WO2011127536A1

WO2011127536A1 - A wear assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2011127536A1
Application number: PCT/AU2011/000432
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mark Bolt
Original assignee: Cqms Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-04-14
Filing date: 2011-04-14
Publication date: 2011-10-20

Abstract

A wear assembly for mounting to a structure comprises a base, a wear plate and a lock formation. A longitudinal axis extends from a rear end to a front end of the base. The base includes two or more male formations having inclined bearing faces which are inclined relative to the underside of the base in a direction from the rear end to the front end. The male formations are located spaced from each other on either side of the longitudinal axis. The wear plate includes female formations having bearing faces releasably engaged with the inclined bearing faces by displacement of the wear plate in a direction inclined to the underside of the base. The lock formation comprises a rigid part and a resilient part. The rigid part opposes a wall of the base and a wall of the wear plate to lock the wear plate to the base.

Description

TITLE

A WEAR ASSEMBLY

This invention relates to a wear assembly mountable to a working surface of a structure. In particular, the invention relates to wear runners for mining equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Working surfaces of mining equipment are often subject to highly abrasive conditions due to earth passing across or along the working surfaces. It is known to apply wear members to the working surfaces in order to minimise the abrasive effect on the mining equipment. As the wear members are designed to be worn away, they need periodic replacement. It is beneficial if the wear members are easily mountable and replaceable, saving in downtime of the mining equipment.

Wear members are employed for wear protection of high wear surfaces in a variety of applications, such as in chutes, hoppers, bins, impact walls, and excavation buckets.

Wear runners are well known wear assemblies comprising a base and a wear plate. The base is welded to the surface in the area of expected wear and the wear plate is engaged to the base: The wear runners are mounted serially one behind the other. The wear plates are typically designed to advantageously tighten onto the base when displaced in a particular direction. US patent no. 4,716,666 describes a typical wear runner for an excavating bucket. At one end of the series of wear runners of US patent no. 4,716,666 a stop is welded to secure the last wear runner in the series. If one or more of the wear plates wear, each wear plate can be accessed by removing the stop and those wear plates that need replacing can be accessed after being loosened from their respective bases. All the wear plates in a series of runners may be unseated from their bases if the stop is "peeled" from the surface during use. UK Patent Application GB2375103 (the Chapmans patent) is to a replaceable wear plate having a connector receivable in a socket of a base plate. Sides of the connector are inclined. Along an axis through the connector parallel to the inclined sides, the connector has a round cross section. The connector is provided with a key and the socket has a notch adapted to receive the key of the connector. The key and notch are used to precisely locate the plates with respect to one another.

To inhibit rotation of the wear plate of the Chapmans patent relative to the base plate, apertures are evenly spaced on either side of a central line bisecting the connector and the key. Notches are located in corresponding locations with respect to the socket as are the apertures with respect to the connector of the wear plate. Nylon plugs are driven into each aperture so that they pass through the wear plate and enter the notches/The spacing of the apertures provide even triangulation with the connector to thereby inhibit rotation of the wear plate relative to the base plate. All of the nylon plugs have to be drilled out to release the wear plate from the base plate.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to overcome or at least alleviate one or more of the above problems and/or provide the consumer with a useful or commercial choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form, although not necessarily the only or the broadest form, the invention resides in a wear assembly for mounting to a structure, the wear assembly comprising:

a base having:

an underside adapted to be fixed adjacent a surface of the structure;

a longitudinal axis extending from a rear end of the base to a front end of the base;

two male formations having inclined bearing faces, the inclined bearing faces being inclined relative to the underside in a direction from the rear end to the front end, and the male formations located spaced from each other on either side of the longitudinal axis; and a wear plate including female formations having bearing faces releasably engaged with the inclined bearing faces of the male formations by displacement of the wear plate in a direction inclined to the underside of the base.

The wear assembly preferably includes a lock formation comprising a rigid part which is rigid and a resilient part which is resiliently deformable, wherein the rigid part of the lock formation opposes a wall of the base and opposes a wall of the wear plate, the rigid part of the lock formation being displaceable relative to the base.

The base is preferably adapted so that the rigid part of the lock formation is displaceable in a direction toward the underside of the base.

The base preferably includes a recess in which a portion of the rigid part of the lock formation is received and the wear plate includes a recess in which a different portion of the rigid part of the lock formation is received.

