Abstract:
A machine, such as a compactor, includes at least one ground-engaging member having a plurality of teeth. Often, debris or dirt builds up on the ground-engaging member between the teeth and must be removed for improved compaction. The teeth may have base and a tip with a width of the tip being greater than a width of the base. A scraper is provided having a second end configured adjacent a surface of the ground-engaging member. As the ground-engaging member rotates, the relatively stationary scrapers remove material, which would otherwise cause build-up beneath tips of the teeth.

Description:
RELATION TO OTHER PATENT  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser. No. 29/228,895, filed on Apr. 29, 2005. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0002]     This invention relates to a tooth for compacting material and a scraper that cleans between adjacent teeth disposed on compacting drum on a machine and, more specifically, to the structure of the respective teeth and scraper for a compactor drum.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Work machines known as compactors are commonly used to compress and spread material, such as dirt at a building site. Compactors often have drum-type metal wheels with a plurality of rows of replaceable teeth attached to the outside surfaces of the wheels. The teeth provide traction to the compactor, as well as concentrating the weight of the machine on a small area to increase compression force on the underlying material.  
         [0004]     Dirt and debris can become stuck to the wheel between the teeth, particularly in damp conditions or if the soil has high clay content. If such debris builds up sufficiently to clog the spaces of the wheel surface between, and roughly to the height of, the teeth, the teeth cannot dig into the ground, and may result in loss of traction and/or poor compaction.  
         [0005]     The generally accepted practice for avoiding build-up includes mounting stationary scrapers or cleaner finger on a portion of the work machine such that, as the wheels rotate, the cleaner fingers scrape or deflect debris from between the rows of teeth. An example of this type of cleaner finger arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,288, issued Nov. 1, 1994 to William N. O&#39;Neill et al. (hereafter referenced as &#39;288). The &#39;288 cleaner finger assembly includes a replaceable cleaner tooth having an arcuate upper surface, a trailing lower surface, and a fastening portion. Although the &#39;288 arrangement is effective in cleaning between the rows of teeth, dirt may have a chance to accumulate in front of and behind the entire width of the teeth in each row.  
         [0006]     The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     In one aspect of the present invention, a machine, including a frame, a mounting bar, a ground-engaging member, a plurality of teeth and a plurality of scrapers, is disclosed. The frame may be defined by a longitudinal axis with the mounting bar connected to and transverse the frame. The ground-engaging member may be rotatably connected to the frame. The teeth may be located at predetermined intervals on a surface of the ground-engaging member. Each tooth may have a base portion attached to the surface and a tip portion extending outward from the surface, the base portion being narrower than the tip portion. Each scraper may include a first end connected to the mounting bar and a second end located adjacent the surface, the second end being wider than a distance between adjacent tip portions and narrower than a distance between adjacent base portions.  
         [0008]     In another aspect of the present invention, a tooth for a ground-engaging member, comprising a base portion and a tip portion is disclosed. The base portion may have opposed first and second base sides and opposed first and second base ends. The tip portion may have opposed first and second tip sides and opposed first and second tip ends, is disclosed. The distance between the first and second base ends may be greater than a distance between the first and second tip ends. The distance between the first and second base sides may be less than a distance between the first and second tip sides. The base portion may be configured to attach to a surface of the ground-engaging member with the tip portion extending outwardly from the surface.  
         [0009]     In another aspect of the present invention, a ground engaging system for a machine, comprising a ground-engaging member, a plurality of teeth, and a scraper, is disclosed. The ground-engaging member may be rotatably connected to a frame of the machine. The plurality of teeth may be located at predetermined intervals in rows on a surface of the ground-engaging member. Each tooth may have a base portion attached to the surface and a tip portion extending outwardly from the surface, the base portion being narrower than the tip portion. The scraper may have a first end configured to be connected to the frame and a second end configured to be located adjacent a surface of the ground-engaging member. The second end may have a width greater than a distance between adjacent tip portions and less than a distance between adjacent base portions. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings,  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic illustration of a machine where one embodiment of the present disclosure may be employed;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a ground engaging member showing a plurality of teeth and a plurality of scrapers according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a partial plan view of a ground engaging member showing a plurality of teeth and a plurality of scrapers according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a scraper according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a front plan view of a tooth according to an embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a side plan view of a tooth according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  shows a diagrammatic illustration of a machine  100  where one embodiment of the present disclosure may be employed. Although the machine  100  is shown as a single drum compactor, the machine  100  may be any kind of machine that generally has a need for performing compaction or the removal of material from a ground-engaging member  132 .  
