Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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WEAR ASSEMBLY AND REMOVAL SYSTEM
Field of the Disclosure
[0001] This disclosure pertains to wear assemblies for earth working
equipment, and to the
wear members, bases, and/or locks of the wear assemblies and to the removal
thereof.
Background of the Disclosure
[0002] Earth working equipment, such as earth working buckets and the like,
are used for
demolition, mining, earth moving, and other similarly harsh applications. To
protect the earth
working equipment from wear and/or to enhance the operation of the equipment,
wear parts
may be attached to the earth working equipment. Such wear parts may include
points,
adapters, shrouds, and the like. Such wear parts are commonly subjected to
harsh conditions,
heavy loading, and extreme abrasion. Accordingly, the wear parts wear down
over time and
must be replaced, often in the field and under less than ideal conditions.
Summary of the Disclosure
[0003] This disclosure relates to wear members for wear assemblies for earth
working
equipment, removal tools for such wear members, and/or processes for removing
the wear
members.
[0004] In one example, a wear member includes a wearable body and an insert
movable
within the body to facilitate removal of the wear member from the base.
[0005] In one other example, a wear member includes a mounting portion with a
cavity for
receiving a base for mounting the wear member to the earth working equipment,
an external
surface, a recess in the cavity, and a hole extending from the external
surface to the recess.
An insert is at least partially situated in both the recess and the hole for
movement relative to
the wear member to facilitate removal of the wear member from the base.
Optionally, the hole
may receive a lock for securing the wear member to the base.
[0006] In a further example, a wear member has a cavity for receiving a base
for mounting
the wear member to the earth working equipment, an external surface, a hole
that opens in
the external surface, and a recess extending from a front surface of the
cavity and
communicating with a hole that opens in the external surface. Optionally, the
hole may receive
a lock for securing the wear member to the base.
[0007] In another example, a process of removing a wear member from a base
includes
providing a wear member having a cavity defined by an interior surface with a
recess extending
forward from a front surface of the interior surface, installing an insert in
the recess such that
a portion of the insert is partially situated into a hole, and inserting a
removal tool through the
hole to engage the insert and force the insert rearward against the base to
move the wear
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member forward relative to the base.
[0008] In one other example, an insert to facilitate removal of a wear member
from earth
working equipment may include a front end to penetrate a hole open to an
exterior surface, a
rear bearing surface, and a stop. The front end being sized and shaped to
engage a removal
tool inserted into the hole to apply a rearward force on the insert.
[0009] In one other example, a wear member has a cavity having an internal
surface for
receiving a base of an earth working equipment, an external surface, and lock
hole for
receiving a lock to secure the wear member to the base, and a recess extending
from a front
surface of the internal surface and communicating with the lock hole An insert
is in the recess
and in the lock hole to engage a removal tool that applies rearward force
against the insert to
facilitate removal of the wear member from the base.
[0010] In a further example, a wear member having a mounting portion for
engaging a base
for mounting the wear member to the earth working equipment. The mounting
portion having
an internal surface for mating with the base, an opposite external surface,
and a hole extending
from a front surface of the internal surface and including two converging side
surfaces.
[0011] In another example, an insert for facilitating removal of a wear member
from earth
working equipment may include a front end having a concave portion to engage a
threaded
wedge. The wear member and the insert are assembled together prior to
installation of the
wear member on a base in a position capable of being shipped, stored and/or
installed as a
single component.
[0012] In yet another example, a wear member includes a wearable body with a
working
front end, a rear end with a cavity for mounting a base therein, and an
insert. The cavity
includes an opening at the rear end wherein the base is received therethrough
and a front
surface opposite the rear opening, and a recess in the front surface. The
insert having a front
end and a rear end, wherein the insert is movably positioned in the recess in
the front surface
of the cavity to facilitate removal of the wear member from the base.
[0013] In one example, a wear member for earth working equipment includes a
wearable
body having a working front end, a rear end with a cavity for mounting a base
therein, a hole
that opens in an external surface, and recess extending from the front surface
of the cavity
and communicating with the hole. The cavity includes an open rear end through
which the
base is received and an opposite front surface.
[0014] A removal assembly for a wear member of an earth working
equipment including
a wear member having a wearable body having a working front end and a rear end
with a
cavity for mounting a base therein, wherein the cavity includes an open rear
end through which
the base is received and an opposite front surface; a hole that opens in an
external surface;
and a recess extending from the front surface of the cavity and communicating
with the hole;
an insert within the recess and in the hole; and a removal tool receivable in
the hole to engage
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the insert to apply a rearward force against the insert to facilitate removal
of the wear member
from the base.
