Tracklaying vehicles
AssigneeBritish Techology Group Ltd.
InventorsJohn N. Reed, John Knox
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suspended-track tracklaying vehicle 8 (FIG. 1) comprises an endless ground-engaging track 12, a drive sprocket 20 which remains positionally fixed relative to the vehicle body, a rear idler 14 and track-engaging ground rollers 16 which move with the swing link/air-spring suspension 28,30, and a compensator idler 18 mounted for substantially linear movement under the action of one or more spring-loaded compression units 38 acting between the compensator idler and the vehicle body.
Claims9
A suspended-track tracklaying vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle body portion;
- an endless track having a continuous feed ground-engaging portion, and
- a suspension system, including:
- a sprung, vertically displaceable sub-frame,
- track-engaging ground rollers mounted on said sub-frame and backing the ground-engaging portion of the track,
- a track-engaging drive means mounted in a positionally fixed relationship to said vehicle body portion,
- a track-engaging idler means mounted on said sub-frame for movement relative to the sub-frame, and
- at least one spring-loaded compression unit acting between the idler means and the vehicle body portion,
- wherein changes in track geometry resulting from vertical displacement of said sub-frame relative to said vehicle body are accommodated by a compensating movement of said idler means relative to said sub-frame;
- and
- wherein the suspension system further comprises a parallel swing link mechanism for controlling the movement of said sub-frame carrying said track-engaging ground rollers and a mounting for the idler means.
A suspended-track tracklaying vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle body portion;
- an endless track having a continuous feed ground-engaging portion, and
- a suspension system, including:
- a sprung, vertically displaceable sub-frame,
- track-engaging elements mounted on said sub-frame and backing the ground-engaging portion of the track,
- a track-engaging drive means mounted in a positionally fixed relationship to said vehicle body portion,
- a track-engaging idler means mounted on said sub-frame for movement relative to the sub-frame, and
- at least one spring-loaded compression unit acting between the idler means and the vehicle body portion,
- wherein changes in track geometry resulting from vertical displacement of said sub-frame relative to said vehicle body are accommodated by a compensating movement of said idler means relative to said sub-frame;
- and
- wherein a line of action of the compression unit relative to an adjacent part of the vehicle body against which it acts, lies between 0.degree. and -30.degree..
A suspended-track tracklaying vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle body portion;
- an endless track having a continuous feed ground-engaging portion, and
- a suspension system, including:
- a sprung, vertically displaceable sub-frame,
- track-engaging elements mounted on said sub-frame and backing the ground-engaging portion of the track,
- a track-engaging drive means mounted in a positionally fixed relationship to said vehicle body portion,
- a track-engaging idler means mounted on said sub-frame for movement relative to the sub-frame, and
- at least one spring-loaded compression unit acting between the idler means and the vehicle body portion,
- wherein changes in track geometry resulting from vertical displacement of said sub-frame relative to said vehicle body are accommodated by a compensating movement of said idler means relative to said sub-frame;
- and
- wherein the suspension system includes an air-spring and damper arrangement adapted to control the operating characteristics of the suspension system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.