WO2022196839A1

WO2022196839A1 - Tooth assembly of bucket for excavator

Info

Publication number: WO2022196839A1
Application number: PCT/KR2021/003257
Authority: WO
Inventors: Taehwan Kim
Original assignee: Volvo Construction Equipment Ab
Priority date: 2021-03-16
Filing date: 2021-03-16
Publication date: 2022-09-22

Abstract

A tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of the present invention includes a tooth adapter fixed to the bucket, a tooth mounted on the tooth adapter, an elastic locking member provided in the tooth adapter, and a coupling member configured to fix the tooth to the tooth adapter and including a chamfered head portion and a coupling groove, in which the coupling groove and the elastic locking member are coupled to or decoupled from each other as the coupling member rotates.

Description

TOOTH ASSEMBLY OF BUCKET FOR EXCAVATOR

The present invention relates to a tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator, and more specifically, to a tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator formed so that the efficiency of a replacement operation of a tooth is improved by enabling a tooth adopter fixedly coupled to the bucket of the excavator to be easily coupled to the tooth mounted on the tooth adapter.

In general, an excavator, which is a kind of construction machine, is a civil engineering machine used to dig soil or rock. An arm is provided in the front portion of an excavator body, and a bucket for digging and temporarily storing soil or rock is installed in an end portion of the arm.

The arm is pivotably installed using a link member and a hydraulic device. Moreover, the bucket for digging and temporarily storing soil, rock, or the like is also pivotally installed in the end portion of the arm. In addition, one or more teeth are mounted in an end portion of the bucket that comes into preferential contact with an excavation target such as soil or rock, thereby improving excavation performance.

In this regard, Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-0366057 describes a tooth for a bucket in an excavator, which includes a tooth adapter in which an insert portion exposed to the outside of the bucket is formed to protrude integrally from a mounting portion fixedly coupled to the bucket for the excavator by a bolt, welding, or the like, and a tooth point that is coupled to the tooth adapter to excavate an excavation ground and has an open insert groove in one side into which the insert portion of the tooth adapter is inserted. In this general tooth for the bucket of the excavator, a fitting hole through which a coupling pin is fitted into the insert portion of the tooth adapter is formed vertically to pass through upper and lower surfaces of the insert portion, an insertion hole into which the coupling pin is inserted coincides with the fitting hole of the tooth adapter and is formed vertically to pass through upper and lower surfaces of the tooth point, a locking groove into which a snap ring is inserted is formed in an inlet of one fitting hole of the tooth adapter to communicate with the insertion hole while being stepped, and when the coupling pin is fitted into the fitting hole of the tooth adapter and the insertion hole of the tooth point coinciding with each other, a ring groove to which the snap ring provided in the locking groove of the tooth adapter is elastically fitted and fixed is formed in the coupling pin.

In the teeth for the bucket of the excavator of the related art, generally, when the coupling pin is inserted into a slot of the tooth adapter and a through hole of the tooth adapter coinciding with each other, the coupling pin is hit with a tool such as a hammer so that the coupling pin is inserted and fixed into the slot of the tooth point and the through hole of the tooth adapter coinciding with each other.

However, when the coupling pin is hit in this way, an accident may occur, such as hitting a hand or foot, and the coupling pin hit by the hammer is bent, deformed, and damaged, or other tooth adapters and tooth points are deformed and damaged, and there is a problem that it is difficult to separate the tooth point from the tooth adapter or a large force is required to separate the tooth point.

The present invention is directed to providing a tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator which allows a tooth and a tooth adapter to be easily coupled without hitting a coupling pin with a tool such as a hammer.

One aspect of the present invention provides a tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator including a tooth adapter fixed to the bucket; a tooth mounted on the tooth adapter, an elastic locking member provided in the tooth adapter, and a coupling member configured to fix the tooth to the tooth adapter and including a chamfered head portion and a coupling groove, in which the coupling groove and the elastic locking member are coupled to or decoupled from each other as the coupling member rotates.

The elastic locking member may include a plate having an insertion hole into which the coupling member is inserted, and an elastic arm extending from the plate to elastically support the coupling member.

One end of the elastic arm may be a fixed end fixed to a plate and the other end may be a free end, the free end of the elastic arm may be formed as a first bent portion bent inward to the insertion hole, and the first bent portion may be coupled to the coupling groove.

The first bent portion may be disposed to cover a portion of an upper portion of the insertion hole so as to spread when the coupling member is inserted to apply an elastic force to the coupling member.

