Wear indicating and tooth stabilizing systems for excavating tooth and adapter assemblies

• US 5,144,762 A
• Filed: 04/16/1990
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GH Hensley Industries Inc (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: GH Hensley Industries Inc (Komatsu Ltd.)
• Inventors: Robinson, Howard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reese, Randolph A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WARNICK IV, SPENCER K
• Application Number:
  US07/510,285
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 37/141 R, 37/141 T, 37/142 R, 37/141 A, 37/DIG. 19, 299/91
• US Class Current: 37/457
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2816 Mountings therefor

Abstract

An earthworking tooth point and adapter assembly is provided with a visual wear indicating system which permits tooth point use to be maximized without subjecting the adapter nose within the tooth point pocket to earth abrasion. The wear indicating system includes a pair of generally U-shaped ribs formed on a front end portion of the adapter nose and wrapping around its front end and top and bottom side surfaces. With the adapter nose operatively positioned within the tooth point pocket the ribs are received in complementarily configured, generally U-shaped wear indicating grooves formed in the interior surface of the pocket at its front. As the tooth point is used, its front end is worn away until small holes are created therein which open into front portions of the pocket grooves, thereby exposing the previously concealed adapter nose ribs to view. When the operator sees these small holes, and the rib portions which underlie them, he removes and replaces the tooth point before further tooth wear subjects the adapter nose proper to earth abrasion. In this manner, maximum tooth point life is achieved without causing premature wear and replacement of the adapter. In an alternate embodiment of the assembly, stabilizing ribs on a front end of the adapter nose are received in rear portions of similar wear indicating grooves and carry the transverse tooth load, under extreme operating conditions, to inhibit rapid wearing away of the front end of the adapter nose.

Claims

1. A tooth assembly for an earth working implement comprising

a generally elongated adapter attached at one end to the implement and having a wear point supporting nose at the other end,

a generally elongated integrally cast metal wear point having an earth penetrating surface at one end and an interior cavity for receiving the nose of the adapter at the other end,

the nose including primary load bearing surfaces for bearing, during normal operation, thrust loads imposed axially on the earth penetrating surface of the point, upwardly and downwardly directed bending loads imposed on the point, and side loads imposed on the point, the load bearing surfaces substantially defining the exterior surface of the nose,

the wear point including load transmitting surfaces within the cavity mating with each of the load bearing surfaces on the nose during normal earth working operations, these load transmitting surfaces defining a load pocket within the cavity of the wear point corresponding essentially to the exterior surface of the nose,

the tooth assembly being mounted on the implement such that a normal wear surface progresses during use from the earth penetrating surface toward and would eventually intersect the load transmitting surfaces of the load pocket and thereby wear one or more primary load bearing surfaces on the adapter nose if the wear point is not replaced, and

wear indicating means including at least one cavity formed within the metal of the wear point and extending from the load pocket towards the wear surface which is intersected by the progressing wear surface substantially before the wear surface intersects the load pocket and a mating load bearing surface and provides a visual indication of the state of wear point so that the wear point can be replaced before the load bearing surfaces are damaged by further wear.

2. The tooth assembly of claim 1 further characterized by wear indicating means formed on the adapter nose and projecting beyond the load bearing surfaces and the load pocket into the wear indicating cavity means of the wear point for assisting in indicating the degree of wear of the wear point.

3. A war point for a tooth assembly of an earth working implement having a generally elongated adaptor attached at one end to the implement and having a wear point supporting nose at the other end for supporting a wear point having an earth penetrating surface at one end and an interior cavity for receiving the nose of the adaptor at the other end, the nose including primary load bearing surfaces for bearing thrust loads imposed axially on the earth penetrating surface of the wear point, upwardly and downwardly directed bending loads imposed on the wear point, and side loads imposed on the wear point, the load bearing surface substantially defining the exterior surface of the nose, the wear point comprising:

a generally elongaged integral metallic body defined by an exterior surface including an earth penetrating wear surface at one end and an interior cavity for receiving the nose of the adapter at the other end,

the wear point including load transmitting surfaces within the cavity mating with each of the load bearing surfaces on the nose during normal earth working operations, these load transmitting surfaces defining a load pocket within the cavity of the wear point corresponding essentially to the exterior surface of the nose,

the wear point being mountable on the nose such that a normal wear surface progresses during use from the earth penetrating surface toward and would eventually intersect the load transmitting surfaces of the load pocket and wear one or more primary load bearing surfaces on the adaptor nose if the wear point is not replaced, and

wear indicating means including at least one cavity formed within the wear point and extending from the load pocket towards the wear surface which is intersected by the progressing wear surface substantially before the progressing wear surface intersects the load pocket and one or more of the mating load bearing surfaces and provides an externally visible indication of the state of wear of the wear point so that the wear point can be replaced before the load bearing surfaces of the nose are damaged by further wear.