US1942337A - Traction belt - Google Patents

Description

D. S. KENNEDY TRACTION BELT Jan. 2, 1934.

Filed Nov. 3, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BMW QSML,W%

D. S. KENNEDY TRACTION BELT Jan. 2, 1934.

Filed Nov. 3, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEQE TRACTION BELT Donald Stuart Kennedy, Longparish, England Application November 3, 1932, Serial No. 641,067, and in Great Britain November 9, 1931 8 Claims. (01. 3i510) This invention relates to the construction of position. Fig. 4 is a. side view of Fig. 3 taken shoes for traction belts for road vehicle wheels on line 4-4 thereof. Fig. 5 is a plan of one of and of the overall type. A traction belt of the the side flaps detached. Fig. 6 is a plan view overall type is described in my prior Patent Specishowing a separate spacing washer as the dis- 5 fication No. 1,808,416. tance piece. 1

The present invention has for its principal Fig. '7 is an elevation, part section, of a springobjects to give improved track-adhesion, to preloaded link member, and, Fig. 8 is a plan thereof. vent wheel spin inside the shoe, to render the Figs. 9 and 10 relate to a modification of Figs. shoe to some extent self-cleaning and to facilitate '7 and 8.

l0 storage and also operative fixing of the chain. Fig. 11 is a detail View of the offset end of My improved shoe comprises a main tread one of the channel section members. portion having lateral flaps or wings hinged or Fig. 12 shows a modification of the side flap pivoted thereto, means being provided for limiting mounted upon a shoe composed of three channelthe outward-opening or outward extending movesection members.

15 mom; of the flaps o1- wings, away from the normal The main tread DOItiOll Of the shoe is ShOWIl trough-forming position, but so that the wing in composed of a plurality of parallel and channelsaid outward movement cannot exceed a position Section ta b s a (11 Set transversely 0f in which the plane of the wing is substantially the line of travel or" the traction belt, these mem-i in alinement with the plane of the main tread hers a a being separated by d sta Pieces 0 or is about parallel therewith. Each side of the d herea te d s b d. A Space p (12 is thus 7 main tread portion of the shoe may be provided left between the parallel members a and a with bosses or projections acting as stops to The edges b of he Wa ls Of the Channels of limit the outward movement or outward swing of these memb rs a a are arr n ed to be engaged the wing. by the tread of the wheel tire (not shown).

h main tread tion of the h preferably These members a a have oblique or offset ends or consists of a plurality of channel-section mem- Spurs these Spurs b acing to some sli bers arranged transversely of the shoe and havextent the tire ead- These Offset ends a e ing oblique or oifset ends or spurs to their walls Shown p v ded w th outer faces b and b so as to embrace to a small extent the tread of In the Channel-Section me b s d a 30 the wheel tire. These channel-section members are Spaced apart by the 100135 616 hereafter are spaced apart by means, for example, of hscribed, while in Fig. 6, the channel-section memers or the like distance pieces through which the hers (Hill are shown pa d ap by parat fore and aft extending bolts or spindles are passed, Washers c forming the d a pieces The p these retaining bolts passing also across the ends fel'red Shape Of Channel-Section members a a1 35 of the walls of the channel-section members and Will be clearly Seen in forming pivotal connections for the side wings The Side p W s 61 d a e of metal and or flaps. The side wings are provided with folds pmvided With folds 100135 d1 d2 Which engage or loops which pass into the channel of the chan- Suitable p 0 Spindles Such as the bolts e e Intel-section members and are there traversed by extending fore and aft Of the S1106 SO that the side 40 t Said retaining lt flaps or wings d are hinged upon such bolts e e.

Instead of spacing washers between the chan- These bolts 6 6 also p through t e Channelnel-section members, the lateral flaps or wings Section members a a1 and the w t W s c may be provided with additional folds or loops or other distance pieces, a d they are show p which separate and space apart the channel- Vided With retaining nuts 43 ti b The offset ends or spurs b are deeper or The present invention is hereafter described hi r than the Walls of the members a al in the with reference to the accompanying drawings, flat portion of the main bread of the ShOey in which: also extend laterally well beyond the bore for the Fig. 1 is an edge View of the improved shoe retaining pins or bolts e c, and their outer sur- 3'10 in its opened out position, one side flap or wing faces are provided With contact faces b 17 These being shown detached. faces 19 b are above the level of the tread-en Fig. 2 shows a half plan view of the tiregagin d s b a d a a su a y ap d and inengaging side, and Fig. 2a the half plan of the clined one to the other (see F underside of the shoe. Fig. 3 is an end elevation The side wings d d are corrugated or grooved as 55 showing the side flaps in their inwardly closed shown at d from about their outer'extremity up 119 to the end adjacent to the retaining pin or bolt e, i. e. in a direction transverse of the shoe. The concave face of the corrugation or groove is towards the ground and the convex face is towards the side wall of the tire. The inner end of the wall of this groove or corrugation d is in prolongation of the space between two adjacent channel-section members a 0, A portion of the shoe d, is cut away to form a shoulder portion. d*, which shoulder is arranged to abut against the contact face b as shown in Fig. 3, so that the inward movement of the side wing at is limited. These cut-away portions forming the shoulders 01 are adjacent to the hinge-forming folds or loops d d in the wings. This inwardly-closing limitation is preferably such that the side wing (i cannot take up a position in which its plane is at less than 110 to the plane of the main tread a ti I do not limit myself to that angle but it is im-- portant that the angle between the wing d and the main tread a a should always be considerably more than 90.

