Caterpillar Inc.

Michael H Hinrichsen

James D McPhail

Randy E Schoepke

John C Endsley

Keith Edward Lawrence

William K Engel

Kenneth R Watts

Donald H Sherman

Colby Buckman

Howard Savage

An apparatus and method for preventing debris from accessing and wrapping around the axles of a vehicle, such as a landfill compactor, are disclosed. The apparatus may include a wheel having a rim from which radially extend a plurality of cleats or tips. A subset of tips may be provided circumferentially around a laterally inner edge of the wheel. A wheel guard may be mounted between adjacent pairs of tips of the subset. Each wheel guard may be welded to the rim and to the adjacent pairs of tips. Each wheel guard may be a unitary piece of metal, or could be provided in two or more segment so as to be adjustable and thus facilitate use on wheels of differing diameters, or with different tip spacing. The wheel guards and adjacent tips form a continuous barrier around the circumference of the wheel to prevent debris from accessing and wrapping around the axles of the compactor.

Apparatus and method for protecting axles from winding debris

A compactor wheel tip for a landfill or soil compactor comprises a bottom wall having a wheel engaging surface, a top wall having a ground engaging surface, oppositely disposed front and rear walls having concave surfaces, and oppositely disposed side walls. The ground engaging surface of the top wall may be generally planar and have a 'bow-tie'-shaped cross-section, or the top wall may define a pair of shoulders each extending inwardly from one of the side walls, and a rib extending between the shoulders and having a depth that is less than the depth of shoulders. The ground engaging surface may further define a pair of exterior pockets disposed on opposite sides of the rib and extending downwardly between the rib and corresponding portions of the front and rear walls.

Paddle style land fill compactor wheel tip

A compactor wheel tip assembly for a landfill or soil compactor comprises a base with a tip attached thereto. A base engaging surface of the tip and a tip engaging surface of the base face and abut when the tip is attached to the base. The tip and base engaging surfaces may have corresponding geometries so that the tip may be attached the base in either a forward and rearward traction position or a side-slop traction position. The tip may include pocket walls having concave surfaces, and a ground engaging surface of a top wall that may be generally planar with a 'bow-tie'-shaped cross-section or may define a pair of shoulders, a rib extending between the shoulders, and exterior pockets disposed on either side of the rib.

Land fill compactor wheel tip assembly

Wheel segment

A fuel injector includes a homogenous charge nozzle outlet set and a conventional nozzle outlet set controlled respectively by inner and outer needle value members. The homogenous charged nozzle outlet set is defined by an outer needle value member that is moveably positioned in an injector body, which defines the conventional nozzle outlet set. The inner needle valve member is positioned in the outer needle valve member. The outer needle valve member is a piece component that includes at least one external guide surface, an external value surface and an internal valve seat.

Dual mode fuel injector with one piece needle valve member

A boring tool assembly is provided and has a cutting tool mounted on one end thereof and permits the boring of a straight hole through a member. The boring tool assembly includes a boring bar having integral guide members disposed thereon that follows behind the cutting tool and maintains contact with the machined surface just cut in order to keep the cutting tool in proper alignment. To permit the continued use of the boring bar after the outer diameter of the cutting tool has been reduced due to wear, each of the integral guide members are resiliently mounted on the boring bar. This permits the guide members to collapses inwardly to maintain a perfect fit with the pilot pore while maintaining bearing contact of the guide members with the pilot bore. The positive bearing contact helps to provide a dampening feature for the boring bar and a spring type force for the hardened guide members. A resilient member is mechanically secured in respective slots to provide the resilient mounting of the hardened guide members to the boring bar.

Boring tool assembly

A boring tool assembly is provided and has a cutting tool mounted on one end thereof and permits the boring of a straight hole through a member. The boring tool assembly includes a boring bar having integral guide members disposed thereon that follows behind the cutting tool and maintains contact with the machined surface just cut in order to keep the cutting tool in proper alignment. To permit the continued use of the boring bar after the outer diameter of the cutting tool has been reduced due to wear, each of the integral guide members are resiliently mounted on the boring bar. This permits the guide members to collapses inwardly to maintain a perfect fit with the pilot pore. This collapse inwardly of the guide members is important to maintain bearing contact of the guide members with the pilot bore if the hole being cut by the cutting tool reduces in size due to wear or if the cutting tool has been re-sharpened or replaced with a different cutting tool. A resilient member is bonded in respective slots between the bottom of the associated slot and the guide member to provide the resilient mounting of the hardened guide members to the boring bar.

A method is provided for producing a piston assembly adapted for use in a hydraulic pump or motor and having an overall length shorter than previously known piston assemblies while maintaining a strong mechanical connection and a high, efficient volumetric output. The method includes the steps of forming a slipper with a spherical ball on one end; forming a piston having a body portion and a connecting portion, the connecting portion having a spherical bottom surface, a groove spaced from the bottom surface and a contoured portion having an angled outer surface and an inner surface; inserting the spherical ball into the cavity; forcing the contoured portion inwardly to place the inner surface into contact with the spherical ball and to substantially longitudinally align the outer surface of the piston body with the angled surface of the contoured portion; heat treating the piston to a predetermined hardness and depth; and finishing the total longitudinal length of the piston to a finished size.

Growing community of inventors

Goodfield, IL, United States of America

Michael H Hinrichsen