US20010003403A1 - Endless belt for use with heavy duty track vehicles - Google Patents
Endless belt for use with heavy duty track vehicles Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20010003403A1 US20010003403A1 US09/732,078 US73207800A US2001003403A1 US 20010003403 A1 US20010003403 A1 US 20010003403A1 US 73207800 A US73207800 A US 73207800A US 2001003403 A1 US2001003403 A1 US 2001003403A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- tread
- members
- edge area
- rows
- guide members
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000011295 pitch Substances 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D55/00—Endless track vehicles
- B62D55/08—Endless track units; Parts thereof
- B62D55/18—Tracks
- B62D55/24—Tracks of continuously flexible type, e.g. rubber belts
Definitions
- the present invention pertains to an endless belt for use with a heavy duty track vehicle, such as a crawler-type vehicle, a tractor or equipment having tracks over wheels that provide both ground support and tractive effort.
- a heavy duty track vehicle such as a crawler-type vehicle, a tractor or equipment having tracks over wheels that provide both ground support and tractive effort.
- the propulsion system found on heavy duty vehicles consists of a pair of longitudinally spaced apart wheel structures which are arranged on opposite sides of the vehicle chassis which is driven by a pair of endless, substantially inextensible belts, each having an inner surface and an outer surface.
- the inner surface is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced members which guide the track relative to driving and tracking wheels forming part of the wheel structures.
- the outer surface of the belt is formed of a plurality of longitudinally spaced tread members that provide traction to the vehicle when travelling on various ground conditions.
- the present invention therefore relates to an endless belt for use with a heavy duty track vehicle comprising:
- an elongated endless body made of polymeric material, the body having a longitudinal direction, an outer surface and an inner surface;
- each tread member of the first and the second rows having an inner edge area located at a mid-section of the body and extending transversely to a longitudinal direction of the belt; the tread members defining second valleys between adjacent inner edge areas of each rows and an outer edge area; the tread members defining a series of pitches on the outer surface of the track wherein a pitch is defined as including a tread member of the first row and an adjacent tread member of the second row; each inner edge area of the tread members being in vertical alignment with a corresponding one of the guide members on the inner surface of the body and parallel to the corresponding one of the guide members; wherein two longitudinally spaced guide members are provided on the inner surface for each pitch of the outer surface and wherein each first valley is in vertical alignment with a corresponding second valley so that flexing of the track when bending occurs in the first and second valleys where thickness
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a belt made in accordance with the present invention, mounted on idler and drive wheels;
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 2 - 2 of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the belt
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 4 - 4 of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the belt.
- FIG. 1 there is shown a wheel structure, generally denoted 10 , which may be found on each opposite side of the chassis of a heavy duty track propelled vehicle (not shown).
- the structure usually includes a rear drive wheel 12 , a front idler wheel 14 and a series of track contacting rollers 16 , all wheels being included within the loop defined by an endless track or belt 18 . Traction to the belt is achieved by a high frictional engagement of the belt with the wheels 12 and 14 .
- the endless belt made in accordance with the present invention comprises an endless elongated body made of polymeric material having an outer surface 20 and an inner surface 22 .
- the outer surface 20 comprises two rows of longitudinally spaced tread members 26 and 28 that provide traction to the vehicle while the inner face comprises a series of longitudinally spaced guide members 30 which are adapted to provide guiding of the track relative to the wheels of the drive structure.
- the core of the belt may be reinforced with steel cables and wires 32 as is conventionnally known.
- each tread member 26 , 28 has a generally trapezoidal shape; it is defined by a sloping end wall 26 a, 28 a , adjacent to the outer edges 34 and 36 of the belt, a flat top wall 26 b and 28 b and opposite generally parallel side faces 26 c and 26 d, 28 c and 28 d .
- the tread members define an inner edge area 26 ′, 28 ′ and an outer edge area 26 ′′, 28 ′′ that extends obliquely relative to the longitudinal plane of the track.
- the guide member 30 is centrally located at mid-section on the inner surface of the belt and is defined by opposite front and rear faces 40 and 42 , opposite side faces 44 and 46 and a rounded lower face 48 .
- Each side face has an inwardly sloping lower section 44 ′ and 46 ′.
- the guide members 20 define a longitudinal mid-section area “x” which includes, on the outer surface of the belt, the inner edge areas 26 ′ and 28 ′ of the tread members.
- An important feature of the present invention is that these areas 26 ′ and 28 ′ extend in a same vertical plane as that of a corresponding guide member 30 located on the inner surface.
- two successive areas 26 and 28 of the tread members define successive first valleys V 1 while two successive guide members 30 define successive second valleys V 2 .
- Those valleys V 1 and V 2 are always in vertical alignment with one another so that, when the belt is subjected to bending, the flexing always occurs where the belt is at its minimum thickness, and this for the entire width of the track.
- a pitch “p” of the track is defined on the outer surface of the belt as including one tread member 26 and one tread member 28 ; there is thus provided, in each pitch, two guide members 30 .
