TWO PIECE TOOL HOLDER ASSEMBLY
A tool holder assembly on a rotating unit, e.g. drum of an earth strata cutting assembly, includes a base mountable to the rotating unit and a removable member mounted to the base and having a support block for carrying an earth strata cutting tool. The base includes an upright member. In one aspect, the removable member substantially encloses the upright member and the removable member includes a V-shaped surface engaging a V-shaped surface of the upright member for a close tolerance fit. In another aspect, the removable member partially encloses the upright member and the removable member includes a circular surface engaging a circular surface of the upright member for a close tolerance fit.
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The invention pertains to a tool holder assembly for carrying a cutting tool. More specifically, the invention pertains to a two piece tool holder assembly comprising a base fixedly mountable to a rotating unit of a cutting assembly and a removable member connected to the base for carrying the cutting tool.
BACKGROUNDExamples of an earth strata cutting assembly include a continuous mining machine and a continuous road milling machine. These machines typically include a plurality of rotatable cutting drums that are advanced so as to engage the earth strata e.g. coal in a sediment layer or asphalt, concrete or stone in a road and cut or rip the same into fragments. Typically, the rotatable cutting drums include a plurality of cutting tools that impinge upon the material so as to break it into fragments.
Various types of cutting tools are known and, for example, may take the form of an elongated body round in cross section and symmetrical about a central axis with a cylindrical supporting shank at one end and with the other end generally tapering inwardly to a point in which is mounted a cemented carbide wear resistant element or tip. The portion of the cutting tool immediately rearward of the point is usually conical and as the cutting tool is used and rotates in use, the body of the cutting tool adjacent the hard cemented carbide insert experiences significant wear. In addition, the tool holder and the block or base which receives the tool holder include cooperating exposed surface areas which are subjected to substantial loads as the cutting tool is used. Because of the loads involved, the exposed surface areas can experience wear. While the cutting tool and the tool holder can be replaced relatively easy when they are worn out, rapid wear of the block, which is usually welded in place on the rotatable cutting drum, is a serious problem because the block is normally expected to remain in good condition for the life of several cutting tools.
There is a need to provide a tool holder assembly for an earth-strata cutting assembly that overcomes limitations and disadvantages of known tool holder assemblies.
SUMMARYThe invention generally provides a tool holder assembly for carrying a cutting tool on a rotating unit of an earth strata cutting assembly. The tool holder assembly includes a base fixedly mountable to the rotating unit; and a removable member mounted on the base and comprising a support block constructed and arranged to carry the cutting tool. The base includes an upright member and a planar member supporting the upright member. The removable member is constructed and arranged to substantially enclose the upright member and abut against the planar member of the base.
In one aspect, the upright member of the base includes a tapered upper surface, the removable member includes a corresponding tapered surface adjacent the tapered upper surface of the upright member; and the upright member and the removable member are constructed and arranged to be secured together through a close tolerance fit. A retaining element extends through apertures in the removable member and in the upright member of the base for ensuring and maintaining a secure connection of the removable member to the base. The removable member includes a wedge-like body angularly supporting the support block at a desired angle of attack and two spaced apart side walls joined together by a mediate portion to form an open area that receives the upright member of the base. The upright member further includes spaced apart side walls, an arcuate surface at a first end, and a V-shaped surface at an opposed second end, and the mediate portion of the wedge-like body of the removable member includes a V-shaped surface corresponding to the V-shaped surface of the upright member of the base. The arcuate surface of the upright member of the base is constructed and arranged to receive a shank of a cutting tool when the cutting tool is carried by the support block of the removable member. The upright member of the base and the wedge-like body of the removable member are wedged together through a close tolerance fit and the V-shaped surface of the upright member engages the V-shaped surface of the wedge-like body of the removable member.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the tool holder assembly comprises a base comprising an upright member and a planar member supporting the upright member and a removable member which is constructed and arranged to partially enclose the upright member of the base.
In other aspects of the invention, the upright member of the base and the removable member are constructed and arranged to be secured together through a close tolerance fit. A retaining element extends through an aperture in the removable member and an aperture in the upright member of the base for ensuring and maintaining a secure connection of the removable member to the base. The removable member further includes a wedge-like body angularly supporting the support block at a desired angle of attack and comprising spaced apart sidewalls joined together by a mediate portion and forming an open area for receiving the upright member of the base; and one of the spaced apart sidewalls of the removable member extends a partial depth of the removable member. The upright member of the base comprises spaced-apart side walls, a flat surface at a first end, and a curved surface at the opposed second end; the mediate portion of the wedge-like body of the removable member comprises a curved surface corresponding to and engaging the curved surface of the upright member of the base; and the flat surface of the upright member of the base is constructed and arranged to receive a flat surface of a cutting tool when the cutting tool is carried by the support block of the removable member. The upright member of the base and the wedge-like body of the removable member are wedged together through a close tolerance fit with at least the curved surface of the upright member engaging the curved surface of the wedge-like body of the removable member. The upright member of the base further includes an arcuate member extending along a surface of one of the sidewalls concentric to the aperture of the upright member and outwardly into the open area formed by the spaced apart sidewalls of the removable member.
These and various other aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following drawings and detailed description.
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As can be appreciated, when a cutting tool such as for example, a rotatable cutting tool having a cylindrical shank is carried by support block 30 of removable body 28, the cylindrical shank will abut against arcuate surface 64 of upright member 36 such that removable body 28 is wedged against upright member 36 and against the upper surface 38 of planar member 34. However, it will be appreciated that the surface 64 may have shapes and configurations other than arcuate.
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It will be appreciated that even though removable member 28 and upright member 36 have a close tolerance fit and is retained via retaining element 84, that the impact forces involved by the cutting tool carried in support block 30 of removable member 28 against the earth strata during the cutting process will initially and continually force removable member 28 onto upright member 36 such that removable member 28 will be wedged onto upright member 36 and against planar member 34, and that retaining element 84 only ensures and maintains a secure connection between removable member 28 and upright member 36.
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Planar member 100 is in the form of a wedge that is, planar member 100 has an upper surface 104 that tapers downwardly from a first end 106 to an opposed second end 108. Similarly, removable member 94 is in the form of a wedge, that is, removable member 94 comprises a wedge-like body 110 that has a first upper surface 112 that extends into a second upper surface 113 that tapers downwardly from a first end 114 to an opposed second end 116. As particularly shown in
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As can be appreciated, when a cutting tool such as for example, a rotatable cutting tool having a shank is carried by support block 96 of removable member 94, the shank of the cutting tool will abut against flat surface 130 of upright member 102 such that removable member 94 is wedged against upright member 102 and against the upper surface of planar member 100. It will be appreciated that the surface 130 may have other shapes and configurations besides being flat, e.g. surface 130 may by curved or arcuate.
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It is to be appreciated, that even though removable member 94 and upright member 102 have a close tolerance fit and is retained via retaining element 154, that the impact forces involved by the cutting tool carried in support block 96 of removable member 94 against the earth strata during the cutting process will initially and continually force removable member 94 onto upright member 102 such that removable member 94 will be wedged onto upright member 102 and against planar member 100, and that retaining element 154 ensures and maintains a secure connection between removable member 94 and upright member 102.
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The implementation described above and other implementations are within the scope of the described invention and the following claims.
Claims
1. A tool holder assembly for carrying a cutting tool on a rotating unit of an cutting assembly, comprising:
- a base fixedly mountable to the rotating unit, wherein the base comprises an upright member and a planar member supporting the upright member; and
- a removable member mounted on the base and including a support block constructed and arranged to carry the cutting tool, wherein the removable member is constructed and arranged to substantially enclose the upright member and abut against the planar member of the base.
2. The tool holder assembly of claim 1, wherein the upright member of the base comprises a tapered upper surface and the removable member comprises a corresponding tapered surface adjacent the tapered upper surface of the upright member.
3. The tool holder assembly of claim 2, wherein the upright member and the removable member are constructed and arranged to be secured together through a close tolerance fit.
4. The tool holder assembly of claim 3, further comprising a retaining element extending through the removable member and the upright member of the base for removably connecting the removable member to the base.
5. The tool holder assembly of claim 2, wherein at least the removable member comprises a wedge-like body angularly supporting the support block at a desired angle of attack.
6. The tool holder assembly of claim 5, wherein the wedge-like body of the removable member comprises two spaced apart side walls joined together by a mediate portion and forming an open area that receives the upright member of the base.
7. The tool holder assembly of claim 6:
- wherein the upright member of the base comprises spaced apart side walls, an arcuate surface at a first end, and a V-shaped surface at an opposed second end;
- wherein the mediate portion of the wedge-like body of the removable member comprises a V-shaped surface corresponding to the V-shaped surface of the upright member of the base; and
- wherein the arcuate surface of the upright member of the base is constructed and arranged to receive a shank of a cutting tool when the cutting tool is carried by the support block of the removable member.
8. The tool holder assembly of claim 7, wherein the upright member of the base and the wedge-like body of the removable member are wedged together through a close tolerance fit and wherein the V-shaped surface of the upright member engages the V-shaped surface of the wedge-like body of the removable member.
9. The tool holder assembly of claim 8:
- wherein the upright member of the base further comprises an aperture;
- wherein the spaced apart side walls of the wedge-like body of the removable member each comprise an aperture which are in alignment with the aperture of the upright member when the removable member is positioned on the upright member, and
- wherein the tool holder assembly further comprises a retaining element extending through the aperture of the upright member and each aperture of the spaced apart side walls of the wedge-like body of the removable member in order to removably secure the removable member to the base of the tool holder assembly.
10. A tool holder assembly for carrying a cutting tool on a rotating unit of an cutting assembly, comprising:
- a base fixedly mountable to the rotating unit, wherein the base comprises an upright member and a planar member supporting the upright member; and
- a removable member mounted on the base and including a support block constructed and arranged to carry the cutting tool, wherein the base comprises an upright member and a planar member supporting the upright member and wherein the removable member is constructed and arranged to partially enclose the upright member of the base.
11. The tool holder assembly of claim 10, wherein the upright member of the base and the removable member are constructed and arranged to be secured together through a close tolerance fit.
12. The tool holder assembly of claim 11, further comprising a retaining element extending through the removable member and the upright member of the base for removably connecting the removable member to the base.
13. The tool holder assembly of claim 10, wherein the removable member further comprises a wedge-like body angularly supporting the support block at a desired angle of attack.
14. The tool holder assembly of claim 13:
- wherein the wedge-like body of the removable member comprises spaced apart sidewalls joined together by a mediate portion and forming an open area for receiving the upright member of the base; and
- wherein one of the spaced apart sidewalls of the removable member extends a partial depth of the removable member.
15. The tool holder assembly of claim 14:
- wherein the upright member of the base comprises spaced-apart side walls, a flat surface at a first end, and a curved surface at the opposed second end;
- wherein the mediate portion of the wedge-like body of the removable member comprises a curved surface corresponding to and engaging the curved surface of the upright member of the base; and
- wherein the flat surface of the upright member of the base is constructed and arranged to support a surface of a cutting tool when the cutting tool is carried by the support block of the removable member.
16. The tool holder assembly of 15, wherein the upright member of the base and the wedge-like body of the removable member are wedged together through a close tolerance fit with at least the curved surface of the upright member engaging the curved surface of the wedge-like body of the removable member.
17. The tool holder assembly of claim 16;
- wherein the upright member of the base further comprises an aperture;
- wherein one of the spaced apart side walls of the wedge-like body of the removable member comprises an aperture which is in alignment with the aperture of the upright member when the removable member is positioned on the upright member; and
- wherein the tool holder assembly further comprises a retaining element extending through the aperture of the upright member and the aperture of one of the spaced apart sidewalls of the wedge-like body of the removable member in order to removably connect the removable member to the base of the tool holder assembly.
18. The tool holder assembly of claim 17, wherein the upright member of the base further comprises an arcuate member extending along a surface of one of the sidewalls concentric to the aperture of the upright member and outwardly into the open area formed by the spaced apart sidewalls of the removable member.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 13, 2010
Publication Date: Mar 15, 2012
Applicant: KENNAMETAL INC. (Latrobe, PA)
Inventors: Martin Maushart (Kettershausen), Michael Enste (Rosbach), Thomas Jürgen Chudowski (Friedrichsdorf)
Application Number: 12/880,344
International Classification: E21C 35/18 (20060101); E21C 35/193 (20060101);