[0015] A method of removing a wear member from a base including mounting a
wear
member on a base of an excavating equipment, wherein the wear member has an
exterior
surface, a cavity defined by an interior surface to receive the base, a recess
extending forward
from a front of the interior surface, a hole extending from the exterior
surface to the recess,
and an insert in the recess such that a portion of the insert is partially
situated into the hole;
and inserting a removal tool through the hole to engage the insert and force
the insert rearward
against the base to move the wear member forward relative to the base.
[0016] The advantages of the removal assemblies and wear assemblies of the
present
disclosure will be more readily understood after considering the drawings and
the Detailed
Description.
Brief Description of the Drawinos
[0017] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wear assembly including a wear
member, an adapter,
a base, locks, and a removal tool according to the disclosure.
[0018] Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the wear assembly of Fig. 1.
[0019] Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the interior of the wear member
of Fig. 1 with
the insert being installed in the wear member prior to wear member being
mounting to the
adapter.
[0020] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a insert of Fig. 2.
[0021] Fig. 5 is a front view of the insert of Fig. 2.
[0022] Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a lock hole of a wear member of Fig. 1
with the insert
installed within the lock hole.
[0023] Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the wear assembly including a wear
member, a base,
and a removal tool installed in a lock hole of the wear member.
[0024] Fig. 8 is a cross-section view of Fig. 7 taken along line 8-8.
[0025] Fig. 9 is a cross-section view of Fig. 7 taken along line 8-8 with the
removal tool
further installed downward.
[0026] Fig. 10 is a cross-section view of Fig. 7 taken along line 10-10 with
the lock removed
and the removal assembly installed.
[0027] Fig. 11 is perspective view of a tool for rigidly gripping the wear
member and
hydraulically operating a removal tool to remove the wear member.
Detailed Description of the Disclosure
[0028] The present disclosure pertains to a wear assembly for earth working
equipment and
a process for removing components of the wear assembly.
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[0029] While the disclosure herein includes examples of securing or removing
an adapter
from a base, wear assemblies and processes in accordance with this disclosure
may be used
in securing and removing other kinds of wear parts such as points, tips,
shrouds, runners,
picks, hammers, etc. Likewise, although excavating buckets are disclosed
herein as the earth
working equipment, other kinds of earth working equipment could be used such
as dredge
cutter heads, shredders, roll crushers, chutes, truck bodies, etc. Relative
terms such as front,
rear, top, bottom and the like are used for convenience of discussion. The
terms front or
forward are generally used to indicate the normal direction of travel during
use (e.g., while
digging), and upper or top are generally used as a reference to the surface
over which the
material passes when, for example, it is gathered into the bucket.
Nevertheless, it is
recognized that in the operation of various earth working machines the wear
assemblies may
be oriented in various ways and move in all kinds of directions during use.
[0030] In the illustrated example of Figs. 1-2, a wear assembly 14 is an
excavating tooth
that attaches to a lip 15 of a bucket. The illustrated tooth 14 includes an
adapter (or
intermediate adapter) 19 mounted to lip 15, and a point or tip 10 mounted onto
the adapter
19. Locks 16 are used to secure the adapter 19 to the lip 15 and tip 10 to
adapter 19.
[0031] The adapter 19 is mounted onto a nose or base 18 that projects from a
front end of
the lip 15. The base 18 may be an integral portion of the earth working
equipment as shown
(such as a digging edge of a bucket) or may be a separate component attached
to such
equipment (e.g., a base adapter) by, e.g., welding, or mechanical attachment.
While one tooth
construction is shown, other tooth arrangements using some or all of the
aspects disclosed
herein are possible. As an alternative, a point as the wear member could be
secured to an
intermediate adapter that is directly mounted onto a base adapter welded or
mechanically
secured on a lip as a base providing the nose.
[0032] In this application, for purposes of explanation, the adapter 19 is
referred to as a
wear member mounted on a base 18. Similarly, the point 10 is also considered a
wear member
that mounts on the adapter 19 functioning as the base. In another example, a
point could be
secured directly to a base defined by a nose of the lip or a base adapter
(i.e., without an
intermediate adapter). In other examples, as noted above, the wear member may
be a shroud
mounted on a lip as the base, a wear cap mounted on an adapter as the base, a
runner
mounted on a mounting support as the base, and the like.
