Caterpillar made of elastomer material
First Claim
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1. A rubber track made of an elastomer material, comprising:
- a strip forming a closed loop with an inside surface and an outside surface, said strip made mainly of an elastomer material and being reinforced by at least one reinforcement armature whose reinforcing elements are essentially orientated in the longitudinal direction of the strip;
a plurality of relief elements projecting from the outside surface, said relief elements being intended to make contact with the ground to ensure good traction of the vehicle fitted with said rubber track;
a plurality of guide teeth made of an elastomer material and projecting from the inside surface, said guide teeth comprising lateral faces and front and rear faces in the longitudinal direction;
at least one insert arranged inside each guide tooth or inside each relief element on the outside surface; and
each insert has a generally hollow shape forming a free volume, said free volume being able to absorb the thermal expansion of the elastomer material surrounding said insert in the guide tooth or relief element resulting from the increase in temperature during the molding and vulcanization of the elastomer material of each tooth of the rubber track.
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Abstract
A caterpillar made from elastomer material and having a plurality of guide teeth projecting from the inside surface of the caterpillar, the said guide teeth having lateral faces and front and rear faces in the longitudinal direction of the caterpillar, with at least one insert arranged inside each guide tooth, the caterpillar being characterized in that each insert located inside each guide tooth has a generally hollow shape enclosing a free volume to absorb in large measure the expansion of the elastomer material of the guide tooth during the molding and cross-linking of the material.
20 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A rubber track made of an elastomer material, comprising:
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a strip forming a closed loop with an inside surface and an outside surface, said strip made mainly of an elastomer material and being reinforced by at least one reinforcement armature whose reinforcing elements are essentially orientated in the longitudinal direction of the strip;
a plurality of relief elements projecting from the outside surface, said relief elements being intended to make contact with the ground to ensure good traction of the vehicle fitted with said rubber track;
a plurality of guide teeth made of an elastomer material and projecting from the inside surface, said guide teeth comprising lateral faces and front and rear faces in the longitudinal direction;
at least one insert arranged inside each guide tooth or inside each relief element on the outside surface; and
each insert has a generally hollow shape forming a free volume, said free volume being able to absorb the thermal expansion of the elastomer material surrounding said insert in the guide tooth or relief element resulting from the increase in temperature during the molding and vulcanization of the elastomer material of each tooth of the rubber track. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A process to produce a rubber track made of an elastomer material, comprising the steps of:
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forming a strip in the shape of a closed loop with an inside surface and an outside surface, said strip comprising an elastomer material and reinforced by at least one reinforcement armature, where said reinforcing elements are substantially oriented in the longitudinal direction of said strip;
adding to said strip a plurality of relief elements projecting from the outside surface, said relief elements intended to make contact with the ground to ensure good traction of a vehicle fitted with said rubber track;
adding to said strip a plurality of guide teeth made of an elastomer material projecting from the inside surface of said strip, said guide teeth comprising lateral faces and front and rear faces in the longitudinal direction of said strip;
inserting inside each guide tooth or inside each relief element on the outside surface of said strip at least one insert having a generally hollow shape Conning a free volume, said free volume able to absorb the thermal expansion of said elastomer material that surrounds said insert in said guide tooth or said relief element, resulting from an increase in temperature during the molding and vulcanization of said elastomer material;
closing the mold and heating the components of said rubber track to vulcanize and bond said components between themselves.
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Specification