U.S. patent application number 10/951598 was filed with the patent office on 2006-04-06 for component adjusting system.
This patent application is currently assigned to Caterpillar Inc.. Invention is credited to Michael Thomas Ryan, Nikhil Sharma.
Application Number | 20060070758 10/951598 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36124400 |
Filed Date | 2006-04-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060070758 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ryan; Michael Thomas ; et
al. |
April 6, 2006 |
Component adjusting system
Abstract
A system for mounting a blade assembly to a machine includes a
mounting assembly having a first retainer assembly configured to
assist in securing the blade assembly and a second retainer
assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly. The
first retainer assembly includes an adjusting assembly configured
to reposition the first retainer assembly with respect to the blade
assembly in at least two directions.
Inventors: |
Ryan; Michael Thomas; (Cary,
NC) ; Sharma; Nikhil; (Decatur, IL) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW, GARRETT & DUNNER;LLP
901 NEW YORK AVENUE, NW
WASHINGTON
DC
20001-4413
US
|
Assignee: |
Caterpillar Inc.
|
Family ID: |
36124400 |
Appl. No.: |
10/951598 |
Filed: |
September 29, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
172/781 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E02F 3/7654
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
172/781 |
International
Class: |
E02F 3/76 20060101
E02F003/76 |
Claims
1. A mounting assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a machine,
comprising: a first retainer assembly configured to assist in
securing the blade assembly; and a second retainer assembly
configured to assist in securing the blade assembly, the first
retainer assembly including an adjusting assembly configured to
reposition the first retainer assembly with respect to the blade
assembly in at least two directions.
2. The mounting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the
adjusting assembly includes at least two adjusting members.
3. The mounting assembly according to claim 2, wherein the at least
two adjusting members include adjusting members applying a force at
substantially right angles to one another.
4. The mounting assembly according to claim 3, wherein the
adjusting members are adjustable setscrews.
5. The mounting assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first
retainer assembly includes a first wear strip and a second wear
strip together forming a retaining cavity, and the adjusting
assembly is configured to reposition at least one of the first and
second wear strips.
6. The mounting assembly according to claim 5, wherein the first
and second wear strips each include a first portion and a second
portion connected to form a substantially right angle, the first
portion being longer than the second portion, and the first and
second wear strips being arranged to engage one another.
7. The mounting assembly according to claim 6, wherein a spacer
member engages at least the first wear strip.
8. The mounting assembly according to claim 7, wherein the
adjusting assembly is configured to reposition the spacer
member.
9. The mounting assembly according to claim 5, wherein the second
retainer assembly houses a third wear strip forming a second
retaining cavity.
10. The mounting assembly according to claim 9, wherein the blade
assembly includes a rear portion having a first blade rail shaped
to be received in the first retaining cavity, and a second blade
rail shaped to be received in the second retaining cavity.
11. The mounting assembly according to claim 10, wherein the
machine is a motor grader.
12. A method for adjustably securing a blade assembly to a machine,
comprising: retaining a first portion of the blade assembly in a
first retaining cavity; retaining a second portion of the blade
assembly in a second retaining cavity; and adjusting the retention
of the first portion of the blade assembly in the first retaining
cavity in at least two directions.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first portion of the blade
assembly includes a first blade rail and the second portion of the
blade assembly includes a second blade rail.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the first retaining cavity
houses a first wear strip and a second wear strip, and the
adjusting of the retention of the first portion includes adjusting
the position of at least one of the first and second wear
strips.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the position of the
at least one wear strip is achieved by at least two adjusting
members.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least two adjusting
members apply forces at substantially right angles to one
another.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second wear
strips each include a first portion and a second portion connected
to form a substantially right angle, the first portion being longer
than the second portion, and the first and second wear strips being
arranged to engage one another.
18. A method for adjustably securing a blade assembly to a machine,
comprising: retaining a first portion of the blade assembly in a
first retaining cavity; retaining a second portion of the blade
assembly in a second retaining cavity; adjusting the retention of
the first portion of the blade assembly in the first retaining
cavity with at least one adjusting member; and identifying an
amount of adjustment of the retention of the first portion based on
movement of a visual indicator associated with the adjusting
member.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one adjusting
member is an adjustable setscrew.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the visual indicator includes a
line or marking on the at least one adjusting member.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein the machine is a motor
grader.
22. A mounting assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a motor
grader, comprising: a first retainer assembly configured to assist
in securing the blade assembly and including a plurality of wear
strips adjustably engaging one another; and a second retainer
assembly configured to assist in securing the blade assembly.
