Snowmobile Traction Belt

Abstract

A snowmobile traction endless belt of rubber having unitary reinforcing-and-cleat members of metal transverse thereof, connected thereto solely by mold in-bonding, and partially embedded therein projecting therefrom at the ground-engaging face only. The belt has alternate thick and thin portions transverse thereof forming a corrugated ground-engaging face. The opposite face is flat. The unitary metal members are disposed in the thick portions of the belt, with the embedded portion of the member being the major portion thereof and being perforated to enhance the mold-in securement to the belt. The unitary members have at the end of the embedded portion thereof a reduced extension for receiving chain link elements which form therewith an endless chain embedded in the belt between the faces thereof. The belt has sprocket wheel teeth receiving openings through the thin portions thereof, and the openings of the chain are in registry therewith.

Description

This invention relates to an improved snowmobile traction endless belt and more particularly to such a belt of rubber or like material reinforced and traction cleated with transverse members of metal or the like.

Snowmobile traction endless corrugated rubber belts are known having reinforcing rods transverse the belt embedded completely therewithin in the thick portions thereof as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,242. Such belts are also known wherein such rods have a central portion offset toward the ground-engaging face lying recessed in grooves in the belt, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,436,128. Those arrangements lack sufficient traction under some conditions of use on ice, snow or frozen ground. Snowmobile belts are known wherein metal cleats or grousers are provided on the ground-engaging face, being bolted or riveted through the belt to backup structure on the opposite face as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,749,189. Such an arrangement requires extra fastener hardware such as bolts, rivets, etc., and has structure projecting from the opposite face of the belt.

This invention has a unitary reinforcing-and-cleat member which is only partially embedded in the belt, and which projects from the ground-engaging face only, and belt has no structure projecting from the opposite face. This very simply provides transverse rigidity in the belt, extra traction from the exposed cleats which is in addition to the traction from snow compaction due to the rubber corrugations, and eliminates fasteners such as normally used in attaching exposed metal cleats. The invention provides especially secure mold in-bonding attachment by having perforations through the embedded portions of the metal members to effect an interlocking so that shearing of the rubber that fills the perforations is necessary to dislodge the member.

The invention and the uses, objects, advantages and results thereof can be appreciated by reference to the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a belt which embodies the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 2--2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 3--3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 4--4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 5--5 in FIG. 1;

6 is a perspective view of a portion of another belt constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 7--7 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 8--8 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 9--9 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 10--10 in FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of some of the reinforcing-and-cleat members and the associated chain link elements of the last mentioned embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of one of said link elements;

FIG. 13 is a plan view thereof;

FIG. 14 is a side elevation view thereof; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of an end portion of one of said reinforcing-and-cleat members.

In the construction of the belt it is so molded from rubber or like material to present a flat surface 10 for engagement with the cylindrical surfaces of the driving sprockets of the snowmobile on which the belt is mounted. As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, and referring now to FIG. 4, the ground-engaging face of the belt is corrugated in its length to provide alternate thick portions 11 and thin portions 12.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, these portions 11 and 12 terminate at their ends in the thick edge portions 13 of the belt, and each of the thick portions 11 has a reinforcing-and-cleat member 14 of steel or like hard material extending therealong in between edges 13. Spaced from the edges 13 each thin portion 12 is provided with a thickened frame 15 and each of frames 15 is provided with an opening 16 therethrough to receive a tooth of the driving sprocket wheel of the snowmobile. Member 14 is only partially embedded in thick portion 11, and reinforces these thick portion corrugation ribs 11 to prevent them from being torn away from the remainder of the belt under conditions of use.

