CA2217279A1 - Snowmobile ski - Google Patents

Snowmobile ski Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2217279A1
CA2217279A1 CA 2217279 CA2217279A CA2217279A1 CA 2217279 A1 CA2217279 A1 CA 2217279A1 CA 2217279 CA2217279 CA 2217279 CA 2217279 A CA2217279 A CA 2217279A CA 2217279 A1 CA2217279 A1 CA 2217279A1
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
keel
diamond
bar
segments
ski
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2217279
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French (fr)
Inventor
Terry Walter Spiegelberg
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Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
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Priority to CA 2217279 priority Critical patent/CA2217279A1/en
Publication of CA2217279A1 publication Critical patent/CA2217279A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62BHAND-PROPELLED VEHICLES, e.g. HAND CARTS OR PERAMBULATORS; SLEDGES
    • B62B17/00Accessories or details of sledges
    • B62B17/02Runners

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Polishing Bodies And Polishing Tools (AREA)

Abstract

The keel-bar of a snowmobile steering ski has a wear-surface in which diamond particles are embedded. The matrix for the diamond is carbide or other hard material.
The keel-bar can be manufactured in segments by sintering the segments, or by applying the diamond as a coating to a prepared segment.

Description

CA 022l7279 l997-l0-02 Title: SNOWMOBILE SKI

3 This invention relates to steering skis of snowmobiles, and especially to keel-bars, 4 which are often fitted underneath the steering skis.

8 The steering ski has a generally flat undersurface, which rides over the snow. For g better steering, and to avoid side-slip, it is conventional to provide a keel-bar underneath the ski. The keel-bar protrudes downwards into the snow, and provides a 11 means for posltively reacting a lateral or steering force between the ski and the snow.

13 One of the problems associated with the use of keel-bars is that, while the keel-bar 14 can be expected to last a long time when the snowmobile is riding only on soft snow, the snowmobile so",eli",es must traverse hard ice, or bare ground, or cross an 16 asphalt road, or encounter some other surface that can be damaging to the ground-17 engaging components. The dmiculty is that the more effective the keel-bar is to 18 provide a large lateral steering force capability, the more the keel-bar is likely to be 19 damaged by occasional traverse over an abusive surface.

21 When the snowmobile is running over ice, the keel-bar serves also a slightly dmerent 22 purpose, in that the keel-bar can dig in (slightly) into the ice. The keel-bar thus serves 23 to provide lateral force capability on ice, in a similar manner to the blade of an ice-24 skate. However, prolonged fast running over ice can be even more damaging to the keel-bar than occasional short traverses over asphalt.

27 Keel-bars are conventionally made from a very hard carbide material, or include insert-28 segments made from the carbide material.

The invention is aimed at providing a keel-bar which gives more steering "bite" when 31 running on ice, and is less likely to be damaged by running over abusive surfaces.

CA 022l7279 l997-l0-02 In the invention, the undersurface of the keel-bar unit includes diamond as a
2 component of the material thereof. Usually, in grinding wheels and saw blades and
3 other ap,~'.c~tions where diamond dust is impregnated into a matrix, the matrix is soft.
4 Preferably, in the invention, in snowmobile skis the matrix material in which the diamond is embedded is not soft, but is, or is comparable in hardness with, the hard 6 carbide material that is conventional on snowmobile skis.

11 Impregnating an abrasive-surface with diamond dust or grit, as a way of incl~as;"g the 12 abrading capability of the surface, is well known. However, in the case of abrasives, 13 when diamond is used, the diamond is normally set in a relatively soft matrix, not a 14 hard matrix. For grinding wheels, saw blades, and the like, the hard particles provide extra cutting power. Grinding, as a process, works because the hard particles, as they 16 become blunt and dulled, are ripped out of the matrix, and new (sharp) particles are 17 constantly being exposed. The ease with which the dulled, worn particles are ripped 18 out of the matrix depends on the softness of the matrix. Thus, for abrading 19 applications generally, one key to good performance is that there be a large di~erence b~l~r:een the hardness of the hard pa,licl~s, and the so~l"ess of the matrix material in 21 which the hard particles are carried.

23 It may be noted that increasing the service IHe by increasi"g wear resistance is not a 24 key desideratum of a diamond-impregnated grinding wheel or saw blade. The diamond grit increases the cutting rates that can be achieved: but the diamond grit 26 does not cause the blade to last substantially longer.

28 In the case of a keel-bar for a snowmobile, how~ver, it is recognised that the diamond 29 material should be impregnated into a hard, i.e not soft, matrix material. In a snow",obile, one of the reasons for including the diamond is to i"crease the wear life.
31 It is found that adding diamond grit to an already hard material, at least in the 32 snowmobile configuration, can increase wear resistance. The diamond particles are 33 not ripped out quickly, as they become dulled, as they would in a saw blade or 34 grinding wheel, but rather the diamond particles are retained, and remain as part of CA 022l7279 l997-l0-02 the working surface of the keel-bar for a long period. Of course, the diamond pa,Lc'es 2 are ripped out eventually, but each particle It~maillS in place long enough that the 3 overall effect is one of reduced wear rate.

s At the same time, as fresh diamond particles are exposed, the particle is sharp, and of 6 course the diamond particle is very hard. It is found that, even though the rate at 7 which fresh particles are exposed, given the hard matrix, is much lower than in a 8 g-i"d;"y wheel, the rate of fresh exposure is fast enough to give a measurable g incr~ase in cutting ability. This is reflected as an increased degree of bite to the steering when running the snowmobile on ice.