[0033] In the illustrated example, the tip 10 has a generally wedge-shaped
configuration
with a top wall 20 and a bottom wall 22 that converge to a narrow front end 24
to engage and
penetrate the ground during operation of the equipment. Tip 10 has a mounting
end 21 on
the opposite, rear end that includes a cavity 26 (Fig. 2). The top wall 20 of
wear member 10
includes a through-hole 67 that aligns with a hole 66 in the adapter 19 when
wear member 10
is mounted on a forwardly-projecting nose 48 of the adapter 19 (Fig. 1). The
rearwardly-
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opening cavity 26 is sized and shaped to receive the nose 48. Locks 16 are
used to secure
wear member 10 to adapter 19, and adapter 19 to nose 18 (e.g., the lip of the
earth working
machine). In this example, the locks 16 that secure both the wear member 10 to
base 19 and
the base 19 to nose 18 are the same, but other configurations are possible.
For example,
they could be dimensioned differently, have different constructions, or could
be completely
different locks.
[0034] The adapter 19 includes a rearwardly-opening cavity 17 to receive nose
18 at the
front end of the lip 15. The cavity 17 and nose 18 are preferably configured
as disclosed in
US Patent 9,222,243, which is incorporated herein by reference, but other nose
and cavity
constructions could be used. In the illustrated example, a hole 66 is formed
in a central portion
of nose 48 and opens in top and bottom surfaces 58, 60 of the nose, though it
could
alternatively open only in top surface 58, open in one or more other surfaces
(e.g., the
sidewalls of adapter 19), or be located off center. The hole 66 is defined by
an inner surface
68 (Fig. 6).
[0035] Referring to Fig. 3, the cavity 17 preferably includes a front wall
114. A recess 56
extends from the front wall 114 forward towards the forwardly-projecting nose
48 (Fig. 10).
The hole 66 communicates with the recess 56 formed in the front wall 114 of
the cavity 17
(Fig. 10). In the illustrated example, recess 56 is parallel and aligned with
a longitudinal axis
A that runs in the primary direction of material flow, but in other examples
the recess 56 may
be offset from the longitudinal axis (Fig. 1). In the illustrated example, the
hole 66 has a
perpendicular relationship with the recess 56, but other configurations are
possible. The
recess 56 is illustrated as having a forward portion 55 and a rear portion 72
(Fig. 10). The
forward portion includes a top surface 60, a bottom surface, 62, and side
surfaces 64, but
other configurations are possible (Figs. 8-9). The side surfaces 64 are
illustrated as
converging toward the forward end (Fig. 10) and the top and bottom surfaces as
generally
parallel (Figs. 8 and 9), but other configurations are possible. For example,
the top and bottom
surfaces could be converging, they could all be converging, or none of the
surfaces can be
converging. The rear portion 72 is optional and may or may not be included in
the design. The
rear portion 72 has the role of acting as a stop for an insert 50 installed in
the recess 56 but
other kinds of stops preventing further forward motion are possible.
[0036] In the illustrated example, the rear portion 72 likewise includes a top
surface 80, a
bottom surface 82, and side surfaces 84 that extend in the longitudinal
direction A, but other
shapes are possible (Figs. 8-9). The rear portion 72 includes stop surfaces
86, 88, and 90.
Stop surface 86 being adjacent to top surfaces 60, 80. Stop surface 88 is
adjacent bottom
surfaces 62, 82. Stop surfaces 90 are adjacent side surfaces 64, 84. The stop
surfaces 86,
88, 90 bear against complementary surfaces on the insert 50. The stop surfaces
86, 88, 90
are perpendicular to the rear portion surfaces 80, 82, 84, but other angles
are possible.
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[0037] Referring to Figs. 4-5, an insert 50 is illustrated as having a body 92
and a head or
rear block portion 94. The body 92 projects outward in a perpendicular
direction to the head
94. The body 92 being sized and shaped to be installed within the front
portion 55 of the
recess 56 and the head 94 being sized and shaped to be installed within the
rear portion 72
of the recess 56. In the illustrated example, the head 94 is larger in size
than the body 92,
but other configurations are possible. The body 92 includes a top surface 96,
a bottom surface
98, and side surfaces 100. The side surfaces 100 are illustrated as converging
in a forward
direction, but other configurations are possible. The body surfaces 96, 98,
100 may or may
not bear against the forward portion surfaces 60, 62, 64 and some looseness
can be tolerated.