On the other hand, limitation of the outward opening movement of each wing d is provided by the contact face 19 with which the shoulder 02 of the wing can make contact. This outward limitation is such that the maximum outward movement permitted is one in which the plane of the wing d is substantially in alineznent with the plane of the main tread a a of the shoe, or is about parallel therewith, as will be understood from Fig. 1.

Instead of introducing a separate spacing washer c to form the distance piece between the members a a (Fig. 6), I prefer to provide each side flap or wing with the third fold or loop as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, to form the distance piece; this intermediate loop 03 also pivoted on the pin e, thus acts to hold apart the adjacent walls of the two members a al It will be noted that the shoulder d in the wing it can make contact with either the face 22 or the face 19 so that in one direction it limits the outward-opening movement and in the other direction limits the inward-closing movement of the wing d.

The wings d d may each be formed with slightly curved outer extremities as shown at al The fold 0r loop d d around the retaining bolt c e may be continued back and such continuation be secured to the metal plate of which the wing is formed: that construction will be clear from the detached portion of Fig. l, the wing 01, the loops d d and the continuation d being integral. In such case, the shoulder d is cut into both plate at and continuation :5

Preferably, space is left between the folded back portion or continuation d and the plate at to form a housing d into which two ordinary chain links I can be inserted from opposite ends (see Fig. 2a) each such link i (at the end of the short length of chain connecting adjacent shoes) being retained between the folded back portion 03 and the plate portion d of the side wing by a nutted bolt f passing through a hole f in the wing d and'through a corresponding hole in the portion d so that the end link 1 can pivot about the bolt I The folded back portion 42 also extends from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing as can be seen in Fig. 2a, being integral with and supported by the three loops d d d. When the middle loop d is omitted, the distance piece being formed by a washer c (as in Fig. 6), the folded back portion 11 is supported by the two loops d (P.

Instead of ordinary oval chain links f between adjacent shoes, I may in some cases provide these hinged side wings d d with resilient link members between two successive shoes. These resilient link members may comprise barrels 5/ (see Figs. 7 and 8) fitted with enclosed springs h arranged intermediately of the length of the link and between the component parts thereof, in such a manner that the springs will automatically take up any slackness between adjacent shoes in the overall chain due to wear of the links 1. This resilient link member is pivotally connected at each end to a shoe member, either directly or by means of a single coupling link 1, or a twisted link 2'. One end of the barrel 9 is shown bored as at 9 (see Fig. 7) for the sliding stem 7' of the plunger 7' around which is mounted the coiled spring h, and the projecting end of the stem 9' is secured to or otherwise connected with a loop 9 pivotally connected with the adjacent shoe, as by means of a twisted link i. The resilient. link member can be quickly inserted into position between adjacent shoes to replace worn or stretched chain links or other connections between those shoes.

The resilient link member may be made as a shackle comprising parallel side bars g and rounded or other suitable ends 9' as indicated in Figures 9 and 10. One such end 9 is shown looped through a twisted link i which can be connected to a pivotal axis upon one shoe. The other end is bored to receive a'sliding stem i similar to the stem 7' shown in Fig. '7 and connected to a second twisted link '5 The head 7' of this stem 7' is notched on opposite sides as at i (Fig. is) to engage the inside faces of the parallel side bars 9' of the shackle, so that the sliding movements of the stem or plunger are guided by the said bars and distortion of the spring h is avoided.

The channel-section members a a on their track-facing sides may be provided, if desired, with strakes of the known kind, riveted to the channel-section members, one such strake being shown at a in Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2a, secured by rivets a While I have illustrated the tread portion of the shoe as composed of two channelsection members, spaced apart byvwashers or distance pieces, I may of course employ more than two such members, with distance pieces arranged between each adjacent pair. Fig. 12 shows by Way of example three channel-section members a a a and two separate distance pieces 0, the wing d" being provided with three loops d to engage the hinge bolt 6; these three loops are continued to form a back portion housing the chain link connections, as described. with reference to Figs. 2 and 2a.

When the traction belt made up of these shoes is in normal conditions fitted to the two rear wheels of a six-wheeled road vehicle, the shoes assume the form of a trough due to the linkages f between adjacent shoes pulling the wings d inwardly against the walls of the wheel tires on the tandem rear wheels on one side of the vehicle. The wings d can, however, move outwardly (until the limit is reached) under conditions of stress and in so doing increase the area of contact with the ground and add to the width of the tracked area for the tires of those tandem wheels to roll upon.

