JP7183644B2 - elastic crawler - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an endless belt-like elastic crawler.

Conventionally, a crawler body made of an elastic body, a core material embedded in the crawler body at intervals in the crawler circumferential direction and made of a material harder than the elastic body, and a core material protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the crawler body in the crawler thickness direction. Elastic crawlers are known which include lugs extending across the width of the crawler.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a conventional crawler type traveling device A1. As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional crawler type traveling device A1 includes a main machine A2 and a pair of elastic crawlers A3. In the crawler type traveling device A1, for example, the elastic crawler A3 may run diagonally on a stepped portion such as a curbstone S during operation.

For example, when the elastic crawler A3 comes into contact with the curb S at an angle α between the longitudinal direction and the corner Se of the curb S of about 10 to 45°, the elastic crawler A3 is bent by the corner Se of the curb S. A part of elastic crawler A3 may be cut and damaged by slipping down. In this specification, the angle is expressed as a positive value as an absolute value regardless of its direction.

Here, when the angle α is smaller than 10°, the elastic crawler A3 is less likely to run over the curb S, and the corner Se of the curb S is less likely to cut. On the other hand, when the angle α is larger than 45°, the elastic crawler A3 is secured with rigidity by the core material, and the corner Se of the curb S is less likely to be cut.

For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses that by widening the width of the ground contact surface of the outer end portion of the lug, even when the elastic crawler runs diagonally over the curb, the lug is less likely to bend and the curb can be cut by the corners of the curb. We propose an elastic crawler to prevent

JP 2003-089366 A

The elastic crawler disclosed in Patent Document 1 attempts to prevent cuts due to the corners of curbs by increasing the thickness of the rubber in the vicinity of the outer ends. However, cuts due to corners of curbs occur even in elastic crawlers with thicker rubber, and there has been a demand for further improvements in the elastic crawler disclosed in Patent Document 1 as well.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above actual situation, and provides an elastic crawler that is based on the formation of grooves in the lugs and that can prevent cuts due to the corners of the curb when the crawler runs over the curb. The main purpose is to

The present invention is an elastic crawler comprising an endless belt-shaped crawler body made of an elastic body, and a core embedded in the crawler body at intervals in the circumferential direction of the crawler and made of a material harder than the elastic body. and a lug projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the crawler main body to the crawler outer peripheral side, wherein the lug is formed with at least one groove extending in a direction inclined with respect to the crawler circumferential direction. do.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, it is desirable that the grooves extend at an angle of 10 to 45° with respect to the circumferential direction of the crawler.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, the core member has wings extending in the crawler width direction, and the grooves are formed at positions overlapping the ends of the wings in the crawler width direction in the crawler thickness direction. It is desirable to include grooves.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, it is preferable that the groove includes a sub-groove formed inside the main groove in the crawler width direction.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, it is preferable that the sub-grooves are inclined at different angles in the same direction as the main grooves with respect to the circumferential direction of the crawler.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, it is preferable that the grooves include sub-grooves inclined in a different direction from the main grooves with respect to the crawler circumferential direction.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, it is desirable that the length of the sub-groove is longer than the length of the main groove.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, the lugs include a first lug provided on one side and a second lug provided on the other side with respect to the center in the crawler width direction, It includes a first main groove formed in one lug and a second main groove formed in the second lug, and the first main groove and the second main groove are inclined with respect to the crawler circumferential direction with respect to each other. preferably different.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, it is preferable that the groove has an arc-shaped groove bottom.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, it is preferable that the groove has a groove width of 5 to 10 mm and a groove depth of 5 to 10 mm.

In the elastic crawler of the present invention, the lug is formed with at least one groove extending in a direction inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the crawler. In such an elastic crawler, when it runs over a curbstone, the stress in the bending direction is relieved by the grooves, and it is possible to prevent cuts due to the corners of the curbstone. In addition, the grooves are caught by the corners of the curb and prevent it from slipping off the curb, so cuts can be more effectively prevented.

It is a top view showing one embodiment of the elastic crawler of the present invention. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a lug; It is a top view which shows the elastic crawler of 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the elastic crawler of 3rd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the elastic crawler of 4th Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the conventional crawler-type traveling apparatus.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an elastic crawler 1 of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the elastic crawler 1 of this embodiment includes an endless belt-like crawler main body 2 made of an elastic body, a core material 3 made of a material harder than the elastic body, and a crawler outer peripheral side from the crawler body 2. lugs 4 projecting into co. Such an elastic crawler 1 is suitably used for a crawler-type traveling device, for example, a vehicle for construction machinery (not shown).