The recess of. the base preferably includes the wall of the base the rigid part of the lock formation opposes. The recess of the wear plate preferably inlcudes the wall of the wear plate the rigid part of the lock formation opposes.

The resilient part of the lock formation is preferably a bed of resiliently deformable material.

The wear plate preferably has an access port extending into the recess in the wear plate.

The male formations are preferably fins and the female formations are preferably sockets adapted to receive the fins.

The wear plate preferably includes:

a longitudinal axis extending from a front end to a rear end of the wear plate;

the bearing faces of the sockets being inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the wear plate in a direction from the front end to the rear end of the wear plate.

In another form, the invention resides in a base of a wear assembly mountable to a structure, the base having:

an underside adapted to be fixed adjacent a flat surface of the structure;

two male formations having inclined bearing faces, the inclined bearing faces being inclined relative to the underside in a direction from the rear end to the front end, and the male formations located spaced from each other on either side of the longitudinal axis.

The base preferably includes a recess which is adapted to slidaby receive part of a lock formation.

The recess is preferably adapted to constrain displacement of the part of the lock formation to a direction substantially perpendicular with the underside of the base.

In still another form, the invention resides in a wear plate of a wear assembly mountable to a structure, the wear plate having:

a longitudinal axis extending from a front end to a rear end of the wear plate;

two female formations having bearing faces, the bearing faces being inclined relative to the longitudinal axis in a direction from the front end to the rear end of the wear plate, and the female formations located spaced from each other on either side of the longitudinal axis.

The wear plate preferably includes a recess adapted to slidaby receive part of a lock formation.

The wear plate preferably includes a floor extending between the female formations, the recess being located in the floor.

The recess is preferably adapted to constrain displacement of the part of the lock formation to a direction substantially perpendicular with the floor.

The wear plate preferably includes an access port extending into the recess. In still another form, the invention resides in a method of locking a wear plate of a wear assembly to a base of the wear assembly, the method including:

applying a force to the wear plate so that a bearing face of the wear plate rides along an inclined bearing face of the base by displacement of the wear plate in a direction inclined to an underside of the base;

displacing a rigid part of a lock formation by compressing a resilient part of the lock formation with the wear plate as the wear plate is displaced; and

locking the wear plate to the base by a portion of the rigid part of the lock formation springing into a recess in the wear plate, thereby to oppose a wall of the recess.

The method extends to unlocking the wear plate from the base by: inserting an unlocking tool through an access port in the wear plate; and

compressing the resilient part of the lock formation, thereby to displace the rigid part of the lock formation from opposing the wall of the recess.

Unlocking the wear plate from the base preferably includes levering the unlocking tool to apply a downward force on the lock formation in a direction towards an underside of the base.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An embodiment of the invention, by way of example only, will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic exploded view of one embodiment of a wear assembly in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective bottom view of the base of the wear assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a perspective top view of the base of the wear assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 4 is a side view of the base of the wear assembly of Figure 1 ; Figure 5 is a perspective top view of the wear plate of the wear assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 is a perspective bottom view of the wear plate of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side view of the wear plate of Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a sectional view of the wear plate of Figure 5, sectioned along the longitudinal axis of the wear plate of Figure 5;

Figure 9 is an end view of the wear plate of Figure 5 from one end of the wear plate;

Figure 10 is an end view of the wear plate of Figure 5 from another end of the wear plate;

Figure 11 is a perspective view of the key of the wear assembly of Figure 1 ;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the base of Figure 1 welded to a surface of a structure;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the key received in a key aperture of the base of Figure 1 ;

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the wear plate being brought into engagement with the base of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a side view of the wear plate after it is locked to the base of Figure 13;

Figure 16 is a sectional view of the wear assembly of Figure 1 , showing the wear plate locked to the base;

Figure 7 is a part sectional view of the wear assembly of Figure 1 and a release tool for releasing the wear plate from the base; and

Figure 18 is a part sectional view of the wear assembly of Figure 1 showing how the release tool is operated to press down on the key and release the wear plate from the base; and

Figure 19 shows a number of wear assemblies arranged one behind the other in a line.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Fig. 1 depicts one embodiment of a wear assembly 10 of the invention comprising a base 100, a wear plate 200 and a lock formation in the form of a key 300. The base 100 and wear plate 200 may be formed of alloy steel, Domite® composites or other like materials.

