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US 10,351,186 B1Granted
Undercarriage support for a track chain
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsLuke B. Fischer, David F. Schaefer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An undercarriage includes a plurality of bottom support rollers defining a bottom support roller platform distance and front and rear wheels defining a wheel pitch distance, and a track chain defining a link pitch distance and a ratio of the bottom support roller platform distance to the wheel pitch distance ranges from 0.70 to 0.95 and a ratio of the roller spacing distance to the link pitch distance ranges from 0.75 link pitch distance to 1.50 link pitch distances.
Claims16
An undercarriage configured to support a track chain and to be attached to a machine with an endless track drive, the undercarriage comprising:
- a plurality of bottom support rollers rotatably attached to the undercarriage including a front bottom support roller defining a front bottom support roller rotational axis and a rear bottom support roller defining a rear bottom support roller rotational axis, and further defining a bottom support roller platform distance measured from the front bottom support roller rotational axis to the rear bottom support roller rotational axis and a roller spacing distance measured from the centerline of one bottom support roller to the centerline of the adjacent bottom support roller;
- a front wheel rotatably attached to the undercarriage, defining a front wheel rotational axis;
- a rear wheel rotatably attached to the undercarriage, defining a rear wheel rotational axis;
- and
- a track chain including sets of links, each set of links being joined to each other by a track pin or bushing, defining a track pin longitudinal axis or a bushing longitudinal axis and a link pitch distance equivalent to the overall length of one link;
- wherein the front wheel rotational axis and the rear wheel rotational axis are positioned vertically above relative to the front bottom support roller rotational axis and the rear bottom support roller rotational axis, and the undercarriage further defines a wheel pitch distance measured from the front wheel rotational axis to the rear wheel rotational axis, and a ratio of the bottom support roller platform distance to the wheel pitch distance ranges from 0.70 to 0.95 and a ratio of the roller spacing distance to the link pitch distance ranges from 0.75 link pitch distance to 1.50 link pitch distances.
3 more elements
An undercarriage configured to support a track chain and be attached to a machine with an endless track drive, the undercarriage comprising:
- a plurality of bottom support rollers rotatably attached to the undercarriage including a front bottom support roller defining a front bottom support roller rotational axis and a rear bottom support roller defining a rear bottom support roller rotational axis, and further defining a bottom support roller platform distance measured from the front bottom support roller rotational axis to the rear bottom support roller rotational axis a roller spacing distance measured from the centerline of one bottom support roller to the centerline of the adjacent bottom support roller;
- a front wheel rotatably attached to the undercarriage, defining a front wheel rotational axis;
- a rear wheel rotatably attached to the undercarriage, defining a rear wheel rotational axis;
- and
- a track chain routed about the plurality of bottom support rollers, front wheel, and rear wheel, the track chain including sets of links, each set of links being joined to each other by a track pin or bushing, defining a track pin longitudinal axis or a bushing longitudinal axis and a link pitch distance equivalent to the overall length of one link;
- wherein the front wheel rotational axis and the rear wheel rotational axis are positioned vertically above relative to the front bottom support roller rotational axis and the rear bottom support roller rotational axis, and the undercarriage further defines a wheel pitch distance measured from the front wheel rotational axis to the rear wheel rotational axis, and a front transitional zone distance measured from the front bottom support roller rotational axis to the front wheel rotational axis along a direction parallel with the bottom support roller platform distance, and a ratio of the front transitional zone distance to the link pitch distance ranges from 1.0 link pitch distance to 2.30 link pitch distances, and a ratio of the roller spacing distance to the link pitch distance ranges from 0.75 link pitch distance to 1.50 link pitch distances.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.