Releasable coupling assembly

• US 8,104,200 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2010
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ESCO Group LLC (WEIR Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: ESCO Corporation (WEIR Group PLC)
• Inventors: Briscoe, Terry L
• Primary Examiner(s): Will, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MISA, JOAN D
• Application Number:
  US12/903,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20110023336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 37455-457, 403/370, 403/374.4
• US Class Current: 37/455
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2841 resilient
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/2883 Wear elements for buckets or implements in general
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 2200/73 Cam locks or thread locks
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7056 Threaded actuator
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 403/7069 Axially oriented

Abstract

A lock that includes a wedge that is used to releasably secure separable components of an assembly together. The wedge can be used with a spool. The wedge and spool are threadedly coupled together to drive the wedge into and out of an opening in the assembly without hammering or prying. The direct coupling of the wedge and spool eliminates the need for bolts, washers, nuts and other hardware so as to minimize the number of parts. As a result, the lock is inexpensive to make, easy to use, and unlikely to become inoperative because of lost or broken parts or due to fines or other difficulties encountered in harsh digging environments. Further, the wedge can be driven into the assembly to provide the degree of tightness necessary for the intended operation and/or to re-tighten the assembly after incurring wear during use. A latch assembly is preferably provided to securely hold the wedge in place and avoid an undesired loss of parts during use.

Claims

1. A wear assembly for excavating equipment, the wear assembly comprising:

a support structure secured to the excavating equipment;

a wear member mounted to the support structure, the wear member being positioned so as to contact material to be excavated by the excavating equipment during use such that the wear member is subjected to abrasive wear during use of the excavating equipment and protects the excavating equipment, the support structure and the wear member cooperatively defining an opening; and

a wedge removably received into the opening to releasably secure the wear member to the support structure, the wedge having a leading end which is inserted first when the wedge is received into the opening, a trailing end, a length extending between the leading and trailing ends, an exterior surface tapering toward the leading end such that the leading end is narrower in width than the trailing end, and a helical groove that extends axially along the exterior surface of the wedge about the longitudinal axis, the helical groove being threadedly coupled to a thread formation in the opening such that rotation of the wedge in one direction translates the wedge farther into the opening to tighten the wedge in the opening and securely hold the wear member to the excavating equipment, and such that rotation of the wedge in an opposite direction translates the wedge out of the opening for removal of the wedge.

2. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the thread formation in the opening is defined on one of the support structure and the wear member.

3. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 1 which includes a spool received in the opening with the wedge, wherein the thread formation in the opening is defined on the spool.

4. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 3 wherein the spool includes a generally trough-shaped recess into which the wedge is received and translates along when rotated, and wherein the thread formation is defined in the recess.

5. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 4 wherein the spool includes a body and a pair of rearwardly extending arms that contact the wear member.

6. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 5 wherein the opening has an inlet end through which the spool and the wedge are inserted into the opening, and wherein the body of the spool widens in a direction front to rear as the body extends away from the inlet end of the opening.

7. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 6 wherein the widening of the spool is such that a forward surface of the wedge is oriented generally parallel to the direction of translation of the wedge.

8. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 3 which includes an insert to contact the wedge opposite the spool.

9. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein the insert includes a generally trough-shaped recess to receive the wedge.

10. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the thread formation in the opening includes a ridge adapted for receipt into the helical groove, the ridge being defined on a resilient biased member that projects into the opening.

11. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the thread formation in the opening includes a plurality of spaced ridge segments that are received into and engage a plurality of turns of the helical groove.

12. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the wedge includes a land segment between adjacent turns of the helical groove, the land segment and the helical groove each having a width where the width of the land segment is substantially larger than the width of the helical groove.

13. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the support structure is a lip of an excavating bucket, and the wear member is an adapter for an excavating tooth.

14. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the support structure is an adapter and the wear member is a point, and wherein the adapter and point collectively define an excavating tooth.

15. A lock adapted for receipt into an opening defined by two separable components in a wear assembly for excavating equipment, the lock comprising:

a wedge having a leading end, a trailing end, a longitudinal axis extending through the leading and trailing ends, and an exterior surface about the longitudinal axis that tapers toward the leading end for initial receipt into the opening such that the leading end is narrower than the trailing end, the exterior surface including a helical groove about the longitudinal axis; and

a spool including a trough having a generally concave surface for receiving the wedge, and at least one projection to engage the helical groove on the wedge;

the wedge and the spool being threadedly coupled together in the opening by the engagement of the projection in the helical groove such that rotation of the wedge about the longitudinal axis translates the wedge in the opening in a direction generally along the longitudinal axis and along the trough of the spool to tighten the lock in the opening thereby causing the wedge and the spool to press the separable components in opposite directions to hold the two components together, and such that rotation of the wedge in an opposite direction translates the wedge out of the opening for removal of the wedge.

16. A lock in accordance with claim 15 wherein the spool includes a body and a pair of arms, and wherein the arms project from opposite ends of the body in a direction away from the trough.

17. A lock in accordance with claim 16 wherein each said arm includes an inner surface that tapers outward such that the inner surfaces of the arms diverge in a direction away from the trough.

18. A lock in accordance with claim 15 wherein the at least one projection includes a series of helical ridges in a spaced apart relation along the trough.

19. A lock in accordance with claim 15 wherein the wedge includes a spiral land segment between adjacent turns of the groove, and the land segment defines a first bearing surface to contact one of the separable components and an opposite second bearing surface to contact the trough of the spool to thereby resist loading between the components and prevent separation of the separable components.

20. A wear member for excavating equipment comprising a front end to contact material to be excavated by the excavating equipment during use such that the wear member is subjected to abrasive wear during use of the excavating equipment and protects the excavating equipment, an opposite rear end, converging walls that converge toward the front end, side walls extending between the converging walls, a cavity opening in the rear end to receive a supporting structure secured to the excavating equipment, an opening for receiving a lock to hold the wear member to a support structure secured to the excavating equipment, and a series of helical ridges within the opening, each of the helical ridges forming part of a turn and being spaced apart along the opening to define a thread formation to engage a threaded wedge to secure the wear member to the support structure, and wherein one of the helical ridges is resiliently biased into the opening by a resilient member.

21. A wear member in accordance with claim 20 wherein the opening is in communication with the cavity.