The fixed end of the elastic arm may be formed as a second bent portion that is bent in a direction opposite to the first bent portion.

The elastic arm is provided on each of both sides of the plate.

The coupling groove may be formed in the head portion.

The coupling groove may be connected to a chamfered inclination surface formed in the head portion so that the coupling groove is guided to the first bent portion when the coupling member rotates.

The coupling member may be disposed to pass through a first through hole formed in the tooth adapter, a second through hole formed in the tooth, and an insertion hole formed in the elastic locking member.

A stepped portion protruding outward may be formed on an end portion of the coupling member, and the stepped portion may be locked to the first through hole.

A seating groove, on which the elastic locking member is seated, may be formed in the tooth adapter.

A locking protrusion may be formed to protrude from the seating groove, and a locking groove corresponding to the locking protrusion may be formed in the elastic locking member.

A tool coupling groove to which a tool for rotating the coupling member is coupled is formed to be recessed in an end portion of the coupling member.

According to a tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator according to an embodiment of the present invention, a coupling member is coupled or decoupled by rotating the coupling member through a tool such as a wrench without hammering the coupling member unlike in the related art, and thus, it is possible to safely perform work. Moreover, a large force is not required to rotate the coupling member according to a structure of a head portion of the coupling member, and thus, it is possible to improve ease of work.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from a configuration of the invention described in a detailed description or claims of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of construction equipment is mounted on a bucket according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of the construction equipment according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a tooth according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a tooth adapter according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view of an elastic locking member according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a coupling member according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a coupling process of the tooth and the tooth adapter according to one embodiment of the present invention in a direction A-A of FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention may be implemented in a number of different forms, and therefore is not limited to embodiments described herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to descriptions are omitted in order to clearly describe the present invention, and similar reference numerals are attached to similar portions throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a portion is described to be "connected" to another portion, this includes not only being "directly connected" but also being "indirectly connected" to another portion with another member interposed therebetween. In addition, when a portion "includes" a certain component, this means that other components may be further provided, not excluding other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

Terms including an ordinal number such as "first" or "second" used herein may be used to describe various components or steps, but the corresponding components or steps should not be limited by the ordinal number. Terms including ordinal numbers should be construed only for the purpose of distinguishing one component or step from other components or steps.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator is mounted on a bucket according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a detailed view of a tooth according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a tooth adapter according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a detailed view of an elastic locking member according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a detailed view of a coupling member according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a coupling process of the tooth and the tooth adapter according to one embodiment of the present invention in a direction A-A of FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, a tooth assembly 1000 of a bucket for an excavator according to one embodiment of the present invention is used to improve excavation performance with respect to an excavation target such as soil or rock and includes a tooth 200 and a tooth adapter 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the tooth adapter 100 is coupled to a bucket 1 of an excavator in a state of being coupled with the tooth 200 for excavation and includes an insert portion 110 that is formed to protrude together with the tooth 200 and a mounting portion 120 that is fixedly coupled to the bucket 1 of the excavator.

Specifically, the insert portion 110 is formed to have a cross-section smaller forward, that is, to have a shape tapering forward, and in a side portion of the insert portion 110, a first through hole 112 into which a coupling member 400 may be inserted is formed to pass through the insert portion 110.

In addition, in one surface of the insert portion 110, a seating groove 111 in which an elastic locking member 300 may be seated is formed to be recessed inward, and the first through hole 112 is located at a center of the seating groove 111. Preferably, a locking protrusion 113 protruding into the seating groove 111 may be formed on an inner peripheral surface of the seating groove 111 so that the elastic locking member 300 described below can be firmly fixed to the tooth adapter 100. The locking protrusion 113 is coupled to a locking groove 312 of the elastic locking member 300. More preferably, the locking protrusion 113 may be provided as a plurality of locking protrusions 113 along the inner peripheral surface of the seating groove 111.

The mounting portion 120 includes a pair of

legs

121 and 122 that extends rearward from each of an upper end and a lower end of the insert portion 110, and an edge of the bucket 1 of the excavator is inserted between inner surfaces, which face each other, of the pair of

legs

121 and 122 and fixedly coupled by a bolt, welding, or the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the tooth 200 is coupled to the tooth adapter 100 to come into direct contact with the excavation target such as soil or rock, thereby improving excavation ability for the excavation target. The tooth 200 is a consumable that inevitably wears in proportion to an excavation operation time because the tooth 200 comes into direct contact with the excavation target. Therefore, the tooth 200 is replaced after a certain period of use and is detachably coupled to the tooth adapter 100 for replacement.