23. The mounting assembly according to claim 22, wherein at least
one of the plurality of wear strips is repositionable with respect
to the blade assembly in at least two directions.
24. The mounting assembly according to claim 23, wherein the
plurality of wear strips forms a first retaining cavity for
retaining a portion of the blade assembly.
25. The mounting assembly according to claim 24, wherein the first
retainer assembly includes at least two adjusting members
configured to assist in repositioning at least one of the first and
second wear strips.
26. The mounting assembly according to claim 25, wherein the at
least two adjusting members include adjusting members configured to
apply a force at substantially right angles to one another.
27. The mounting assembly according to claim 26, wherein the at
least two adjusting members are adjustable setscrews.
28. The mounting assembly according to claim 27, wherein the
plurality of wear strips include a first wear strip and a second
wear strip, each of the first wear strip and second wear strips
including a first portion and a second portion connected to form a
substantially right angle, the first portion being longer than the
second portion.
29. The mounting assembly according to claim 28, wherein a spacer
member is located between the at least two adjusting members and at
least the first wear strip.
30. The mounting assembly according to claim 29, wherein the
adjustable setscrews are configured to reposition the spacer
member.
31. The mounting assembly according to claim 22, wherein the second
retainer assembly houses at least one wear strip forming a second
retaining cavity.
32. The mounting assembly according to claim 31, wherein the blade
assembly includes a rear portion having a first blade rail shaped
to be received in the first retaining cavity, and a second blade
rail shaped to be received in the second retaining cavity.
33. A mounting assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a machine,
comprising: a first retainer assembly configured to assist in
securing the blade assembly; and a second retainer assembly
configured to assist in securing the blade assembly, the first
retainer assembly including an adjusting means for repositioning
the first retainer assembly with respect to the blade assembly in
at least two directions.
34. The mounting assembly according to claim 33, wherein the first
retainer assembly includes a first wear strip and a second wear
strip together forming a retaining cavity, and the adjusting means
is configured to reposition at least one of the first and second
wear strips.
35. The mounting assembly according to claim 34, wherein the first
and second wear strips each include a first portion and a second
portion connected to form a substantially right angle, the first
portion being longer than the second portion, and the first and
second wear strips being arranged to engage one another.
36. The mounting assembly according to claim 35, wherein a spacer
member engages at least the first wear strip.
37. The mounting assembly according to claim 36, wherein the
adjusting means is configured to reposition the spacer member.
38. The mounting assembly according to claim 36, wherein the second
retainer assembly houses a third wear strip forming a second
retaining cavity.
39. The mounting assembly according to claim 37, wherein the blade
assembly includes a rear portion having a first blade rail shaped
to be received in the first retaining cavity, and a second blade
rail shaped to be received in the second retaining cavity.
40. The mounting assembly according to claim 38, wherein the
machine is a motor grader.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates generally to an adjusting system,
and more particularly to an adjusting system for a component of a
work machine.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Motor graders are typically used to perform displacement,
distribution and leveling of material, such as soil. Generally, a
motor grader includes a tractor unit coupled to a grader group via
a tow bar assembly. The grader group includes a blade assembly
having a grader blade, as well as a mounting assembly with
retainers. The blade assembly is positioned in the retainers such
that the grader blade is supported by the mounting assembly. Wear
strips are provided between the retainers and the blade assembly to
facilitate the retention of the grader blade in the assembly, while
allowing sliding movement of the blade assembly with respect to the
retainers. The tractor unit moves the blade assembly over the
ground, so that the grader blade engages with the material, such as
soil, so as to displace, distribute or level the soil.
[0003] During use of the motor grader, the grader blade is tipped
and sideshifted to manipulate the material as discussed above. With
such use, the wear strips tend to erode, thus loosening the
retention of the grader blade and allowing unintended motion
between the grader blade and mounting assembly. A loose grader
blade inhibits the accurate displacement, distribution and leveling
of the material.
[0004] To overcome this problem, shims are installed to fill gaps
caused by the erosion of the wear strips. However, using shims is
work intensive, and thus increases the maintenance cost of the
motor grader.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,370 (the '370 patent) discloses a
mounting assembly for a motor grader including V-shaped retainers
fitted with wear strips. Engagement portions of a blade assembly
engage the wear strips to secure the blade assembly to the mounting
assembly. The '370 patent requires the use of shims to fill gaps
caused by erosion of the wear strips. Operators must continually
add or remove shims to the mounting assembly as the wear strips
erode or when replacing the wear strips. Adding to the complexity
of the device, each wear strip must be secured to the retainer with
a retainer clip.
