Abstract:
A method for rebuilding a truck body is provided. The method places a plurality of supports on a segment of a truck body. The plurality of supports defines at least a portion of the segment requiring rebuild. The method then places a rebuilding surface atop the plurality of supports. The rebuilding surface defines a void created between the rebuilding surface and the segment. The method also affixes the rebuilding surface atop the plurality of supports. The method further injects a layer of filler material into the void.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present disclosure relates to a method for rebuilding a machine surface, and more specifically for rebuilding a segment of a truck body. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A truck body is used to transport material from one location to another. The truck body may be subjected to severe impacts during routine operational use. The impact may damage the truck body, causing wear and tear of the truck body like for example, erosion of a surface of the truck body, permanent deformation of sections of the truck body, etc. The damaged truck body may be rebuilt by installing a new plate over the existing damaged plate. 
         [0003]    For example, U.S. Published Application Number 2012/0276364 provides a sandwich panel. The sandwich panel includes a first plate and a second plate spaced apart from the first plate. The sandwich panel also includes a core bonded to the first and the second metal plates so as to transfer shear forces between them. The core includes a main core material. The core also includes a lightweight material that is less dense than the main core material. The lightweight material is hydrophobic. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0004]    In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method places a plurality of supports on a segment of a truck body. The plurality of supports defines at least a portion of the segment requiring rebuild. The method then places a rebuilding surface atop the plurality of supports. The rebuilding surface defines a void created between the rebuilding surface and the segment. The method also affixes the rebuilding surface atop the plurality of supports. The method further injects a layer of filler material into the void. 
         [0005]    In another aspect of the present disclosure, a truck body for a machine is provided. The truck body includes a segment. The truck body also includes a plurality of supports coupled to at least a portion of the segment. The truck body also includes a rebuilding surface attached atop the plurality of supports. The truck body further includes a layer of filler material provided between the rebuilding surface and the segment. 
         [0006]    Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary machine, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a truck body having a plane  3 - 3  and a plurality of supports and spacers; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view of a portion of a rebuilt truck body along the plane  3 - 3 ; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a method for rebuilding the truck body. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or the like parts.  FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary machine  100 , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. More specifically, the machine  100  may be a large mining truck. It should be noted that the machine may also include a haul truck, an articulated truck, an off-highway truck or any other machine related to various industries like mining, forestry, waste management, construction, agriculture, etc. 
         [0012]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the machine  100  may include a frame and/or a chassis  102 . A powertrain (not shown) may be provided on the machine  100  which may include one or more power sources. An enclosure  104  may be provided on the chassis  102  of the machine  100  which may house the power source (not shown). The power source may be any one or a combination of an internal combustion engine, a gas turbine, a hybrid engine, a non-conventional power source like batteries, electric motor, or any other power source known in the art. The powertrain may further include a transmission inclusive of gearing, drive shafts, propeller shaft and other known drive links provided for transmission of motive power from the power source to a set of ground engaging members  106 . The ground engaging members  106 , such as wheels, may be provided to the machine  100  for the purpose of mobility. An operator cabin  108  may be provided on the machine  100  which may house various controls of the machine  100 . 
         [0013]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a truck body  110  may be fixedly or pivotally mounted on the chassis  102  of the machine  100 . Hydraulic and/or pneumatic cylinders  112  may be mounted on the chassis  102  and connected to the truck body  110  to enable movement in the form of tilting of the truck body  110  with respect to the chassis  102  of the machine  100 . The truck body  110  may be configured to receive, transport and dump payload from a source to a destination location. The payload may include construction material and/or other material such as, but not limited to, sand, gravel, stones, soil, excavated material, asphalt, coal, mineral ores, and the like. The truck body  110  may be appropriately constructed to perform an intended task of transportation of the payload. 
         [0014]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a perspective view of the truck body  110  is shown. The truck body  110  may include a bed  202  having sidewall segments  204 , a floor segment  206 , a front wall segment  208  and transition segments  210 . Each of the sidewall segments  204  and the front wall segment  208  may be connected to the floor segment  206 . The transition segments  210  may be provided at the intersections of the sidewall segments  204 , the floor segment  206  and the front wall segment  208 . The transition segments  210  may create smooth transitions between the different segments of the truck body  110 , thus, reducing sticking of the material and enabling easy flow of material from a material carrying cavity  212 . Each of these segments may be of a desired size, dimension and shape, in order to form the material carrying cavity  212  based on the type of material carried. The material carrying cavity  212  may have a rear opening  214  through which the material may escape when the truck body  110  is tilted. In one embodiment, a rear gate (not shown in figure) or other device at the rear opening  214  may be used to contain the material in the truck body  110 . 