         [0019]     The machine  100  displayed in  FIG. 1  is shown to include a frame  102  defined by a longitudinal axis  120 , a mounting bar  116 , and a ground-engaging system (shown generally at  130 ). Although the machine  100  is shown having a single ground engaging system  130  and a rear tire  106 , the machine  100  may have one, two, or more ground engaging systems  130  and may have no tires  106 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a ground-engaging member showing a plurality of teeth and a plurality of scrapers according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to both  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the ground-engaging system  130  may include at least one ground-engaging member  132 , a plurality of teeth  140 , and a plurality of scrapers  180 . The ground-engaging member  132  may be connected to the frame  102  in a number of ways including, but not limited to, rotatably attached between first and second mounting plates  108 , 112 , or rotatably mounted on an axle (not shown).  
         [0021]     In the embodiment of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the mounting bar  116  may generally be configured transverse the longitudinal axis  120  of the machine  100  and may be connected to the frame  102  via the first and second mounting plates  108 , 110 . The first and second mounting plates  108 , 112  may have first ends  109 , 113  connected to respective mounting bar first and second ends  117 , 118  and second ends  110 , 114  connected to the frame  102 . The ground-engaging member  132  may be located between first and second mounting plates  108 , 112  and may be rotatably connected to a portion of the first and second mounting plates  108 , 112 . Even though the mounting bar  116  is shown to have first and second ends  117 , 118  attached to first and second mounting plates  110 , 112 , the mounting bar  116  may also be connected directly to the frame  102  at a single end or any mid portion of the mounting bar  116 . This configuration may be more prevalent on machines  100  having ground-engaging systems  130  on the sides of the machine  100  rather than in front of or behind the machine  100 .  
         [0022]     A plurality of teeth  140  are attached to a surface  134  of the ground-engaging member  132 . Preferably, the plurality of teeth  140  are arranged at predetermined intervals in longitudinal rows in a known manner on the ground-engaging surface  134 . For example,  FIG. 2  shows a first row  200  located next to the mounting bar second end  118  and a second row  210  located two rows in from the mounting bar second end  118 . Although the first and second rows  200 , 210  may be located adjacent one another, the teeth  140  may be configured in a number of ways, including, but not limited to, immediately adjacent one another and offset from one another. A plurality of scrapers  180  may be removably attached to the mounting bar  116 . At least one of the scrapers  180  may be positioned in the space between the first and second rows  200 , 210 . Additional scrapers  180  may be positioned in the space between additional adjacent rows of teeth  140 . The plurality of scrapers  180  are shown in  FIG. 2  as being identical, but may be formed or mounted differently from one another along the length of the mounting bar  116  as needed. The plurality of scrapers  180  may generally be positioned in a row transverse the rows of teeth  140  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Although  FIG. 2  only shows one transverse row of scrapers  180 , additional rows of scrapers  180  may be positioned for added cleaning or positioned to clean if the ground-engaging member  132  rotates in a forward and a reverse direction. These additional rows of scrapers  180  may be mounted to the mounting bar  116  or to an additional mounting bar (not shown) or other portions of the machine  100  (not shown).  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  is a partial plan view of a ground-engaging member  132  showing a plurality of teeth  140  and a plurality of scrapers  180  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each tooth  140  as shown in the first and second rows  200 , 210  may have a base portion  150  and a tip portion  160 . The base portion  150  may be attached to the ground-engaging member surface  134  and the tip portion  160  may extend outwardly from the surface  134 . Each scraper  180  may have a first end  185  mounted to the mounting bar  116  and a second end  190  located adjacent the surface  134  and between the base portions  150  of teeth in a first and second rows  200 ,  210 . The scraper first and second ends  185 , 190  may be connected by a connecting portion  187 . The plurality of scrapers  180  may be mounted to the mounting bar  116  as shown. Alternatively, the plurality of scrapers  180  may be mounted to any portion of the frame  102  or other attached structure to allow each scraper second end  190  to maintain its respective assembled position adjacent the surface  134  and in the space between adjacent rows of tooth base portions  150 . Furthermore, the scraper first end  185  may be attached to the mounting bar  116  or other portion of the machine  100  in a number of ways, such as, but not limited to, using fasteners, welding, and the like, as may be known in the art. The scraper second end  190  may also have first and second sides  192 , 194  wherein a distance