Refurbished camshaft and method
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsJarrod David Moss, Adam Ostein, Curtis Graham, Patrick W. Savage, JR., Trent A. Simpson, Benjamin C. Thomas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of refurbishing a camshaft (100) having at least one defective portion (202, 206) includes removing material from the at least one defective portion (202, 206) to create a neck region (302). An alignment feature (402) is introduced in the neck region (302) according to a previous orientation of the defective portion (202, 206). A segmented blank (1008) is installed around the neck region (302) and oriented with the alignment feature (402).
Claims20
A method of refurbishing a camshaft having at least one defective portion, comprising:
- removing material from the at least one defective portion to create a neck region;
- introducing at least one alignment feature in the neck region;
- installing a segmented blank around the neck region, the segmented blank being oriented with the at least one alignment feature;
- and
- connecting portions of the segmented blank to each other and to the neck region to form a rigid structure.
A refurbished camshaft, comprising:
- a camshaft core having a centerline;
- a neck region formed on the camshaft core at an axial location along the centerline, the neck region forming at least one alignment feature;
- a blank forming a neck opening disposed around the neck region and oriented according to the at least one alignment feature;
- the blank including at least two portions connected to each other to form a rigid structure around the neck region.
A method for managing the lifecycle of a camshaft, comprising:
- producing a new camshaft;
- installing the new camshaft on a machine which causes damage or wear to the camshaft;
- removing the camshaft from the machine after damage or wear has occurred;
- repairing the camshaft by removing a damaged or worn portion and replacing it with a new portion;
- and
- returning the camshaft with the new portion to service in a machine.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.