JPH04243671A - Rubber crawler improved in lateral rigidity - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a rubber crawler ideally used for a large construction machine and a civil working machine by forming the rubber crawler into such structure as to regulate specially the lateral movement of core metal embedded in a rubber elastic body. CONSTITUTION:Inside a band-like rubber elastic body 1, core metals 2 are arranged laterally in the width direction thereof at the constant pitch as well as expansion bodies 3 surrounding the core metal are buried together, and a sprocket engaging hole 7 is provided between the core metals 2, at the width direction center of the band-like rubber elastic body 1 to form a rubber crawler. In this rubber crawler, each core metal 2 is provided with a hanging piece formed from the core metal 2 toward the thickness direction of the rubber elastic body 1, and high hardness material 40 is overlapped with the adjacent hanging pieces in the width direction of the rubber elastic body to improve the lateral rigidity of the rubber crawler.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the structure of a rubber crawler, and mainly relates to a rubber crawler suitable for use in large construction machines and civil engineering machines.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, iron shoe crawlers have been used as running parts in construction machines and civil engineering machines, but in recent years, rubber crawlers have been used as running parts. This rubber crawler has a structure in which a large number of core metals arranged horizontally in the width direction are embedded in rubber and surrounded by steel cord (tensile material), and is made of rubber. Therefore, it reduced the vibrations transmitted to the occupants, and furthermore, it did not damage the road surface even when driving on paved roads, so it became popular.

[0003] Such rubber crawlers may have slightly lower lateral rigidity than iron shoe crawlers, so
The crawler may come off the rolling wheels of the machine, so measures are taken such as increasing the width of the core bar embedded in the rubber to increase its rigidity. However, increasing the width of the core metal increases the weight of the rubber crawler accordingly, which creates new operational problems such as transportation, attachment to machinery, and storage of the rubber crawler. On the other hand, a rubber crawler runs by being wound between the sprocket and idler of the aircraft, and the wider the core metal in these windings, the more stress will be placed on the non-buried part of the core metal. becomes concentrated, and the rubber parts in those areas become fatigued.
It was also true that it led to cracks and breakage, reducing durability. Furthermore, a propulsion lug is provided on the ground surface of the rubber crawler, and this lug is generally provided in a straight line in the width direction and facing the core bar.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] These structures combine to effectively transmit forward and backward propulsive force in conventional rubber crawlers, but in some cases the crawler may slip laterally. However, there was a problem in that the vehicle was prone to skidding, especially when driving in areas where pebbles were scattered, sandy areas, or wetlands.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention solves the technical problems of rubber crawlers in the prior art as described above, and the gist of the invention is as follows. That is, core metals are arranged horizontally in the width direction of a band-shaped rubber elastic body at a constant pitch, and a tensile body surrounding the core metal is buried together, and the core metal is placed in the widthwise center of the band-shaped rubber elastic body. In a rubber crawler having a sprocket engagement hole between the metal cores, a vertical piece is formed on each core metal in the thickness direction of the rubber elastic body from the core metal, and a vertical piece is formed on each metal core in the direction of the thickness of the rubber elastic body, and The present invention provides a rubber crawler with improved lateral rigidity, characterized in that a high hardness material is overlapped in the width direction of the rubber elastic body. The high hardness material is a metal or plastic material, or a steel cord continuously buried in the longitudinal direction of the rubber elastic body, and these are about 3 to 10 mm apart from the vertical piece. The rubber elastic bodies are overlapped in the width direction thereof, and the high hardness material may be a rubber material depending on the case. In this case, a rubber material or the like in which short fibers are oriented may be used. Preferably, the overlapping position of the hanging piece and the high-hardness material is approximately on the same plane as the row of the tensile body, which is the center line of the sprocket or the like.

[0006]

[Operation] When traveling on an uneven road surface or making a sharp turn, a deviation occurs between the traveling direction of the machine itself and the traveling direction of the rubber crawler, which causes the rubber crawler to come off the wheels. This is due to the fact that in the rubber crawler, the core metals that mainly transmit the driving force from the sprocket are each independent, and these are connected by a stretchable rubber elastic body, and the rubber crawler's longitudinal direction is Steel is used as a tensile material.
Although the core cord is buried, it does not particularly prevent its elongation in the width direction of the rubber crawler, so its lateral rigidity is relatively small.For example, as the rubber elastic body expands and contracts, the core metal The rubber track may shift laterally or the rubber track may become twisted. All of these phenomena are caused by the fact that each of the core metals placed side by side in the rubber elastic body can behave in its own way.

