Roller circle assembly for heavy machinery
AssigneeHarnischfeger Technologies, Inc.
InventorJason Knuth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A roller circle assembly for heavy machinery includes an upper circular rail and a lower circular rail concentrically arranged about a central axis, and tapered rollers between the upper and lower rail. Each tapered roller includes a flange having an angled and convex flange contact surface that contacts the lower rail. The lower rail and/or the upper rail can include an angled surface configured for contact with the flange contact surface. The geometry of the rollers and the lower rail are configured to reduce the stresses applied to the rollers and lower rail due to contact between the flange contact surface and the angled surface.
Claims20
A heavy earth-moving machine comprising:
- a lower structure;
- an upper structure supported by the lower structure and rotatable with respect thereto;
- a substantially circular lower rail mounted on the lower structure;
- a substantially circular upper rail mounted on the upper structure;
- and
- a plurality of tapered rollers engaging and positioned between the upper rail and the lower rail, each of the plurality of tapered rollers including:
- a substantially frustoconical body portion having an enlarged end, a reduced end, and a roller surface extending between the enlarged end and the reduced end, the body portion defining a roller axis;
- and
- a flange portion extending radially from the reduced end of the body portion and including a crowned, convex flange contact surface facing toward the enlarged end, wherein the crowned, convex flange contact surface defines an arc of a circle having a center point that is offset from the roller axis.
A tapered roller for a roller circle assembly for heavy machinery, the roller circle assembly rotatably supporting an upper structure of the heavy machinery above a lower structure of the heavy machinery, the tapered roller comprising:
- a substantially frustoconical body portion having an enlarged end, a reduced end, and a roller surface extending between the enlarged end and the reduced end, the body portion defining a roller axis;
- and
- a flange portion extending radially from the reduced end of the body portion and including a crowned, convex flange contact surface facing toward the enlarged end, wherein the crowned, convex flange contact surface defines an arc of a circle having a center point that is offset from the roller axis.
A heavy earth-moving machine comprising:
- a lower structure;
- an upper structure supported by the lower structure and rotatable with respect thereto;
- a substantially circular lower rail mounted on the lower structure, the lower rail including an inner rail surface, an upper surface, and a transition portion between the inner rail surface and the upper surface that is angled with respect to the inner rail surface;
- a substantially circular upper rail mounted on the upper structure;
- and
- a plurality of tapered rollers engaging and positioned between the upper rail and the lower rail, each of the plurality of tapered rollers including:
- a substantially frustoconical body portion having an enlarged end, a reduced end, and a roller surface extending between the enlarged end and the reduced end, the body portion defining a roller axis;
- and
- a flange portion extending radially from the reduced end of the body portion and including a crowned, convex flange contact surface facing toward the enlarged end, wherein the crowned, convex flange contact surface contacts the transition portion along an elliptical contact area on the transition portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.