12 In a snowmobile, if the ski is running over soft snow, or even packed snow, very little 13 wear of the ski and the keel-bar takes place. It is the passage of the snowmobile over 14 the occasional asphalt road that wears out the keel-bar. It has been found that adding diamond into the carbide material does increase the service wear performance of the 16 keel-bar.

18 On the other hand, when the snowmobile is running over hard ice, again adding the 19 diamond is effective, but now, rather, because of the increased steering bite. On ice, generally, the user might be prepared to put up with a small increase in wear rate, if 21 that were the expense of achieving more bite into the ice, i.e more positivity to the 22 steering. With the addition of diamond grit, it has been found that the increased bite 23 iS achieved, and yet the rate-of-wear performance on ice is itself also improved, or at 24 least is not reduced.

26 It is recognised that it is worthwhile to add diamond to the hard carbide material of a 27 snowmobile keel-bar. The presence of the diamond improves both steering bite and 28 wear performance. For most conventional applicalions where diamond grit has been 29 used, the matrix is soft. It is recognised that, in snowmobiles, steering performance can be improved without loss of wear performance, by adding diamond to the already 31 very hard carbide material.

' CA 022l7279 l997-l0-02 The use of carbide runners under"e~li, the keel-bars of sno~"lobile skis is 2 conventional. An example is shown in patent publication US-5,145,201.

4 The use of diamond grit in such items as saw blades and grinding wheels is well known. An example of diamond grit applied to the blade of an ice-skate is shown in 6 patent publication US-5,255,929.

g DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

11 By way of further explanation of the invention, exemplary embodiments of the 12 invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in 13 which:

Fig 1 is a pictorial view of a snowmobile steering ski, in which the invention is 16 embodied;
17 Fig 2 is a cross-section of a keel-bar assembly of the ski of Fig 1.

19 The apparatuses shown in the accompanying d,~.~;,lgs and described below are examples which embody the invention. It should be noted that the scope of the 21 invention is defined by the accompanying claims, and not necessarily by specific 22 features of exemplary embodiments.

24 Fig 1 shows a steering-ski unit 20 for a snowmobile. The unit 20 includes a ski 23 bolted underneath a suspension plate 25. A keel-assel"bly 27 is bolted underneath 26 the ski 20. The keel-assembly 27 is secured into the steering-ski unit 20 in the 27 conventional way, i.e by means of studs 29. The studs 29 are welded to a round bar 28 30, which co",p,ises a keel-bar 32 of the keel-assembly.

As shown in Fig 2, a slot 34 is provided in the keel-bar 32. The slot faces downwards, 31 and has left and right sides 36L,36R, and a roof 38. An insert-segment 40 is brazed, 32 silver-soldered, or welded into the slot 34. The slot extends along the length of the 33 keel-bar 32, and many (e.g ten) insert-segments are provided in the slot. The 34 segments may be evenly pitched along the length of the slot, or may be clustered at ' CA 022l7279 l997-l0-02 the front and rear ends of the slot.

3 The insert-segment 40 is rectangular, having left and right side-faces 43L,43R, a top-4 face 45, and a bottom face 47. The bottom face 47 is provided with a diamond-grit-laden coating 49.

7 The matrix material of the insert-segments is carbide material, of the kind that is 8 conventionally used as the material for such inserts on snowmobile skis. In the g segments as shown, diamond grit is added into the carbide.

11 The material that is used as the matrix for the diamond should have a hardness of at 12 least xxx. Carbide material, as descriLed, typically has a hardness of xxx.

14 To manufacture the segl"er,ls, one technique is to impregnate the surface of an already-prepared carbide segment with diamond particles, which can be done for 16 example by one of the conventional industrial techniques for applying coatings of a 17 powder material to a surface.

19 Alternatively, the whole segment may be manufactured by sinle,i"g a powder, in which the powder is a mixture of carbide particles and diamond particles.

22 Alternatively again, a carbide segment can be prepared, and then the coating of 23 diamond-pa,lic'~s included-in-a-matrix can be powder-sintered onto the carbide body 24 of the segment. In such a case, i.e where the diamond material is included in a powder matrix that is sintered onto an already-prepared segment body, that body itself 26 need not be of hard material. The body of the segment serves mainly for securing the 27 segment into the slot 34, and is not subjected to wear.

29 As part of the manufacturing process, the segment should be tempered after sintering.
Chemical hardeners, such as xxx, can be included in the powder mixture that is 31 sintered.