[0038] The body 92 of the insert (and optionally the head) is preferably
lubricated (e.g., by
oil, grease, Anti-Seize, and the like), such that the body 92 is able to move
more easily within
the recess 56. A bearing member (not shown) could also optionally be included
between the
surfaces of recess 56 and insert 92 with or without lubrication. Insert 92 can
have a wide
variety of configurations. Seals (not shown) could optionally be provided to
limit the ingress of
earthen fines.
[0039] A removal tool 11 can cooperate with the insert 50 to facilitate
removal of the wear
member 19 from the base 18. The removal tool 11 is inserted into the hole 66
to fit between
and press against the front portion 58 of hole surface 68 and the front
surface 102 of insert 50
so as to force the two surfaces apart to facilitate separation of the wear
member 19 from the
base 18 (Fig. 9).
[0040] In the illustrated embodiment, removal tool 11 is a threaded wedge,
which can be
the same or similar to the wedge disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 7,171,771, which
is incorporated
by reference herein. The tool or wedge 11 is illustrated as having a frusto-
conical shape with
a rounded exterior surface 10 that tapers toward an inner end 18 (Figs. 8-9).
A thread
formation 22, illustrated in the form of a helical groove 20 with a wide
pitch, is formed along
an exterior surface 13 of the wedge, but other configurations are possible.
Accordingly, a
rather wide, helically shaped land segment exists between the adjacent
spiraling groove
segments. This land segment presents a large surface area to press against a
front surface
102 of insert 50 in the adapter 19 and therein exerting a force F on the nose
48 of the base
15 (Fig. 9). The wide pitch of the threads 22 also permits the removal tool 11
to be quickly
moved into and out of an opening 66. Nevertheless, removal tools having
different
constructions (e.g. a cam, a wedge, and the like) are possible provided they
are insertable in
a hole in the wear member and between the hole surface and the insert to move
the insert
away from the hole surface.
[0041] The body 92 of the insert 50 is illustrated as having a front surface
102 with a thread
formation 104, but other configurations are possible to facilitate the bearing
and/or interaction
from removal tool 11. The thread formation 104 being complementary to the
thread formation
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22 of the wedge 11. The head 94 being rectangularly cuboid in shape, but other
shapes are
possible (e.g., cylindrical). As noted above, head 94 can be omitted and the
insert prevented
from undue forward motion by other kinds of stops and/or configurations of the
insert. The
head 94 includes a rearward surface 105 and an oppositely positioned abutment
surface 106
that is adjacent to and surrounds the main body 92 of the insert 50. The
abutment surface
106 bearing against the stop surfaces 86, 88, 90 of the rear portion 72 of the
recess 56 when
the insert 50 is fully installed within the recess. The base 58 when installed
within cavity 17
may also engage the rearward surface 105 of the block portion 94 or the main
body 92 to
apply pressure to the stop surfaces 86, 88, 90 from the abutment surface 106,
but other
configurations are possible. The insert 50 may be constructed of the same or
different material
than the wear member.
[0042] Referring to Fig. 6, when the insert 50 is fully installed within the
recess 56, a forward
portion of the insert penetrates into the lock hole 66. The insert 50 and
recess 56 are
positioned low enough in the lock hole 66, so as not to disturb the
functionality of the lock 16
that is positioned into holes 66, 67 to lock the base 19 to the wear member
10. In other
examples, a bottom of the lock could engage the top surface 96 of the insert
50. In another
example, a sensor (not shown) may be installed at this forward portion of the
insert 50 to
monitor the presence of the lock 16 within holes 66, 67. Optionally, a hole
not associated with
the lock could be used to receive removal tool 11.
[0043] Wear member 19, insert 50, and/or a lock 16 in combination may be
considered a
wear assembly, which may optionally be sold, shipped, stored, and/or installed
as a single unit
(i.e., where the insert is installed in wear member at the time of
manufacture). Such a
construction reduces inventory and storage needs, ensures the insert is always
available for
use to ease the removal of the wear member. Nevertheless, if desired, insert
50 could be
installed following manufacture such as prior to mounting the wear member on
the base; or at
any time between manufacture and installation of the wear member on the
equipment.
