JPH0580394B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a running device for a vehicle that is equipped with rubber crawlers on the running section and is capable of running on rough terrain or other arbitrary locations. By taking measures to prevent the rubber crawler from becoming unable to frost due to ice build-up,
The present invention relates to a device that allows a rubber crawler to run smoothly in cold regions.

(Prior Art) It is generally known that a crawler-equipped work vehicle uses, for example, an iron crawler, and various work vehicles such as bulldozers, hydraulic shovels, bucket loaders, etc. need not be cited as examples. It is well known. These work vehicles have a relatively long history, and are especially suitable for vehicles that drive on rough terrain such as wastelands or construction sites, or when the vehicle weight is very large and the ground contact pressure is large. These vehicles are used under special conditions, such as equipment that cannot adequately support the load.

In a work vehicle equipped with a crawler as described above as a traveling device, the crawler is composed of iron link members, and in order to drive the crawler and add tension,
The front and rear sprockets, which are provided at the front and rear of the traveling device, and the support rollers that come into contact with the ground contact portion of the crawler are each made of iron members.

Therefore, in traveling devices equipped with iron crawlers, for example, apart from special vehicles such as tanks, noise etc. are generated due to the contact and sliding of each component as described above. In addition, it has the disadvantage that it is difficult to set the vehicle's running speed quickly.

In addition, in conventional equipment such as hydraulic excavators, the weight of the vehicle is extremely heavy, so
Although iron crawler-type running members are used, it is difficult to increase the running speed of the vehicle due to restrictions due to the structure of the crawler. There are restrictions such as restrictions on driving on roads.

Therefore, in order to eliminate the drawbacks of iron crawlers as described above, rubber crawlers are sometimes used. This rubber crawler is an endless belt made by integrally forming a crawler member with a shape similar to a steel crawler out of rubber, and a reinforcing member such as a piano wire is arranged in the length direction of the rubber crawler. Iron core bodies are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the ground, and they are integrally covered with rubber and have irregularities formed on the surface to form a grounding part.

Therefore, in the case of a vehicle using a rubber crawler as described above, the ground contact part is made of rubber,
Even when driving on a road, the vehicle does not damage the pavement surface, so there are no restrictions on driving, and the vehicle can run at high speeds.

In addition, in the case of iron crawlers, when used in cold regions, the crawler links cannot be properly lubricated, so in regions where the temperature is below -20℃, especially below -40℃. Although it is a difficult device to use, when using rubber crawlers, it is not affected by such temperature, and
It has the advantage of being able to be used freely regardless of the temperature or environmental conditions.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in a work vehicle that uses the above-mentioned rubber crawler as a traveling device, the rubber crawler is supported by its traveling portion, and support rollers are provided to support the load of the vehicle. However, it has the disadvantage that stones, ice, etc. can get between the rubber crawler and the support roller, resulting in poor rotation.

In other words, in the case of a traveling device that uses iron crawlers, ice may adhere to the inside of the crawler during travel, or if a stone or the like is caught in the crawler, especially in a cold region, the crawler may become frozen. If you do,
They are crushed between the iron support roller and the crawler so that they do not cause any trouble to the vehicle.

However, when using rubber crawlers, ice blocks cannot be broken between the rubber crawler and the iron support roller, so the support roller remains in a state where rotation is stopped and the vehicle An unusual situation occurs in which the vehicle is running.

For example, as in a traveling device 10 such as a hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 4, front and rear sprockets 11,
12, and a large number of support rollers 13 are placed on the upper surface of the ground contact part of the rubber crawler 20.
In a device configured to support the load of the hydraulic excavator by arranging the
If a foreign object 31 such as ice or stone is caught in the front side of the support roller 13, the rotation of the support roller 13 is temporarily stopped.

