Point and adapter assembly

• US 7,739,814 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ESCO Group LLC (WEIR Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: ESCO Corporation (WEIR Group PLC)
• Inventors: Jones, Larren F., Gaurav, Venkat R., Fleck, Robert S., Danks, Daniel R., Carpenter, Christopher M., Briscoe, Terry L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Torres; Alicia M
• Application Number:
  US11/498,407
• Publication Number:
  US 20060265916A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: 374/66, 374/50, 37452-460
• US Class Current: 37/450
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/28 Small metalwork for digging elements, e.g. teeth scraper bits ploughs for agriculture A01B15/00; teeth of harrows A01B23/02
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2825 using adapters
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2833 Retaining means, e.g. pins
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2841 resilient
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2883 Wear elements for buckets or implements in general
• CPC Class Codes: E21C 35/183 with inserts or layers of wear-resisting material drill bits with wear-resistant parts E21B10/46
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/71 Blocking disengagement of catches or keys
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7018 including separably interposed key

Abstract

A wear assembly includes an adapter with a nose, a wear member with a socket to receive the nose, and a lock to secure the wear member to the adapter.

The nose and socket include complementary rails and grooves that vertically diverge as they extend from the front of the nose. The lock can have a tapered construction.

Claims

1. A wear member for an excavating bucket comprising a pair of sidewalls, converging walls converging toward a front wear portion to contact materials to be excavated during digging by the excavating bucket, and a rearwardly opening socket for receiving a nose secured to an excavating bucket, the socket having a longitudinal axis and being defined by (i) converging surfaces adapted to overlie converging walls of the nose, (ii) side surfaces adapted to overlie sidewalls of the nose, (iii) a groove on each of the side surfaces for receiving rails formed on the nose, each said groove being defined by one of the converging surfaces and a lateral surface extending inward from one of the side surfaces, each said lateral surface being inclined in an axial direction to the longitudinal axis and defining a bearing surface to contact one of the rails to resist loads during use, and each said lateral surface being inclined to the longitudinal axis in the same general direction as the converging surface that the lateral surface faces and (iv) a front end including opposite front stabilizing surfaces forward of the converging surfaces and extending between the side surfaces, each of the front stabilizing surfaces extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis in the axial direction to contact complementary surfaces on the nose to resist loads during use.

2. A wear member in accordance with claim 1 in which each said groove has a substantially constant width and depth along substantially the entire length thereof.

3. A wear member in accordance with claim 1 in which the grooves each extends generally linearly along the side surfaces of the socket.

4. A wear member in accordance with claim 1 in which the wear member is a point with a front digging edge.

5. A wear member in accordance with claim 1 wherein the lateral surface faces generally upward to produce in use a resisting force having a component that tends to pull the wear member rearward onto the nose for certain loads having downward vertical components applied to the front end of the wear member.

6. A wear member in accordance with claim 1 wherein the lateral surface faces generally downward to produce in use a resisting force having a component that tends to pull the wear member rearward onto the nose for certain loads having upward vertical components applied to the front end of the wear member.

7. A wear member for an excavating bucket comprising a front end and a socket having an open rear end to receive a nose fixed to an excavating bucket, the socket having a longitudinal axis and being defined by (i) a front surface, (ii) converging surfaces converging toward the front surface and being adapted to overlie converging walls of the nose, (iii) side surfaces extending between the converging surfaces and being adapted to overlie sidewalls of the nose, and (iv) a lateral surface positioned along one of the side surfaces between the front surface and the open rear end of the socket, said lateral surface extending inward at an obtuse angle to the respective side surface and facing in a direction generally toward one of the converging surfaces, the lateral surface extending axially in general alignment with a vertical plane and being axially inclined to the longitudinal axis to contact complementary surfaces on the nose and produce in use a resisting force having a component that tends to pull the wear member rearward onto the nose for certain loads applied to the front end of the wear member.

8. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 wherein the lateral surface is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis in the same general direction as the converging surface toward which the lateral surface generally faces.

9. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 wherein one said lateral surface extends along each of said side surfaces of the socket.

10. A wear member in accordance with claim 9 wherein a first of said lateral surfaces faces generally toward a first of the converging surfaces, and a second of said lateral surfaces faces toward a second of the converging surfaces.

11. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 wherein each said lateral surface extends from the front surface to the rear end of the socket.

12. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 wherein the lateral surface faces generally upward to produce in use a resisting force having a component that tends to pull the wear member rearward onto the nose for certain loads having downward vertical components applied to the front end of the wear member.

13. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 wherein the lateral surface faces generally downward to produce in use a resisting force having a component that tends to pull the wear member rearward onto the nose for certain loads having upward vertical components applied to the front end of the wear member.

14. A wear member in accordance with claim 7 wherein the socket includes a front end having opposite front stabilizing surfaces forward of the converging surfaces and extending between the side surfaces, each of the front stabilizing surfaces extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis to contact complementary surfaces on the nose.

15. A wear assembly for an excavating bucket comprising:

an adapter fixed to a lip of an excavating bucket and including a forwardly projecting nose having converging walls and sidewalls;

a wear member having a front end, a socket having an open rear end to receive the nose of the adapter, the socket having a longitudinal axis and being defined by (i) a front surface, (ii) converging surfaces converging toward the front surface and overlying the converging walls of the nose, (iii) side surfaces extending between the converging surfaces and overlying the sidewalls of the nose, and (iv) a lateral surface positioned along one of the side surfaces between the front surface and the open rear end of the socket, said lateral surface extending inward at an obtuse angle to the respective side surface and facing in a direction generally toward one of the converging surfaces, the lateral surface extending axially in general alignment with a vertical plane and being axially inclined to the longitudinal axis to contact complementary surfaces on the nose and produce in use a resisting force having a component that tends to pull the wear member rearward onto the nose for certain loads applied to the front end of the wear member; and

a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.

16. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 15 wherein the nose has a lateral surface to engage each said lateral surface of the wear member.

17. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 16 wherein each said lateral surface of the nose extends along a sidewall of the nose.

18. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 17 wherein each said lateral surface of the nose is inclined to the longitudinal axis in the same direction as the lateral surface of the wear member which it engages.

19. A wear assembly for an excavating bucket comprising:

an adapter fixed to a lip of an excavating bucket and including a forwardly projecting nose having converging walls and sidewalls, each of the sidewalls including a rail;

a wear member for an excavating bucket comprising a pair of sidewalls, converging walls converging toward a front wear section to contact materials to be excavated during digging by the excavating bucket, and a rearwardly opening socket for receiving a nose secured to an excavating bucket, the socket having a longitudinal axis and being defined by (i) converging surfaces adapted to overlie the converging walls of the nose, (ii) side surfaces adapted to overlie the sidewalls of the nose, (iii) a groove on each of the side surfaces for receiving the rails formed on the nose, each said groove being defined by one of the converging surfaces and a lateral surface extending inward from one of the side surfaces, each said lateral surface being inclined in an axial direction to the longitudinal axis and defining a bearing surface to contact one of the rails to resist loads during use, and each said lateral surface being inclined to the longitudinal axis in the same general direction as the converging surface that the lateral surface faces and (iv) a front end including opposite front stabilizing surfaces forward of the converging surfaces and extending between the side surfaces, each of the front stabilizing surfaces extending generally parallel to the longitudinal axis in the axial direction to contact complementary surfaces on the nose to resist loads during use; and

a lock to releasably secure the wear member to the nose.