Abstract:
The present invention comprises a ripper used penetrate and break up soil that includes a leading edge configured to decrease wear and reduce drag, while providing superior performance. The ripper is comprised of a main body, a top cap, a wing, and a bracket.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to and incorporates by reference U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/088,168 filed on Dec. 5, 2014. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to a ground engagement or soil tillage tool. In particular, the invention comprises a ripper used penetrate and break up soil that includes a leading edge configured to decrease wear and reduce drag, while providing superior performance. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    Rippers are devices used with various types of equipment to engage with the ground for the purpose of fracturing, breaking up, and mixing the soil. Rippers are commonly used in agricultural and construction settings to engage soils for a variety of purposes. Rippers typically are attached to the end of tines and then are towed behind or used in combination with various types of equipment to prepare soils for further processing. 
         [0006]    Rippers undergo substantial wear and tear as they impact soil, and as such are a wear part that needs periodic replacement or repair. Wear coating is commonly used to reduce the amount of wear. Typically, wear coating such as tungsten carbide is slathered on the parts in a haphazard way; with the hope that the more of the surface that is covered the longer the device will last. However, this approach suffers from a number of drawbacks. 
         [0007]    First, wear coating dulls the cutting or ripping edges thereby interfering with the ability of the ripper to cleanly and efficiently engage the soil. Additionally, wear coating placed unnecessarily is a waste of time and money, and does not end up increasing the life of the parts. 
         [0008]    An additional factor in the effectiveness and longevity of rippers is the design and configuration of the devices. Again, prior art devices are not efficiently designed. Design features also impact the materials from which the rippers can be made, as well as the ease of manufacturing. 
         [0009]    Accordingly, there is a need for an improved ripper that eliminates or substantially eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows perspective views of a ripper. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  shows a top, bottom, side, front, back, and perspective views of a top cap of the ripper. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a top bottom, side, front, and back views of the top cap. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  shows a top, bottom, side, front, back, and perspective views of a main body of the ripper. 
           [0014]      FIG. 5  shows a side, bottom, and front view of the main body of the ripper. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  shows side, bottom, and perspective views of a bracket of the ripper. 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  shows flat and front views a wing of the ripper. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    In the Figures is shown a ripper  10 , which is a device used as an attachment to agricultural, construction, and industrial machines for ground engagement purposes. The ripper  10  is comprised of the following principle components; a main body  12  (shown best in  FIGS. 4-5 ), a top cap  14  (shown best in  FIGS. 2-3 ), a bracket  16  (shown best in  FIG. 6 ), and a wing  18  (shown best in  FIG. 7 ). The parts of the ripper  10  are integrated into a single device, but perform different functions therein. Multiple views of the integrated ripper  10  are shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0018]    The main body  12  forms the core of the ripper  10  and provides space for attaching the various other parts of the ripper and includes configurations that are important to the success of the device in overcoming the problems in the prior art. In particular, the main body  12  is fabricated from heated treated alloy, or similar materials. The main body  12  includes a curved rear portion  20  for receipt of the wing  18 . The curvature of the rear portion  20  allows the wings  18  to have a greater range of position and in particular, to allow the wings  18  to sweep further outward and downward. The main body  12  also includes a tapered front section  22  that is shaped to better receive the top cap  14 . The main body  12  includes a shelf  24  that acts as a stop that fits into a pocket  26  on the top cap  14 . This provides for a secure, repeatable, and precise placement of the top cap  14  on the main body  12 . The nose of the main body is also tapered so that, along with the shelf  24 , the top cap  14  and main body  12  fit in mated alignment. 
         [0019]    The main body  12  also includes downward depending ridges  28  located on the bottom rear portion of the main body  12 . The ridges  28  form a saddleback into which the bracket  16  sits. The saddleback design provides for repeatable attachment of the main body  12  to the bracket  16 , and better resists rotational, twisting, and side-to-side stresses between the main body  12  and the bracket  16  when the ripper  10  is in use, which substantially reduces failure of the device. Additionally, the saddleback design allows for consistent repeatable placement of the ripper  10  on equipment by creating a uniform pocket for the bracket  16 . This allows precise control of the elevation of the ripper  10  in operation on equipment. 
         [0020]    The top cap  14  includes a tapered and rounded nose  30  that forms the impact surface of the device. This is the portion of the device that first impacts the ground, and as such undergoes the principal share of the wear. This surface is therefore typically hardened with a wear coating such as tungsten carbide to reduce wear. 
