.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 illustrates a bucket 10 of a machine having a plurality of tooth tips 12 (hereinafter "tip 12"). Each tip 12 is removably coupled to the bucket 10 using an adapter 14 that is rigidly attached to cutting edge 16 of the bucket 10 using bolts 18. The cutting edge 16 may be a separate member affixed to bottom 20 of the bucket 10 or may itself constitute a portion of the bucket bottom 20. Although the adapter 14 is illustrated as being attached to the cutting edge 16 using bolts 18, this connection mechanism is only exemplary. In general, the adapter 14 may be attached to the cutting edge 16 by any methods, such as, by welding.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of the bottom 20 of bucket 10 along a tip 12. Adapter 14 includes a rearward extension 14a that is attached to the cutting edge 16, and a forwardly extending projection 14b that extends past the cutting edge 16. The projection 14b of the adapter 14 fits within a correspondingly shaped pocket 22 on the tip 12. A pin 34 extends transversely through mating cavities on the tip 12 and the projection 14b to secure the tip 12 to the adapter 14. The tip 12 may be detached and removed from the adapter 14 by removing the pin 34.

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a perspective and a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of tip 12 that may be removably coupled to the adapter 14 of FIG. 2. In FIG. 3 A, tip 12 is shown with the bottom surface facing up to show details of the bottom surface. In the discussion that follows, reference will be made to both FIGS. 3A and 3B. Tip 12 includes an elongate body disposed along a longitudinal axis 88, that tapers from a relatively wide rearwardly positioned back surface 32 to a narrow forwardly positioned ground engaging front surface 30. On its sides, the tip 12 may be bounded by a top surface 28, a bottom surface 24, and side surfaces 26. Back surface 32 may include the pocket 22 that receives the projection 14b of adapter 14 therein. Pocket 22 may be a cavity that extends, from the back surface 32, along the longitudinal axis 88 into the tip 12 by a depth D. In some embodiments, the depth D of pocket 22 may be between 20-50% of a total length L of the tip 12. Also, in some embodiments, the pocket 22 will have a similar shape as the projection 14b of the adapter 14. In such embodiments, the interior surfaces of the pocket 22 may contact the corresponding surfaces of the projection 14b. During operation of the bucket 10, the loads acting on the tip 12 may be transferred to the adapter 14 (and from the adapter 14 to the bucket 10) through the mating surfaces of the pocket 22 and the projection 14b. The size and shape of the pocket 22 and the projection 14b are selected to reliably withstand the contact stresses generated due to the above- described load transfer.

The ground engaging front surface 30 of the tip 12 may have a shape and size suited for the application of the tip 12. Bucket 10 of FIG. 1 is configured to dig into, and scrape, rock and dirt. Therefore, in the embodiments of tip 12 described herein, the front surface 30 of the tip 12 is adapted to penetrate through rock and dirt. To assist in this function, front surface 30 of tip 12 has a generally convergent or pointed shape. The top surface 28 of the tip 12 may also have a contour that is appropriate for the function of the tip 12. In some embodiments, the top surface 28 may include multiple surfaces that are together contoured to withstand the operating stresses on the tip 12. In some

embodiments, the top surface 28 may also include features (such as, for instance, loops, etc. not shown herein) that may serve as a handle to transport the tip 12. Tip 12 also includes a bottom surface 24 and side surfaces 26 that are sized and shaped for efficient operation of the tip 12 while withstanding wear and stresses induced during operation. The side surfaces 26 may each include a cavity 34a, that aligns with a cavity (not shown) extending transversely through projection 14b of the adapter 14, (see FIG. 2) and receive the pin 34 therethrough.