         [0015]    The segments of truck body  110  may experience severe impacts due to frequent loading and unloading of material. These impacts may cause damage to the truck body  110  in the form of erosion of the surface of the truck body  110 , formation of cracks and/or deformation of the segments of the truck body  110  and the like. At times, the truck body  110  may require a repair for reinforcement and/or to increase its operable life by rebuilding any of the segments. 
         [0016]    The present disclosure relates to a method for rebuilding the segments of the truck body  110 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , a plurality of supports and spacers may be placed on the segment of the truck body  110  which requires rebuild. In the present disclosure, the segment requiring rebuild is the floor segment  206 . It should be noted that the disclosure may also be utilized to fully or partially rebuild other segments of the truck body  110  like the front wall segment  208  and/or the side wall segments  204 , without any limitation. 
         [0017]    The plurality of supports may be configured in the form of bars  216 , which are placed horizontally on the floor segment  206  around a portion of the floor segment  206  requiring rebuild. The plurality of bars  216  may be placed in a configuration such that the portion of the floor segment  206  requiring rebuild may be enclosed within the arrangement of the plurality of bars  216 . The cross-section of the bars  216  may be of any cross-sectional configuration, such as rectangular, oval, round, I-shaped, T-shaped, C-shaped etc. Additionally, the bars  216  may be solid or hollow. Preferably, the bars  216  are made of a metal, such as, for example, steel or aluminum. Alternatively, other suitable materials like wood or engineering polymers may also be used. The height of the bars  216  may be such that a space is created between the floor segment  206  and a rebuilding surface  302  which is placed atop the bars  216 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The bars  216  may be firmly affixed to the floor segment  206  by any of the known methods of fastening including, but not limited to, welding, riveting, bolting, clamping and the like. 
         [0018]    It should be understood that the bars  216  need to be affixed over the floor segment  206  in a fluid tight configuration. In one embodiment, suitable sealing material may be provided between a lower surface of each of the plurality of bars  216  and the floor segment  206 , to provide the desired fluid tight fit. It should also be noted that a top surface of each of the plurality of bars  216  may be equally leveled to facilitate the placement of the rebuilding surface  302  atop the plurality of bars  216 .  FIG. 3  shows a cross-sectional view of the truck body  110  along the plane  3 - 3  shown in  FIG. 2 , after the rebuilding surface  302  is placed over the segment of the truck body  110  at a height “H”. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a plurality of spacers  304  may be placed in a spaced apart arrangement on the floor segment  206 . More specifically, the plurality of spacers  304  may be provided in the portion enclosed within the arrangement of plurality of bars  216 . The plurality of spacers  304  may be fixedly attached to the floor segment  206  by any of the known methods of fastening including, but not limited to, welding, riveting, bolting, clamping, and the like. The plurality of spacers  304  may be made of any material including, but not limited to, wood, metals, rubber, polymers like polyurethane and polystyrene, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that when the plurality of spacers  304  are placed on the floor segment  206  having considerable deformations, the height of each of the plurality of spacers  304  may vary so as to reach the height “H”. 
         [0020]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the rebuilding surface  302  may be placed atop the arrangement of plurality of bars  216  and spacers  304 . The rebuilding surface  302  is preferably made of steel. Any other suitable material may be used as per system requirements. The rebuilding surface  302  may have a flat sheet-like configuration. Parameters related to dimensions, thickness, material used, and the like may vary. The rebuilding surface  302  may be fixedly attached to a top surface of the plurality of bars  216  and/or spacers  304  by known methods, in order to create a fluid tight joint. For example, welding, riveting, bolting or any combination thereof may be utilized. 
         [0021]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , a filler material  306  may be provided between the rebuilding surface  302  and the floor segment  206 . The filler material  306  may be, preferably, polyurethane, however other polymers may also be suitable. The filler material  306  may be typically injected into a void existing between the rebuilding surface  302  and the floor segment  206  via an injection port (not shown). In one embodiment, any air present between the rebuilding surface  302  and the floor segment  206  may be vented out through a ventilation port (not shown). Initially, the filler material  306  may be in a liquid state when introduced into the space between the rebuilding surface  302  and the floor segment  206 . The filler material  306  may be allowed to solidify to create an integral composite including the original floor segment  206 , the rebuilding surface  302 , and the filler material. A method  400  for rebuilding the segment of the truck body  110  will be described in detail in connection with  FIG. 4 . 