[0006] The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for
securing a blade assembly to a mounting assembly that avoids some
or all of the shortcomings in the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with one disclosed exemplary embodiment, a
mounting assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a machine may
include a first retainer assembly configured to assist in securing
the blade assembly and a second retainer assembly configured to
assist in securing the blade assembly. The first retainer assembly
may include an adjusting assembly configured to reposition the
first retainer assembly with respect to the blade assembly in at
least two directions.
[0008] According to another exemplary disclosed embodiment, a
method is provided for adjustably securing a blade assembly to a
machine. The method includes retaining a first portion of the blade
assembly in a first retaining cavity, retaining a second portion of
the blade assembly in a second retaining cavity, and adjusting the
retention of the first portion of the blade assembly in the first
retaining cavity in at least two directions.
[0009] A method for adjustably securing a blade assembly to a
machine may include retaining a first portion of the blade assembly
in a first retaining cavity. Retaining a second portion of the
blade assembly in a second retaining cavity and adjusting the
retention of the first portion of the blade assembly in the first
retaining cavity with at least one adjusting member. Also
identifying an amount of adjustment of the retention of the first
portion based on movement of a visual indicator associated with the
adjusting member.
[0010] According to yet another disclosed embodiment, a mounting
assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a motor grader may
include a first retainer assembly configured to assist in securing
the blade assembly. A plurality of wear strips adjustably engage
one another. A second retainer assembly configured to assist in
securing the blade assembly may also be included.
[0011] According to another disclosed embodiment, a mounting
assembly for mounting a blade assembly to a machine may include a
first retainer assembly configured to assist in securing the blade
assembly. Also included may be a second retainer assembly
configured to assist in securing the blade assembly. The first
retainer assembly includes an adjusting means for repositioning the
first retainer assembly with respect to the blade assembly in at
least two directions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a pictorial side view of a motor grader
incorporating an exemplary embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a moldboard mounting
assembly and blade assembly according to the present
disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 3a is a partial cross sectional side view of an upper
retainer assembly of the mounting assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0015] FIG. 3b is a partial cross sectional side view of a lower
retainer assembly of the mounting assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0016] FIG. 4a is a perspective view of the first and second wear
strips of the upper retainer assembly of FIG. 3a;
[0017] FIG. 4b is a perspective view of a wear strip of the lower
retainer assembly of FIG. 3b; and
[0018] FIG. 5 is a pictorial partial back or rear view of the
mounting assembly of FIGS. 1 and 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary
embodiments of the invention, illustrated in the accompanying
drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be
used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like
parts.
[0020] Referring to the figures, a motor grader is shown generally
at 10 in FIG. 1. The motor grader 10 may include a rear frame 14, a
front frame 16, and a blade assembly 20. The rear and front frames
14 and 16 may be supported by tires 18. A controllable rotatable
assembly 22 supports a mounting assembly 24 to the motor grader 10
in a manner well known in the art. The mounting assembly 24
supports the blade assembly 20 in a manner to be detailed below. An
operator cab 26 containing the many controls necessary to operate
the motor grader 10 may be mounted on the front frame 16. An engine
28 may be mounted on the rear frame 14.
[0021] The blade assembly 20 and mounting assembly 24 are shown in
FIG. 2. The blade assembly 20 may include a mounting frame 60 and
upper and lower protrusions 65, 67 located on a back side 63 of the
mounting frame 60. Blade assembly 20 may also include upper and
lower blade rails 62, 64 attached to associated protrusions 65, 67.
In addition, blade assembly 20 may include a blade or moldboard 59
attached to a front side 61 of the mounting frame 60 in any
conventional manner.
[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, the protrusion 65 is shaped
such that two sides 90, 92 extend away from the mounting frame 60
to support a third side 94 which is nearly vertical in orientation.
A fourth side 96 is directly connected to the back side 63 of
mounting frame 60. Protrusion 67 is similarly constructed and
situated as protrusion 65. The protrusions 65, 67 may include any
other shape allowing for attachment of blade rails 62, 64 to the
blade assembly 20.
[0023] The blade rails 62, 64 in this exemplary embodiment are
rectangular in shape with a substantially vertical orientation. In
this configuration, the blade rails 62, 64 are attached to the
nearly vertical side 94 of its corresponding protrusion in any
conventional manner such as welds or mechanical fasteners. The
blade rails 62, 64 can take another shape, such as oval or diamond
provided they can be securely attached to the protrusions 65, 67.
