Spacer Shims For Ground Engaging Tools

• US 20160362873A1
• Filed: 06/09/2015
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Campomanes, Patrick Simon
• Granted Patent: US 9,605,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/304 with the dipper-arm slidably mounted on the boom E02F3/305 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/40 Dippers; Buckets ; Grab devices, e.g. manufacturing processes for buckets, form, geometry or material of buckets devices to connect tools to arms or booms E02F3/3604; teeth therefor E02F9/28
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 3/46 with reciprocating digging or scraping elements moved by cables or hoisting ropes ; Drives or control devices therefor E02F3/205, E02F3/905 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/14 Booms only for booms with cable suspension arrangements for booms or manipulators with cable suspensions for suction pipes E02F3/905 takes precedence; for booms per se E02F3/38; E02F3/34 for bucket-arms; Cable suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2825 using adapters
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2883 Wear elements for buckets or implements in general

Abstract

A spacer shim for locating between adjacent ground engaging tools of a work implement for an earth working machine is disclosed. In embodiments, the spacer shim includes a shim body, a shim upper protrusion, and a shim retention surface. The shim body includes a shim first leg and a shim second leg spaced apart to form a shim slot for receiving a lip of the work implement. The shim upper protrusion extends from the shim body and is adjacent to the shim first leg. The shim retention surface extends between the forward end and the shim upper protrusion and is configured to contact a bottom surface of a portion of an adjacent ground engaging tool.

Claims

1. A spacer shim for locating between adjacent ground engaging tools of a work implement for an earth working machine, the spacer shim comprising:

a shim body including a shim first leg and a shim second leg both extending in a first direction away from a forward end and to an aft end of the spacer shim, the shim first leg and the shim second leg being spaced apart to form a shim slot for receiving a lip of the work implement there between;

a shim upper protrusion adjacent the shim first leg extending from the shim body in a second direction away from the shim first leg and the shim second leg;

a first side surface; and

a second side surface opposite the first side surface.

2. The spacer shim of claim 1, further comprising a shim retention surface extending between the forward end and the shim upper protrusion at an angle relative to the first direction, the shim retention surface being adjacent both the first side surface and the second side surface, and being configured to contact a bottom surface of a portion of an adjacent ground engaging tool.

3. The spacer shim of claim 1, further comprising a first grinding portion extending on the first side surface.

4. The spacer shim of claim 3, further comprising a second grinding portion on the second side surface, the second grinding portion extending from the second side surface in a third direction opposite the first grinding portion.

5. The spacer shim of claim 3, wherein the first grinding portion includes an annular sector shape located between the shim slot and the forward end.

6. The spacer shim of claim 1, wherein the spacer shim is tapered in the second direction transverse to the first direction with the first side surface being closer to the second side surface at the shim upper protrusion than at the shim second leg.

7. The spacer shim of claim 1, wherein the spacer shim is tapered in the first direction with the first side surface being closer to the second side surface at the aft end than at the forward end.

8. A work implement for an earth working machine, the work implement comprising:

a body including two sidewalls and a lip extending there between;

a plurality of ground engaging tools attached to the body and arranged to cover the lip, the plurality of ground engaging tools being arranged in a pattern that extends along the lip between the two sidewalls; and

a plurality of spacer shims located on the lip and interspersed among the plurality of ground engaging tools such that each spacer shim of the plurality of spacer shims is located between two adjacent ground engaging tools of the plurality of ground engaging tools, each spacer shim including

a shim body with a ‘

C’

shape including a shim first leg and a shim second leg, the shim first leg and the shim second leg extending away from a forward end to an aft end,

a first side surface for contacting a first ground engaging tool,

a second side surface opposite the first side surface for contacting a second ground engaging tool adjacent the first ground engaging tool, and

a shim upper protrusion adjacent the shim first leg extending from the shim body adjacent a protruding portion of the first ground engaging tool, the shim upper protrusion acting as a hook to retain the spacer shim on the lip of the body.

9. The work implement of claim 8, wherein one or more of the plurality of spacer shims includes a shim retention surface extending between the forward end and the shim upper protrusion, the shim retention surface being in contact with the first ground engaging tool to retain the spacer shim on the lip of the body.

10. The work implement of claim 8, wherein one or more of the plurality of spacer shims includes a first grinding portion on the first side surface.

11. The work implement of claim 10, wherein one or more of the plurality of spacer shims includes a second grinding portion on the second side surface, the second grinding portion extending from the second side surface in a direction opposite the first grinding portion.

12. The work implement of claim 8, wherein the lip curves in a vertical direction and one or more of the plurality of spacer shims is tapered to account for a curvature of the lip.

13. The work implement of claim 8, wherein the lip curves in a horizontal direction and one or more of the plurality of spacer shims is tapered to account for a curvature of the lip.

14. A dipper for an earth working machine, the dipper comprising:

a body including two sidewalls and a lip extending there between;

a tooth assembly including

an adapter joined to the body at the lip, the adapter including an adapter body including an adapter first end and an adapter upper protrusion extending from the adapter body adjacent the adapter first end,

a tooth joined to the adapter at the adapter first end,

an adapter cap slot formed at the adapter first end by the adapter body, the adapter upper protrusion and the tooth, and

a wear cap inserted into the adapter cap slot, the wear cap including a bottom surface that contacts the adapter body;

a lip shroud joined to the body at the lip adjacent to the adapter; and

a spacer shim located between the adapter body and the lip shroud, the spacer shim including

a shim body including a ‘

C’

shape that wraps around the lip, the shim body including a first side surface adjacent the lip shroud and a second side surface adjacent the adapter,

a shim upper protrusion extending up from the shim body adjacent the wear cap, and

a shim retention surface adjacent the shim upper protrusion, the shim retention surface being in contact with the bottom surface to hold the spacer shim in place on over the lip.

15. The dipper of claim 14, wherein the spacer shim includes a grinding portion on the first side surface toward the lip shroud.

16. The dipper of claim 14, wherein the spacer shim includes a grinding portion on the second side surface toward the adapter.

17. The dipper of claim 14, wherein the adapter includes a side protrusion extending from the adapter body, and wherein the second side surface contacts the side protrusion.

18. The dipper of claim 14, wherein the lip curves in a vertical direction, and wherein the spacer shim is tapered to account for an angle between the adapter body and the lip shroud that results from the vertical curvature of the lip.

19. The dipper of claim 14, wherein the lip curves in a horizontal direction, and wherein the spacer shim is tapered to account for an angle between the adapter body and the lip shroud that results from the horizontal curvature of the lip.

20. The dipper of claim 14, wherein the lip curves in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction, and wherein the spacer shim is tapered to account for an angle between the adapter body and the lip shroud that results from the vertical curvature and the horizontal curvature of the lip.