AU783149B2

AU783149B2 - Caterpillar track on the basis of the connector principle

Info

Publication number: AU783149B2
Application number: AU44482/02A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Uwe Hentschel; Klaus Spies; Norbert Steinebrunner
Original assignee: Diehl Remscheid GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Diehl Remscheid GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2001-06-23
Filing date: 2002-05-30
Publication date: 2005-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 2022-05-30
Also published as: NO324666B1; ES2260358T3; DE10130386A1; NO20023029L; NO20023029D0; DE50206626D1; AU4448202A; EP1270384B1; EP1270384A2; EP1270384A3

Description

P/00/011 Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT Name of Applicant: Actual Inventors: Address for Service: Invention Title: DIEHL REMSCHEID GmbH CO.

KLAUS SPIES, UWE HENTSCHEL, NORBERT

STEINEBRUNNER

CALLINAN LAWRIE, 711 High Street, Kew, Victoria 3101, Australia CATERPILLAR TRACK ON THE BASIS OF THE CONNECTOR PRINCIPLE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us:- 30/05/02.mc12687.cs 1 -la- Caterpillar track on the basis of the connector principle The invention concerns a caterpillar track based on the connector principle.

The basic starting point taken by the invention is a caterpillar track in s accordance with EP 0 255 071 B2. Caterpillar track link bodies have pins which are rubber-mounted at the ends. A plurality of connectors are fixedly screwed to the pins of adjacent track link bodies. To protect roadways the track link bodies are provided with travelling pads including an elastic material. When track-laying vehicles are used in open country or in snow and on ice, it is desirable to increase the traction and the lateral guidance of a caterpillar track provided with travelling pads, in order to make it possible to negotiate difficult areas of terrain, gradients or slopes.

Therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a connector which imparts the required traction and lateral guidance to the caterpillar track in open country or in snow and on ice.

According to the present invention there is provided a caterpillar track based on the connector principle, for track-laying vehicles which are capable of floating and which have cross-country mobility, in which clampable connectors have a rib on a carriageway side, wherein each of the clampable connectors include two tube portions, two strap plates and a screw, wherein to increase lateral guidance forces of the caterpillar track there is provided at least one further rib or rib portion disposed on said clampable connectors which extends approximately in the direction of travel S•of the caterpillar track.

In accordance with the invention, the ribs or rib portions which extend in the direction of travel of the caterpillar track, in combination with the ribs which are 25 disposed transversely with respect to the direction of travel, provide an excellent tracking property for the caterpillar track in soft or muddy ground or in snow and ice.

In this respect, the arrangement ensures that the connector in accordance with the invention has the clamping property or elasticity required for the connector to fit firmly on the pins.

The ribs on the connector and also on the base plate are so arranged that the clamping property of the connector is not adversely affected or is virtually negligibly •o* .00* 04/08/05,eh 1 2687.spc, I -2impaired.

In addition the screw heads of the connector screws, which are on the carriageway side, are protected from damage while travelling along.

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawing in which: Figure 1 shows a portion of a track link body with connector and pin on the carriageway side; Figure 2 shows a further portion of an illustrated track link body, also viewed from the carriageway side, with a connector; and Figures 3 and 4 show connectors.

A track link body 1 includes tubes 2 which are fixedly connected together by plates 3. A travelling pad 4 is held in gripper bars A tooth engagement means 6 is formed in the track link body 1 by the plates 3 and the tubes 2. A drive gear (not shown) engages into the tooth engagement means 6 of the track link body 1.

Rubber-mounted pins 10 are mounted in the tubes 2. The pins 10 of adjacent track link bodies 1 are connected together by means of connectors 12. The connector 12 is designed in principle in the form of a tube clip with two tube portions 14, and two strap plates 16, 17 and a screw fixing 18.

As shown in Figure 4, provided in the strap plates 16, 17 are a through bore 20 and a screwthread 22 for a screw 24 with a head 26.

