JP4488575B2 - Elastic crawler - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an elastic crawler used in an endless track vehicle for civil engineering, construction, or agriculture.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The elastic crawler is formed by projecting (raising) a plurality of lugs on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler main body formed of an elastic material such as rubber at a predetermined interval from each other. It is designed to be circulated by the meshing transmission system by means of the above or the friction transmission system by the drum wheel.
[0003]
In this type of elastic crawler, in order to reinforce the crawler body, a tensile body made of a steel cord or the like is usually embedded along the circumferential direction in the crawler body. This tensile body is formed in an endless manner by joining the material ends on both sides in an overlapped state by a predetermined length (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication Nos. 54-178324 and 55). No. -139933, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-90887, etc.).
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the overlap coupling portion provided in the tensile body naturally has higher bending rigidity than other portions (non-overlap portions). For this reason, traveling vibration is likely to occur when the overlap coupling portion is wound around the driving wheel, and in some cases, there is a risk of causing wheel peeling and causing peeling damage in the crawler body.
[0005]
In addition, when the overlap coupling part is located on the periphery of the drive wheel, if a stone or the like is caught around the drive wheel, the tension increase caused by this is concentrated on the overlap connection part. In some cases, the overlap joint portion may be broken.
These problems tend to occur more easily during high-speed travel (or high-speed travel vehicles) than during low-speed travel (or low-speed travel vehicles).
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has reduced (suppressed) the occurrence of running vibration, derailment, peeling damage, breakage, and the like due to the overlap joint provided in the tensile body. ) To provide an elastic crawler.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, the following technical means are taken.
That is, the elastic crawler according to the present invention has an endless belt-shaped elastic crawler body with lugs raised on the outer peripheral surface at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and both ends are overlapped to form an endless belt-like shape. Three or more tensile bodies formed in the crawler body are embedded in the entire circumference of the crawler body, and the tensile bodies are arranged in a distributed manner in the width direction. In the overlap joint portion formed by overlapping the both end portions, those adjacent in the width direction do not overlap in the circumferential direction, and those not adjacent in the width direction form one pitch of the lug interval in the circumferential direction. It is placed so as to overlap.
[0008]
In the elastic crawler configured as described above, the portion having high bending rigidity caused by the individual overlap coupling portions is diffused in both the width direction and the circumferential direction as a whole of the crawler body, and the individual overlaps. Flexural rigidity at the joint is suppressed to a low degree.
For this reason, when these overlap coupling portions are wound around the driving wheel, the traveling vibration is reduced or eliminated, and the wheel is removed, the peeling damage, the breakage or the like is prevented.
[0009]
In each tensile body, the overlap joint is, of course, formed by superimposing the material ends on both sides as the tensile body in the thickness direction of the crawler body. It is directed toward the ground plane (ie, endless outer arrangement), and the other material end is endless inner arrangement.
Preferably, at least one of the overlap joints has a material end on the ground plane side that includes the overlap joint and the other overlap joints, and is defined by an overlap distribution region (that is, each overlap part). The wrap coupling portion is disposed inward excluding the region ends on both sides in the circumferential direction of the entire length region in which the lap coupling portion is displaced in the circumferential direction of the crawler body.
[0010]
In this way, even when a part or all of this overlap distribution area is wound around the drive wheel or is located on the periphery of the drive wheel, the overlap distribution area is directed toward the contact surface side of the crawler body. Concentration of the bending rigidity with respect to the material edge is less likely to occur (that is, stress is relaxed), and peeling damage and breakage at this portion are prevented.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the form of the elastic crawler will be described based on the drawings.
1 to 3 show a first reference form of the elastic crawler 1.
The elastic crawler 1 is mainly composed of an endless belt-shaped crawler body 2 made of an elastic material such as rubber, and the endless outer peripheral surface of the crawler body 2 is spaced at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction. A lug 3 is raised and provided. The illustrated lug 3 protrudes from the crawler body 2 in the shape of a bank that crosses the width direction in a single character.
[0012]
The crawler main body 2 may be embedded with metal or resin horizontal reinforcing bodies 5 (see FIG. 3) at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction thereof (some may not be provided). In many cases, the placement reinforcing body 5 is provided with a protrusion 6 that protrudes inwardly inward of the crawler body 2. This protrusion 6 is a running tread with respect to the driving wheel 9, the idler wheel 10, the wheel 11, and the like included in the airframe 8 (a traveling device for an endless track vehicle for civil engineering, construction, or agriculture) to be mounted. Also, it acts as a travel guide.
