JP2009090860A - Rubber crawler - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rubber crawler capable of keeping a reduction in strength caused by a progress in corrosion of a steel cord minimum. <P>SOLUTION: This rubber crawler comprise a belt-like member 1 having a plurality of protrusions 2a, 2b spaced apart in a longitudinal direction and having a reinforcement layer 5 buried in and fixed to a rubber layer 1a, wherein the end portions of the belt-like member 1 are cooperatively arranged and engaged between a driving wheel 4 and a driven wheel having a turning wheel 3 installed therein in such a way that the belt-like member can be wound around there. The reinforcement layer 5 is constituted by a plurality of steel cords 5a extended in an orientation where the crawler rotates and arranged in parallel in the width direction of the crawler and by at least one anti-corrosion cord 5b arranged between the cords of the steel cords 5a along the steel cords 5a so as to prevent corrosion of the steel cord from being transmitted to other adjoining steel cords. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rubber crawler mounted on a construction machine such as a hydraulic excavator, an agricultural machine such as a combine or tractor, and other crawler type vehicles, and avoids propagation of cord corrosion in a reinforcing layer of the rubber crawler. Thus, it is intended to further extend the lifetime.

  A crawler type vehicle traveling body has an endless track by winding a rubber crawler between a sprocket (driving wheel) connected to a driving means such as a hydraulic motor and a driven wheel rotatably supported by a vehicle frame. It is possible to travel on rough terrain.

The rubber crawler is a metal reinforcement type (for example, see Patent Document 1) in which a belt-like reinforcing layer made of steel cord is arranged on the outer surface of the cored bar and fixed in the rubber layer. This layer is largely divided into a ply reinforcement type with a plurality of plies embedded and fixed in a rubber layer, and an appropriate crawler is usually selected according to the difference in vehicle type. Regardless of the type, when a crack occurs in the lug, etc., which is the ground contact part (the outer peripheral surface of the belt-like body), water, earth and sand, etc. enter from there and corrode the cord (especially steel cord) that forms the reinforcing layer. This rusting may propagate to other adjacent cords one after another, resulting in a decrease in the strength of the entire crawler.
JP-A-6-234378

  An object of the present invention is to propose a novel rubber crawler capable of further extending the running life by avoiding the propagation of cord corrosion in the reinforcing layer.

The present invention comprises a strip having a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction and having a reinforcing layer embedded and fixed in a rubber layer, and the ends of the strip are interposed with a wheel. A rubber crawler linked so as to be able to be wound between the driven wheel and the driven wheel,
The reinforcing layer extends along the rotating direction of the crawler and is arranged along the steel cord between a plurality of steel cords arranged in parallel in the width direction of the crawler and the cords of the steel cord. A rubber crawler characterized by comprising at least one corrosion-resistant cord that stops the propagation of corrosion to other adjacent steel cords.

  In the rubber crawler configured as described above, the corrosion-resistant cord is preferably an organic fiber cord.

  If a corrosion-resistant cord is placed in the steel cord row that constitutes the reinforcing layer, this cord will function as a barrier material, so that the propagation of corrosion can be stopped and breakage, which is fatal damage to the rubber crawler Can be avoided.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view schematically showing a state in which a rubber crawler according to the present invention (shown as a metal reinforced type crawler having a cored bar) is wound between a driving wheel and a driven wheel (not shown). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a section thereof.

The number 1 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a belt-like body constituting the belt body. The belt 1 has a rubber layer 1a in which a plurality of metal cores 2 arranged in an annular shape are embedded and fixed, and ends thereof are connected to a drive wheel 4 and a driven wheel (not shown) with a roller 3 interposed therebetween. An endless track is formed by linking them so that they can be wound around each other. Grounding portion T becomes having a land portion of the lug or the like outer peripheral side of the band-like body 1 here, the inner peripheral side of the rotary wheel 3, the drive wheels 4, a divided region T ₁ of the driven wheel or the like is disposed.

  The metal core 2 is a pair of left and right protrusions 2a, 2b provided in the central region in the width direction, and a pair of blades integrally connected to the base 2 'of the protrusions 2a, 2b and having the end in the width direction of the rubber track A path S through which the driving wheel 4 and the driven wheel pass is formed in the gap M between the inner walls.

  Reference numeral 5 in the figure denotes at least one reinforcing layer that is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the cored bar 2 and is embedded and fixed together with the cored bar 2 in the rubber layer 1a. This reinforcing layer 5 is oriented along the circumference of the strip 1 and a plurality of steel cords 5a arranged in the width direction of the strip 1 and the same orientation as the steel cord 5a in the row of the steel cords 5a. It consists of corrosion resistant cords 5b arranged every few (in the example shown, every three).

  Further, 6 is a flat surface provided adjacent to the protrusions 2a, 2b of the cored bar 2 on the inner peripheral side of the belt-like body 1, and the wheel 3 rolls along the flat surface 6.

