Case Corporation

International Harvester Company

Theodore M Clarke

Daniel K Schlegel

Michael D Morton

Jimmy R Kreftmeyer

Timothy A Olson

Barry Slee

Gordon H Walter

A link for a hitch of a work vehicle includes an elongate arm having a first end adapted for being coupled to the work vehicle and a second end adapted for being coupled to an implement. At least one of the first and second ends includes a socket. The draft link further includes a ball removably retained within the socket. In an exemplary embodiment, the ball has a first surface with a first hardness and the socket has a second surface facing the first surface and having a second hardness less than the first hardness. The second surface is preferably formed from a metal including an ausferrite matrix and graphite spheroids. The link is preferably formed by providing at least one mold member having a cavity defining the elongate arm having the first and second ends and at least a portion of a surface of the socket at the first end configured to engage the ball, depositing a molten material into the cavity, solidifying the molten material in the cavity and removing the at least one mold member from about the solidified material. The molten material preferably comprises a ductile iron which is austempered adjacent the socket such that the socket is provided with a surface including an ausferrite matrix and graphite spheroids.

Vehicle hitch link

A bearing assembly has first and second trunnions supporting a bearing and defining a trunnion pivot axis. In the improvement, each of the trunnions is mounted in and supported by a separate cushion member of annular shape. The assembly permits bearing pivoting about the trunnion pivot axis (i.e., about the X axis) and the cushion members permit limited freedom of movement of the trunnions in axes (i.e., the Y and/or Z axes) which are angular to the pivot axis. The new bearing assembly is ideal for use on an earth-working implement such as a disc harrow.

Improved bearing assembly permitting tri-axial movement

A method of inhibiting shrinkage related cracking of a weld joint during a weld solidification process comprising the steps of: applying a power beam against abutting surfaces of metal pieces to be welded with an intensity sufficient to cause a predetermined portion of the metal on the pieces to become molten thereby producing the weld joint from the coalescense of metals; and modifying at least one of the metal pieces in an area immediately adjacent and extending along the abutting surfaces to allow weld joint volume to transmute during weld solidification and thereby compensate for and inhibit formation of shrinkage related cracking of the weld joint. Another aspect of this invention relates to the welded assembly resulting from such process. Such welded assembly comprises at least two metal pieces with one metal piece having a relatively narrow ligament extending therefrom in an abutting relationship with a surface on the other metal piece. A surface on the ligament includes at least a portion of a boundary region of the molten metals forming the weld joint. The ligament is configured to flex during weld joint solidification whereby weld joint volume is altered thereby inhibiting shrinkage related cracking of the weld joint.

Method of welding

An earth-working implement of high carbon-high hardness steel wherein the globular shape of the sulfides is retained during the manufacturing process by the addition of strong sulfide-forming additives whereby the 'fracture toughness' in the rolling direction is substantially increased thereby resulting in a high strength implement possessing superior fracture resistance properties in all directions including the rolling direction.

Growing community of inventors

Western Springs, IL, United States of America

Theodore M Clarke