At this time, the rubber crawler 20 slides on the lower surface of the stopped support roller 13, and the heat generated by the sliding of the friction surface melts the ice adhering to the inner surface of the rubber crawler, and the moisture is transferred to the support roller. Ice 30 is generated by adhering to the rear part of the vehicle. If you continue to drive in this state, the ice 30 will gradually grow, and the ice 30 will be marked 30a in part B.
As shown in , the size gradually increases, and even if the operator removes the impurities 31 such as stones, unless the ice and the like are also removed at the same time, the support roller 13 will not be able to rotate.

When iron crawlers are used, the above-mentioned condition is naturally resolved because the crawlers are constantly vibrated or scraped by the link mechanism, so the rotation of the support rollers is reduced. It is unlikely that the system will be stopped for a long time. In comparison, when using rubber crawlers, unlike iron crawlers, rubber crawlers have elasticity, so they cannot automatically remove ice chunks, etc. becomes a very big problem.

Even if such a drawback occurs, in the case of a vehicle with a relatively small load such as a snowmobile, 3 to 4
Even if one of the set of support rollers stops rotating, there will be no major hindrance to the running of the vehicle. However, in the case of work vehicles such as shovel loaders and hydraulic excavators, the load supported by each support roller is relatively large, so when the support roller stops rotating, the movement performance of the work vehicle is affected. This may cause major problems such as affecting the rubber track or causing the rubber crawler to come off the track.

Therefore, in the conventional traveling device using rubber crawlers, when the rotation of the support roller 13 is stopped due to the formation of ice 30, it is necessary to remove the ice by hitting it with a hammer or the like. ,
There was the troublesome problem of having to do all of this work outside the vehicle in the bitter cold.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention solves the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventionally used devices.In a traveling device using rubber crawlers, a lining made of an elastic material is provided on the part of the support roller that comes into contact with the rubber crawler. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which can prevent ice from adhering even when the rotation of the support roller is temporarily stopped.

(Means and effects for solving the problems) The rubber crawler used as a traveling device for a hydraulic excavator, etc. of the present invention has core bodies arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction, and reinforced with piano wire or the like in the length direction. The components are arranged and integrally coated with rubber to form an endless structure, and protrusions are made to protrude from the periphery of the endless main body in correspondence with the portions of the traveling device.

Further, in the traveling device of the present invention, the drive support member is constituted by the front and rear sprockets of the rubber crawler and the support roller arranged so as to press the ground contact portion between the sprockets from the back side. The support roller has a recess in which a protrusion protruding from the inside of the rubber crawler is housed, a flange is provided on both sides of the recess via a rim, and the surface of the flange is coated with urethane rubber or the like. An outer lining made of an elastic member is provided, and the rubber crawler is supported through the lining.

Furthermore, in the traveling device for a work vehicle using the rubber crawler of the present invention, an integral lining is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the flange of the support roller and on the inside of the rim portion, and these outer lining and inner lining allow the rubber It is configured to elastically support the crawler.

By having the above-mentioned configuration, in the traveling device for a work vehicle using the rubber crawler of the present invention, the support roller is made of metal such as iron, and the surface of the support roller in contact with the rubber crawler is made of metal such as iron. In addition, since the lining is made of an elastic material, it is possible to prevent ice from adhering to the product, and even if ice does form, the elasticity of the outer lining or inner lining automatically removes it. Become.

Therefore, in the traveling device for a work vehicle using the rubber crawler of the present invention, the operator of a hydraulic excavator or the like does not have to constantly inspect the traveling device and remove ice. Good running conditions can be maintained and the characteristics of work vehicles using rubber crawlers can be improved.

(Example) According to the illustrated example, the configuration of a traveling device for a work vehicle using the rubber crawler of the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a hydraulic excavator 1 according to the present invention is an example of a device to which a traveling device for a work vehicle using the rubber crawler according to the present invention can be applied, and is a hydraulic excavator 1 using conventionally used general hydraulic excavators. Like a shovel, it is composed of an upper frame 2 and a traveling device 10 that supports the upper frame 2 via a swing device 9.