[0013]
Further, when the drive wheel 9 is a sprocket type, the horizontal reinforcing body 5 is a gap formed between the through hole 12 in the thickness direction provided in itself or the horizontal reinforcing body 5, and the crawler main body 2. A pitch feed hole 13 penetrating in the thickness direction is formed, and the pitch feed hole 13 is engaged with the drive wheel 9.
Inside the crawler main body 2, a tensile body 15 formed in an endless belt shape is embedded over the entire circumference.
[0014]
In the first embodiment, two tensile bodies 15 are provided so as to correspond to the right half of the crawler body 2 in the width direction and the left half of the width, respectively.
When the horizontal reinforcement body 5 is embedded, the tensile body 15 is positioned so as to be on the endless outer peripheral side. Further, when the pitch feed hole 13 is provided in the crawler main body 2 as described above, a gap W is maintained between the tensile members 15 so as to be distributed to the left and right sides sandwiching the pitch feed hole 13. It is arranged.
[0015]
This tensile body 15 is composed of one or a plurality of steel cords bundled in parallel, and after overlapping the material ends on both sides by a predetermined length, welding, metal fittings, adhesion, etc. As a whole, the same endlessness as that of the crawler main body 2 is exhibited by being coupled without the appropriate joining means or without these positive measures.
[0016]
In the illustrated example, the length M of the overlap coupling portion 16 provided in the tensile body 15 is formed so as to correspond to exactly four pitches of the lug interval, and both ends of the overlap coupling portion 16 are formed. 16a and 16b (material ends on both sides as the tensile body 15) are positioned so as to coincide with the center position of the lug 3, respectively.
As two tensile bodies 15 are provided in the width direction of the crawler main body 2 as described above, the overlap coupling portion 16 of each tensile body 15 is 2 in the width direction with respect to the crawler main body 2. It will be distributed and provided in places. And these two overlap coupling | bond parts 16 are mutually displaced in the circumferential direction of the crawler main body 2, and are arrange | positioned.
[0017]
The circumferential positional deviation between the overlap coupling portions 16 exceeds one pitch of the lag interval.
In the example shown in the figure, the circumferential positional deviation is formed so as to correspond to 5 pitches of the lag interval, and therefore, the overlap coupling portions 16 of the two tensile bodies 15 do not overlap each other (both overlaps). There is a single lug 3 that does not interfere with each other between the lap coupling portions 16). That is, the overall length L as an overlap distribution area including both overlap coupling portions 16 is longer than twice the length M of the overlap coupling portion 16 (L> 2M).
[0018]
From such a thing, the following effects are obtained.
That is, even if the flexural rigidity in each overlap coupling portion 16 is higher than the flexural rigidity of other portions in each tensile body 15, the sum of the flexural rigidity in all the overlap joint portions 16 is the crawler body. 2 is the same as the flexural rigidity at the overlap joint in the case where only one overlap joint is provided as a whole (that is, equivalent to a conventional elastic crawler). The more overlap coupling portions 16 are provided, the smaller the degree of increase in rigidity in each overlap coupling portion 16 is inversely proportional to the number.
[0019]
Therefore, when this is observed as the whole of the crawler main body 2, the highly rigid portion is diffused in both the width direction and the circumferential direction.
In addition, as described above, the flexural rigidity of each overlap coupling portion 16 is suppressed to a small size. Therefore, when each overlap coupling portion 16 is wound around the drive wheel 9, etc. In addition, running vibration is reduced or eliminated, and derailment, peeling damage, breakage, and the like are prevented.
[0020]
In each of the tensile bodies 15, the overlap coupling portion 16 is, as a matter of course, superposed on both ends of the material as the tensile body 15 in the thickness direction of the crawler body 2. Accordingly, in the overlap coupling portion 16 on the upper side of FIG. 1, the material end 16a facing leftward is positioned endlessly inside the crawler body 2 in the thickness direction, and the right side is the same. The facing material end 16b is on the grounding surface side (that is, the endless outer arrangement).
[0021]
Similarly, in the overlap coupling portion 16 on the lower side of FIG. 1, the material end 16a facing leftward is positioned in the endless direction in the crawler main body 2 in the thickness direction. The material end 16d facing the surface is a grounding surface side (that is, an endless outer arrangement).