[0007] The present invention has such a point that the behavior of the core metal in the width direction is controlled by using a so-called baffle material made of high hardness material between the vertical pieces extending from adjacent core metals. The presence of this baffle material improves the lateral rigidity of the rubber crawler. As mentioned above, the high hardness material, which is one of the main points of the present invention, may be embedded in the rubber elastic body constituting the rubber crawler, or it may be embedded in the rubber material constituting the rubber crawler itself. It may be. or,
Regarding the hanging piece extending from the core metal, which is another main point of the present invention, it can be formed in the middle of the wing part of the core metal embedded in the rubber elastic body, or at the tip of the wing part. It can be anything.

[0008]

[Specific Examples] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of a first embodiment of a rubber crawler according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing the relationship between the core bar and the high-hardness material. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a rubber elastic body constituting a rubber crawler, which is continuous in a band shape across the front and back sides of the page. Reference numeral 2 denotes core metals, which are embedded in the rubber elastic body 1 so as to be lined up horizontally at a constant pitch in the width direction thereof. This core bar 2 is surrounded by a row of shafts (steel cord) 3 from the outer circumferential side of the rubber crawler. This core bar 2 is formed with a pair of protrusions 4, 4 that protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the rubber crawler.
has a function to prevent the wheels 5 attached to the fuselage from coming off, and may also serve as a running surface for the wheels 5 in some cases. Further, a central portion 6 sandwiched between the protrusions 4 of the core metal 2 is an engaging portion for a sprocket (not shown), and a sprocket engaging hole 7 is opened in the rubber elastic body 1 facing this central portion 6. .

As shown in the figure, hanging pieces 9 are formed from the wings 8 of the core bar 2 embedded in the rubber elastic body 1 so as to sandwich the sprocket engagement hole 7 from the left and right in the width direction. . Then, on the inside thereof, that is, between the sprocket engagement hole 7 and the hanging piece 9, a metal plate 10 is placed in the rubber, overlapping the hanging pieces 9, 9 of the adjacent core metals 2, 2 in the width direction. It will be buried in The distance between the metal plate 10 and the hanging piece 9 is approximately 5 mm, and this space is filled with a rubber elastic body constituting a rubber crawler. As shown in the figure, the overlapping position of the two is substantially on the same plane as the row of the shafts 3.

In FIG. 1, when a force is applied to the core bar 2 to cause it to shift laterally to the right side in the width direction of the rubber crawler (arrow A),
In the conventional case, the core metal would shift to the right side without any restriction, but in the present invention, the hanging piece 91 integrated with the core metal 2
Metal plate 10 whose movements overlap in the width direction
1, and can prevent such lateral displacement. On the other hand, lateral displacement to the left side is also regulated by the presence of the metal plate 102 relative to the hanging piece 92, and therefore, the lateral displacement of the core metal This resulted in a rubber crawler free from lateral slippage. In particular, since the overlapping position of the hanging piece 9 and the metal plate 10 is on approximately the same plane as the row of shafts 3, expansion and contraction of this part is minimal, and there is no impact on the sprocket or idler. The presence of this metal plate 10 does not pose much of a problem when wrapping.

In the above example, the metal plate 10 is interposed between the sprocket engagement hole 7 and the hanging piece 9, but it is also possible to place the metal plate 10 outside the hanging piece 9. It is valid. That is, FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of this configuration in the first embodiment, and in this example, the metal plate 1 is particularly
0 is placed horizontally and faces the outside of the hanging piece 9. In this case, for the lateral shift of the core bar 2 in the right direction (arrow A),
The metal plate 102 regulates the hanging piece 92 , and on the other hand, the metal plate 101 regulates the hanging piece 91 against leftward lateral displacement. By placing the metal plate 10 horizontally, the metal plate 10 can be wound smoothly around a sprocket of a rubber crawler or the like.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a further modification of the first embodiment. The steel cord 20 (201, 20
2) and the vertical pieces 9 (91, 92) are also the same as explained in FIG. Although not shown, the steel cord 20 may be an assembly of fine steel cords constituting the tunnel body 3. By using such a steel cord, winding around sprockets etc. becomes smoother.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of a second embodiment of the rubber crawler of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a side view showing the relationship between the core bar and the high-hardness material in FIG. That is, in this example, the hanging piece 9 is formed at the tip of the wing part 8 of the core bar 2, and the metal plate 10 is located outside of the hanging piece 9. Although a detailed explanation will be omitted, the metal plate 102 prevents the vertical piece 92 from shifting to the right (arrow A) of the core bar 2, and the metal plate 101 prevents it from shifting to the left. The movement of the piece 91 is restricted.

