Caterpillar Inc.

Seth Johnson

Huijun Wang

Jeremy Roe Hammar

Michael Noble

Keith Egland

William Ulrich

Donald Stickel

Timothy W Olmsted

Ling Pan

David R Griffith

Christopher Lu

Kurt Steven Goslovich

Thomas Kos

April J Lu

Robert David Murray

A structural member includes a body having a first surface, a second surface, and an end surface at an end portion of the structural member. The end portion of the structural member includes a root protrusion extending radially outward from the second surface of the structural member along a root protrusion radius to an outer end of the root protrusion to define a root protrusion height extending from the second surface of the structural member to the outer end of the root protrusion. The root protrusion further includes a root protrusion width extending between an inner edge and an outer edge of the outer end of the root protrusion. The root protrusion radius, the root protrusion height, and the root protrusion width are configured to define a stress protected weld root region isolated beyond and away from a root stress flow path propagated through the body of the structural member.

Structure having stress protected groove weld and structural members forming the same

A structural member is disclosed. The structural member includes a body having a first surface, a second surface, and an end surface at an end portion of the structural member. The end portion of the structural member includes a root protrusion extending radially outward from the second surface of the structural member along a root protrusion radius to an outer end of the root protrusion to define a root protrusion height extending from the second surface of the structural member to the outer end of the root protrusion. The root protrusion further includes a root protrusion width extending between an inner edge and an outer edge of the outer end of the root protrusion. The root protrusion radius, the root protrusion height, and the root protrusion width are configured to define a stress protected weld root region isolated beyond and away from a root stress flow path propagated through the body of the structural member.

Wear bands for heavy duty struts are disclosed. The wear bands include multiple layers such as a base metal layer sandwiched between an outer layer and an intermediate layer along with a solid lubricant layer disposed opposite the intermediate layer from the base metal layer. The outer layer engages an interior surface of the strut housing, which slidably accommodates a rod. The solid lubricant layer, which is the innermost layer, engages an outer surface of the rod so that the wear band is sandwiched between the rod and the housing and provides a solid lubricant layer for engaging the sliding rod.

Strut wear bands

Growing community of inventors

Dunlap, IL, United States of America

Seth Johnson