Fig 2 shows a perspective bottom view of the base 100, Fig. 3 a perspective top view of the base 100, and Fig. 4 a side view of the base 100. The base 100 has an underside 102, a top 104, a front end 106 and a rear end 108. The underside 102 is planar having a flat underside surface 103. The top 104 is planar having a flat top surface 105. The underside surface 103 and the top surface 105 are generally parallel.

Two weld apertures 1 10 extend between the top 104 and the underside 102. The weld apertures 1 10 provide exposed edges 107 at the underside 102 for welding the base 100 to a working surface. The weld apertures 110 are generally oval in top plan view.

A recess in the form of a key aperture 1 12 is located between the welding apertures 110 and also extends between the top 104 and the underside 102. The key aperture 112 is generally square in top plan view. A square wall 113 defines the key aperture 112. A notch 132 is formed in the top surface 105 adjacent the key aperture 1 12.

The base 100 has a longitudinal axis 114 extending from the front end 106 to the rear end 108 along a centre-line of the base 100. Indicator tips 111 in the weld apertures 110 are in-line with the longitudinal axis 114. The key aperture 112 lies along the longitudinal axis 1 14 and is bisected by the longitudinal axis 1 14.

The base 100 comprises a central body 118 in which the apertures 110, 112 are formed. Four male formations in the form of fins 122 project from opposing sides 120 of the body 118. Two fins 122 project from one side 120 of the body 118 and the other two fins 122 project from the other side 120 of the body 118. The fins 122 on one side 120 of the body 118 is evenly spaced form the fins 122 on the other side 120 of the body 118 on either side of the longitudinal axis 1 14. The fins 122 each have an inclined bearing face 124 and an opposite inclined bearing face 126. The faces 124, 126 are generally parallel. The faces 124, 126 are inclined relative to the underside surface 03 in a direction from the rear end 108 to the front end 106. The faces 124, 126 are inclined in a direction along the longitudinal axis 114.

The body 1 18 has two spaced abutment prongs 130 at the front end 106. The function of the abutment prongs 130 is to aid in spacing a number of bases 100 one behind the other, as described in more detail with reference to FIG 19.

Fig. 5 shows a perspective top view of the wear plate 200, Fig. 6 shows perspective bottom view of the wear plate 200, Fig. 7 shows a side view of the wear plate 200, Fig. 8 shows a sectional view of the wear plate 200, and Fig's 9 and 10 are end views of the perspective ends of the wear plate 200.

The wear plate 200 has a wear side 202 and an engagement side 204. The wear side 202 has a wear surface 203. The wear plate 200 has a front end 210 and a rear end 212. A longitudinal axis 214 extends from the front end 210 to the rear end 212.

An access port 206 extends between the wear side 202 and the engagement side 204. The access port 206 has a profiled wall 230.

Referring to Figs. 6 and 7, the wear plate 200 has two spaced parallel walls 228 on the engagement side 204. The walls 228 are parallel to the longitudinal axis 214. The walls 228 are evenly spaced from each other on either side of the longitudinal axis 214. A flat floor 208 at the engagement side 202 extends between bases of the walls 228. The walls 228 each have two female formations in the form of sockets 216 formed therein. The sockets 216 are of a complementary shape to the fins 122 of the base 100 to receive the fins 122 in use, as described below with reference to Fig 15.

Each socket 216 has a bearing face 215 and an opposite bearing face 220 generally parallel to the face 215. The bearing faces 215, 220 are inclined relative to the longitudinal axis 214. The bearing faces 215,220 are inclined in a direction from the front end 210 to the rear end 212. The bearing faces 215, 220 are inclined relative to the floor 208 in the direction from the front end 210 to the rear end 212. The bearing face 220 is shorter than the bearing face 215. The location of the sockets 216 in the walls 228 provide tangs 218 below the bearing faces 220.

Longitudinal channels 226 extend from the front end 210 to the rear end 212. The channels 226 are located at opposite sides of the floor 208, adjacent the walls 228.

Two wear indicator holes 224 extend from the engagement side 204 in the direction of the wear side 202. The holes 224 terminate in the wear plate 200. The holes 224 terminate at a point in the wear plate 200 a predetermined distance from the wear surface 203. The wear indicator holes 224 extend to a depth in the wear plate 200 where the wear plate 200 is ready to be replaced when wear plate 200 wears down to that depth. The holes 224 are round where they terminate proximal the wear surface 203 and oval proximal the engagement side 204.