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Escalators And Moving Walkways (AREA)
- Tires In General (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/204,800 filed Dec. 3, 1998.
- The present invention pertains to an endless belt for use with a heavy duty track vehicle, such as a crawler-type vehicle, a tractor or equipment having tracks over wheels that provide both ground support and tractive effort.
- The propulsion system found on heavy duty vehicles consists of a pair of longitudinally spaced apart wheel structures which are arranged on opposite sides of the vehicle chassis which is driven by a pair of endless, substantially inextensible belts, each having an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface is provided with a series of longitudinally spaced members which guide the track relative to driving and tracking wheels forming part of the wheel structures. The outer surface of the belt is formed of a plurality of longitudinally spaced tread members that provide traction to the vehicle when travelling on various ground conditions.
- One such belt structure is illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,378 issued Jan. 18, 1994 to Caterpillar Inc. Similar tracks are also illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,922 issued Apr. 9, 1991 to Edwards & Co. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,438 issued Nov. 16, 1999 to Tsunoda et al.
- These endless belts, although inextensible, are subject to bending as they engage the necessary supporting wheels such as drive and idler wheels or rollers. As the belt passes around and contact these wheels, they are subject to stress and it is noted that the greatest stress occurs at the base of the tread member or its junction with the top surface of belt. Belt slitting is also noted whenever the construction of the belt consists of a tread member and a guide member in the same vertical plane.
- It is an object of the present invention to provide a geometry to an endless belt of a heavy duty track propelled vehicle which greatly reduces the stress exerted on the belt, especially during its bending occurrence when driven. This is achieved by precisely locating the relative positions of the tread members on the outer surface of the belt to that of the guide members on the inner surface of the track.
- The present invention therefore relates to an endless belt for use with a heavy duty track vehicle comprising:
- an elongated endless body made of polymeric material, the body having a longitudinal direction, an outer surface and an inner surface;
- a plurality of longitudinally spaced guide members integrally formed to the inner surface extending transversely to the longitudinal direction at mid-section of the body and defining first valleys between adjacent guide members; and
- two rows of longitudinally spaced tread members integrally formed to the outer surface; the tread members of a first of the rows being longitudinally offset relative to the tread members of a second of the rows; each tread member of the first and the second rows having an inner edge area located at a mid-section of the body and extending transversely to a longitudinal direction of the belt; the tread members defining second valleys between adjacent inner edge areas of each rows and an outer edge area; the tread members defining a series of pitches on the outer surface of the track wherein a pitch is defined as including a tread member of the first row and an adjacent tread member of the second row; each inner edge area of the tread members being in vertical alignment with a corresponding one of the guide members on the inner surface of the body and parallel to the corresponding one of the guide members; wherein two longitudinally spaced guide members are provided on the inner surface for each pitch of the outer surface and wherein each first valley is in vertical alignment with a corresponding second valley so that flexing of the track when bending occurs in the first and second valleys where thickness of the body is at its minimum.
- Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the following non restrictive description of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a belt made in accordance with the present invention, mounted on idler and drive wheels;
- FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines2-2 of FIG. 3;
- FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the belt;
- FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines4-4 of FIG. 3; and
- FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the belt.
- Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a wheel structure, generally denoted10, which may be found on each opposite side of the chassis of a heavy duty track propelled vehicle (not shown). The structure usually includes a
rear drive wheel 12, afront idler wheel 14 and a series oftrack contacting rollers 16, all wheels being included within the loop defined by an endless track orbelt 18. Traction to the belt is achieved by a high frictional engagement of the belt with thewheels outer surface 20 and aninner surface 22. - The
outer surface 20 comprises two rows of longitudinally spacedtread members guide members 30 which are adapted to provide guiding of the track relative to the wheels of the drive structure. The core of the belt may be reinforced with steel cables andwires 32 as is conventionnally known. - Referring to FIG. 2, each
tread member outer edges top wall inner edge area 26′, 28′ and anouter edge area 26″, 28″ that extends obliquely relative to the longitudinal plane of the track. - Referring to FIG. 2, the
guide member 30 is centrally located at mid-section on the inner surface of the belt and is defined by opposite front andrear faces opposite side faces lower face 48. Each side face has an inwardly slopinglower section 44′ and 46′. - As can be seen in FIG. 3, the
guide members 20 define a longitudinal mid-section area “x” which includes, on the outer surface of the belt, theinner edge areas 26′ and 28′ of the tread members. An important feature of the present invention is that theseareas 26′ and 28′ extend in a same vertical plane as that of acorresponding guide member 30 located on the inner surface. - Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that two
successive areas successive guide members 30 define successive second valleys V2. Those valleys V1 and V2 are always in vertical alignment with one another so that, when the belt is subjected to bending, the flexing always occurs where the belt is at its minimum thickness, and this for the entire width of the track. - Referring to FIG. 5, a pitch “p” of the track is defined on the outer surface of the belt as including one
tread member 26 and onetread member 28; there is thus provided, in each pitch, twoguide members 30. - Although the invention has been described above with respect with one specific form, it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that it may be modified and refined in various ways. It is therefore wished to have it understood that the present invention should not be limited in scope, except by the terms of the following claims.