The tooth 200 has a cross section smaller forward, that is, has a shape tapering forward, and in a rear portion of the tooth 200, an insert groove 220 having an inner space shape corresponding to the insert portion 110 of the tooth adapter 100 described above is formed to be recessed.

Second through holes 230 to be coupled with the tooth adapter 100 are formed in both sides of the tooth 200. Specifically, the insert portion 110 protruding from the tooth adapter 100 is inserted into the insert groove 220 of the tooth 200 and then coupled using the coupling member 400 such as a coupling pin. In this case, the second through hole 230 of the tooth 200 is formed at a position corresponding to the first through hole 112 of the tooth adapter 100. Accordingly, the coupling pin sequentially passes through the second through hole 230 located on one side, the first through hole 112, the insertion hole 311 of the elastic locking member 300 described below, and the second through hole 230 located on the other side, and thus, the tooth 200 may be coupled to the tooth adapter 100.

In a front surface portion 210 of the tooth 200, a protrusion 211 is formed to effectively excavate the excavation target, but a shape is not limited thereto, and various shapes known to those of ordinary skill in the art can be applied.

In addition, the tooth assembly 1000 of a bucket for an excavator according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the elastic locking member 300 and the coupling member 400 that fixedly couple the tooth 200 to the tooth adapter 100 or decouple the tooth 200 from the tooth adapter 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the elastic locking member 300 is a member that is seated in the seating groove 111 of the tooth adapter 100 described above to elastically applying a force to the coupling member 400, is made of a metal material, and roughly includes a plate 310 and an elastic arm 320.

The plate 310 has a plate shape that forms a base of the elastic locking member 300 and is illustrated as a square in FIG. 6 but is not limited thereto, and various shapes corresponding to the shape of the seating groove 111 can be applied. Preferably, the locking groove 312 corresponding to the locking protrusion 113 formed in the above-described seating groove 111 may be formed in upper and lower ends of the plate 310.

The insertion hole 311 into which the coupling member 400 is inserted and which corresponds to a diameter of the coupling member 400 is formed at a center of the plate 310. In addition, a pair of elastic arms 320 may be formed to extend from both sides of the plate 310. Specifically, each of the elastic arms 320 is to apply an elastic force to the coupling member 400, and one end of the elastic arm 320 is a fixed end f fixed to a side of the plate 310 and the other end thereof is a free end o extending in a direction perpendicular to the plate 310. Preferably, the free end o of the elastic arm 320 may be formed as a first bent portion 321 formed to be bent inward to the plate 310.

As illustrated in FIG. 6(b), when the elastic locking member 300 is viewed in a vertical direction, it is preferable that both sides of the insertion hole 311 are partially covered by the first bent portion. In this way, in a case where an upper space of the insertion hole 311 is covered by the first bent portion 321, when the coupling member 400 is inserted into the insertion hole 311 to come into contact with the first bent portion 321 as described below, the first bent portion 321 is pushed outward from the insertion hole 311, and thus, an inward elastic force may be applied to the coupling member 400 in contact with the first bent portion 321.

Preferably, the fixed end f of the elastic arm 320 includes a second bent portion 322 bent in a direction opposite to the first bent portion 321, that is, the elastic arm 320 may have an approximate "S" shape that extends in a direction perpendicular to the plate 310. In this case, the elastic arm 320 may press the coupling member 400 more elastically to strengthen the coupling between the coupling member 400 and the elastic arm 320.

More preferably, the elastic arm 320 may extend horizontally with the plate 310 along a side of the plate 310. In this case, when the first bent portion 321 is coupled to a coupling groove 422 described below, a contact area therebetween increases, and thus, the coupling member 400 can be more stably supported by the elastic locking member 300.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the coupling member 400 includes a body portion 410 formed in the shape of a commonly used pin and a chamfered head portion 420 on one end of the body portion 410.

The head portion 420 may include a pair of inclination surfaces inclined toward a center of an end of the body portion 410 from both sides of the body portion 410. Preferably, the head portion 420 may include a plurality of inclination surfaces having different angles. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the head portion 420 may include a first inclination surface 421a having a relatively gentle angle, a second inclination surface 421b that extends from an end of the first inclination surface 421a and has a sharper angle than the first inclination surface 421a, and a tip 421c that extends parallel to an end of the second inclination surface 421b and is connected to the second inclination surface 421b located on an opposing side.