In front of the upper frame 2 is a cylinder 6.
an arm 5 that is swingable, a tip arm 5a that is swingably provided at the tip of the arm 5 via a cylinder 6a, a bucket 7 that is swingably attached to the tip arm 5a; A working device consisting of a swinging cylinder 6b is attached.

In addition, the engine section 3 of the present invention is integrally provided with a hydraulic pump together with the engine, which converts the output of the engine into hydraulic pressure, and uses the obtained hydraulic pressure as power for the working device. In addition, it is used to operate the turning device and as a power source for the traveling device.

For example, in the hydraulic excavator of the present invention, although not shown in the drawings, the output of the engine is composed of two sets of variable displacement hydraulic pump units that are directly connected to the output shaft of the engine. It can be configured with two hydraulic pumps for traveling and two hydraulic pumps for work equipment, and the hydraulic pressure obtained from these hydraulic pumps is transferred to the motor using a dedicated hydraulic hose. supply and drive each motor.

In the illustrated embodiment, the running device 10 supporting the upper frame 2 via the swivel device 9 has the following features:
It is composed of a front sprocket 11 and a rear sprocket 12 provided at the front and rear of the lower frame, and multiple sets of support rollers 13 that are in contact with the upper surface of the running section of the rubber crawler 20.A hydraulic motor is attached to the shaft of the front sprocket 11. The rear sprocket 12 is provided with a tension device to drive the rubber crawler.

As shown in FIG. 2, the traveling device 1 of the present invention
The rubber crawler 20 used in the rubber crawler 20 has core bodies 25 disposed at predetermined intervals inside a rubber main body, and a large number of core bodies 25 are disposed below the core bodies 25 at regular intervals in the width direction. A piano wire 23 is provided to constitute a reinforcing member in the longitudinal direction of the rubber crawler.

Core body 25 provided inside the rubber crawler 20
is a wide plate-shaped member, and a pair of protruding members 26, 26a are provided to protrude above the central portion thereof. The main body of the core body 25 is covered with a relatively thick rubber member, and the protruding members 26,
The periphery of 26 is covered with relatively thin rubber.
These core body 25, piano wire 23, etc. are constructed as one piece by processing operations such as rubber vulcanization when manufacturing them.

The rubber crawler 20 is configured as an endless belt member, and its length is set to match the size of the traveling device 10 of the vehicle. Therefore,
In the case of rubber crawlers, it is not possible to remove each link as in the case of iron crawlers, and a repair method of replacing only the damaged links is not adopted.

In addition, the support roller 13 for transmitting the weight of the vehicle to the rubber crawler between the front and rear sprockets is
As shown in the figure, a cylindrical member 14 shaped to surround the shaft hole 15, disc-shaped rims 16, 16a protruding from both sides of the cylindrical member 14, a flange 17 provided around the rim 16, 17a, a recess 15a surrounded by the rims 16, 16a is formed around the center of the support roller 13, and a protruding member 26 of the core body 25 described above is formed in the recess 15a. , 26a are accommodated therein.

Further, in the support roller 13 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, a lining is provided at the portion that comes into contact with the rubber crawler. This is achieved by providing outer linings 18, 18a around the flange 17, as shown in FIG.
The support roller 13 connects to the rubber crawler 2 via 8a.
0, and in this case, the rims 16, 16a surrounding the recessed portion
The inner surface of the cylindrical member 14 is formed perpendicularly to the cylindrical member 14 .

In addition, in the support roller shown in FIG.
Outer lining 1 is placed on the surface of recess 15a of 16a.
8, 18a and inner linings 19, 19a are arranged, respectively.

In this embodiment, both the rims 16 and 16a are provided in an inclined manner so as to widen outward, and the inner linings 19 and 19a that cover the surfaces of the rims are the inner linings 19 and 19a on the concave side. Since the surface is formed substantially perpendicular to the cylindrical member 14, the cylindrical member 14 side is formed thin and the flange side is formed thick.