[0044] The insert 50 is received into recess 56 prior to installation of the
wear member 19
onto the base 15, such that the abutment surface 106 engages the stop surfaces
86, 88, 90
and the insert 50 penetrates into the hole 66. The wear member 19 is mounted
on the nose
18 of the base. In the illustrated example, front face 116 of the nose 18
bears against the
rearward facing front wall 114 of the cavity 17 of the wear member 19 when the
wear member
is installed. Nevertheless, in other wear assemblies, the front face of the
base may or may not
bear against the front face of the cavity.
[0045] To remove the wear member 19 from the nose or base 18, the tip 10 may
be removed
from the wear member 19. This is done by releasing the lock 16 securing tip 10
to adapter 19
such that the lock no longer engages nose 48. In the illustrated embodiment,
locks 16 are
integrally secured tips 10. Nevertheless, the pins of lock 10 could be removed
or the lock could
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be removed entirely if different locks were used. Locks 16 are also released
in and/or removed
from the lock holes 66, 67 in adapter 19 (i.e., the locks securing adapter 19
to nose 18).
[0046] The removal tool 11 is inserted within the hole 66 between front
surface 58 of wall
68 and front surface 102 of insert 50. In the illustrated embodiment, thread
formation 22 on
tool 11 engages the complementary thread formation 104 on insert 50 (Figs. 7-
10). As the
wedge shaped tool 11 is further threaded downwardly, a perpendicular or
rearward force F is
applied to the front wall 102 of the insert 50. The force F is then
transferred to the rearward
surface 105 of the insert 50 to engage the front face 116 of the nose 18 (Fig.
9). The rearward
force and the transitory movement of the insert 50 applies pressure in an
opposite direction of
force F against the front wall portion 58 to separate the wear member 19 from
the base 15
(Fig. 8). The application of this force aids in removal and creates a safer
and easier removal
process for the workers. The process may also aid situations where the adapter
is stuck from
fines or earthen material.
[0047] Operation of removal tool 11 can be a manual process by a worker at the
site and/or
as part of a removal apparatus for replacing wear members. Referring to Fig.
11, a tool 25 can
be used to remove and install wear members 19. Such a tool may, e.g., be one
such as
disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 11,015,324, Wear Assembly Removal and
Installation or U.S.
Patent No. 10,988,916, Handling system for ground-engaging wear parts secured
to earth
working equipment, each of which are incorporated by reference herein. The
tool 25 may, e.g.,
be brought to the excavating equipment 1 needing maintenance or to staging
area so that the
wear parts may be replaced even when the earth working equipment is in a
remote location
and the wear parts must be replaced in the field.
[0048] The tool 25, for example, may include a mobile base with at least one
manipulator
29 and at least one controller such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) with
programmable
logic. The controller can be a single CPU, or a combination of CPUs located,
for example, in
the auxiliary tools, manipulators and/or a service vehicle. The controllers
can be in a remote
location or, as described below, can be manually operated or partially
manually operated. In
another alternative, the tool 25 may be semi or fully automated and programmed
to drive to
the mining excavator 1 needing wear members 15 replaced.
[0049] In the illustrated example, the tool 25 includes an auxiliary tool 97
having, e.g., a
gripping tool 98 to hold the wear member and a driving tool 95 to release the
lock 16 and/or
drive removal tool 11. The driving tool 95 can be the lock release mechanism
or a separate
mechanism.
[0050] In this example, driving tool 95 is provided with an adjustment
mechanism 99 that
can adjust the position of the removal tool 95 without adjusting the overall
position of the
manipulator 29 (i.e., the manipulator has fine control). The adjustment
mechanism 99 provides
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the driving tool 95 with two or more degrees of freedom so that the removal
tool 95 can move
from side to side and up and down without adjusting the position of the
manipulator arm 29.
[0051] The driving tool 95 is shown as having a driving wedge 201, though
other tools are
possible, to enable the outward force required to push the wear member off of
the mount 15.
A combined tool may combine any of the various auxiliary tools that removes
and installs the
wear member to the base. For example, a combined tool may combine more than
two auxiliary
tools together (e.g., the combined tool may have an auxiliary tool to grip the
wear member, an
auxiliary tool to remove fines, and an auxiliary tool to remove and install a
lock, a driving wedge
to remove the wear member, and the like). In another example, one auxiliary
tool may do two
tasks, e.g. securing a wear member with a vertical pin and being tapered to
also perform the
vertical task of being a driving wedge to apply force to remove the wear
member.
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