         [0021]    The top cap  14  has rounded V-shaped profile, which creates less resistance during operation, requires less horsepower to fracture the soil, and creates a better wear angle. The rounded v-shape creates a sharper longer edge for better penetration. The effect is that the edge will stay sucked into the ground and stay there. The shorter and rounder nose of prior art devices tends to bounce out of the soil, rather than penetrate. 
         [0022]    Unlike conventional prior art device, the present device utilizes wear coating on the back or underside of the impact surface  32 . Placing the wear coating on the back, non-impact, edge of the wear part produces surprising advantages. The presence of the wear coating on the backside supports the impact front side surface from wear and better prevents wear than coating the front side. This is counter intuitive, and the prior art teaches away from such an approach. The prior art teaches putting the wear coating on the impact surface, or merely applies wear coating haphazardly to the entire part or working edge of the part without any distinction between the impact edge and the non-impact edge. 
         [0023]    Additionally, in those situations where the sharpness of the face matters, coating the backside preserves a sharp cutting face. Coating the front side with a substance such as tungsten carbide defeats this advantage due to the fact that carbide coatings dull the face and interferes with the flow of edge through the surface it is applied to. Still further, the wear coating lasts longer on the non-impact surface since it is not in the path of abrasion as it would be with front side coating. Also, coating the backside reduces the amount of wear coating that needs to be applied in those cases where coating is applied to both sides of a wear part. These advantages are not realized if the coating is applied to the impact surface of applied generally to all surfaces. 
         [0024]    The use of the wear coating on the backside, and as otherwise described herein, produces a lower draft as the flow of soil is not being interfered with to the extent as devices that use wear coating on the top surface. This also allows the ripper  10  to be operated at a higher speed without damage. 
         [0025]    Wear coating is also, preferably, applied to the main body  12  at the inflection point  34  (see drawings  FIGS. 1 and 4 ). When the ripper  10  is assembled the inflection point creates a recessed pocket behind the forward edge of the top cap  14 . When the recessed pocket is filled with wear coating it becomes the lowest most exposed point of the ripper. As the lower edge of the top cap  14  wears, the wear coated inflection point  34  becomes both an impact surface and a wear surface. When wear coating is applied in this manner it provides an efficient and cost effective means of increasing the wear life of the ripper. 
         [0026]    The bracket  16  is the point of attachment between the ripper  10  and the equipment that it is utilized with. The bracket  16  is generally U-shaped, and is attached to the underside of the main body  12  between the saddleback ridges  28  for a maximum secure fit therebetween. The bracket  16  includes holes in the sides for use to secure the bracket  16  to the equipment. The bracket  16  also includes a plate  17  attached to the bracket  16  to protect the head and nut of fasteners used to connect to the ripper  10  to equipment. The fasteners can experience residual impact from soil, debris, or stones during operation that might cause the fasteners to wear, break or come lose. The plate  17  protects against this occurrence. The bracket  16  is also shown in  FIG. 6 , without the plate  17 . 
         [0027]    The ripper  10  includes a wing  18 . The wing  18  extends on either side of the ripper  14  and is used to create a furrow in the soil below the surface. The width of the wing  18  will vary depending on the application. Typical widths for the wing  18  are 5″, 7″, and 10″. Longer width displaces more soil, vary the turbulence and distribution of soil, and break up clods. In some circumstances, a wing is not needed, and a blank would be inserted to fill the gap between the top cap  14  and the main body  12 . Wear coating can be placed on the bottom side of the edge of the wing  18  to protect the part from wear in the same manner as described above. The coating on the bottom, as mentioned, protects the wing  18  but does not interrupt the flow of material over the top of the part and allows for use with little resistance. 
         [0028]    The wing  18  may also include a vertical fin (pointing down or up) that can be attached to each end of the wing, this would aid in breaking up clogs of dirt. 
         [0029]    The main body  12  is preferably made of hardened alloy steel, the top cap  14  is preferably made from a high wear resistant casting, and the bracket  18  is preferably made from mild steel. The wings  18  are preferably made from hardened alloy plate. Other materials can be substituted depending on the circumstances. 
         [0030]    These and other advantages will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0031]    While the various embodiments of the invention have been described in reference to the Figures, the invention is not so limited. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods, and materials are described below. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed by applicable law and regulations. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control. 
         [0032]    The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being made to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art that have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.