These outer linings and inner linings are
Both are integrally formed by coating the flange and rim with rubber such as urethane rubber to a specified thickness by baking, etc. Rubber with a hardness of 90° is coated to a thickness of approximately 10 to 20 mm. This allows the layers to be formed integrally with the support roller.

The outer lining and inner lining are not limited to using urethane rubber, but other types of rubber that have wear resistance and elasticity can also be used. As for the attachment method, in addition to the usual baking adhesion method, it is possible to use a normal adhesion method such as adhesion with an adhesive.

In the support roller of the present invention, providing an elastic covering layer around the flange allows the outer lining 18 to have additional elasticity in addition to the relatively large elasticity of the rubber crawler. In addition to the simple reasons mentioned above, the traveling device of the present invention prevents the occurrence of a situation where ice adheres to the support rollers and the rotation of the support rollers stops, especially in cold regions. It is preventable.

If the rotation of the support roller stops for some reason and the rubber crawler slides against the stopped support roller, ice may adhere to the surface of the flange of the support roller. Even in this case, when the condition that stopped the rotation of the support roller is removed and the support roller rotates a little, the ice attached to the flange of the support roller is naturally removed. In other words, in this case, the lining formed on the surface of the flange expands and contracts, and while the lining changes elastically, the ice cannot follow this change, so it peels off from the lining and automatically It will be removed.

Furthermore, in the traveling device for a working vehicle using the rubber crawler of the present invention, for example, in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. A lining is formed on the support roller at a position in contact with the roller, and corner portions of the lining abut against the outer wall.

Therefore, a rubber crawler 2 as shown
0 and the support roller 13, the iron member at the corner of the protruding member 26 and the flange 17 is
Since direct contact is prevented, even during normal running, even if the rubber crawler is slightly misaligned with the support roller, the steel member will come into direct contact and the contact or rubbing action will prevent the rubber crawler from coming into direct contact with the support roller. This prevents wear and tear, and furthermore, it is possible to prevent noise such as squeaks from being generated due to the direct rubbing action of the iron member.

The advantages described above are particularly noticeable when steering the vehicle. In other words, when changing the direction of a vehicle, in a traveling device using crawlers, by stopping the rotation of one of the crawlers and driving only the other crawler, the center of the crawler on the stopped side is The vehicle is rotated using the part as a fulcrum.

When the vehicle performs a rotational motion,
Since a force directed in the direction of rotation is forcibly applied to the part that comes into contact with the ground, the rubber crawler 20, which provides resistance by contacting the ground, is forced to a predetermined position according to the upper frame 2. Due to the lower frame attempting to rotate in the direction, a force is applied to the support roller 13 in the lateral direction.

Therefore, in the case of an engagement relationship between both members, when a conventional iron crawler is used and a support roller also made of iron is used, the rim 16 of the support roller 13
The connecting portion between the rubber crawler 20 and the flange 17 is
In addition to being strongly pressed by the protruding member 26 of
According to the inclination of the outer wall 27 of No. 6, it gradually rises, and an unfavorable situation may occur, such as the support roller eventually coming off the rubber crawler.

On the other hand, in the case of the device of the present invention, the second
As shown in the figure, even if the center line of the rubber crawler 20 deviates from the center of the support roller 13, the outer wall 27 of the protruding member 26 of the rubber crawler
is only pressed against the inner lining 19 and performs an action of compressing the inner lining 19, so that the irons do not come into contact with each other and accelerate wear. In addition, during steering operation, the twisting effect that occurs when two pieces of steel are used does not occur, and abnormal situations such as wheels falling off are prevented from occurring.

In addition, in the support roller of the present invention, even by providing only the outer lining 18 on the outer circumferential surface of the flange as shown in FIG. However, by providing an outer lining 18 and an inner lining 19 as shown in FIG. 2B, a greater effect can be achieved.

Further, in the embodiments of the present invention as described above, as the outer lining 18 and the inner lining 19, synthetic rubber such as urethane rubber may be used, or a rubber member having similar properties to the urethane rubber may be used. It is possible to
The thickness of the rubber member applied to the surface of the support roller can be any thickness depending on the weight of the work vehicle or the running conditions.