During operation of the bucket 10, the bottom surface 24 serves as the primary wear surface of the tip 12. The bottom surface 24 includes a front face 24a and a back face 24b that meet together at a ridge 38. The ridge 38 may be a raised region of the bottom surface 24 that may be above a far end of the pocket 22 (that is, the far end of the pocket is on the shadow of the ridge). An increased thickness T_t of material at the ridge 38 may enable the tip 12 to withstand stresses during operation. From the ridge 38, the front face 24a extends forwardly towards the front surface 30, and the back face 24b extends rearwardly towards the back surface 32. The bottom surface 24 includes a riser 36 that projects therefrom. Although the riser 36 may be positioned in either the front or the back face 24a, 24b, in some embodiments, the riser 36 may be located on the front face 24a. As is known in the art, during casting, molten metal enters a mold (having a cavity shaped like tip 12) through a down sprue. After filing the mold, a small amount of additional molten material is provided to serve as a reservoir to prevent cavities due to shrinkage. After solidification of the molten metal, and subsequent machining operations, some amount of metal remains as the riser 36. Although the riser 36 is shown as projecting from the bottom surface 24, this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the machining operations after casting may remove substantially all the excess metal and leave the riser 36 flush with the bottom surface 24.

During casting, the molten metal at all regions of the mold may not solidify at the same time or rate. Due to differences in heat transfer rates, regions of thinner cross-section of the mold often solidify faster than regions of thicker cross-section. Due to this uneven solidification, residual stresses are induced at different regions of the solidified casting. Typically, after casting, the as-cast tip is heat treated to impart desirable wear resistant properties to the tip. Although not shown or discussed herein, the heat treatment operation may transform a layer of material on the surface of the tip 12 to a wear-resistant microstructure (such as, martensite). The heat treatment may involve heating the tip to within the austenitic range of the material, and quenching the tip 12 to form martensite. Since thicker cross-sections cool at a slower rate than thinner cross- sections, further residual stresses may be induced in some regions of the tip 12 after heat treatment. In a typical tip 12, it is known that these residual stresses (sum of the stresses induced during casting and the stresses induced during heat treatment) are especially high at the far end of the pocket 22 (that is, corresponding to the region marked A in FIG. 3B) due to the thickness of the metal in adjoining regions. In some instances, these high stress regions of the tip 12 may develop cracks and fail during operation.

In order to reduce these residual stresses, the bottom surface 24 of the tip 12 may include one or more scallops 40 thereon. The scallop 40 is a depression or a basin formed on the bottom surface 24 that may serve to even out the temperature distribution at different regions of the tip 12 during casting and heat treatment. Elimination of material at the region of a scallop 40 may decrease the thickness of the cross-section in this region, and thus promote a more even temperature distribution. In general, the scallop 40 may have any size and shape. The shape of the scallop 40 may depend upon the size of the tip 12 and the application the tip 12 is used for. For instance, increasing the size and depth of the scallop 40 may decrease the thickness of the cross-section and thereby promote a more even temperature distribution and reduced residual stresses. However, reducing the thickness of the cross-section may also reduce the strength of the tip 12. Therefore, the size, shape, and distribution of the scallops 40 on the bottom surface 24 may be selected based on a trade-off between the residual stress and the strength. Further, the shape of a scallop 40 should not significantly affect the flow of molten metal into all regions of the mold during casting.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 3 A and 3B, the scallop 40 is shown to be a generally tear-drop shaped shallow depression that extends from a first end 52 at the ridge 38 to a second end 54 located towards the front surface 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the width and depth of the scallop 40 tapers from the first end 52 towards the second end 54. That is, the width and depth of the scallop 40 at a location proximate the first end 52 is greater than those at a corresponding location proximate the second end 54. In the illustrated embodiment, the riser 36 intersects the scallop 40 proximate the second end 52 such that the scallop and the riser 36 share a surface at the second end 54. That is, in the embodiment of tip 12 illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the scallop 40 is a generally tear-drop shaped depression that extends along the longitudinal axis 88 from a wider and deeper first end 52 at the ridge 38 to a narrower and shallower second end 54 that intersects with the riser 36. However, this shape and configuration is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the first end 52 may be positioned rearwardly of the ridge 38, such that the scallop 40 extends from a first end 52 positioned on the back face 24b to a second end 54 positioned on the front face 24a. In some embodiments, the scallop 40 may extend from the ridge 38 towards both the front surface 30 and the back surface 32.