A key recess 222 is located in the floor 208, between the wear indicator holes 224. The key recess 222 is generally square in bottom plan view. A square wall 232 defines the key recess 222. Part of the access port 206 opens into the key recess 222 and through the wall 232. The key recess 222 lies along the longitudinal axis 214 and is bisected by the longitudinal axis 214.

Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the key 300. The key 300 comprises a rigid part in the form of a keeper block 302 and a resilient part in the form of a resiliently deformable bed 304. The keeper block 302 is rigid and formed from metal material. The bed 304 is resiliently deformable and formed from elastomeric material. The keeper block 302 and the bed 304 are fixed to one another. The key 300 is generally square cuboid and dimensioned to be at least partially received in the key aperture 1 2 of the base 100. The bed 304 is received in the key aperture 112 so that the keeper block is slidably receivable in the key aperture 112 as the bed 304 is compressed by a downward force as indicated by downward arrow "d" in FIG 1 1.

Figs. 12 to 6 show the sequence of mounting the wear assembly 10 to a working surface 400 of a structure to be protected from wear. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the base 100 welded to the surface 400. The underside 102 of the base 100 is flat against the surface 400. The base 100 is welded to the surface 400 by welds 402. The welds 402 are along the front 106 and back 108 of the base 100 and along the edges 107 within the welding apertures 110.

Fig. 13 shows a perspective view of the key 300 seated within the key aperture 112 of the base 100. The bed 304 of the key 300 is compressible against the surface 400 so that the keeper block 302 is displaceable into and out of the key aperture 112. The key 304 is displaceable in a downward direction indicted by arrow "d", which is a direction perpendicular to the surface 400 and hence also perpendicular to the underside 102 of the base 100. In an uncompressed condition of the bed 304, at least a portion of the keeper block 302 stands proud of the top surface 105 of the base 100. The bed 304 can be compressed by applying a downward force on the keeper block 302 so that the keeper block 302 is displaced in the downward direction "d" with respect to the top surface 105.

Fig 14 shows a perspective view of the wear plate 200 being aligned for engagement with the base 100. The wear plate 200 is displaced in an inclined direction, as indicated by arrow "I". It will be appreciated that the direction of displacement "I" is parallel to the inclined bearing faces 124, 126 of the fins 122. The wear plate 200 is displaced to the position shown in Fig 15.

Referring to Fig. 15, the fins 122 of the base 100 are received within the sockets 216 in the wear plate 200. The tangs 218 are below the fins 122. The tangs 218 being located below parts of the fins 222 prohibit the wear plate 200 from being lifted from the base 100. The tangs 218 engage the fins 122 when trying to lift the wear plate 200 from the base 100 in a direction perpendicular to the surface 400. The tangs 218 are adjacent the sides 120 of the body 118 of the base 100. Insides of the tangs 218 abut the sides 120 of the body 1 18 to prevent excessive lateral movement of the wear plate 200 relative to the base 100.

The inclined bearing faces 220 of the wear plate 200 bear against the inclined bearing faces 126 of the base 100. The wear plate 200 is thus forced tighter and closer together with the base 100 as the wear plate 200 is forced to be displaced in the inclined direction "I" by a rearward force "F". The key 300 pushes against the floor 208 of the wear plate 200, biasing the wear plate 200 away from the base 100. For the wear plate 200 to fully engage and lock to the base 100, the bed 304 of the key 300 must be compressed sufficiently for the wear plate 200 to be displaced to a position wherein the key 300 is in register with the key recess 222 in the wear plate 200.

The key 300 is compressed by applying the rearward force "F" to the wear plate 200 with a mallet 500. The bearing faces 220 of the wear plate 200 ride along the bearing faces 126, guiding the wear plate 200 to be displaced in the inclined direction "I" when the rearward force "F" is applied. The key 300 is urged in the downward direction "d" as the wear plate 200 is displaced in the inclined direction Ί". The floor 208 of the wear plate 200 is urged against the key 300 during displacement of the wear plate 200 in the inclined direction Ί". Once the key recess 222 is in register with the key 300, the resilience of the bed 304 forces the key 300 to spring into a locked position wherein a portion of the keeper block 302 is located in the key recess 222. The keeper block 302 is displaced into the key recess 222 in a direction perpendicular with the surface 400, which is a direction opposite to the downward direction "d' in which the bed 304 was compressed.

