Anti-toenailing track shoe

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11396336-B2
Application number	US-201916245757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2019
Priority date	Jan 11, 2019
Publication date	Jul 26, 2022
Grant date	Jul 26, 2022

Abstract

A machine track includes a track shoe having a first outboard edge and a second outboard edge, and a first set of pin lugs and a second set of pin lugs. A roller pad is positioned between the sets of pin lugs and includes a roller contact surface extending between a first roller pad end and a second roller pad end. The first roller pad end includes a relatively softer material, and the second roller pad end includes a relatively harder material that forms a trimming edge for trimming off interfering material of an adjacent track shoe in a machine track that is plastically deformed by way of roller contact with the adjacent track shoe during service.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A track shoe comprising:
a track shoe body including a first outboard edge, a second outboard edge, and a ground contact surface;
the track shoe body further including a first set of pin lugs adjacent to the first outboard edge, a second set of pin lugs adjacent to the second outboard edge, and a roller pad positioned between the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs;
the roller pad including a roller contact surface positioned opposite to the ground contact surface and extending in a fore-to-aft direction between a first roller pad end and a second roller pad end; and
the first roller pad end including, within the roller contact surface, a relatively softer material, and the second roller pad end including, within the roller contact surface, a relatively harder material that forms a trimming edge for trimming off interfering material of an adjacent track shoe in a machine track.

2. The track shoe of claim 1 wherein the roller contact surface has a first running length between the first roller pad end and the second roller pad end, and the trimming edge has a second running length that is less than 50% of the first running length.

3. The track shoe of claim 2 wherein the second running length is less than 25% of the first running length.

4. The track shoe of claim 2 wherein the roller pad has a first thickness between the roller contact surface and the ground contact surface, and the trimming edge has a second thickness between the roller contact surface and the ground contact surface that is less than the first thickness.

5. The track shoe of claim 4 wherein the relatively softer material has a material hardness of about 45 HRC or less, and the relatively harder material has a material hardness greater than 45 HRC.

6. The track shoe of claim 1 wherein the track shoe body further includes a shoe plate that includes each of the first outboard edge, the second outboard edge, and the ground contact surface, and each of the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs is integral with the shoe plate.

7. The track shoe of claim 6 wherein the shoe plate further includes a forward edge and a back edge each extending between the first outboard edge and the second outboard edge, and the shoe plate having a major diameter extending between the first outboard edge and the second outboard edge, and a minor diameter extending between the forward edge and the back edge.

8. The track shoe of claim 7 wherein the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs each include:
two forward lugs having a space extending therebetween, and one back lug at an inboard-outboard location that is coincident with an inboard-outboard location of the corresponding space; and
a forward pin bore extending through the corresponding two forward lugs, and a back pin bore extending through the corresponding one back lug.

9. The track shoe of claim 8 wherein the forward pin bore in each of the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs is at a fore-to-aft location that is coincident with a fore-to-aft location of the first roller pad end, and the back pin bore in each of the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs is at a fore-to-aft location that is rearward of a fore-to-aft location of the second roller pad end.

10. A machine track comprising:
a plurality of track shoes;
a plurality of track pins coupling together the plurality of track shoes;
the plurality of track shoes each including a first set of pin lugs, a second set of pin lugs, and a roller pad;
the roller pads each including a first roller pad end formed of a relatively softer material, and a second roller pad end formed of a relatively harder material that forms a trimming edge; and
the roller pads being positioned in serial alignment in a fore-to-aft direction, such that the relatively harder material of the trimming edge of the second roller pad end of each one of the roller pads is positioned facing and adjacent in the fore-to-aft direction to the relatively softer material of the first roller pad end of an adjacent one of the roller pads.

11. The machine track of claim 10 wherein:
the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs in each of the plurality of track shoes includes a forward lug having a forward pin bore formed therein, and a back lug having a rearward pin bore formed therein; and
the forward pin bore is at a fore-to-aft location that is coincident with a fore-to-aft location of the first roller pad end in the corresponding track shoe.

12. The machine track of claim 11 wherein the back lug in each of the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs is positioned rearward of the second roller pad end in the corresponding track shoe.

13. The machine track of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of track shoes further includes a first drive lug positioned inboard of the first set of pin lugs and outboard of the roller pad, and a second drive lug positioned inboard of the second set of pin lugs and outboard of the roller pad.

14. The machine track of claim 13 wherein:
the roller contact surface has a first running length between the first pad end and the second pad end, and the trimming edge has a second running length that is less than a majority of the first running length; and
the roller pad has a first thickness, and the trimming edge has a second thickness that is less than the first thickness.

15. The machine track of claim 14 wherein the relatively softer material has a material hardness of about 45 HRC or less, and the relatively harder material has a material hardness greater than 45 HRC.

16. A track shoe comprising:
a one-piece track shoe body including a first set of pin lugs, a second set of pin lugs, and a roller pad positioned between the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs;
the roller pad including a ground contact surface, a roller contact surface extending in a fore-to-aft direction between a first roller pad end and a second roller pad end;
the first roller pad end including a relatively softer material;
the second roller pad end including a relatively harder material that forms a trimming edge for trimming off interfering material of an adjacent track shoe in a machine track; and
the trimming edge having a running length of the relatively harder material extending in the fore-to-aft direction, and a thickness of the relatively harder material extending in a vertical direction between the roller contact surface and the ground contact surface that is greater than the running length.

17. The track shoe of claim 16 wherein
the second roller pad end includes a substantially vertical end wall transitioning with the trimming edge and formed in part by the relatively harder material.

18. The track shoe of claim 17 wherein the relatively softer material is pervasive within the one-piece track shoe body outside of the trimming edge.

19. The track shoe of claim 17 wherein the one-piece track shoe body includes a ground contact surface and each of the first set of pin lugs and the second set of pin lugs is arranged in a Y-pattern and extends both fore and aft of the ground contact surface.

20. The track shoe of claim 16 wherein the relatively softer material has a material hardness of about 45 HRC or less, and the relatively harder material has a material hardness greater than 45 HRC.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Jones Benjamin Isaac
• Abello Benoit

Classifications

• B62D55/20

  of articulated type, e.g. chains {(with lubrication means B62D55/092)} · CPC title

• B62D55/21 Primary

  Links connected by transverse pivot pins · CPC title

• B62D55/202 Primary

  Wheel engaging parts; Wheel guides on links · CPC title

• B60Y2200/25

  Track vehicles · CPC title