Claims (3)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US09/732,078 US6322172B2 (en) | 1998-12-03 | 2000-12-07 | Endless belt for use with heavy duty track vehicles |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US20480098A | 1998-12-03 | 1998-12-03 | |
US09/732,078 US6322172B2 (en) | 1998-12-03 | 2000-12-07 | Endless belt for use with heavy duty track vehicles |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US20480098A Continuation | 1998-12-03 | 1998-12-03 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20010003403A1 true US20010003403A1 (en) | 2001-06-14 |
US6322172B2 US6322172B2 (en) | 2001-11-27 |
Family
ID=22759490
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/732,078 Expired - Lifetime US6322172B2 (en) | 1998-12-03 | 2000-12-07 | Endless belt for use with heavy duty track vehicles |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US6322172B2 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2002085691A1 (en) * | 2001-04-20 | 2002-10-31 | Camoplast Inc. | Endless belt for use with heavy duty track vehicles |
US20040066090A1 (en) * | 2000-07-12 | 2004-04-08 | Hitoshi Akiyama | Rubber crawler |
US20040195915A1 (en) * | 2001-07-30 | 2004-10-07 | Shingo Sugihara | Coreless rubber crawler |
Families Citing this family (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6474756B2 (en) * | 2000-08-30 | 2002-11-05 | Komatsu Ltd. | Rubber crawler belt |
US20040004395A1 (en) * | 2000-09-18 | 2004-01-08 | Gilles Soucy | Endless track for a vehicle |
US7121636B2 (en) * | 2001-09-04 | 2006-10-17 | Ingersoll-Rand Company | Endless track for paving vehicles |
JP4087619B2 (en) * | 2002-02-27 | 2008-05-21 | 住友ゴム工業株式会社 | Elastic crawler |
CA2436493A1 (en) * | 2002-08-08 | 2004-02-08 | Bombardier Inc. | Vehicle track providing enchanced steerability |
US7188568B2 (en) * | 2005-06-29 | 2007-03-13 | Arizona Public Service Company | Self-propelled vehicle for movement within a tubular member |
US8708432B2 (en) * | 2011-01-31 | 2014-04-29 | Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. | Track and drive sprockets for a tracked vehicle |
US20120153712A1 (en) * | 2010-12-16 | 2012-06-21 | Gse Technologies, Llc | Tracked vehicle wheel |
US10273907B2 (en) | 2014-12-30 | 2019-04-30 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Systems and methods for engine-off natural vacuum leak testing |
USD997831S1 (en) * | 2019-11-04 | 2023-09-05 | StreetCar ORV, LLC | Wheel |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3767275A (en) * | 1972-04-19 | 1973-10-23 | Gates Rubber Co | Stiffener and traction element for endless track |
BR8407219A (en) * | 1983-12-20 | 1985-11-26 | Caterpillar Tractor Co | BELT SETTING WORK VEHICLE |
US5005922A (en) * | 1987-05-14 | 1991-04-09 | Edwards, Harper, Mcnew & Company | Double V-shaped endless track drive system |
DE69028548T2 (en) * | 1989-11-13 | 1997-02-27 | Warane Pty. Ltd., Hamilton | WORK VEHICLE WITH ELASTOMED TRACKS AND DIRECT DRIVE |
US5380076A (en) * | 1990-02-14 | 1995-01-10 | Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho | Rubber crawler belt of a tracked vehicle |
AU648220B2 (en) * | 1992-07-10 | 1994-04-14 | Bridgestone Corporation | Rubber track assembly |
US6139121A (en) * | 1995-05-10 | 2000-10-31 | Bridgestone/Firestone, Inc. | Positive drive rubber track |
US5707123A (en) * | 1995-09-21 | 1998-01-13 | Caterpillar Inc. | Positive drive rubber belted track system |
US5984438A (en) * | 1996-05-16 | 1999-11-16 | Bridgestone Corporation | Rubber track |
-
2000
- 2000-12-07 US US09/732,078 patent/US6322172B2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040066090A1 (en) * | 2000-07-12 | 2004-04-08 | Hitoshi Akiyama | Rubber crawler |
US7077485B2 (en) * | 2000-12-07 | 2006-07-18 | Bridgestone Corporation | Rubber crawler |
WO2002085691A1 (en) * | 2001-04-20 | 2002-10-31 | Camoplast Inc. | Endless belt for use with heavy duty track vehicles |
US20040195915A1 (en) * | 2001-07-30 | 2004-10-07 | Shingo Sugihara | Coreless rubber crawler |
US7128378B2 (en) * | 2001-07-30 | 2006-10-31 | Bridgestone Corporation | Coreless rubber crawler |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US6322172B2 (en) | 2001-11-27 |
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