Meanwhile, as illustrated, a curved surface may be applied to the inclination surface but is not limited thereto, and various inclination surfaces such as a flat surface may be applied.

As described above, the coupling member 400 is pushed between the pair of elastic arms 320 of the elastic locking member 300. In this case, when the head portion 420 is chamfered, an upper end portion of the head portion 420 passes through a portion between the elastic arms 320 without resistance of the elastic arms 320.

That is, even when the coupling member 400 is not hit with a tool such as a hammer as in the related art, the coupling member 400 can be easily inserted to a coupling position described below.

Meanwhile, since the head portion 420 has a cross section larger downward, when the coupling member 400 is continuously inserted between the pair of elastic arms 320, approximately, a lower end portion of the first inclination surface 421a comes into contact with a contact surface 321a which is an outer peripheral surface of the first bent portion 321, and a position of the coupling member 400 at this time is defined as the coupling position. When the coupling member 400 is located at the coupling position, the elastic arm 320 is spread outward by a pushing force of the coupling member 400, and an elastic force generated by the elastic arm 320 is applied to the coupling member 400 in an inward direction of the coupling member 400. In this case, of course, the coupling position also includes a position of the coupling member 400 at which the first inclination surface 421a comes into simple contact with the first bent portion 321 and an elastic force is not applied to the coupling member 400.

Preferably, the head portion 420 may include the coupling groove 422 that may be coupled to the first bent portion 321 of the elastic locking member 300. The coupling groove 422 is formed to be recessed in a shape corresponding to the first bent portion 321 on a surface of the head portion 420 on which the above-described inclination surface is not formed, and one end of the coupling groove 422 is connected to a lower end portion of the first inclination surface 421a.

In detail, when the coupling groove 422 and the first inclination surface 421a are formed to be spaced apart from each other and a step is present therebetween, the step is caught by the first bent portion 321 when the coupling member 400 rotates, and a large force may be required. Accordingly, preferably, the coupling groove 422 and the first inclination surface 421a are disposed to connect to each other to facilitate the rotation of the coupling member 400.

Preferably, the coupling member 400 may include a tool coupling groove 430 formed in the other end of the body portion 410. For example, the tool coupling groove 430 may be formed as a wrench groove to which a wrench can be coupled. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and grooves corresponding to various tools known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be applied.

Preferably, in order to prevent the coupling member 400 from being separated from the second through hole 230 in the other side, a stepped portion 440 protruding outward may be formed on one side of an outer peripheral surface of the other end of the body portion 410. In this case, when the coupling member 400 is inserted into the first through hole 112 and the second through hole 230, the stepped portion 440 does not pass through the second through hole 230 and is fixedly caught by the tooth adapter 100.

That is, according to the tooth assembly 1000 of a bucket for an excavator according to one embodiment of the present invention, the coupling member 400 is rotated using a tool such as a wrench without hitting the coupling member 400 as in the related art, and thus, the tooth 200 and the tooth adapter 100 are coupled to each other or decoupled from each other. Accordingly, there is no fear of an accident such as hitting a hand or foot, and the coupling member 400, the tooth adapter 100, and the tooth 200 are not bent or damaged. In addition, when the user rotates the coupling member 400 using a wrench or the like at the coupling position where the first bent portion 321 of the elastic arm 320 comes into contact with the lower end portion of the first inclination surface 431a, the first bent portion 321 is slidably coupled to the coupling groove 422 connected to the first inclination surface 431a, and thus, the coupling member 400 can be easily coupled to the elastic locking member 300 even when a large force is not applied.

Meanwhile, the coupling member 400 for coupling the tooth 200 and the tooth adapter 100 is not limited to the above-described coupling pin, and the tooth 200 and the tooth adapter 100 may be coupled to each other by various coupling methods known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Hereinafter, a coupling process of the tooth 200 and the tooth adapter 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 8A, the elastic locking member 300 is inserted into the seating groove 111 provided in one side of the tooth adapter 100 in a direction in which the locking groove 312 is caught by the locking protrusion 113 formed in the seating groove 111. Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, the insert portion 110 of the tooth adapter 100 is inserted into the insert groove 220 of the tooth 200 so that the first through hole 112 and the second through hole 230 coincide with each other.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 8C, the coupling member 400 is inserted into the second through hole 230, passes through the first through hole 112 and the insertion hole 311, and is inserted into the second through hole 230 located on the opposing side. In this case, the inclination surface of the head portion 420 of the coupling member 400 is located to face the elastic arm 320 of the elastic locking member 300 and inserted between the elastic arms 320. In this case, since the cross section of the head portion 420 gradually increases, the lower end portion of the first inclination surface 421a is caught by the first bent portion 321 of the elastic arm 320 as illustrated in FIG. 8D. Accordingly, the elastic arm 320 is spread outward, and thus, the elastic force caused by the elastic arm 3230 is applied in the inward direction of the coupling member 400.