The connector 12 has a rib 32 for increasing traction in the directions of travel more specifically transversely with respect to the arrow 30. The rib 32 is :disposed in a longitudinal plane 34, see Figure 3, wherein that longitudinal plane 34 G% a Goo: is on the longitudinal axis 36 of the pin 10 or the tube portion 14, see Figure 3.

S 25 As shown in Figures 1-3 the rib 40 which is disposed in the direction of travel o •o is in the form of an arcuate portion 41 and is disposed within the tube portion 14, see the circular arc 42 shown in dash-dotted line. The arcuate portion 41 therefore does not extend onto the strap plate 16, see Figure 1, or the base plate 52, see Figure 4.

In the case of a connector 50, the strap plate 16 is laterally prolonged by a base plate 52 in order to increase the support surface area of the caterpillar track in soft ground. Accordingly the rib 32 with the adjoining curved rib 40 extends over the 04/0805,eh 1 2687.spc,2 width 54 of the connector 50 and the width 56 of the base plate 52.

The head 26 of the screw, which is at the carriageway side, is disposed protected from external influences thereon, within the rib 32 or 40. The height 58 of the rib 32, 40 is almost double the height 60 of the head 26.

Referring to Figure 2, the connector 50 as shown in Figure 3, on the oppositely disposed tube portion 15 has a further rib 62 which is disposed in the direction of travel 30. That rib is supported by a central leg portion 64.

As shown in Figure 4 the rib 32 extends over the width 54 of the connector 68. It is integrally connected to a rib 70 which extends diagonally with respect to the longitudinal axis 36 of the pin The ribs 32, 40, 62, 70 are arranged only on one of the two tube portions 14, That prevents self-jamming of the caterpillar track when passing over an obstacle such as logs.

The curved rib 40, the rib 62 and the diagonal rib 70 provide the required lateral guidance for the caterpillar track. Those ribs 40, 62, 70 can also be arranged in a multiple array, that is to say staggered one behind the other, on the tube portions 14, 15 or also on their own on the base plate 52.

s* S* 00 e o* on a 9 o 04/08/05,eh 26 8 7 .spc,3

Claims

1. A caterpillar track based on the connector principle, for track-laying vehicles which are capable of floating and which have cross-country mobility, in which clampable connectors have a rib on a carriageway side, wherein each of the clampable connectors include two tube portions, two strap plates and a screw, wherein to increase lateral guidance forces of the caterpillar track there is provided at least one further rib or rib portion disposed on said clampable connectors which extends approximately in the direction of travel of the caterpillar track.

2. The caterpillar track according to claim 1, wherein the rib and the at least one further rib or rib portion is higher than a head of the screw.

3. The caterpillar track according to claim 1, wherein the rib which is arranged in parallel relationship with a longitudinal axis of one of the two tube portions has at least one rib portion which extends approximately in the direction of travel of the caterpillar track.

4. The caterpillar track according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rib and the at least one further rib or rib portion are arranged on at least one of the two tube portions. .o

5. The caterpillar track according to any one of the preceding claims, 25 wherein the clampable connectors are laterally prolonged at a base side by a base plate and the rib and the at least one further rib or rib portion are provided on at least S• one of the two tube portions and the base plate and more specifically only in the prolongation region of the at least one of the two tube portions.

6. The caterpillar track according to claim 1, wherein the rib which is disposed transversely with respect to the direction of travel is on a longitudinal axis of a pin. 04/08/05,eh 12687.spc,4

7. The caterpillar track according to claim 1, wherein the at least one further rib or rib portion which is disposed in the direction of travel, does not touch the strap plates, that is to say it is integrally connected only to the two tube portions or the prolongation thereof.

8. The caterpillar track according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rib and the at least one further rib or rib portion are arranged only on one of the two tube portions.

9. A caterpillar track, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 4th day of May, 2002 DIEHL REMSCHEID GmbH Co. By their Patent Attorneys: CALLINAN LAWRIE *o 04/08/05,eh1268 7