Self-adjusting tooth/adapter connection system for material displacement apparatus

A material displacement tooth and adapter assembly comprising:

• an adapter structure having a nose portion;
• a replaceable hollow tooth point slidably and releasably telescoped on said adapter nose, said nose portion and said tooth point having generally aligned connector openings therein;
• and
• a self-adjusting connection system received in said tooth and nose portion connector openings and being operative to automatically tighten said tooth point onto said nose portion in response to interface surface area wear therebetween, said self-adjusting connection system including:
• a tapered connector member slidably received in said tooth and nose portion connector openings and having a first end, a wider second end spaced apart along an axis from said first end, and an axially extending internal passage opening outwardly through said second end,
• a force exerting member having an elongated body rotatably and axially movably received in said internal passage and having an enlarged outer end portion, said force exerting member being in a first rotational orientation relative to said connector member with said outer end portion underlying an interior surface portion of said tooth point and blocking removal of said connector member from said tooth and adapter nose connector openings, said force exerting member being rotatable to a second rotational orientation permitting removal of said connector member from said tooth and adapter nose connector openings,
• a frictional locking structure operative to (1) permit said force exerting member in said first rotational orientation to move axially relative to said connector member, and (2) frictionally lock said force exerting member to said connector member in response to movement of said force exerting member to said second rotational orientation, and
• a spring structure resiliently forcing said outer end portion against said interior surface portion of said tooth point,
• said internal connector member passage has a circular interior surface,
• said elongated force exerting member body has a circular side surface, and
• said frictional locking structure includes:
• a longitudinally extending, laterally offset passage formed in one of said circular interior surface of said internal connector member passage and said circular side surface of said elongated force exerting member body,
• a pocket formed in the other of said circular interior surface of said internal connector member passage and said circular side surface of said elongated force exerting member body,
• a rigid key member slidably received in said pocket for radially outward movement therethrough into said laterally offset passage when said pocket is rotationally aligned therewith, and
• a resilient structure carried by said rigid key member and operative to resiliently resist its movement radially into said pocket,
• said internal passage having a cylindrical interior surface,
• said elongated force exerting member body having a cylindrical side surface, and
• said frictional locking structure including:
• a longitudinally extending passage formed in one of said cylindrical interior surface of said internal passage and said cylindrical side surface of said elongated force exerting member body,
• a pocket formed in the other of said cylindrical interior surface of said internal passage and said cylindrical side surface of said elongated force exerting member body,
• a rigid key member slidably received in said pocket for radially outward movement therethrough into said longitudinally extending passage when said pocket is rotationally aligned with said longitudinally extending passage, and
• a resilient structure carried by said rigid key member and operative to resiliently resist its movement radially into said pocket.

A material displacement tooth and adapter assembly comprising:

• an adapter structure having a nose portion;
• a replaceable hollow tooth point slidably and releasably telescoped on said adapter nose, said nose portion and said tooth point having generally aligned connector openings therein;
• and
• a self-adjusting connection system received in said tooth and nose portion connector openings and being operative to automatically tighten said tooth point onto said nose portion in response to interface surface area wear therebetween, said self-adjusting connection system including:
• a tapered connector member slidably received in said tooth and nose portion connector openings and having a first end, a wider second end spaced apart along an axis from said first end, and an axially extending internal passage opening outwardly through said second end,
• a force exerting member having an elongated body rotatably and axially movably received in said internal passage and having an enlarged outer end portion defined by a transverse flange section having a single outwardly projecting lobe portion, said force exerting member being in a first rotational orientation relative to said connector member with said outer end portion underlying an interior surface portion of said tooth point and blocking removal of said connector member from said tooth and adapter nose connector openings, said force exerting member being rotatable to a second rotational orientation permitting removal of said connector member from said tooth and adapter nose connector openings,
• a frictional locking structure operative to (1) permit said force exerting member in said first rotational orientation to move axially relative to said connector member, and (2) frictionally lock said force exerting member to said connector member in response to movement of said force exerting member to said second rotational orientation,
• a spring structure resiliently forcing said outer end portion against said interior surface portion of said tooth point,
• said connector member having a flat, generally wedge-shaped configuration, and
• said second end of said connector member having a width transverse to said axis, and a single axially outwardly projecting corner portion having a thickness, measured parallel to said width, of approximately half of said width.