In this specification, the crawler circumferential direction a is the rotational direction of the elastic crawler 1 . Further, the crawler width direction b is the axial direction of drive wheels (not shown) when the elastic crawler 1 is mounted on a vehicle. Furthermore, the crawler thickness direction c is a direction perpendicular to the crawler circumferential direction a and the crawler width direction b (shown in FIG. 2).

In the crawler circumferential direction a, the normal rotation direction is forward af, and the reverse rotation direction is backward ab. In addition, in the crawler thickness direction c, the inner side of the endless belt-like elastic crawler 1 is the crawler inner peripheral side ci, and the outer side of the endless belt-like elastic crawler 1 is the crawler outer peripheral side co (shown in FIG. 2). ).

The crawler body 2 is made of, for example, an elastic body such as rubber that extends continuously in the crawler circumferential direction a. The crawler body 2 of this embodiment has an outer peripheral surface 2o on the crawler outer peripheral side co and an inner peripheral surface 2i on the crawler inner peripheral side ci.

The core members 3 are preferably embedded in the crawler body 2 at intervals in the crawler circumferential direction a. The core material 3 is made of, for example, a metal material such as steel or cast iron. The core material 3 may be made of hard resin. Such a core material 3 can secure the rigidity of the crawler body 2 and maintain the shape of the crawler body 2 .

It is desirable that the lugs 4 protrude from the outer peripheral surface 2o of the crawler body 2 to the crawler outer peripheral side co. At least one groove 5 extending in a direction inclined with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a is formed in the lug 4 of the present embodiment. When the elastic crawler 1 runs on the curbstone S (shown in FIG. 6), the stress in the bending direction is relieved by the grooves 5, thereby preventing the curbstone S from being cut by the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6). can be done. Further, the grooves 5 are caught by the corners Se of the curb S and are prevented from slipping off the curb S, so that cuts can be prevented more effectively.

As a more preferable aspect, the elastic crawler 1 may include a tensile body (not shown) extending in the crawler circumferential direction a. It is desirable that the tensile member be embedded adjacent to the core material 3 on the crawler outer peripheral side co of the crawler body 2 rather than the core material 3 . The tensile body includes, for example, a metal cord layer in which a plurality of metal cords extending in the crawler circumferential direction a are arranged in the crawler width direction b.

The core member 3 preferably has a pair of wings 6 extending in the crawler width direction b. The wings 6 are, for example, substantially rectangular in plan view. The wing portion 6 preferably includes a substantially linear end portion 6e located outside in the crawler width direction b.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lug 4. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lug 4 preferably has a ground contact surface 4a extending in the crawler width direction b. The ground contact surface 4a of the lug 4 includes, for example, an inner end 4b extending substantially linearly inside in the crawler width direction b and an outer end 4c extending substantially linearly outside. The length L2 of the outer end 4c of the lug 4 in the crawler circumferential direction a is preferably smaller than the length L1 of the inner end 4b of the lug 4 in the crawler circumferential direction a.

The ground contact surface 4a of the lug 4 of this embodiment has a first end 4d extending substantially in the crawler width direction b and a second end 4e extending obliquely with respect to the crawler width direction b at a position opposed to the first end 4d. contains. A ground contact surface 4a of the lug 4 is formed in, for example, a substantially trapezoidal shape. Such a lug 4 ensures a large ground contact surface 4a and is excellent in soil dischargeability.

The lug 4 of this embodiment has a groove 5 formed on the outer end 4c side of the ground contact surface 4a. It is desirable that the groove 5 has an arcuate groove bottom 5a. The groove 5 preferably has a groove width w of 5 to 10 mm. Further, the groove 5 preferably has a groove depth d of 5 to 10 mm. Such a groove 5 can relieve stress in the bending direction when running over a curb S (shown in FIG. 6) without excessively reducing the rigidity of the lug 4 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the grooves 5 preferably extend at an angle θ1 of 10-45° with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a groove 5 is formed when the elastic crawler 1 runs over the curb S at an angle α (shown in FIG. 6) of 10 to 45°, which is likely to be cut by the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S. , suitable for relieving stress in its bending direction.