between first and second sides  192 , 194  is greater than a distance between adjacent tooth tip portions  160  in first and second rows  200 , 210  and less than a distance between adjacent tooth base portions  150  in first and second rows  200 , 210 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the scraper  180  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The scraper second end  190  may have a forward end  196 , a rear end  197  and a base  198 . The scraper second end  190  may be configured to do work in a single direction. Alternatively, the scraper rear end  197  may be structured similar to the scraper forward end  196  such that only a single row of scrapers are required to clean the ground engaging member  132  as it rotates in alternate directions. The base  198  may preferably be arcuate similar to the curvature of the ground-engaging surface  134 . The base  198  may alternatively be dissimilar to the curvature of the surface  134 , such as, but not limited to, being closer to the surface  134  at the forward and rear ends  196 , 197 . The base  198  may have a predetermined offset from the surface  134  and the scraper first and second sides  192 , 194  may have a predetermined offset from the adjacent rows of teeth  140  to allow for the ground-engaging member  132  to oscillate normally without bringing the scraper second end  190  into contact with the surface  134  or the plurality of tooth base and tip portions  150 , 160  in the adjacent rows. Additionally, the scraper first end  185  may be adjustable such that the predetermined offset between the base  198  and the surface  134  may be maintained as the scraper second end  190  wears. Alternatively, the scraper first end  185  may be adjustable such that the offset between the base  198  and the surface  134  may be varied based upon user or application preference.  
         [0025]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are front plan and side plan views of a tooth  140  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The tooth base portion  150  may have a first and second base side  152 , 154  and a first and second base end  156 , 158 . The tooth tip portion  160  may have a first and second tip side  162 , 164  and a first and second tip end  166 , 168 . A distance between the first base side  152  and the second base side  154  is shown to be less than a distance between the first tip side  162  and the second tip side  164 . A distance between the first base end  156  and the second base end  158  is shown to be greater than a distance between the first tip end  166  and the second tip end  168 . The plurality of teeth  140  may also be configured such that each tooth  140  may be solid or such that a portion of each tooth  140  may contain a hollow cavity (not shown)  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  shows a first arcuate portion  170  connecting the first base side  152  to the first tip side  162  and a second arcuate portion  172  connecting the second base side  154  to the second tip side  164 . Although this portion of the tooth  140  is shown as being arcuate, configurations may include, but are not limited to, arcuate, stepped, sloped and angled configurations connecting the first and second base sides  152 , 154  to the respective first and second tip sides  162 , 164 .  FIG. 6  shows a first sloped portion  175  connecting the first base end  156  to the first tip end  166  and a second sloped portion  177  connecting the second base end  158  to the second tip end  168 . Although this portion of the tooth  140  is shown being sloped, configurations may include, but are not limited to, sloped, arcuate, stepped, and angled configurations connecting first and second base ends  156 , 158  to the respective first and second tip ends  166 , 168 .  
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
       [0027]     As the machine  100  traverses at a work site, the scraper  180  remains stationary relative to the machine  100  while the ground-engaging member  132  rotates, moving the teeth  140  past the scrapers  180  which perform the cleaning function. As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the plurality of teeth  140  may be located in first and second rows  200 , 210  such that the teeth  140  are offset from one another. As the teeth  140  in the first row  200  moves past the scrapers  180 , the scraper first side  192  may be adjacent to a portion of the second base side  154  of the teeth in the first row  200  and beneath a portion of the second tip side  164 . As the teeth in the second row  210  move past the scrapers  180 , the scraper second side  194  may be adjacent to a portion of the first base side  152  of the teeth in the second row  210  and beneath a portion of the second tip side  162 .  
         [0028]     The scraper  180  may be positioned with respect to the ground-engaging member surface  134  and the plurality of teeth base portions  150  such that only a small space is permitted between the forward end  196  and the surface  134  and between the scraper first and second sides  192 , 194  and the teeth base portions  150 . The scraper forward end  196  may then effectively remove dirt or debris from the space between the teeth base portions  150  and beneath the teeth tip portions  160 , thus allowing for improved compaction ability of the ground engaging system  130 .  
         [0029]     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.