  Reference numeral 7 denotes an opening (engagement hole) penetrating from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side of the strip 1 in a single path S (the center in the width direction of the strip 1) through which the driving wheel 4 and the driven wheel pass. The openings 7 are provided at intervals over the entire circumference of the belt-like body 1 (provided in a minute gap portion where the cored bar 2 is not arranged), and the protrusions 4a of the drive wheels 4 are formed in the openings 7. Is suitable.

  Of the rolling wheels 3 interposed between the drive wheels 4 and the driven wheels, the rolling wheels 3 located on the lower surface (the side to be grounded) transmit the load of the fuselage to the rubber track so that the entire grounding part is securely grounded. On the other hand, a roller wheel (not shown) located on the upper surface supports the tension of the rubber crawler so as to always keep constant between the driving wheel 4 and the driven wheel, and this is driven by a driving means such as a hydraulic motor. When the driving wheel 4 is rotated, the rotational force is transmitted to the crawler through the opening 7 that fits the protrusion 4a of the driving wheel 4, and the crawler rotates between the driven wheel and the body in accordance with the rotation. Run.

  In the rubber crawler configured as described above, even if a part of the steel cord 5a forming the reinforcing layer 5 is corroded, the corrosion-resistant cord 5b acts as a barrier material, so that the propagation of corrosion to other adjacent steel cords 3a is suppressed. Thus, the crawler strength does not decrease as a whole and does not break.

  As the corrosion resistant cord, an organic fiber cord is particularly suitable. Specifically, cords such as aramid, nylon, polyester, acrylic, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane can be applied. Moreover, it is also possible to apply a stainless steel cord subjected to a corrosion resistance treatment as the corrosion resistance cord.

  The interval between the corrosion-resistant cords 5b is appropriately set in consideration of the strength of the reinforcing layer 5. When the reinforcing layer 5 is configured as a laminate of two or more layers, the corrosion resistant cords 5b are arranged in the vertical direction.

  The rubber crawler according to the present invention can be applied to any of the metal reinforced type (with cored bar) and the ply reinforced type (without cored bar). For the metal reinforced type rubber crawler as shown in FIG. Manufactured as follows.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3, a cap rubber (lug side rubber) 8 that forms the ground contact portion T of the rubber layer 1a, an intermediate rubber 9 that forms the reinforcing layer 5, and an inner rubber that forms the inner peripheral surface of the strip 1 ( (Roller passing portion rubber) 10 is molded, and the core metal 2 is subjected to a base treatment (blasting process) to ensure adhesion between the rubber and the core metal 2, and then the inner rubber 7 and the core are applied to the mold 11. Set the gold 2 (the core 2 is embedded in the inner rubber 7 from the side of the protrusions 2a and 2b) and the steel cord (including the corrosion-resistant cord, which is covered with a rubber layer in advance) that forms the intermediate rubber 6 and the reinforcing layer 3 Sheets can also be applied), and a cap rubber 5 is further disposed thereon, and then a molded body having a desired cross-sectional shape is formed. Then, the molded body is pressed, heated, and vulcanized in the laminating direction to integrate the members, and the ends are bonded together to form a ring shape, and then the bonded portions are vulcanized.

  In the figure, a rubber crawler having a structure in which the cored bar 2 is arranged is shown as an example, but it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a rubber crawler without the cored bar 2 (coreless-less rubber crawler).

Example A vehicle (type: U35S) equipped with a rubber crawler of size (300 mm in width) x 53 (number of links) x 84 (pitch mm) having a reinforcing layer as shown in Fig. 1 above, and a steel cord A vehicle equipped with a conventional rubber crawler having a reinforcing layer with only a single layer is continuously zigzag running for 150 hours on rough terrain with water, and the degree of corrosion of the steel cord in the crawler's reinforcing layer is measured. We conducted a survey.

  As a result, in the rubber crawler according to the present invention, it was confirmed that the progress of corrosion was delayed by 30% or more compared to the conventional rubber crawler, and the life could be further extended.

  It is possible to provide a rubber crawler that can minimize a decrease in strength due to the progress of corrosion of the steel cord.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the principal part showing typically an embodiment of a rubber crawler according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing a cross section of the rubber crawler shown in FIG. It is the figure which showed the manufacturing point of the rubber crawler.

Explanation of symbols

1 Band
1a Rubber layer
2 Core
2a Protrusion
2b Protrusion
3 Rolling wheels
4 Drive wheels
5 Reinforcing layer
6 Flat surface
7 opening
8 Cap rubber
9 Intermediate rubber
10 Inner rubber
11 Mold
T Grounding section
T ₁ section area
M Clearance
S path

Claims (2)

A driving wheel having a plurality of protrusions arranged at intervals along the longitudinal direction and comprising a belt-like body in which a reinforcing layer is embedded and fixed in a rubber layer. And a rubber crawler linked so as to be able to be wound between the driven wheels,
The reinforcing layer extends along the direction of rotation of the crawler and is arranged along the steel cord between the plurality of steel cords arranged in parallel in the width direction of the crawler and the cords of the steel cord. A rubber crawler characterized by comprising at least one corrosion resistant cord that stops the propagation of corrosion to other adjacent steel cords.   2. The rubber crawler according to claim 1, wherein the corrosion resistance cord is an organic fiber cord.

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