As described previously, the size and shape of the scallop 40 may be selected based on the application. In some embodiments of the tip 12, numerical simulations indicate that a substantially tear-drop shaped scallop 40 having a width "w" proximate the first end between about 50-75% of a width "W" of the tip 12, a length "/" (between the first and second ends 52, 54) between about 10-30% of an overall length "L" of the tip 12, and a thickness '¾" proximate the first end 52 between about 10-40% of a wall thickness "TV' at the base of the scallop 40 were found to reduce the residual stresses at critical regions of the tip 12 without significantly decreasing its strength. In some other embodiments, the width w, length /, and thickness t_\ of between 60-70% of the width W, 20-30% of the length L, and 20-30% of the wall thickness T_b respectively, were found to be suitable.

In some embodiments, the scallop 40 may be a generally concave shaped depression on the bottom surface 24. The scallop 40 may have a curved (or a rounded) base with a varying depth, or a flat base with a constant depth. The scallop 40 may be positioned on one or both of the front and back faces 24a, 24b. Although the scallop 40 of FIGS. 3 A and 3B includes only a single depression, in some embodiments, scallop 40 may include multiple depressions of the same or different sizes and shapes. These multiple depressions may form a connected network of depressions on the bottom surface 24. In some

embodiments, the multiple scallops 40 may be distributed on different surfaces of the tip 12 (such as, for example, the bottom surface 24, top surface 28, side surfaces 26, etc.).

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate another embodiment of tip 1 12 having a different configuration of scallop 140 on the bottom surface 24. FIG. 4A illustrates the perspective view, FIG. 4B the top view, and FIG. 4C the cross- sectional view of tip 112. In the discussion that follows, reference will be made to FIGS. 4A-4C. The scallop 140 extends from a first end 52 on the ridge 38 to a second end 54 positioned on the first face 24a towards the front surface 30. The riser 36 is located within the scallop 140 such that a perimeter of the riser 36 forms the second end 54 of the scallop 140, and a top surface of the riser 36 forms a base 140a of the scallop 140. The base 140a of the scallop 140 is substantially flat and parallel to the longitudinal axis 88 of the tip 18. Since the base 140a is aligned with the longitudinal axis 88, the base 140a is inclined with respect to the front face 24a. At the first end 52, a wall 140b, inclined at an angle θι with respect to a vertical axis (that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 88) rises upwardly and connects the base 140a to the ridge 38. At the second end 54, a wall 140c, inclined at an angle Θ2 with respect to the vertical axis proceeds downwardly and connects the base 140a to the front face 24a. In general, the angles θι and Θ2 may have any valve. In some embodiments, for suitable residual stress reduction and manufacturability, angle θι may vary between 30° and 40°, and angle Θ2 may vary between 5° and 15°. In some other embodiments, the angle θι may vary between 32° and 37°, and angle Θ2 may vary between 8° and 13°. Although the walls 140b and 140c are illustrated (in FIGS. 4A-4C) as being straight, it is also contemplated that these walls may be curved.

Although the riser 36 projects from the base 140a of the scallop 140 in the tip 112 of FIGS. 4A-4C, this is only exemplary. In some

embodiments, as illustrated in tip 212 of FIG. 5, the riser 36 may be sunken in a scallop 240. In such an embodiment, the base 240a of scallop 240 is below the front face 24a. In scallop 240, the walls 240b and 240c may be inclined (with respect to a vertical axis) such that the size of the scallop 240 decreases towards the base 240a. These walls 240b, 240c may make any angle with the vertical axis. In some embodiments, these walls 240b, 240c may be inclined by about 20°- 40° with respect to the vertical axis. As discussed with respect to scallop -l l-

MO (of FIG. 4A-4C), the walls 240b, 240c of scallop 240 may also be curved. The base 240a may be substantially parallel to (or aligned with) the longitudinal axis 88 (similar to base 140a of scallop 140), or may be inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis. It is also contemplated that, in some embodiments, the base 240a may be substantially parallel to the front face 24a.