In addition, blade rails 62, 64 may be formed integral with
protrusions 65, 67.
[0024] The mounting assembly 24 in FIG. 2 may include an upper
retainer assembly 34 and a lower retainer assembly 36. Referring to
FIG. 3A, the upper retainer assembly 34 may include a generally
U-shaped cavity 38 housing an outer wear strip 40 and an inner wear
strip 42 together forming an upper retaining cavity 43. The shape
of the outer and inner wear strips 40, 42 are described below in
connection with FIG. 4A. The exemplary embodiment of the upper
retainer assembly 34 in FIG. 3A may also include a spacer member
41. In this embodiment, the spacer member 41 is L-shaped to
correspond to the shape of the inner wear strip 42. The length of
the spacer member 41 may generally correspond to the length of the
inner wear strip 42.
[0025] Referring to FIG. 3B, the lower retainer assembly 36 may
include a generally U-shaped cavity 52. The U-shaped cavity 52 may
house a wear strip 54 forming a lower retaining cavity 45.
[0026] It should be understood that the U-shaped cavities 38, 52 of
the upper and lower retainer assemblies 34, 36 can take any other
shape, such as curved, square or the like. In addition, the spacer
member 41 can take on any shape to correspond to the shape of the
wear strip housed in the cavity. The spacer member 41 may be formed
as a plurality of separate members, or may be omitted in its
entirety.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 4A, the outer wear strip 40 may include a
long portion 69 and a short portion 71. The long portion 69 may be
connected to the short portion 71 at approximately a 90 degree
angle (.theta.). The inner wear strip 42 may include a long portion
68 and a short portion 70. As with the outer wear strip 40, the
long portion 68 of the inner wear strip 42 may be connected to the
short portion 70 of the inner wear strip 42 at approximately a 90
degree angle. The outer and inner wear strips 40, 42 are housed in
the U-shaped cavity 38 so as to engage one another. According to
this exemplary embodiment, the engagement is such that the short
portions 71, 70 lie substantially in the same plane across the
width of the U-shaped cavity 38 and the long members 69, 68 of the
wear strips 40, 42 are situated across from each other in the
U-shaped cavity 38 such that they lie substantially parallel to
each other and substantially parallel the sides 37, 39 of the
U-shaped cavity 38 of the upper retainer assembly 34. The
engagement of the wear strips 40, 42 forms the generally U-shaped
upper retaining cavity 43 in the upper retainer assembly 34.
[0028] As embodied in FIG. 4B, wear strip 54 may be U-shaped
forming lower retaining cavity 45. The length of the wear strips
40, 42, and 54 generally correspond to the length of their
respective retainer assembly 34, 36.
[0029] It should be understood that outer and inner wear strips 40,
42 could be used in the lower retainer assembly 36 and that the
wear strip 54 of the a lower retainer assembly 36 could be used in
the upper retainer assembly 34. Alternatively, this disclosure
could be practiced with both the upper and lower retainer
assemblies 34, 36 including wear strips 40, 42.
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of mounting assembly 24
including the upper retainer assembly 34 and the lower retainer
assembly 36. The upper retainer assembly 34 includes two horizontal
adjusting setscrews 44, 46 and two vertical adjusting setscrews 48,
50. The setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 are in contact with the spacer
member 41, which abuts wear strips 40, 42. (See FIG. 3A.)
[0031] It should be understood that if the spacer member 41 is
omitted, setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 may be in direct contact with the
wear strips 40, 42. The upper retainer assembly 34 of FIG. 5 also
includes two end caps 74, 76 with corresponding cap bolts 78, 80.
Similarly, lower retainer assembly 36 includes end caps 82, 84 and
corresponding cap bolts 86, 88. Mounting assembly 24 may also
include an additional set of retainer assemblies 72, 73 with the
same configuration as the upper and lower retainer assemblies 34,
36.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 5, each setscrew 44, 46, 48, 50 may be
marked with a line 51 or lines, or other visual indicator, to
assist in determining the amount wear that has occurred on
associated wear strips 40 and 42. Line 51 may be used to identify
an initial clamped position of the setscrew with respect to the
other components of the upper retainer assembly 34, or some other
fixed component of the mounting assembly 24. If multiple lines 51
are used, one line may indicate the initial clamping position of
the setscrew and the other line(s) may correspond to the amount of
wear that has occurred on the wear strip. For example, a line may
be included in the setscrew to indicate that replacement of a wear
strip is necessary.