The groove 5 preferably includes a main groove 7 formed at a position overlapping an end portion 6e of the wing portion 6 of the core member 3 in the crawler width direction b in the crawler thickness direction c. The groove 5 of this embodiment is composed only of the main groove 7 . The main groove 7 is slanted, for example, in a direction opposite to the slanting direction of the second end 4 e of the lug 4 . Such a main groove 7 can alleviate the stress concentration on the end portion 6e of the core material 3, and can effectively prevent the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S from being cut during the forward movement af. .

The elastic crawler 1 of the present embodiment is formed with a raised portion 8 adjacent to the second end 4 e of the lug 4 and having a smaller protrusion height than the lug 4 . Such raised portion 8 can cover the entire wing portion 6 of the core material 3, and can prevent damage starting from the end portion 6e of the wing portion 6. As shown in FIG.

The wing portion 6 preferably includes a first wing portion 6A provided on one side and a second wing portion 6B provided on the other side with respect to the center C in the crawler width direction b. In the wing portion 6 of this embodiment, the first wing portion 6A and the second wing portion 6B are formed line-symmetrically with respect to the center C in the crawler width direction b. Such wings 6 can reinforce the crawler body 2 in a well-balanced manner in the crawler width direction b.

The lugs 4 preferably include a first lug 4A provided on one side and a second lug 4B provided on the other side with respect to the center C in the crawler width direction b. In the lugs 4 of this embodiment, the first lugs 4A and the second lugs 4B are alternately arranged at positions shifted in the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a lug 4 has reduced vibration and noise, and is also excellent in soil dischargeability.

The main groove 7 of this embodiment includes a first main groove 7A formed in the first lug 4A and a second main groove 7B formed in the second lug 4B. It is desirable that the first main groove 7A and the second main groove 7B have different inclination directions with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a main groove 7 prevents a cut by the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) even if the elastic crawler 1 runs over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) from any direction in the crawler width direction b. can be prevented.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the elastic crawler 11 of the second embodiment. Components common to the above-described embodiments are given common reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. As shown in FIG. 3, the elastic crawler 11 of the second embodiment includes a crawler body 2, a core 3 and lugs 4, as in the above embodiments.

At least one groove 15 extending in a direction inclined with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a is formed in the lug 4 of the second embodiment. The groove 15 preferably includes a main groove 17 formed at a position overlapping the end 6e of the wing portion 6 of the core member 3 in the crawler width direction b in the crawler thickness direction c. The groove 15 of the second embodiment is composed only of the main groove 17 .

The main groove 17 is, for example, inclined in the same direction as the second end 4e of the lug 4 is inclined. That is, the main grooves 17 of the second embodiment are inclined in the opposite direction to the main grooves 7 of the above-described embodiment. Such a main groove 17 can alleviate the stress concentration on the end portion 6e of the core member 3, and can effectively prevent cuts by the corner portion Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curbstone S during backward movement ab. .

The main groove 17 preferably extends at an angle θ2 of 10 to 45° with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a main groove 17 is formed when the elastic crawler 11 runs over the curb S at an angle α (shown in FIG. 6) of 10 to 45°, which is likely to be cut by the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S. In addition, it is suitable for relieving stress in the bending direction.

The main groove 17 of the second embodiment includes a first main groove 17A formed in the first lug 4A and a second main groove 17B formed in the second lug 4B. It is desirable that the first main groove 17A and the second main groove 17B have different inclination directions with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a main groove 17 prevents a cut by the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) even if the elastic crawler 1 runs over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) from any direction in the crawler width direction b. can be prevented.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the elastic crawler 21 of the third embodiment. Components common to the above-described embodiments are given common reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. As shown in FIG. 4, the elastic crawler 21 of the third embodiment includes a crawler body 2, a core 3 and lugs 4, like the above-described embodiments.

At least one groove 25 extending in a direction inclined with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a is formed in the lug 4 of the third embodiment. The groove 25 is formed by a main groove 27 formed at a position overlapping the end 6e of the wing portion 6 of the core material 3 in the crawler width direction b in the crawler thickness direction c, and inside the main groove 27 in the crawler width direction b. It preferably includes a formed minor groove 29 .