In this case, when a tool such as a wrench is coupled to the tool coupling groove 430 located at the lower end of the coupling member 400 and rotates the coupling member 400 in one direction, as illustrated in FIG. 8D, the first bent portion 321 is slidably guided to the coupling groove 422 connected to the lower end portion of the first inclination surface 421a, and the first bent portion 321 that has been pressed returns to its original state by the elastic force so that the coupling groove 422 and the first bent portion 321 tightly coupled.

Next, a decoupling process of the tooth 200 and the tooth adapter 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. First, a tool such as a wrench is coupled to the tool coupling groove 430 and the coupling member 400 rotates in a direction opposite to the coupling direction. In this case, the first bent portion 321 is slidably guided to the first inclination surface 421a along the coupling groove 422 connected to the first inclination surface 421a, the coupling groove 422 and the first bent portion 321 are decoupled from each other, and the coupling member 400, which is inserted into the first through hole 112 of the tooth adapter 100, the second through hole 230 of the tooth 200, and the insertion hole 311 of the elastic locking member 300, is separated. Accordingly, the tooth adapter 100 and the tooth 200 are decoupled from each other.

That is, according to the tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator according to one embodiment of the present invention, the coupling member is coupled or decoupled by rotating the coupling member through a tool such as a wrench without hammering the coupling member as in the related art, and thus, it is possible to safely perform work. Moreover, a large force is not required to rotate the coupling member according to the structure of the head portion of the coupling member, and thus, it is possible to improve ease of work.

The above descriptions of the present invention are for illustrative purposes only, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to understand that other specific forms can be easily modified without changing a technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative and non-limiting in all respects. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by claims described below, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and the concept of equivalents thereof should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of a replacement operation of a tooth by enabling a tooth adopter fixedly coupled to the bucket of the excavator to be easily coupled to the tooth mounted on the tooth adapter.

Claims

A tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator, comprising:

a tooth adapter fixed to the bucket;

a tooth mounted on the tooth adapter;

an elastic locking member provided in the tooth adapter; and

a coupling member configured to fix the tooth to the tooth adapter and including a chamfered head portion and a coupling groove,

wherein the coupling groove and the elastic locking member are coupled to or decoupled from each other as the coupling member rotates.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 1, wherein the elastic locking member includes:

a plate having an insertion hole into which the coupling member is inserted; and

an elastic arm extending from the plate to elastically support the coupling member.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 2, wherein one end of the elastic arm is a fixed end fixed to a plate and the other end is a free end,

the free end of the elastic arm is formed as a first bent portion bent inward to the insertion hole, and

the first bent portion is coupled to the coupling groove.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 3, wherein the first bent portion is disposed to cover a portion of an upper portion of the insertion hole so as to spread when the coupling member is inserted to apply an elastic force to the coupling member.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 4, wherein the fixed end of the elastic arm is formed as a second bent portion that is bent in a direction opposite to the first bent portion.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 5, wherein the elastic arm is provided on each of both sides of the plate.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 3, wherein the coupling groove is formed in the head portion.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 7, wherein the coupling groove is connected to a chamfered inclination surface formed in the head portion so that the coupling groove is guided to the first bent portion when the coupling member rotates.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 1, wherein the coupling member is disposed to pass through a first through hole formed in the tooth adapter, a second through hole formed in the tooth, and an insertion hole formed in the elastic locking member.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 9, wherein a stepped portion protruding outward is formed on an end portion of the coupling member, and

the stepped portion is locked to the first through hole.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 1, wherein a seating groove, on which the elastic locking member is seated, is formed in the tooth adapter.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 11, wherein a locking protrusion is formed to protrude from the seating groove, and

a locking groove corresponding to the locking protrusion is formed in the elastic locking member.
The tooth assembly of a bucket for an excavator of claim 1, wherein a tool coupling groove to which a tool for rotating the coupling member is coupled is formed to be recessed in an end portion of the coupling member.