33 The size of each segment can be determined by the convenience of the 34 manufacturing process. Whether many short segments are provided, or just a few ' CA 02217279 1997-10-02 longer segments, is determined by the economics of manufacture. The hard 2 segments can be quite brittle, and short segments are generally more robust, in that a 3 long segment might crack. A typical preferred size of the segment would be 4 approximately 2 cm long by 1 cm high, and 2 or 3 mm thick.

Claims (16)

    Claims
  1. CLAIM 1. Keel-assembly for a snowmobile ski, wherein:
    the keel-assembly has an undersurface, being a surface which, in operation of the snowmobile, faces downwards, and is in direct rubbing engagement with the ground surface over which the snowmobile is operating;
    the undersurface of the keel-assembly includes diamond as a component of the material of the undersurface.
  2. CLAIM 2. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
    the keel-assembly includes a keel-bar;
    the keel-assembly includes a means for fixing the keel-bar underneath the ski;
    the keel-bar has a downward-facing slot, running lengthwise along the keel-bar;
    the keel-assembly includes insert-segments, which are located in the slots in the keel-bar, and which, in operation of the snowmobile, extend below the keel-bar;
    the undersurface of the keel-assembly is an undersurface of the insert-segments;and the insert-segments include the diamond as a component of the material thereof.
  3. CLAIM 3. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the keel-bar is made of steel.
  4. CLAIM 4. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the insert-segments include a matrix of hard carbide material, in which the diamond is integrated.
  5. CLAIM 5. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the insert-segments include a matrix, in which the diamond is integrated, of a material that is comparable in hardness tocarbide material.
  6. CLAIM 6. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the insert-segments include a matrix, in which the diamond is integrated, of a material that has a hardness of xxx.
  7. CLAIM 7. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the insert-segments were formed by sintering material in powder form, the diamond being included as diamond grit that is a component of the powder.
  8. CLAIM 8. Apparatus of claim 7, wherein the insert-segments were tempered after sintering.
  9. CLAIM 9. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the insert-segments are provided with a coating that was formed by sintering material in powder form, the diamond being included as diamond grit that is a component of the powder.
  10. CLAIM 10. Apparatus of claim 9, wherein the material in powder form is a mixture that also includes powdered carbide material.
  11. CLAIM 11. Apparatus of claim 9, wherein the material in powderform is a mixture that also includes chemical hardeners xxx.
  12. CLAIM 12. Apparatus of claim 2, wherein the segments are many, and the many segments are pitched along the length of the slot in a spaced-apart configuration.
  13. CLAIM 13. Apparatus of claim 12, wherein the slot is continuous, and extends along at least most of the length of the keel-bar.
  14. CLAIM 14. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diamond is of industrial grade.
  15. CLAIM 15. Apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diamond is synthetic.
  16. CLAIM 16. A snowmobile, having a steering ski, the ski having a downwards-facing snow-surface-engaging under-face, wherein:
    the ski is fitted with a keel-assembly, which includes a keel-bar;
    the ski has an under-face, which, in operation of the snowmobile, faces downwards, and is in direct rubbing engagement with the ground surface over which the snowmobile is operating;
    the keel-bar assembly includes a means for attaching the keel-bar underneath theunder-face of the ski;
    the keel-bar is formed with a lengthwise slot;
    the slot has opposed parallel side walls, and a roof, and an open mouth opposite the floor, which is open downwards when the ski is in use;
    the apparatus includes several diamond-carrying segments, disposed along the length of the slot;
    each diamond-carrying segment comprises a piece of flat, parallel-sided sheet metal, the profile of the segment being generally rectangular;
    a bottom face of the segment has diamond grit deposited thereon;
    the parallel sides of the segment engage the sides of slot, and a top face of the segment lies against the roof of the slot.
CA 2217279 1997-10-02 1997-10-02 Snowmobile ski Abandoned CA2217279A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2217279 CA2217279A1 (en) 1997-10-02 1997-10-02 Snowmobile ski

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2217279 CA2217279A1 (en) 1997-10-02 1997-10-02 Snowmobile ski

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2217279A1 true CA2217279A1 (en) 1999-04-02

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2217279 Abandoned CA2217279A1 (en) 1997-10-02 1997-10-02 Snowmobile ski

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7232134B2 (en) 2004-02-05 2007-06-19 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. Steering ski for snow vehicle
US7243927B2 (en) 2001-11-20 2007-07-17 Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha Steering ski for snow vehicle
US8459663B2 (en) 2009-10-07 2013-06-11 Nicholas D. Pryputniewicz Snowmobile ski edge

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7243927B2 (en) 2001-11-20 2007-07-17 Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha Steering ski for snow vehicle
US7232134B2 (en) 2004-02-05 2007-06-19 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. Steering ski for snow vehicle
US8459663B2 (en) 2009-10-07 2013-06-11 Nicholas D. Pryputniewicz Snowmobile ski edge

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