In the locked position of the key 300, an upper portion of the keeper block 302 is in the key recess 222 of the wear plate 200 and a lower portion of the keeper block 302 is in the key aperture 112 of the base 100. The keeper block 302 thus opposes the wall 232 of the key recess 222 of the wear plate and opposes the wall 113 of the key aperture 1 12 of the base 100. The keeper block 302 opposes and bears against both the wear plate 200 and the base 100 when in the locked position, thereby locking the wear plate 200 in its position engaged to the base 100. The key 300 primarily prevents forward displacement of the wear plate 200 relative to the base 100 as forward displacement disengages the wear plate 200 from the base 100. Rearward displacement forces the wear plate 200 and the base 100 closer and tighter together.

The wear assembly 10 is orientated on the surface 400 so that material passes over the wear plate 100 in a rearward direction "R". Rearward displacement of the wear plate 200 relative to the base 100 is constrained by the key 300 and also by the wear plate 200 abutting against the base 100 as the two are forced closer and tighter together.

Fig. 16 shows as sectional view of the wear plate 200 engaged to the base 100, with the key 300 in the locked position. The wear plate 200 is constrained from moving backwards or forwards relative to the base 100 by the key 300. The keeper block 302 bears against the wall 232 defining the key recess 222 and the wall 113 defining the key aperture 112. Any forward or backward force on the wear plate 200 is transferred to the base 100 via the keeper block 302.

Fig. 17 shows a perspective view of a worn wear plate 200 about to be released from the base 100 by a release tool 600. In order to release the wear plate 200 from the base 100, it is necessary to unlock the wear plate 200 from the base 100 by compressing the bed 304 of the key 300. Compressing the bed 304 is achieved by inserting the release tool 600 through the access port 206 in the wear plate 200. The release tool 600 has a handle 606 and a head 608 fixed to an end of the handle 606. The head 608 has a tip 602 and a cam surface 604. The cam surface 604 is profiled to bear against the keeper block 302 of the lock formation 300 as the release tool 600 is levered. The tip 602 of the release tool 600 inserted under the wear plate 200 by being received in the notch 132 of the base 100. The wear indicator holes 224 of the wear plate 200 are exposed from the wear side 202 as the wear plate 200 has worn sufficiently to expose the holes 224.

Fig. 18 shows a perspective view of how the release tool 600 is levered so that the cam surface 604 presses downward on the key 300. The cam surface 604 also presses against the profiled wall 230 of the wear plate 200 to simultaneously push the wear plate 200 forward "Fwd" out of engagement with the base 100. The bed 304 of the key 200 is compressed by the downward force applied by the release tool 600, releasing a portion of the key 300 from the key recess 222. The keeper block 302 is depressed so that a portion thereof which would have engaged the wall 232 of the wear plate 200 during forward displacement is displaced downwardly out of engagement with the portion of the wall 232. The wear plate 200 can then be disengaged and removed from the base 100 by displacing the wear plate 200 forwards relative to the base 100.

The wear plate 200 may have seized on the base 100 during use and may be displaced forwards by being hit with the mallet 500 from the rear end 212. Forward displacement of the wear plate 200 forces the wear plate 200 out of engagement and away from the base 100. The bearing faces 215 of the wear plate 200 bear against the inclined bearing faces 124 of the base 100 as the wear plate 200 is displaced forwards. The wear plate 200 is thus forced away from the base 100 as it is displaced forwards. The wear plate 200 can be lifted from the base 100 once the tangs 218 are clear from their location under the fins 122.

Fig. 19 shows a perspective view of a number of wear assemblies 10 mounted one behind the other in a series along a line. The surface 400 will generally have a reference line 404 marked thereon along which the wear assemblies 10 are to be arranged. A first base 100 of a first wear assembly 10 is arranged on the surface with indicator tips 1 11 in the weld apertures 1 10 aligned with the reference line 404. The first wear assembly 10 is welded to the surface 400 by welds 402. A subsequent base 100 of a subsequent wear assembly 10 abuts the first base 100. The abutment prongs 130 of one base 100 abuts the rear of the other base 100. The abutment prongs 100 space the bases a predetermined distance from each other along the line 404.