In general, a scallop and a riser may be positioned at any location on the bottom surface 24 of a tip. FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a scallop 340 and a riser 36 positioned on the bottom surface 24 of a tip 312. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the riser 36 is positioned such that a center 36a of the riser 36 is located forwardly of the scallop second end 54. In such an embodiment, the shape of scallop 340 resembles the substantially tear-drop shape of scallop 40 of FIGS. 3A and 3B. In other embodiments, the scallop 340 and the riser 36 may be positioned closer together. That is, the riser 36 may move rearwardly towards the scallop 340 (as illustrated by arrow X), or the scallop 340 may move forwardly towards the riser 36. As the riser 36 moves closer to the scallop 340, the center 36a of the riser 36 may move rearwards of the scallop second end 54, and the scallop 340 may assume a substantially elongated shape (similar to scallop 140 of FIGS. 4A-4C). As the riser 36 moves even closer to the scallop 340, the riser 36 may be positioned substantially within the scallop 340, and the scallop 340 may assume a substantially circular shape.

In addition to, or in place of, the scallops positioned on the bottom surface 24, scallops may also be positioned at other locations on tip. FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate another embodiment of tip 412 having a scallop 440 located in the pocket 22. FIG. 7A illustrates a perspective view of tip 412 while FIG. 7B illustrates a cross-sectional view. Scallop 440 is positioned on far end wall 22a of the pocket 22, and extends along the longitudinal axis 88 towards the front surface 30 of the tip 412. However, in some embodiments, scallop 440 may additionally or alternatively be positioned on other surfaces of the pocket 22. Scallop 440 may have any depth, width w_\, and height h_\. Increasing the size (depth, width w_\, and height hi) of the scallop 440 may assist in reducing the wall thickness of the tip 412 (and thereby promote a more even temperature distribution) and reduce the residual stresses in the tip 412. However, increasing the size of the scallop 440 may decrease the strength of the tip 412. Therefore, the size of the scallop 440 may be selected such that a desirable reduction in residual stresses is obtained without significantly decreasing the strength. In general, the depth of the scallop 440 may be between about 5-30% of the pocket depth (measured from the back surface 32 to the far end wall 22a), the width w_\ may be between about 25-100% of the total width Wi of the pocket 22 at the far end wall 22a, and the height hi may be between about 25-100% of the height Hi of the pocket 22 at the far end wall 22a. In some embodiments, the depth may be about 15-30% of the pocket depth.

Although a single scallop 440 having a width w_\ and height hi that is roughly 80% of Wi and Hi, respectively, is illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, other embodiments may have a different configuration of scallops. FIGS. 8A and 8B show another embodiment of tip 512 having a different configuration of scallop 540. FIG. 8A illustrates the perspective view of tip 512 while FIG. 8B illustrates a cross-sectional view. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate two horizontally extending scallops 540, spaced apart from each other along a vertical axis.

Scallops 540 extend substantially the entire width of the far end wall 22a.

However, in other embodiments, the scallops 540 may have a different width. FIGS. 9 A and 9B show another embodiment of tip 612 having a different configuration of scallop 640. FIG. 9A illustrates the perspective view of tip 612 while FIG. 9B illustrates a cross-sectional view. FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate four horizontally extending scallops 640 spaced apart from each other in both a vertical and a horizontal direction.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show another embodiment of tip 712 having a different configuration of scallop 740. FIG. 10A illustrates the perspective view of tip 712 while FIG. 10B illustrates a cross-sectional view. Scallop 740 extends substantially the entire height of the far end wall 22a, and has a width between about 80-90% of the width of the far end wall 22a. FIGS. 11A and 1 IB show another embodiment of tip 812 having two scallops 840 that are spaced apart from each other in a horizontal direction. The scallops 540, 640, 740, and 840 may have any depth, width, and height. In some embodiments, the dimensions of these scallops may be within the ranges discussed previously with respect to scallop 440 of FIGS. 7 A and 7B.