Here, in the overlap coupling portion 16 on the upper side of FIG. 1, the material end 16 b directed to the ground contact surface side of the crawler body 2 is positioned inward of the distribution region of the overlap distribution region (length L). . Therefore, at least at the material end 16b, the overlap distribution region is in the process of winding around the drive wheel 9 and the bending rigidity is not easily concentrated (stress is relaxed). Etc. will be prevented.
[0022]
In the overlap coupling portion 16 on the lower side of FIG. 1, the material end 16d directed to the contact surface side of the crawler body 2 is positioned inward of the overlap distribution area (length L) (ie, the overlap distribution area (length L)). If the left and right arrangements of the material end 16a and the material end 16d in FIG. 1 are interchanged), this is still more preferable.
Further, the length L of such an overlap distribution region is formed to be equal to or greater than the adjacent interval P (see FIG. 2) between the drive wheel 9 and the first wheel 11A adjacent thereto. It is preferable to leave.
[0023]
In this case, when a part or all of the overlap distribution area is wound around the drive wheel 9 or is located on the periphery of the drive wheel 9, as shown in FIG. Even if the rock X bites around the wheel 9 and the tension between the drive wheel 9 and the first wheel 11A suddenly increases, at least one overlap coupling portion 16 Is positioned beyond the drive wheel 9 or the first wheel 11A.
[0024]
Therefore, peeling damage between the tensile body 15 and the crawler main body 2 does not occur in this portion, and no breakage occurs in the overlap coupling portion 16 and its surroundings with respect to the tensile body 15. The
FIG. 4 shows a second reference form of the elastic crawler 1.
The second reference embodiment is most different from the first reference embodiment in that the length of the circumferential displacement of the overlap coupling portions 16 of the tensile members 15 is set to 2 pitches of the lug interval. It is in the point formed so that it may correspond to.
[0025]
The length M of each overlap coupling portion 16 is formed so as to correspond to exactly 4 pitches of the lag interval, and the material ends 16b on both sides of the overlap coupling portion 16 shown on the upper side of FIG. 16f and the material ends 16a and 16e on both sides of the overlap coupling portion 16 shown in the lower side of FIG. 4 are positioned so as to coincide with the center position of the lug 3, as in the case of the first embodiment. is there.
[0026]
Accordingly, the overlap coupling portions 16 of the two tensile bodies 15 are in a state of overlapping each other with a length N corresponding to two pitches of the lug interval. That is, the overall length L as an overlap distribution area including both overlap coupling portions 16 is shorter than twice the length M of the overlap coupling portion 16 (L <2M).
Further, in the second embodiment, in the overlap coupling portion 16 on the lower side of FIG. 4, the material end 16 e facing left is positioned on the grounding surface side of the crawler body 2 (that is, on the endless outer side). On the other hand, the material end 16f facing rightward is arranged endlessly inside. Note that the material end 16a facing leftward in the overlap coupling portion 16 on the upper side of FIG. 4 is an endless inner arrangement in the crawler body 2, while the material end 16b facing rightward is the ground plane side. It is the same as that of the first embodiment (that is, endless outer arrangement).
[0027]
That is, in both overlap coupling portions 16, the material ends 16b and 16e directed to the ground contact surface side of the crawler body 2 are positioned inward of the overlap distribution region (length L). Therefore, in both of the material ends 16b and 16e, the overlap distribution region is in the process of winding around the drive wheel 9 and the bending rigidity is not easily concentrated (stress relaxation), and peeling damage occurs in this portion. The advantage of preventing breakage and the like can be obtained.
[0028]
Other details, functions, and the like are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof is omitted here.
5 and 6 show an embodiment of the elastic crawler 1 according to the present invention.
In the elastic crawler 1 of this embodiment, the lugs 3 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the crawler main body 2 protrude in a bank shape that protrudes diagonally from opposite sides of the crawler main body 2 in the width direction. Yes.
[0029]
Further, the horizontal reinforcement body is not embedded in the crawler main body 2 and a pitch feed hole that engages with the drive wheel 9 is not provided, but the crawler main body 2 itself is endless inward. The protruding engaging claws 20 are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction.
The tensile body 15 embedded in the crawler main body 2 corresponds to a total of three locations, that is, the central portion (15B) in the width direction of the crawler main body 2 and the left and right sides (15A, 15C). Three are provided. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the overlap coupling portions 16 provided for the respective tensile members 15 are also provided at three positions (16A, 16B, 16C) in the width direction with respect to the crawler body 2. It will be.