Nevertheless, by limiting their outward movement, the wings are prevented from being accidentally pulled under the shoe during service,

or when the chain is being affixed in operative position upon the wheels.

For storage purposes, the wings and main tread portion of the shoe open out approximately flat (Fig. 1) The hinged connection of the wings d and the open gap a between each two channel-section members a a will render the shoe to some extent self-cleaning. The rounded or domed corrugation d in the side wings prevents undue wear on the side walls of the tire, the transverse open gap a in the tread portion improves road-adhesion, and the edges of the walls I) of the channel-section members reduce wheel spin within a chain of these shoes.

The pivoted wings or flaps d, which are normally turned inwards to form the sides of the trough in which the wheel tires travel, have their outward movement limited so that they cannot exceed the alined or parallel position when the trough becomes flattened out, for example, under conditions of stress or when the overall chains are detached for storage, and the hinge or pivotal movement of the flaps d is in all cases restricted by limiting stops provided between the pivoted Wings and the main tread portion.

What I claim is:-

1. A shoe for a traction belt comprising a main tread portion, consisting of a plurality of channel-section members laid transversely of the shoe, offset ends to said channel-section members adapted to embrace to some small extent the tread of a wheel tire, and side wings p-ivotally connected with the ends of said channel-section members, said offset ends being provided also with contact faces forming stops to limit the outward movement of the said wings.

2. A traction belt shoe, comprising a tread portion set across the line of travel of the belt, said tread portion including a plurality of parallel channel-section members, side wings hingedly connected by pins to the ends of said tread portion, and distance pieces provided between the said channel-section members, said distance pieces being traversed by the said pins.

3. A traction belt shoe, comprising a tread portion set across the line of travel of the traction belt, said tread portion including a plurality of parallel channel-section members, lateral wings hingedly connected by pins to the sides of said tread portion, and distance piec'es engaging the walls of said channel-section members, said distance pieces being provided partly in the form of loops integral with said lateral wings and partly in the form of separate washers, all said distance pieces being traversed by said pins.

4. A shoe for a traction belt of the type described, comprising a tread portion set across the line of travel of the traction belt, said tread portion including a plurality of parallel but spaced apart channel-section members, side wings hingedly connected by hinge pins to the ends of said tread portion, and loops upon said side wings engaging the said hinge pins and entering respectively into the channels of the said channel-section members and into the space between adjacent channel-section members.

5. A shoe for a traction belt of the type described, having a main tread portion set across the line of travel of the belt, a lateral wing pivotally connected to said tread portion on each side of the said line of travel, and upper and lower contact faces provided on the said tread portion to limit respectively the inward-closing movement and the outward-opening movement of the hinged wings, these contact faces being angularly inclined to each other.

6. A shoe for a traction belt of the overall type comprising a main tread member, side wings hinged thereto, coupling linkages with adjacent shoes, said linkages being secured to said side wings, and means for restricting in both directions the hinge movements between the said side wings and said tread member, said restricting means for each wing including a plurality of limiting stops provided upon the said tread member, and a stop provided upon the said wing, said stop co-operating with one of said limiting stops on the tread member to limit the said hinge movement in one direction and with another of said limiting stops on the tread member to limit the said hinge movement in the opposite direction.

7. A shoe for a traction belt of the overall type, comprising a main tread portion formed of a plurality of parallel channel-section members set transversely of the line of travel of the traction belt, side wings mounted upon the ends of said tread portion and pivotally attached thereto by pins which extend from the leading edge to the trailing edge of said shoe, a fold upon each said wing forming a distance piece between each two adjacent channel-section members, said pins traversing said channel-section members and said folds, coupling linkages secured upon the side wings of the shoe, offset ends to said channel-section members, contact faces upon the outer surface of each of said offset ends, the said contact faces upon each such end being inclined to one another, and a shoulder upon each side wing, said shoulder adapted to make contact during the movements of the pivoted wing with either of said inclined faces.

8. A shoe for a traction belt of the overall type, comprising a main tread portion formed of a plurality of parallel channel-section members set transversely of the line of travel of the belt, side wings mounted upon the ends of said tread portion and pivotally attached thereto by pins extending from the leading edge to the trailing edge of said shoe, coupling linkages secured to the side wings of the shoe, distance pieces engaging the walls of said channel-section members, said distance pieces being provided partly in the form of loops integral with said side wings and partly in the form of separate washers, said pins traversing said channel-section members and also said loops and said washers, offset ends to said channel-section members, contact faces upon the outer surface of each of said offset ends, the said contact faces upon each such end being inclined to one another, and a shoulder upon the side wing, said shoulder adapted to make contact during the movements of the pivoted wing with either of said inclined faces and to limit the respective swinging movements of said wing.

DONALD STUART KENNEDY.

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