[0033] While horizontal adjusting setscrews 44, 46 are illustrated
on the rear side of the mounting assembly 24 in FIG. 5, these
setscrews could be alternatively located on the front side of the
mounting assembly 24. Furthermore, this disclosure can be practiced
with one horizontal adjusting setscrew and one vertical adjusting
setscrew or with more than two horizontal and vertical adjusting
setscrews in any combination and configuration. In addition,
setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 may be replaced with any other type of
adjusting mechanism, such as adjustable bolts, that would allow for
controlled adjustment of the spacer member 41 and/or wear strips
40, 42.
[0034] Each of the components described above may be fabricated
from any rigid material, such as steel or cast iron. The wear
strips 40, 42, and 54 may be made from a material less rigid than
the material used to fabricate the retaining assemblies 34, 36 and
the blade rails 62, 64.
[0035] As described above, blade rails 62, 64 interact with wear
strips 40, 42, spacer member 41, and upper and lower retaining
cavities 43, 45. These components may be shaped differently as long
as they mate together in the manner described above.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0036] The motor grader 10 is used primarily as a finishing tool to
sculpt a surface of earth 12 to a final arrangement. The engine 28
is used to drive or power the motor grader 10 and is controlled by
the operator using controls in operator cab 26.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 1, the controllable rotatable assembly 22
rotates around axis A. The mounting assembly 24 is pivotable around
axis 30 (FIG. 2) with respect to the controllable rotatable
assembly 22. The blade assembly 20 is also adjustably slidable
side-to-side with respect to the mounting assembly 24. Rather than
moving large quantities of earth in the direction of travel like
other machines, such as a bulldozer, the combination of these
motions allow the blade assembly 20 to displace, distribute and
level a material as desired by the operator of the motor grader,
typically from side-to-side.
[0038] During operation of motor grader 10, the upper and lower
retainer assemblies 34 and 36 secure the blade assembly 20 to the
controllable rotatable assembly 22 of the motor grader 10. As
described above, the upper blade rail 62 of the blade assembly 20
may be retained in the retaining cavity 43 formed by the wear
strips 40, 42 in the upper retainer assembly 34 (FIG. 2). The lower
blade rail 64 of the blade assembly 20 may be retained in the
cavity 45 formed by wear strip 54 of the lower retainer assembly
36.
[0039] Turning the vertical and/or horizontal adjusting setscrews
44, 46, 48, 50 allows for adjustment of the spacer member 41 in two
directions, which repositions one or both of the wear strips 40, 42
with respect to the blade rails 62, 64. The engaging relationship
between the inner and outer wear strips 40, 42 allows for the wear
strips to move closer together in two directions without abutting
against one another or the sides 37, 39 of U-shaped cavity 38 as
the horizontal adjusting setscrews 44, 46 are turned. This
compensates for any erosion in wear strips 40, 42 and ensures blade
assembly 20 is rigidly secured by mounting assembly 24. The spacer
member 41 assists in distributing the force of the adjusting
setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 along the length of the spacer member 41.
By use of the adjusting setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50, no shims are
required to adjust the coupling of the blade assembly 20 to the
mounting assembly 24. Thus, mounting assembly 24 rigidly and
adjustably secures the blade assembly 20 to the controllable
rotatable assembly 22 of the motor grader 10. End caps 74, 76, 82,
84 and corresponding end bolts 76, 78, 86, 88 prevent the wear
strips from moving horizontally with the blade rails.
[0040] In addition to function setscrews 44, 46, 48, 50 in
adjusting the position of the wear strips, setscrews 44, 46, 48,
and 50, may also function to identify the amount of wear occurring
on the wear strips 40, 42. As noted above, setscrews may include
visual indicators such as lines 51 to indicate an initial clamping
position of the wear strip. Measuring the distance setscrews 44,
46, 48, and 50 have traveled during use from this initial clamped
position may indicate the amount of wear on the wear strips 40, 42
and may be determined from the movement of line 51. Each wear strip
40, 42 has an associated predetermined amount of wear available and
this wear is directly related to the travel of the setscrews 44,
46, 48, and 50. In one embodiment, once the distance the setscrews
44, 46, 48, and 50 have traveled an appropriate predetermined
distance (i.e. 7.5-8 mm (0.29-0.31 inches)) as measured by the
movement of lines 51, wear strips 40, 42 should be replaced.
[0041] It is understood that those portions of the first retainer
assembly 34 described above as allowing for a repositioning of the
first and second wear strips 40, 42 of the retainer assembly with
respect to the blade assembly may be referred to as an adjusting
assembly or adjusting means of the retainer assembly.
[0042] Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those
skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and
practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the
specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a
true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the
following claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *