Having Nonmetallic Part Or Component (e.g., At Area Of Engagement) Patents (Class 305/197)
  • Patent number: 8100483
    Abstract: A track assembly for a machine includes a track having inner track seals, a rotatable track engaging element such as an idler or drive sprocket and a contact interface for protecting the seals during guiding the track about the rotatable element. The contact interface may include sacrificial wear material on the rotatable element and sacrificial wear material on corresponding track links. The contact interface may have a configuration based on a location of the seals, and is adapted to inhibit wear of the track links in regions adjacent the seals. In another aspect, the contact interface is a guide interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Mark S. Diekevers, Donovan S. Clarke, Kevin L. Steiner, Jianping Zheng, Victor M. Penrod, Roger L. Recker
  • Patent number: 6843876
    Abstract: Tank treads, brake linings, rifles stocks, and other devices requiring the bonding of metal to rubber, epoxy, or plastic, with a layer of metal foam interposed between the metal and the rubber or plastic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Inventor: Howard Daniel Kent
  • Patent number: 6733092
    Abstract: A travel driving apparatus for a track-type earthmoving machine is provided which can reduce abrasion wear of a sprocket and a bushing and which enables easy replacement of worn members. A contact member is detachably mounted to an opposing surface of a track shoe to a sprocket, and a tooth top portion of the sprocket is brought into contact with the contact member, thereby securing a gap between a bushing of a track chain and a tooth bottom portion of the sprocket. The tooth top portion of the sprocket and a surface portion of the contact member have surface portions which are brought into contact with each other at a time when the sprocket rotates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2004
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Yoshida, Teiji Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 6471307
    Abstract: A crawler belt type traveling system which ensures improved durability in the portions near road wheel rolling contact sections. The system comprises crawler belts formed from an elastic material such as rubber and road wheels attached to a vehicle body. Each crawler belt has core bars embedded therein so as to be aligned at specified intervals in a longitudinal direction of the crawler belt. Each core bar has a pair of guide projections at the center thereof with respect to a widthwise direction of the crawler belt, the pair of guide projections being aligned in a widthwise direction of the crawler belt. Provided at both sides of the pair of guide projections are road wheel rolling contact sections. Each road wheel comes into contact with the road wheel rolling contact sections, for supporting each crawler belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroaki Watanabe, Kazuo Yasojima
  • Patent number: 6080493
    Abstract: Tank treads, brake linings, rifles stocks, and other devices requiring the bonding of metal to rubber, epoxy, or plastic, with a layer of metal foam interposed between the metal and the rubber or plastic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Inventor: Howard Daniel Kent
  • Patent number: 6076901
    Abstract: A shoe for an endless track has an internal frame with an elastomeric coating. The frame includes tubular supports to receive a pivot pin for interconnection of adjacent shoes. The pin is located within the tubular supports by elastomeric bushings that accommodate relative pivotal movement by torsional deflection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Inventors: Mark T. Rankin, Wayne D. Whittaker, David A. Kuhl
  • Patent number: 5829850
    Abstract: A track system for a track vehicle which has a crawler chain and a driving sprocket wheel. The chain has links each of which has a pin assembly with a bushing or one piece bolt the outer periphery of which at least is composed of a material consisting of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 silicon nitride or a zirconium oxide with at most 15% of sintering additives. The driving sprocket wheel can have segments formed with the teeth and bolted to a disk, the segments being composed of a material consisting of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 silicon nitride or zirconium oxide with less than 15% of sintering additives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 3, 1998
    Assignee: Intertractor Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Michael Ketting, Mathias Woydt, Wolfgang Kunkel, Friedrich Bottger, Karl-Friedrich Fischer
  • Patent number: 5636911
    Abstract: An improved drive connection between the track and drive sprocket of a tr laying vehicle has a specially modified sprocket and track units. The track elements of the improved drive connection include links connecting the track units at their lateral, wells in the track units and a wall on one side of each well. The sprocket has an axle and a mounting flange or hub fixed to the axle. Outer gear teeth fixed to the hub flange protrude between the links when the sprocket engages the track while inner gear teeth fixed to the hub engage the specially configured bearing surfaces in the wells. The sprocket includes a continuous land surface having an annular portion between the inner and outer teeth and having other portions between the inner teeth. The continuous land surface contacts the walls where the sprocket engages the track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 10, 1997
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
    Inventor: John G. Korpi
  • Patent number: 5632538
    Abstract: A drive system for a caterpillar track (30) comprises a drive wheel (1) with rubber-mounted drive bodies (10) fixed thereto, the drive bodies (10) engaging the guide tooth root (65) of the chain link member (52). The flank (51) of the guide tooth (32) is of a particular geometrical configuration in order to provide a long operating life for the rubber mounting means (21) of the drive body (10) by virtue of a small angle of rotational movement of the rubber casing (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 27, 1997
    Assignee: Diehl Remscheid GmbH & Co.
    Inventors: Hagen-Heinz Wiesner, Klaus Spies, Bernd-Dieter Neubert
  • Patent number: 5593218
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a highly elastic rubber crawler mounted on a mobile working machine, the crawler having improved durability, easily passing around a drive wheel and inflicting no damage on a paved road surface. Specifically, a highly elastic rubber crawler defines engageable holes in the main body of the crawler into which the tops of teeth of a drive wheel are fitted, engageable portions between engageable holes for meshing with the roots of the teeth of the drive wheel, projections at both sides of the engageable portion for preventing the drive wheel from falling off the crawler, and lugs projecting from an outer peripheral surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Fukuyama Gomu Kogyo Kabushiki Gaisha
    Inventors: Yusaku Katoh, Tsuyoshi Uchiyama
  • Patent number: 5540489
    Abstract: A rubber track assembly comprising a driving wheel, an idler wheel, an endless rubber track extending around the driving wheel and the idler wheel and having a plurality of rubber lugs formed on its outer circumference and a plurality of rubber guide projections formed on its inner surface, and a plurality of roller wheels arranged in contact with inner surface of the rubber track in a ground contact region thereof, each of the wheels has a pair of wheel portions formed at its opposite sides and spaced apart to be disposed at opposite sides of the guide projection for engaging the inner surface of the rubber track at the opposite sides of the guide projection. The rubber guide projection is provided with at least one low friction surface having a coefficient of friction lower than that of the rubber material of the rubber guide projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 30, 1996
    Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
    Inventors: Tateo Muramatsu, Masaru Ishibashi, Harumichi Yamazaki