Member 14, because of the exposed portion thereof projecting from the ground-engaging face, also acts as a cleat providing extra traction in addition to the snow compaction traction provided by rib 11. Member 14 is molded into the rubber belt being bonded thereto in that manner, and this is the only way this member is connected to the belt. This connection is enhanced by the perforations 17 in member 14 in the embedded portion thereof, so that member 14 may not be dislodged except by the shearing of the rubber filling openings 17. Member 14 has a major portion thereof embedded in belt portion 11, with a minor portion of member 14 projecting exposed from the ground-engaging face. Member 14 is rectangular in cross section, made from steel plate material, and having a width less than its height as illustrated. Although not shown in the drawings, the reinforcing-and-cleat member may be of L-shaped cross section with the horizontal leg of the "L" embedded into the rubber, or of inverted T-shaped cross section with the horizontal leg of the "T" embedded into the rubber, or of U-shaped cross section with the bight of the "U" embedded into the rubber and with the two leg ends exposed projecting from the thick portion rubber corrugation on the ground-engaging face.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 through 15, illustrating another embodiment of the invention, the belt is molded from rubber or the like to present a flat surface 100 for engaging cylindrical surfaces of a sprocket wheel. The ground-engaging face of the belt is corrugated providing alternate thick portions 111 and thin portions 112 terminating at their ends in thick edge portions 113. Each of the thick portions or ribs 111 has a reinforcing-and-cleat member of steel or the like material extending therealong in between edges 113. Spaced from the edges 113 each thin portion 112 has a thickened frame 115 and each of said frames has an opening 116 therethrough to receive a tooth of the driving sprocket wheel. Member 114 is only partially embedded in thick rib portion 111, and partially projects exposed from the ground-engaging face. Member 114 reinforces ribs 111 to prevent them from tearing away during usage, and acts as a cleat providing extra traction in addition to the snow-compaction traction provided by ribs 111. Member 114 is connected to the rubber belt solely by being molded in-bonded thereto, and the perforations 117 in the embedded portion of member 114 enhances the strength of this connection and prevents dislodgement of member 114 without the shearing of the rubber penetrating the perforations 117. A minor portion of member 114 projects exposed from the ground-engaging face; the major portion thereof being embedded in the rubber. Referring particularly now to FIGS. 11 through 15, member 114 terminates at each end thereof in a reduced extension 114a which acts as a hinge pin receiving thereon hinge link elements as shown, each having an opening 4, a single loop 2 at one end and a bifurate arranged double loop 3 at the other end, to interfit and form with extensions 114a an endless chain around the belt with openings 4 in registry with openings 116 in the belt. The chin is molded in to the belt embedded therein between the ground-engaging face and the opposite face thereof. As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, the chain is in the thick frame portions 115 and the rib portions 111 and sunk embedded in from both faces thereof.

The reinforcing-and-cleat member may also be perforated, slotted, or otherwise opened at the ends thereof or in other areas to permit placement of and mold in embedment of chains, cables or other longitudinal structural devices. Members 14 and 114 may, at their exposed cleat edges, have an insert of very hard material such as tungsten carbide and/or such edges may be serrated for special traction effects.

The belt may have on the sprocket wheel-engaging face integral therewith projecting therefrom thick portions or bars of rubber lying transverse of the belt in alignment with ribs 11, 111 on the ground-engaging face, and the reinforcing-and-cleat members 14, 114 may each accordingly have, at one or more or all places along their length, a portion thereof extending down into these bars reinforcing them, for the sprocket wheel to accordingly work against these bars to drive the belt.

In addition to the specific embodiments described, various alterations and further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A snowmobile traction endless belt of rubber or like material having alternate thick and thin portions extending transverse thereof forming transverse ribs on the ground-engaging face, and having an elongated unitary substantially flat and straight reinforcing-and-cleat member of metal or like material mold in-bonded to and partially embedded in each of said thick portions centrally in each of said ribs with the length of the member extending transversely substantially across the belt, each of said members being of an elongated relatively thin cross section of substantially constant thickness with its height the long dimension and disposed in the direction of the belt thickness and with its thickness the short dimension and disposed in the direction of the belt length, and each of said members being deeply embedded into a rib to a depth at least a major amount of the height of the member leaving but a minor amount thereof projecting out from the center of the rib on the ground engaging face of the belt.

2. The belt defined in claim 1 wherein said reinforcing-and-cleat members have, in the embedded portion thereof, perforations therethrough in the direction of the length of the belt, which are filled by the material of the belt.

3. The belt defined in claim 2 wherein said reinforcing-and-cleat members are connected to the belt solely by the mold in-bonding enhanced by the interlock of the member and the belt material provided by the perforations.

4. The belt defined in claim 2 wherein said reinforcing-and-cleat members project out from the ground-engaging face only are otherwise completely embedded in the belt.