         [0022]    One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the in the illustrated embodiment, the rebuilding surface  302  is provided on the floor segment  206  to level out the deformations present on the floor segment  206  and to provide a new wear surface. As can be seen, the rebuilding surface  302  may also be provided on the transition segment  210  which lies adjacent to the floor segment  206 . This may facilitate in maintaining the overall geometry of the truck body  110  in order to allow the payload to easily flow out of the material carrying cavity  212  or to provide a new, generally flat wear surface. 
       INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
       [0023]    A truck body may require rebuilding due to distortions or deformations created on its material carrying surface. The present disclosure relates to the method of rebuilding the segment of the truck body. Initially, a segment of the truck body  110  requiring rebuild may undergo a cleaning process to remove unwanted dirt, debris, depositions, etc., if any. The cleaning process may be either a manual or an automated scraping of the surface of the truck body  110  by use of appropriate tools and/or solvents. Further, the cleaned truck body  110  may be grit blasted to remove additional depositions like rust, paint, etc., which may not have been cleaned appropriately during the cleaning process and to provide a sufficiently rough surface to facilitate adhesion of filler material  306 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , at step  402 , the plurality of supports may be placed horizontally on the segment of the truck body  110  on an area requiring rebuild. The plurality of supports may be configured in the form of bars  216 . The plurality of bars  216  may be firmly affixed to the segment of the truck body  110  by any known method of fastening like welding. Additionally, spacers  304  may be placed on the segment of the truck body  110  enclosed within the arrangement of the plurality of bars  216 . 
         [0025]    At step  404 , the rebuilding surface  302  may be placed atop the arrangement of the plurality of bars  216  and the spacers  304 . At step  406 , the rebuilding surface  302  may be firmly affixed to the bars  216  by any known method of fastening like welding, bolting, riveting or the like. The placing of the rebuilding surface  302  over the arrangement of the bars  216  and the spacers  304  may create a void between the rebuilding surface  302  and the floor segment  206 . 
         [0026]    At step  408 , the filler material  306  may be injected into the void through the injection port. In one embodiment, when the filler material  306  has a relatively low viscosity, the filler material  306  may be allowed to flow freely into the void. In another embodiment, when the filler material  306  has a relatively high viscosity, a pump may be used to push the filler material  306  into the void. 
         [0027]    Further, air trapped between the rebuilding surface  302  and the floor segment  206  of the truck body  110  may be allowed to vent out to the atmosphere during injection of the filler material  306  through the ventilation port. Alternatively, a vacuum device like a vacuum pump may be used to force the trapped air out. The filler material  306  may then be allowed to solidify. Solidification may cause the filler material  306  to become rigid providing firm support to the rebuilding surface  302  placed over the floor segment  206 . Further, solidification of the filler material  306  may result in the filler material  306  bonding to the floor segment  206  and to the rebuilding surface  302 , resulting in an integral composite including the original floor segment  206 , the rebuilding surface  302 , and the filler material  306 . 
         [0028]    In one embodiment, after the rebuilding surface  302  is fixedly attached to the plurality of bars  216 , additional pressure may be applied atop the rebuilding surface  302  before injection of a filler material  306  in the void. The additional pressure may be applied by placing appropriate weights atop the rebuilding surface  302  and/or by the use of a mechanical press and/or by other structural elements that are restrained by temporary welds, magnets, or other temporary fastening methods. The additional pressure may be applied till the filler material  306  is cured. The additional pressure may prevent structural distortion of the rebuilding surface  302  during the injection and curing of the filler material  306 . Finally, the injection ports and the ventilation ports may be sealed off to complete the rebuilding of the segment of the truck body  110 . 
         [0029]    While aspects of the present disclosure have been particularly shown and described with reference to the embodiments above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various additional embodiments may be contemplated by the modification of the disclosed machines, systems and methods without departing from the spirit and scope of what is disclosed. Such embodiments should be understood to fall within the scope of the present disclosure as determined based upon the claims and any equivalents thereof.