The wear assembly 10 provides for the wear plate 200 to easily engage and be locked to the base 100 and similarly provides for easy removal for replacement of the wear plate 200. A number of wear assemblies 10 may be mounted one behind the other in a series, or the wear assembly may be mounted stand-alone on the wear surface 400. Each wear plate 200 is individually locked to an associated base 200 and a welded stop formation is not required at the end of a series of wear assemblies 10.

Having fins the 1 12 on either side 120 of the. body 118, and similarly the walls 228 evenly spaced from the centre line 241 , prohibits rotation of the wear plate 200 relative to the base 100 about an axis perpendicular with the underside 102 of the base 100. The key 300 prevents forward displacement of the wear plate 200. The key 300 does not have to counteract rotational forces of the wear plate as the plugs of Chapman patents do. As such, the wear assembly 10 requires only a single key 300 centrally located between the base 100 and the wear plate 200 and not a number of plugs on either side of a centre line. To unlock the wear plate 200 from the base 100 is a single action by the release tool 600 on the key 300 as described.

Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Persons skilled in the relevant art may realize variations from the specific embodiments that will nonetheless fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A wear assembly for mounting to a structure, the wear assembly comprising:

a base having:

an underside adapted to be fixed adjacent a surface of the structure;

a longitudinal axis extending from a rear end of the base to a front end of the base- two male formations having inclined bearing faces, the inclined bearing faces being inclined relative to the underside in a direction from the rear end to the front end, and the male formations located spaced from each other on either side of the longitudinal axis; and a wear plate including female formations having bearing faces releasably engaged with the inclined bearing faces of the male formations.

2. The wear assembly of claim 1 , including a lock formation comprising a rigid part which is rigid and a resilient part which is resiliently deformable, wherein the rigid part of the lock formation opposes a wall of the base and opposes a wall of the wear plate, the rigid part of the lock formation being displaceable relative to the base.

3. The wear assembly of claim 2, wherein the base is adapted so that the rigid part of the lock formation is displaceable in a direction toward the underside of the base.

4. The wear assembly of any one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the base includes a recess in which a portion of the rigid part of the lock formation is received and the wear plate includes a recess in which a different portion of the rigid part of the lock formation is received.

5. The wear assembly of claim 4, wherein the recess of the base includes the wall of the base the rigid part of the lock formation opposes, and the recess of the wear plate includes the wall of the wear plate the rigid part of the lock formation opposes.

6. The wear assembly of any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the resilient part of the lock formation is a bed of resiliently deformable material.

7. The wear assembly of any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the wear plate has an access port extending into the recess in the wear plate.

8. The wear assembly of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the male formations are fins and the female formations are sockets adapted to receive the fins.

9. The wear assembly of claim 8, wherein the wear plate includes:

a longitudinal axis extending from a front end to a rear end of the wear plate; ,

10. A base of a wear assembly mountable to a structure, the base having:

an underside adapted to be fixed adjacent a flat surface of the structure;

1 1. The base of claim 10, wherein the base includes a recess which is adapted to slidaby receive part of a lock formation.

12. The base of claim 11 , wherein the recess is adapted to constrain displacement of the part of the lock formation to a direction substantially perpendicular with the underside of the base.

13. A wear plate of a wear assembly mountable to a structure, the wear plate having:

a longitudinal axis extending from a front end to a rear end of the wear plate;

14. The wear plate of claim 13, wherein the wear plate includes a recess adapted to slidaby receive part of a lock formation.

15. The wear plate of claim 14, wherein the wear plate includes a floor extending between the female formations, the recess being located in the floor.

16. The wear plate of claim 15, wherein the recess is adapted to constrain displacement of the part of the lock formation to a direction substantially perpendicular with the floor.

17. The wear plate of any one of claims 14 to claim 16, wherein the wear plate includes an access port extending into the recess.

18. A method of locking a wear plate of a wear assembly to a base of the wear assembly, the method including:

applying a force to the wear plate so that a bearing face of the wear plate rides along an inclined bearing face of the base by displacement of the wear plate in a direction inclined to an underside of the base; displacing a rigid part of a lock formation by compressing a resilient part of the lock formation with the wear plate as the wear plate is displaced; and

19. The method of claim 18 further including unlocking the wear plate from the base by:

inserting an unlocking tool through an access port in the wear plate; and

20. The method of claim 19 including levering the unlocking tool to apply a downward force on the lock formation in a direction towards an underside of the base.