The main groove 27 is, for example, inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination direction of the second end 4 e of the lug 4 . Such a main groove 27 can alleviate the stress concentration on the end portion 6e of the core member 3, and can effectively prevent the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S from being cut during the forward movement af. .

The sub-groove 29 is, for example, inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination direction of the second end 4 e of the lug 4 . The minor grooves 29 of the third embodiment are inclined at different angles in the same direction as the main grooves 27 with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a sub-groove 29 complements the relaxation of stress by the main groove 27, and can more effectively prevent cutting by the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S during forward movement af.

The main groove 27 preferably extends at an angle θ3 of 10 to 45° with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Similarly, the sub-groove 29 preferably extends at an angle θ4 of 10-45° with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. The angle θ4 of the sub-grooves 29 of the third embodiment is smaller than the angle θ3 of the main grooves 27 . Such main grooves 27 and sub-grooves 29 allow the elastic crawler 11 to cut the curb S at an angle .alpha. It is suitable for relieving the stress in the bending direction when riding on it.

The length L4 of the minor grooves 29 of the third embodiment is greater than the length L3 of the main grooves 27 . Such main grooves 27 and sub-grooves 29 can effectively alleviate the stress in the bending direction when the lug 4 runs over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) without excessively reducing the rigidity of the lug 4 . .

The main groove 27 of the third embodiment includes a first main groove 27A formed in the first lug 4A and a second main groove 27B formed in the second lug 4B. It is desirable that the first main groove 27A and the second main groove 27B have different inclination directions with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a main groove 27 prevents a cut by the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) even if the elastic crawler 1 runs over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) from any direction in the crawler width direction b. can be prevented.

Similarly, the minor groove 29 of the third embodiment includes a first minor groove 29A formed in the first lug 4A and a second minor groove 29B formed in the second lug 4B. It is desirable that the first sub-grooves 29A and the second sub-grooves 29B have different inclination directions with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such sub-grooves 29 can complement the relaxation of stress by the main grooves 27 even if the elastic crawler 1 runs over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) from any direction in the crawler width direction b.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the elastic crawler 31 of the fourth embodiment. Components common to the above-described embodiments are given common reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. As shown in FIG. 5, the elastic crawler 31 of the fourth embodiment includes a crawler body 2, a core 3 and lugs 4, like the above-described embodiments.

At least one groove 35 extending in a direction inclined with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a is formed in the lug 4 of the fourth embodiment. The grooves 35 are composed of a main groove 37 formed at a position overlapping the end 6e of the wing portion 6 of the core member 3 in the crawler width direction b in the crawler thickness direction c, and a groove 35 formed inside the main groove 37 in the crawler width direction b. It preferably includes a formed minor groove 39 .

The main groove 37 is, for example, inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination direction of the second end 4 e of the lug 4 . Such a main groove 37 can alleviate the stress concentration on the end portion 6e of the core material 3, and can effectively prevent the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S from being cut during the forward movement af. .

The minor groove 39 is inclined in the same direction as the second end 4e of the lug 4, for example. The minor grooves 39 of the fourth embodiment are inclined in a direction different from that of the main grooves 37 with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a sub-groove 39 can effectively prevent the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S from being cut during reverse travel ab.

The main groove 37 preferably extends at an angle θ5 of 10 to 45° with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Similarly, the sub-groove 39 preferably extends at an angle θ6 of 10-45° with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. The angle θ6 of the sub-grooves 29 of the fourth embodiment is approximately equal to the angle θ5 of the main grooves 37 . Such main grooves 37 and sub-grooves 39 allow the elastic crawler 11 to cut the curb S at an angle α (shown in FIG. 6) of 10 to 45°, which is likely to be cut by the corner Se of the curb S (shown in FIG. 6). It is suitable for relieving the stress in the bending direction when riding on it.

The length L6 of the minor grooves 39 of the fourth embodiment is greater than the length L5 of the main grooves 37 . Such main grooves 37 and sub-grooves 39 can effectively alleviate the stress in the bending direction when the lugs 4 run over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) without excessively reducing the rigidity of the lugs 4 . .