[0030]
In the illustrated example, the tensile body 15B positioned at the center in the width direction of the crawler body 2 is wide, and the length T of the overlap coupling portion 16B is exactly equivalent to 4 pitches of the lug interval. Is formed. On the other hand, the tension members 15A and 15C positioned on the left and right sides in the width direction of the crawler body 2 are narrow, and the length S of each of the overlap coupling portions 16A and 16C is set to 3 pitches of the lug interval. It is formed to be a little larger.
[0031]
The three overlap coupling portions 16A, 16B, and 16C are shifted from each other in the circumferential direction of the crawler main body 2. Among these, the overlap coupling portions 16A and 16C on both the left and right sides ( In other words, those that are not adjacent to each other are overlapped to a degree slightly larger than one pitch of the lag interval, and the overlap coupling portion 16B at the center in the width direction is different from the other overlap coupling portions 16A and 16C ( In other words, the adjacent ones are not overlapped.
[0032]
The length L of the overlap distribution region is formed to be equal to or greater than the adjacent distance P between the drive wheel 9 and the first wheel 11A adjacent to the drive wheel 9 as in the other embodiments. is there.
Further, in this embodiment, the material ends 16g, 16h, and 16j that are positioned on the crawler body 2 on the ground surface side (that is, arranged endlessly outside) are positioned in the thickness direction in all the overlap coupling portions 16A, 16B, and 16C. , Positioned inward of the distribution region of the overlap distribution region (length L).
[0033]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
For example, the number of the tension members 15 provided in the width direction of the crawler body 2 and the number of the overlap coupling portions 16 are not limited, and may be 4 or more, respectively.
The airframe 6 shown in FIG. 2 is a type in which the drive wheels 9 and the idle wheels 10 are provided so as to be lifted from the ground. This is a type mainly used in agricultural endless track vehicles, etc. As shown in the drawing, the present invention can be applied to a type that is frequently used mainly for civil engineering or construction endless track vehicles in which the drive wheels 9 and the idle wheels 10 land on the ground.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As is apparent from the above description, in the elastic crawler according to the present invention, when the tensile body is embedded in the endless state around the entire circumference of the endless belt-shaped crawler body, the overlap coupling portion that can be formed into the tensile body is provided as a crawler. The main body is distributed at a plurality of positions in the width direction, and each overlap coupling portion is displaced by more than one pitch of the lug interval in the circumferential direction of the crawler main body. The high part is diffused both in the width direction and in the circumferential direction. As a result, when these overlap coupling portions are wound around the drive wheels, the running vibration is reduced or eliminated, and Rings, peeling damage, breakage and the like are also prevented.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view (corresponding to a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3) showing a first reference embodiment of an elastic crawler.
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a usage state of the elastic crawler of the first reference embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view showing a second reference embodiment of the elastic crawler.
FIG. 5 is a front cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an elastic crawler according to the present invention (a view shown for easier comparison with FIG. 3).
6 is a plan cross-sectional view (corresponding to a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 5) showing an embodiment of the elastic crawler according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing another type of elastic crawler to which the present invention can be applied.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Elastic crawler 2 Crawler main body 3 Lug 8 Airframe 9 Drive wheel 11A 1st wheel 15 Tensile body 16 Overlap joint part 16 g Material edge L in the contact surface side of overlap joint part Length of overlap distribution area

Claims (2)

The crawler body (2) made of an elastic material is formed in an endless belt shape and lugs (3) are raised on the outer peripheral surface at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction, and both end portions are overlapped to form an endless belt shape. Three or more tensile bodies (15) are elastic crawlers embedded over the entire circumference in the crawler body (2),
The tensile bodies (15) are arranged in a distributed manner in the width direction,
The overlap joints (16) formed by overlapping the both ends of each of the tensile bodies (15) are not adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction and do not overlap in the circumferential direction. An elastic crawler characterized in that they are disposed so as to overlap each other in a circumferential direction exceeding one pitch of the lug interval. The material end (16 g ) on the ground plane side of at least one of the overlap joints (16) includes the overlap joint (16) and the other overlap joint (16) and is partitioned by these. The elastic crawler according to claim 1, wherein the elastic crawler is disposed inward excluding the region ends on both sides in the circumferential direction of the overlap distribution region (L).

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