In this example, as a modification, the metal plate 10 can be placed inside the hanging piece 9, or the metal plate 10 can be placed horizontally. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing such a modification of the second embodiment. That is, in this figure, the metal plate 10 is placed inside the hanging piece 9 formed at the tip of the wing part 8 of the core metal 2, and is placed horizontally. In this case, the metal plate 101 regulates the hanging piece 91 when the core bar 2 shifts to the right (arrow A), and the metal plate 102 regulates the hanging piece 92 when it shifts to the left. It turns out. Since the metal plate 10 is placed horizontally, there is no problem in wrapping it around a sprocket or the like.

FIG. 8 shows a further modification of the second embodiment.
This is a schematic cross-sectional view similar to that shown in FIG. 1, and shows an example in which a high-strength steel cord 20 that is thicker than the tensile member 3 is buried inside the hanging piece 9. This steel cord 20 can have various configurations as explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view in the width direction showing a third embodiment of the rubber crawler of the present invention. In this example, the outer rubber elastic body itself is made of high hardness rubber 30 with respect to the hanging piece 9 formed at the tip of the wing portion 8 of the core metal 2. In this case, the entire outside of the hanging piece 9 is made of high-hardness rubber, but it goes without saying that high-hardness rubber may be partially used for the hanging piece 9. In this case, high hardness rubber 3
01 regulates the hanging piece 91 , and on the other hand, the high hardness rubber 302 regulates the hanging piece 92 (both not shown) against displacement to the left.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 9 showing a modification of the third embodiment, in which the rubber elastic body surrounding the hanging piece 9 is made of high hardness rubber 40. Although not shown, it goes without saying that the hanging piece 9 shown in FIG. 1 can also be dealt with by using high hardness rubber. There are various types of high hardness rubber used here, depending on the relationship with other parts.
Although there is no particular limitation, the hardness is approximately 75 compared to the hardness (58 to 73) (JIS A) of the rubber elastic body 1 constituting the rubber crawler.
Rubber with a high hardness of about 95 degrees is desired. As one type of high hardness rubber, a rubber material in which, for example, short organic fibers are blended into the rubber and oriented in some cases may also be used.

[0018]

[Effect] As described above, the present invention has a member embedded in a rubber elastic body to restrict the lateral movement of the hanging piece extending from the core metal, thereby preventing the core metal from shifting laterally. Furthermore, it has become possible to prevent the occurrence of twisting of the rubber crawler, and the effect is great as it can be used in construction machines and civil engineering work machines.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of a first embodiment of a rubber crawler according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the relationship between the core bar and the high-hardness material in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a further modification of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in the width direction of a second embodiment of the rubber crawler of the present invention.

6 is a side view showing the relationship between the core metal and the high hardness material in FIG. 5. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a modification of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a further modification of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway cross-sectional view in the width direction showing a third embodiment of the rubber crawler of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partially cutaway sectional view in the width direction showing a modification of the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Rubber elastic body 2. Core metal 3. Piercing body 4. Protrusion 5. Rolling wheel 6. Center portion of core metal 7. Sprocket engagement hole 8. Wing portion of core metal 9. , 91 , 92 ..... Vertical pieces 10, 101, 102 ..... Metal plates 20, 201, 202 ..... Steel cords 30, 3
01, 40... High hardness rubber

Claims (7)

[Claims] [Claim 1] Core metals are arranged horizontally in the width direction of a band-shaped rubber elastic body at a constant pitch, and a tensile body surrounding the core metal is buried together, and the core metal is placed in the widthwise center of the band-shaped rubber elastic body. In the rubber crawler comprising a sprocket engagement hole between the core metals, a hanging piece is formed on each core metal in the thickness direction of the rubber elastic body from the core metal, and the vertical pieces of the adjacent core metals are A rubber crawler with improved lateral rigidity, characterized in that a high hardness material is overlapped in the width direction of the rubber elastic body with respect to the piece. 2. The rubber crawler according to claim 1, wherein the high hardness material is a metal or plastic material. 3. The rubber crawler according to claim 1, wherein the high hardness material is a steel cord embedded continuously in the longitudinal direction of the rubber elastic body. 4. The high hardness material has a hardness of 3 to 3 with respect to the hanging piece.
4. The rubber crawler according to claim 2, wherein the rubber crawler is overlapped in the width direction with a rubber elastic body of about 10 mm in width sandwiched therebetween. 5. The rubber crawler according to claim 1, wherein the high hardness material is a rubber material. 6. The rubber crawler according to claim 5, wherein the high hardness material is a rubber material having oriented short fibers. 7. The rubber crawler according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping position of the vertical piece and the high-hardness material is substantially in the same plane as the row of tensile members.