Apparatus for use in removably coupling a replaceable material displacement tooth point to an adapter nose structure received in an internal pocket area of said tooth point, said tooth point and said nose structure having generally alignable connection openings therein, said apparatus comprising a generally wedge-shaped connector member insertable into the aligned connection openings and having:

• a first end having an outer end surface;
• a smaller second end longitudinally spaced apart from said first end;
• first and second opposite sides extending between said first and second ends and being laterally inwardly sloped from said first and to said second end;
• third and fourth generally parallel opposite sides extending between said first and second opposite sides;
• a circularly cross-sectioned internal passage extending longitudinally inwardly from said outer end surface of said first end and being configured to coaxially receive a coiled compression spring member;
• and
• an elongated depression formed in the side surface of said circularly cross-sectioned internal passage, longitudinally extending parallel to said internal passage, and forming a lateral enlargement of a longitudinal portion of said internal passage,
• said connector member having, at said first end, a width extending between said first and second opposite sides and a single outwardly projecting corner portion having a thickness, measured parallel to said width, of approximately half of said width.

Apparatus for use in removably coupling a replaceable material displacement tooth point to an adapter nose structure received in an internal pocket area of said tooth point, said tooth point and said nose structure having generally alignable connection openings therein, said apparatus comprising a generally wedge-shaped connector member insertable into the aligned connection openings and having:

• a first end having an outer end surface;
• a smaller second end longitudinally spaced apart from said first end;
• first and second opposite sides extending between said first and second ends and being laterally inwardly sloped from said first and to said second end;
• third and fourth generally parallel opposite sides extending between said first and second opposite sides;
• a circularly cross-sectioned internal passage extending longitudinally inwardly from said outer end surface of said first end and being configured to coaxially receive a coiled compression spring member;
• an elongated depression formed in the side surface of said circularly cross-sectioned internal passage, longitudinally extending parallel to said internal passage, and forming a lateral enlargement of a longitudinal portion of said internal passage;
• and
• a coiled compression spring member coaxially received in an inner end portion of said internal passage.

Material displacement apparatus comprising:

• a replaceable tooth point having a front end, a rear end, an adapter nose pocket extending forwardly along an axis through said rear end and circumscribed by a laterally outer wall portion of said tooth point, and an aligned pair of tapered connector openings formed through opposed sections of said laterally outer wall portion;
• an adapter having a forwardly projecting nose portion removably receivable in said adapter nose pocket and engageable with the interior surface thereof along an interface area having oppositely facing tapered portions, said tooth point and said adapter being relatively configured in a manner permitting rearward axial tightening movement of said tooth point relative to said nose portion in response to tooth point and adapter nose portion wear along said tapered interface area portions, said nose portion having a tapered connector opening extending transversely therethrough which is positionable between and generally alignable with said tooth point connector openings;
• self-adjusting connection apparatus for releasably retaining said adapter nose portion within said adapter nose pocket and exerting a continuous, rearward axial tightening force on said tooth point so that operating wear on said opposite tapered portions of said interface area responsively creates rearward tightening movement of said tooth point along said nose portion, said self-adjusting connection apparatus including:
• an elongated connector member having a first end, a smaller second end spaced apart from said first end in a first direction, and longitudinally tapered opposite first and second side surfaces extending between said first and second ends, said connector member being longitudinally insertable, second end first, in an insertion direction into the aligned tapered connector openings in said tooth point and adapter nose portion in a manner causing said tapered opposite first and second side surfaces of said connector member to complementarily and slidably engage opposing surface portions of said tapered connector openings in said tooth point and adapter nose portions, said connector member further having a longitudinally extending internal passage opening outwardly through said first end thereof,
• a resiliently deformable spring member insertable into said internal passage,
• an elongated force exerting member having (1) a first longitudinal portion slidably insertable into said internal passage, through said first end of said connector member, to resiliently deform said spring member within said internal passage and cause said spring member to exert a resilient outward force on said force exerting member, and (2) a second longitudinal portion positionable against an interior surface portion of said outer wall portion of said tooth point, with said force exerting member in a first rotational orientation relative to said connector member, in a manner blocking removal of said connector member from said aligned tooth and adapter openings and utilizing said resilient force to cause said connector member to resiliently bias said tooth point rearwardly along said nose portion, said force exerting member being rotatable relative to said connector to a second rotational orientation in which said second longitudinal portion of said force exerting member is shifted away from said interior surface portion of said outer wall portion of said tooth point to thereby permit removal of said connector from said aligned tooth and adapter openings, and
• cooperating frictional locking structures on said connector member and said first longitudinal portion of said force exerting member for permitting axial movement of said force exerting member relative to said connector member in response to rotation of said force exerting member to said first rotational orientation relative to said connector member, and for frictionally locking said force exerting member to said connector member in response to rotation of said force exerting member to said second rotational orientation relative to said connector member.