In addition, as the means for fixing the lining to the support roller of the present invention, it is naturally possible to use any adhesive in addition to the conventionally used rubber vulcanization adhesive means. The adhesion method is not particularly limited.

Furthermore, in the above embodiments of the present invention,
Although an example of application to a traveling device of a work vehicle with a large body weight such as a hydraulic excavator has been shown, the support roller with the lining of the present invention can also be applied to a snowmobile or other special vehicle used in cold regions. Not only can it be applied to vehicles, but from the viewpoint of the cushioning properties of the lining and noise prevention, it is naturally possible to apply it to general work vehicles equipped with rubber crawlers as traveling devices.

(Effects of the Invention) Since the running device for a work vehicle using the rubber crawler of the present invention has the above-described configuration, ice, etc. adhering to the support rollers can be avoided, especially in a work vehicle used in a cold region. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide a device that can automatically remove the vehicle, thereby facilitating maintenance of the vehicle.

Furthermore, in the device of the present invention, in addition to the cushioning properties of the rubber crawler, the support roller can also be provided with cushioning properties, so that the riding comfort of the vehicle can be improved.

Moreover, since rubber crawlers are used for the traveling device, there is no vibration or noise generated when running at high speeds, unlike iron crawler devices, and even when used on the road, it does not affect the surrounding area. This makes it possible to use the device as a device that can perform work while moving at any location.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of a hydraulic excavator to which the traveling device for a work vehicle using the rubber crawler of the present invention can be applied; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the support roller and rubber crawler of the present invention; Figure 3 shows the structure of the support roller of the present invention, where a is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which only an outer lining is provided on the flange of the support roller, and b is a sectional view showing an example in which an outer lining and an inner lining are provided. Yes, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the case where ice adheres to the traveling device. Codes in the diagram 1...Hydraulic excavator, 2...Upper frame, 3...Engine section, 5...Arm, 6
... Cylinder, 9 ... Swivel device, 10 ... Travel device, 11 ... Front sprocket, 12 ... Rear sprocket, 13 ... Support roller, 14 ... Cylindrical member, 15 ... Shaft hole, 15a ... Recessed part , 16... rim, 17... flange, 18... outer lining,
19...Inner lining, 20...Rubber crawler,
21... Running part, 22... Roller contact surface, 23...
... Piano wire, 25 ... Core body, 26 ... Projection member,
27...Outer wall, 30...Ice, 31...Contaminants such as stones.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Core bodies are arranged at predetermined intervals in the width direction,
Reinforcing members such as piano wire are arranged in the length direction, and they are integrally covered with rubber or the like to form an endless member, and the reinforcing members are made to protrude at predetermined intervals from the outer peripheral surface of the endless main body. A rubber crawler comprising: a grounding member provided with protrusions; and two protruding members disposed at predetermined intervals from the core toward the inner surface of the body in the width direction of the body of the endless member. The rubber crawler, the support roller, and the sprocket are combined to form a running member of the vehicle, using sprockets disposed at the front and rear of the vehicle in the running direction, and a plurality of support rollers disposed on the ground contact portion between the sprockets. The support roller is configured such that a rim and a flange protruding on both sides of a cylindrical member provided with an axial hole are arranged with a substantially L-shaped cross section, and the flange is configured in a substantially cylindrical roller shape. and a concave portion having a width corresponding to the two protruding members, and the gap between the rims on both sides is a concave portion having a width corresponding to the two protruding members, and the surface of the concave side of the rim and the outer peripheral surface of the flange Then, an elastic member is bonded together with a predetermined thickness, and the outer peripheral surface of the flange is covered with the elastic member,
A traveling device for a work vehicle using a rubber crawler, characterized in that a support roller constitutes a mechanism in which elastic contact is made between the support roller and the inner surface of the rubber crawler.