Roller circle assembly for heavy machinery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9702407-B2
Application number	US-201113029833-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2011
Priority date	Nov 16, 2010
Publication date	Jul 11, 2017
Grant date	Jul 11, 2017

Abstract

A roller circle assembly for heavy machinery includes an upper circular rail and a lower circular rail concentrically arranged about a central axis, and tapered rollers between the upper and lower rail. Each tapered roller includes a flange having an angled and convex flange contact surface that contacts the lower rail. The lower rail and/or the upper rail can include an angled surface configured for contact with the flange contact surface. The geometry of the rollers and the lower rail are configured to reduce the stresses applied to the rollers and lower rail due to contact between the flange contact surface and the angled surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heavy earth-moving machine comprising:
a lower structure;
an upper structure supported by the lower structure and rotatable with respect thereto;
a substantially circular lower rail mounted on the lower structure;
a substantially circular upper rail mounted on the upper structure; and
a plurality of tapered rollers engaging and positioned between the upper rail and the lower rail, each of the plurality of tapered rollers including
a substantially frustoconical body portion having an enlarged end, a reduced end, and a roller surface extending between the enlarged end and the reduced end, the body portion defining a roller axis; and
a flange portion extending radially from the reduced end of the body portion and including a convex flange contact surface facing toward the enlarged end, wherein the flange contact surface defines a concave radiused edge recessed relative to the lower rail.

2. The heavy earth-moving machine of claim 1 , wherein the roller surface includes a central portion and an inner edge relief portion extending from the central portion toward the flange, and wherein the inner edge relief portion diverges axially inwardly and away from a tangent line extended from the central portion toward the flange portion.

3. The heavy earth-moving machine of claim 1 , wherein the lower rail includes an inner rail surface, an upper surface that engages the roller surfaces of each of the plurality of rollers, and a transition portion between the inner rail surface and the upper surface, and wherein the flange contact surface of each of the plurality of rollers is engageable with the transition portion to substantially maintain alignment of the plurality of rollers with respect to the lower rail in response to loads applied to the upper structure.

4. The heavy earth-moving machine of claim 3 , wherein the transition portion includes a substantially flat portion that is angled with respect to the inner rail surface, and a rail radius portion extending between the substantially flat portion and the upper surface.

5. The heavy earth-moving machine of claim 4 , wherein an angle between the substantially flat portion and the inner rail surface is between 2 degrees and 5degrees.

6. The heavy earth-moving machine of claim 4 , wherein the flange contact surface defines a curve lying in a section plane that is coplanar with the roller axis, and wherein a chord line drawn between radially inner and radially outer ends of the curve defines a first angle with respect to a reference plane that is normal to the roller axis and substantially aligned with a roller end surface proximate the reduced end, and wherein a second angle between the substantially flat portion and the inner rail surface differs from the first angle.

7. A tapered roller for a roller circle assembly for heavy machinery, the roller circle assembly rotatably supporting an upper structure of the heavy machinery above a lower structure of the heavy machinery, the tapered roller comprising:
a substantially frustoconical body portion having an enlarged end, a reduced end, and a roller surface extending between the enlarged end and the reduced end, the body portion defining a roller axis; and
a flange portion extending radially from the reduced end of the body portion and including a convex flange contact surface facing toward the enlarged end, wherein the flange contact surface defines a concave radiused edge recessed in a direction from the enlarged end toward the reduced end.

8. The tapered roller of claim 7 , wherein the roller surface includes a central portion and an inner edge relief portion extending from the central portion toward the flange, and wherein the inner edge relief portion diverges axially inwardly and away from a tangent line extended from the central portion toward the flange portion.

9. The tapered roller of claim 8 , wherein the convex flange contact surface transitions into the inner edge relief portion via an inner radius.

10. The tapered roller of claim 7 , wherein the flange contact surface defines a curve that lies in a section plane that is coplanar with the roller axis, and wherein a chord line drawn between radially inner and radially outer ends of the curve defines an acute angle with respect to a reference plane that is perpendicular to the axis and substantially aligned with a roller end surface proximate the reduced end.

11. The tapered roller of claim 10 , wherein the acute angle is between 1 degree and 5 degrees.

12. A roller circle assembly for heavy machinery, the roller circle assembly rotatably supporting an upper structure of the heavy machinery above a lower structure of the heavy machinery, the roller circle assembly comprising:
a tapered roller including a substantially frustoconical body portion having an enlarged end, a reduced end, and a roller surface extending between the enlarged end and the reduced end, the body portion defining a roller axis, the tapered roller also including a flange portion extending radially from the reduced end of the body portion and including a convex flange contact surface facing toward the enlarged end, wherein the flange contact surface defines a concave radiused edge recessed in a direction from the enlarged end toward the reduced end; and
a lower rail having an upper surface along which the roller surface rolls and an inner rail surface, the lower rail including a transition between the inner rail surface and the upper surface, the transition including an angled portion that is contacted by the flange contact surface.

13. The roller circle assembly of claim 12 , wherein the transition further defines a rail radius portion extending from the angled portion toward the upper surface, and wherein the flange contact surface contacts the angled portion below the rail radius portion.

14. The roller circle assembly of claim 12 , wherein the flange contact surface defines a curve lying in a section plane that is coplanar with the roller axis, and wherein a chord line drawn between radially inner and radially outer ends of the curve defines an acute angle with respect to a reference plane that is normal to the roller axis and substantially aligned with a roller end surface proximate the reduced end.

15. The roller circle assembly of claim 14 , wherein the acute angle is between 1 degree and 5 degrees.

16. The roller circle assembly of claim 14 , wherein an angle between the angled portion and the inner rail surface differs from the acute angle.

17. The roller circle of claim 16 , wherein the angle between the angled portion and the inner rail surface is between 2 degrees and 5 degrees.

18. The roller circle of claim 16 , wherein the angle between the angled portion and the inner rail surface is greater than the acute angle.

Assignees

• Knuth Jason
• Harnischfeger Tech Inc

Inventors

• Knuth Jason

Classifications

• B66C23/26

  for use on building sites; constructed, e.g. with separable parts, to facilitate rapid assembly or dismantling, for operation at successively higher levels, for transport by road or rail (with supporting couples provided by walls or buildings B66C23/20; mounted on vehicles B66C23/36; jib constructions B66C23/64) · CPC title

• F16C33/366 Primary

  Tapered rollers, i.e. rollers generally shaped as truncated cones · CPC title

• F16C33/526

  extending through the rollers and joining two lateral cage parts · CPC title

• F16C2326/00

  Articles relating to transporting · CPC title

• F16C19/364

  with tapered rollers, i.e. rollers having essentially the shape of a truncated cone · CPC title