Adapter system for attaching components to differently sized base edges

• US 10,106,959 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Bjerke, Nathan, Congdon, Thomas Marshall
• Primary Examiner(s): Troutman, Matthew D.
• Application Number:
  US15/134,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20170306591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2816 Mountings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2858 characterised by shape
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2883 Wear elements for buckets or implements in general

Abstract

A shim for use with a wear member comprises a body that defines a first aperture that includes a closed end and an open end, wherein the first aperture is defined by at least three surfaces including two side surfaces and at least one surface that defines the closed end and that further defines a surface normal that points toward the open end, and a second aperture that includes a closed end and an open end, wherein the second aperture is defined by at least three surfaces including two side surfaces and at least one surface that defines the closed end and that further defines a surface normal that points toward the open end. The surface normal of the first aperture forms an angle with the surface normal of the second aperture that is greater than zero degrees.

Claims

1. An adapter system for attaching components to differently sized working edges of a work implement, the system comprising:

a wear member including;

a first leg;

a second leg;

a throat portion that connects the legs together and that defines a sweep axis; and

a nose that extends from the throat portion;

wherein at least one leg defines a surface that is configured to face toward a working edge and that includes a plurality of mounting pads that extend from the surface a predetermined height, forming a series of interconnected depressions between the mounting pads; and

a shim that includes a double H shaped configuration that is at least partially complimentary shaped to the series of interconnected depressions and that is configured to fit within the depressions.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the mounting pads form a generally configured rectangular array that includes rows of mounting pads that are arranged parallel to the sweep axis and columns of mounting pads that are arranged perpendicular to the sweep axis.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the sweep axis includes a straight portion.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of similarly configured wear members with similarly configured arrays of mounting pads and interconnected depressions, wherein the plurality of similarly configured wear member define widths measured along their sweep axis that are different from each other.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the same shim fits into the depressions formed by the mounting pads of the plurality of wear members.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the depressions define a surface area that is projected onto the surface of the leg that is configured to face toward a working edge, and the shim is configured to cover the majority of the projected surface area of the depressions for each of the plurality of wear members.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the shim defines a thickness that is the minimum dimension for the shim and the thickness of the shim is greater than the height of the mounting pads.