Crawler chain sprocket with relief openings

Claim 2

A combination crawler track chain assembly and crawler sprocket for a crawler tractor; said sprocket driveably mounted on a driving axle of a crawler tractor, said chain track including a plurality of generally parallel bushings having cylindrical surfaces which engage said sprocket for driving said track and said crawler, said sprocket comprising in combination: a central hub connected to a coaxial circular rim, said rim including a plurality of radially directed, equally spaced peripheral teeth extending substantially across the entire rim width to engage and drive said bushings, said teeth having concave, radially sloping sides extending substantially across the entire width of the rim and defining an arcuatee root face valley between each two adjacent teeth, said root faces having a width generally the same as but slightly less than the width of said track bushings, said cylindrical bushing surfaces snugly fitting into said root face valleys to be driven by said sprocket, a relieved notch in only one side of and extending across less than half the width of each said root face to allow said bushings to expel dirt and debris from said sprocket root face region, the other side of said root face extending substantially to the opposed extremity of said rim, and said plurality of notches arranged in said root faces on alternate sides thereof, so that the wear pattern created on the crawler track bushings by repeated engagement with said root faces extends substantially across the width of said bushings.

Claim 3

The combination defined in claim 1, characterized in that each notch has a width in the range of between about 25-60% of the root face width.

Claim 4

greater structural rigidity to the sprocket.

Claim 5

greater structural rigidity to the sprocket.

Claim 6

The combination defined in claim 2, characterized in that the greatest circumferential dimension of each notch is in the range of between about 20-60% of the distance between the peak of each two adjacent teeth.

Claim 7

The combination defined in claim 2, wherein the greatest circumferential dimension of each notch is in the range of between about 40-50% of the distance between the peak of each two adjacent teeth.

Claim 8

ThE combination defined in claim 3, characterized in that the width of each notch is in the range of between about 40-50% of the root face width.

Claim 9

The combination defined in claim 4, characterized in that the width of each notch is in the range of between about 40-50% of the root face width.

Claim 10

The combination defined in claim 1, characterized by said relieved notches having a generally semi-circular configuration across approximately half the width of each said root face portion.

Claim 11

The combination defined in claim 7, characterized in that each notch defines a generally radial cutout face along the thickness of the rim, and wherein the region farthest from the edge of said rim in at least some of the cutout faces defines an acute angle with the root face in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said sprocket, whereby the thickness of the rim increases in width in the radial direction to provide:

Claim 12

The combination defined in claim 1, characterized by said circular rim having an odd number of teeth and root face portions, and within said alternating pattern of relieved notch portions two adjacent notches formed on the same side of the corresponding two adjacent root face portions due to the odd number of said root face portions.

Claim 13

A crawler chain sprocket for attachment to an axle of a crawler tractor, said sprocket when attached to said axle being partially lapped by a chain track having a plurality of generally parallel cylindrical bushings, comprising: a central hub connected to a coaxial circular rim, said rim having a plurality of radially directed, equally spaced teeth extending substantially across the entire rim width to engage and drive the bushings of a crawler chain track, said teeth having concave, radially sloping sides defining a root face valley between each two adjacent teeth, said root faces (a) having a width generally the same as but slightly less than the width of the track bushings, (b) extending substantially across the entire rim width, and (c) nestingly receiving said cylindrical bushings, wherein the improvement comprises: a generally semi-circular relieved cutout in only one side of and extending across less than half the width of each said root face to accomodate the radial expulsion of dirt and debris from the valley between the sprocket and track bushing, said generally semi-circular cutout configuration opening onto one of the outer edges of said root faces, the other side of said root face extending substantially to the opposed extremity of said rim, and said plurality of cutouts arranged on said root faces in an alternating, side-to-side pattern such that adjacent cutouts are on opposed sides of the corresponding adjacent root faces, so that the wear pattern created on the crawler track bushings by repeated engagement with said root faces extends substantially across the width of said bushings.

Claim 14

A crawler chain sprocket for attachment to an axle of a crawler tractor, said sprocket when attached to said axle being partially lapped by a chain track having a plurality of generally parallel cylindrical bushings, comprising: a central hub connected to a coaxial circular rim, said rim having a plurality of radially directed, equally spaced teeth extending substantially across the entire rim width to engage and drive the bushings of a crawler chain track, said teeth having concave, radially sloping sides defining a root face valley between each two adjacent teeth, said root faces (a) having a width generally the same as but slightly less than the width of the track bushings, (b) extending substantially across the entire rim width, and (c) nestingly receiving said cylindrical bushings, wherein the improvement comprises: a generally semi-circular relieved cutout in only one side of and extending across less than half the width of each said root face to accomodate the radial expulsion of dirt and debris from the valley between the sprocket and track bushing, said generally semi-circular cutout configuration opening onto one of the outer edges of said root faces, the other side of said root face extending substantially to the opposed extremity of said rim, and said plurality of cutouts arranged on said root faces in an alternating, side-to-side pattern such that adjacent cutouts are on opposed sides of the corresponding adjacent root faces, so that the wear pattern created on the crawler track bushings by repeated engagement with said root faces extends substantially across the width of said bushings.

Claim 15

A crawler chain sprocket for attachment to the driving axle of a crawler tractor, said sprocket being particularly suitable for driving a chain track having a plurality of generally parallel cylindrical bushings, comprising: an inner hub connected to an outer circular rim, said outer rim including a plurality of equally spaced, radially outwardly directed teeth extending substantially across the entire rim width to engage and drive the cylindrical bushings of a crawler chain track, said teeth having concave, radially sloping sides defining a plurality of root face portions in the form of valleys between the teeth, said root face valleys extending across substantially the entire width of said rim for snugly receiving substantially the entire length of the cylindrical sprocket bushings, one such root face portion formed between each two adjacent teeth, said root face portions having widths substantially equal to but less than the width of the chain track bushings which are to be engaged and driven, wherein the improvement comprises: a relieved cutout region in only one side of each root face portion width to accomodate the radial expulsion of dirt and debris as the crawler chain track contacts the sprocket, the other side of said root face extending substantially to the opposed extremity of said rim, said relieved cutout regions being alternately located in opposed sides of adjacent root face portions so that the wear pattern created on the crawler track bushings by repeated engagement with said root face portions extends substantially across the width of said bushings.

Claim 16

A crawler chain sprocket for attachment to the driving axle of a crawler tractor, said sprocket being particularly suitable for driving a chain track having a plurality of generally parallel cylindrical bushings, comprising: an inner hub connected to an outer circular rim, said outer rim including a plurality of equally spaced, radially outwardly directed teeth extending substantially across the entire rim width to engage and drive the cylindrical bushings of a crawler chain track, said teeth having concave, radially sloping sides defining a plurality of root face portions in the form of valleys between the teeth, said root face valleys extending across substantially the entire width of said rim for snugly receiving substantially the entire length of the cylindrical sprocket bushings, one such root face portion formed between each two adjacent teeth, said root face portions having widths substantially equal to but less than the width of the chain track bushings which are to be engaged and driven, wherein the improvement comprises: a relieved cutout region in only one side of each root face portion width to accomodate the radial expulsion of dirt and debris as the crawler chain track contacts the sprocket, the other side of said root face extending substantially to the opposed extremity of said rim, said relieved cutout regions being alternately located in opposed sides of adjacent root face portions so that the wear pattern created on the crawler track bushings by repeated engagement with said root face portions extends substantially across the width of said bushings.