The main groove 37 of the fourth embodiment includes a first main groove 37A formed in the first lug 4A and a second main groove 37B formed in the second lug 4B. It is desirable that the first main groove 37A and the second main groove 37B have different inclination directions with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Such a main groove 37 allows the elastic crawler 1 to run over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) from any direction in the crawler width direction b, and the corner Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S at the time of forward movement af. ) can be prevented from being cut.

Similarly, the minor groove 39 of the fourth embodiment includes a first minor groove 39A formed in the first lug 4A and a second minor groove 39B formed in the second lug 4B. It is desirable that the first sub-grooves 39A and the second sub-grooves 39B have different inclination directions with respect to the crawler circumferential direction a. Even if the elastic crawler 1 runs over the curb S (shown in FIG. 6) from any direction in the crawler width direction b, such a sub-groove 39 has a corner portion Se (shown in FIG. 6) of the curb S at the time of backward movement ab. ) can be prevented from being cut.

Although the particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be modified in various ways.

Elastic crawlers based on the figures shown in Table 1 were prototyped as Examples 1-4. The groove width of the formed grooves is 5 mm, and the groove depth is 5 mm. An elastic crawler in which grooves were not formed in the lugs was experimentally produced as Comparative Example 1. These prototype elastic crawlers were mounted on a test vehicle, and the durability until the elastic crawlers broke was measured. The test method is as follows.

<Durability>
A test vehicle equipped with a prototype elastic crawler was repeatedly run over a curb at an angle of 30° in either the forward or reverse direction. Occasionally, the durability of elastic crawlers to failure was measured. The results are evaluated on a 4-point scale of excellent, good, fair, and poor, with excellent indicating the most excellent durability.

The results of the tests are shown in Table 1.

As a result of the test, it was confirmed that the elastic crawler of the example had better durability in both forward and backward directions than the comparative example.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 elastic crawler 2 crawler body 2o outer peripheral surface 3 core material 4 lug 5 groove

Claims (9)

an elastic crawler,
an endless band-shaped crawler body made of an elastic body;
a core material embedded in the crawler body at intervals in the crawler circumferential direction and made of a material harder than the elastic body;
a lug projecting from the outer peripheral surface of the crawler body to the outer peripheral side of the crawler,
at least one groove extending in a direction inclined with respect to the circumferential direction of the crawler is formed in the lug;
The lugs include a first lug provided on one side and a second lug provided on the other side with respect to the center in the crawler width direction,
The first lug and the second lug each have a contact surface extending in the width direction of the crawler,
The groove includes a first main groove that crosses the ground contact surface of the first lug in the crawler circumferential direction and a second main groove that crosses the ground contact surface of the second lug in the crawler circumferential direction,
The first main groove and the second main groove are different in inclination direction with respect to the crawler circumferential direction,
the ground contact surface of the first lug and the ground contact surface of the second lug each include an inner end in the crawler width direction and an outer end in the crawler width direction;
The length of the outer end in the crawler circumferential direction is smaller than the length of the inner end in the crawler circumferential direction,
elastic crawler. The elastic crawler according to claim 1, wherein said groove extends at an angle of 10-45° with respect to the crawler circumferential direction. The core material has wings extending in the width direction of the crawler,
3 . The elastic crawler according to claim 1 , wherein the first main groove and the second main groove are formed at positions overlapping the end portions of the wing portions in the crawler width direction in the crawler thickness direction. The grooves include a first minor groove formed on the first lug inside the first main groove in the crawler width direction , and a second lug formed on the inside of the second main groove in the crawler width direction. 4. A resilient crawler according to claim 3, comprising a second minor groove formed in the groove. The first minor groove is inclined at a different angle in the same direction as the first main groove with respect to the crawler circumferential direction ,
The elastic crawler according to claim 4, wherein the second minor grooves are inclined at different angles in the same direction as the second main grooves with respect to the crawler circumferential direction . The grooves include a first sub-groove inclined in a direction different from the first main groove at the first lug , and a second sub-groove inclined in a direction different from the second main groove at the second lug, with respect to the crawler circumferential direction. 4. A resilient crawler according to claim 3, comprising two minor grooves . The elastic crawler according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein lengths of said first minor groove and said second minor groove are longer than lengths of said first main groove and said second main groove, respectively. . The elastic crawler according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the groove has an arc-shaped groove bottom. The elastic crawler according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the groove has a groove width of 5 to 10 mm and a groove depth of 5 to 10 mm.

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