CN-121986049-A - Rolling track chain link

Abstract

A rolled track link (110) may include a middle portion, a front portion on a front side of the middle portion having a front portion planar upper surface and a pin bore (225), and a rear portion on a rear side of the middle portion having a rear portion planar upper surface offset from the front portion planar upper surface by a vertical distance along a height of the track link (110), and the rear portion having a bushing bore (245). At each point along the length of the track link (110), the thickness of the track link (110) is uniform along the width of the track link (110), except at the holes including the pin holes (225) and bushing holes (245).

Inventors

• E.J. JOHNSON
• C.M. Arnold
• D - J Hicks
• Tateki Osamu
• Song Benyou
• YAMASHITA YASUO

Assignees

• 卡特彼勒公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20240913

Priority Date

20231011

Claims (10)

1. 1. A rolled track link (110), the rolled track link comprising: a middle portion; A front portion located on a front side of the middle portion having a front portion planar upper surface and a pin bore (225), and A rear portion on a rear side of the middle portion having a rear portion planar upper surface offset from the front portion planar upper surface by a vertical distance along a height of the track link (110), and having a bushing aperture (245), Wherein the thickness of the track link (110) is uniform along the width of the track link (110) at each point along the length of the track link (110), except at the hole comprising the pin hole (225) and the bushing hole (245).
2. 2. The track link (110) of claim 1, wherein the track link (110) is formed from rolled steel.
3. 3. The track link (110) of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the front portion is the same as the thickness of the rear portion.
4. 4. The track link (110) of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the middle portion is varied.
5. 5. The track link (110) of claim 1, wherein the middle portion includes at least one concave curved surface.
6. 6. The track link (110) of claim 1, wherein the perpendicular distance between the front portion plane and the rear portion plane is about 1.5 mm.
7. 7. The track link (110) of claim 1, wherein the middle portion has at least one bolt hole (250) perpendicular to the pin hole (225) in the front portion and the bushing hole (245) in the rear portion.
8. 8. The track link (110) of claim 7, wherein the middle portion has at least one window (255) perpendicular to and intersecting the at least one bolt hole (250).
9. 9. A track link (110) formed by rolling, the track link (110) comprising: a middle portion; A front portion located on a front side of the middle portion having a front portion planar upper surface and a pin bore (225), and A rear portion on a rear side of the middle portion having a rear portion planar upper surface offset from the front portion planar upper surface by a vertical distance along a height of the track link (110), and having a bushing aperture (245).
10. 10. The track link (110) assembly of claim 9, wherein the track link (110) is formed from rolled steel.

Description

Rolling track chain link Technical Field The present disclosure relates generally to track links for track assemblies of machines, and more particularly to a track link having a front portion and a rear portion, with a plane defining the front portion being offset from a plane defining the rear portion by a vertical distance. Background Track assemblies for track-type machines, such as dozers, excavators, and skid steer loaders, include a ring of link assemblies that support a ring of track shoes as the ring rotates about sprocket and idler assemblies. Each link assembly includes a pair of track links mounted to a bushing at a forward end and a pin at a rear end. In this loop, each link assembly is pivotally connected to an adjacent link assembly using bushings and pins. A track shoe is attached to each link assembly using bolts and nuts. Typically, track links are forged into relatively complex three-dimensional shapes, or the track links are formed from multiple pieces that are welded together. In either case, the manufacturing of track links can be costly due to the complexity of the final product and the time and materials required to form the final product. In order to provide a track link with a relatively strong coupling to a track shoe, european patent No. 0921057 B1 (the' 057 patent) provides a track link that is formed with a flange integrally formed with the link. The flange is bent at right angles to the middle portion. Thus, forming the track link of the' 057 patent requires bending a portion of the track link during the manufacturing process to form a flange at right angles to the intermediate portion. The track links of the' 057 patent thus have a relatively complex three-dimensional shape and require additional steps in their manufacture. The track links of the present disclosure, as well as related track link assemblies and methods of manufacture, may address one or more of the problems described above and/or other problems in the art. However, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims, rather than by the ability to solve any particular problem. Disclosure of Invention In one aspect of the disclosure, a rolled track link may include a middle portion, a front portion on a front side of the middle portion having a front portion planar upper surface and a pin bore, and a rear portion on a rear side of the middle portion having a rear portion planar upper surface offset from the front portion planar upper surface by a vertical distance along a height of the track link, and the rear portion having a bushing bore. At each point along the length of the track link, the thickness of the track link is uniform along the width of the track link except at the hole that includes the pin hole and the bushing hole. In another aspect, a track link formed by rolling may be comprised of a middle portion, a front portion on a front side of the middle portion having a front portion planar upper surface and a pin bore, and a rear portion on a rear side of the middle portion having a rear portion planar upper surface offset from the front portion planar upper surface by a vertical distance along a height of the track link, and the rear portion having a bushing bore. In yet another aspect, a method of manufacturing one or more track links may include rolling a sheet of material in a longitudinal direction to form a cross-sectional shape having a middle portion, a front portion and a rear portion, the front portion being located on a front side of the middle portion and defined by a front portion plane, the rear portion being located on a rear side of the middle portion and defined by a rear portion plane, the rear portion plane being offset from the front portion plane by a perpendicular distance along a height of the sheet of material, cutting the rolled sheet of material into one or more track links at a predetermined width, the one or more track links each having a uniform thickness along the width, and forming a pin hole through the front portion and a bushing hole through the rear portion of each track link. Drawings FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic side view of a bulldozer (which has a track link assembly including track links) as an example of a track-type machine according to the present disclosure. Fig. 2 shows a schematic isometric view of a track link according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 shows a schematic isometric view of a track link according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 4 illustrates a partially exploded schematic view of a track link assembly including a track link of the second embodiment illustrated in fig. 3 in accordance with the present disclosure. Fig. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method of manufacturing a track link according to the present disclosure. Fig. 6A and 6B are schematic views of sheets of rolled material according to the method shown in fig. 5. Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic views of a cut track link