Industrial Applicability

The disclosed ground engaging tool tooth tip may be applied in any application where it is desired to prolong the useful life of the tooth tip.

Scallops on the tool tip reduce the residual stresses that are induced in the tool tip as a result of casting and heat treatment processes. Reducing the residual stresses reduces the total stress at critical regions of the tool tip during operation and thereby reduce the likelihood of cracking of the toothtip. An exemplary method of fabricating a tool tip of the current disclosure is described below.

With reference to FIGS. 3 A and 3B, tip 12 of a bucket may be fabricated from an iron alloy using a casting process. As is known in the art, during casting, the iron alloy is melted and poured into a mold having a hollow cavity in the desired shape of the tip 12. The shape of the hollow cavity may be configured to form the scallop 40 on the bottom surface 24 of the tip 12. After filling the cavity, the liquid metal is allowed to solidify. During solidification, heat from the liquid metal will be transferred to the atmosphere outside the mold, as the liquid metal cools. Since it is easier for thinner cross-sections to transfer heat to the atmosphere, different regions of the mold will cool at different rates. Cooling at different rates will cause some regions of the mold to solidify faster than other regions. This uneven solidification of the tip during casting induces residual stresses in critical regions of the tip.

Since the presence of the scallop 40 decreases the thickness of the cross-section at critical regions of the tip 12, the liquid metal in the mold will cool in a more even manner, and thereby reduce the induced residual stresses. After solidification, excess solidified metal may be removed, and the as-cast tip 12 may be heat treated. During heat treatment, the tip 12 is heated to a high temperature and then quenched. During quenching, the presence of the scallop 40 allows all regions of the tip 12 to cool in an even manner and reduce the residual stresses induced in the tip 12 a result of uneven cooling. Since the residual stresses in the tip 12 is reduced without subjecting the tip 12 to a post- fabrication stress relieving operation, the cost of the tooth tip is decreased.

As discussed previously, although a tooth tip for a bucket of an earthmoving machine is discussed herein, in general, the tooth tip may be applied to any application. For instance, an embodiment of a disclosed tip may be coupled to a ripper shank and serve as a ripper tip. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed tooth tip. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosed tooth tip. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A tooth tip (12) for a ground engaging tool (10), comprising:

an elongate body disposed along a longitudinal axis (88) extending from a relatively wide back surface (32) to a relatively narrow front surface (30);

a cavity (22) extending from the back surface towards the front surface;

a bottom surface (24) extending between the back surface and the front surface, the bottom surface including a front face (24a) proximate the front surface and a back face (24b) proximate the back surface, the front face and the back face being separated by a ridge (38); and

a scallop (40) positioned on the bottom surface extending from a first end (52) proximate the ridge to a second end (54) located towards the front surface.

2. The tooth tip of claim 1, wherein the cavity extends from the back surface to a far end wall located proximate a shadow of the ridge.

3. The tooth tip of claim 1, further including a riser (36) on the bottom surface, the riser being a feature formed as a result of a casting operation used to fabricate the tooth tip.

4. The tooth tip of claim 3, wherein the scallop has a substantially tear-drop shape.

5. The tooth tip of claim 4, wherein a width and a depth of the scallop tapers from the first end to the second end.

6. The tooth tip of claim 5, wherein the riser intersects the scallop proximate the second end such that the scallop and the riser share a surface at the second end.

7. The tooth tip of claim 3, wherein the riser is positioned substantially within the scallop.

8. The tooth tip of claim 7, wherein the riser projects upwardly from a bottom of the scallop.

9. The tooth tip of claim I, wherein the scallop has a flat base that is parallel to the longitudinal axis.

10. The tooth tip of claim I, wherein the tooth tip is configured to be removably coupled to a bucket (10) of a machine at the cavity.