CLEVIS-ENDED SUSPENSION STRUT MANUFACTURED WITHOUT WELDS

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a suspension strut for use on a work machine is provided. The suspension strut may have a forged one piece cylindrical inner housing that includes a hollow rod which forms a circumferential piston at an open end and a lower clevis at a closed end of the hollow rod. The suspension strut may further have a forged one piece cylindrical outer housing that includes a hollow barrel having an interior and an exterior surface, a closed end that forms an upper clevis, an open end, and a port on an outside surface of the hollow barrel. Further, the inner and outer housing may be coupled by a disk shaped end cap attached to the open end of the hollow barrel having an inner diameter that is slideably engaged with an outer surface of hollow rod.

Claims

1. A suspension strut for use on a work machine between an axle and a load carrying body, comprising: a one piece cylindrical inner housing comprising a hollow rod that defines a circumferential piston at an open end and a lower clevis at a closed end, in which the lower clevis is configured to attach to the axle and a first fluid reservoir extends between the open and closed ends of the hollow rod; a one piece cylindrical outer housing comprising a hollow barrel having an interior and an exterior surface, a closed end that forms an upper clevis, an open end, and a port on an outside surface of the hollow barrel, in which the upper clevis is configured to attach to the load carrying body and an outer surface of the cylindrical piston is in slideable engagement with the interior surface of the hollow barrel; and a disk shaped end cap coupled to the open end of the hollow barrel having an inner diameter in slideable engagement with an outer surface of hollow rod, in which the inner diameter of the end cap is smaller than an outer diameter of the circumferential piston, the disk shaped end cap forming a second fluid reservoir defined by a bottom surface of the circumferential piston, the interior surface of the hollow barrel, the outer surface of the hollow rod, and a top surface of the end cap.

2. The suspension strut of claim 1, in which upper and lower clevis each further comprise two elongated members that independently define an aperture, the aperture configured for attachment to the work machine.

3. The suspension strut of claim 1, in which the port comprises one or more apertures that extend from the outer surface of the hollow barrel to the inner surface of the hollow barrel, the one or more apertures configured to allow a fluid to be pumped through the one or more apertures into the first fluid reservoir.

4. The suspension strut of claim 3, in which the fluid is a hydraulic oil and the fluid is pumped through the one or more apertures until the one piece inner cylindrical housing begins to extend from the one piece outer cylindrical housing, after the one piece inner cylindrical housing begins to extend a second fluid comprising a gas is pumped through the one or more apertures and the one or more apertures are sealed with a sealing plate.

5. The suspension strut of claim 1, in which the circumferential piston further comprises a check valve, the check valve configured to allow a fluid to flow from the first fluid reservoir into the second fluid reservoir when the circumferential piston is moved towards the closed end of the hollow barrel.

6. The suspension strut of claim 5, in which the hollow rod further comprises one more drill holes, the drill holes configured to allow a fluid to flow from the second fluid reservoir into the first fluid reservoir when the circumferential piston is moved away from the closed end of the hollow barrel.

7. The suspension strut of claim 1, in which the end cap further comprises a pressure seal, a protective seal, and a debris seal located between the inner diameter of the end cap and the outer diameter of the hollow rod.

8. The suspension strut of claim 1, in which the hollow barrel further comprises a drain valve located at the closed end.

9. The suspension strut of claim 1, in which a circumferential top surface of the end cap is bolted onto a circumferential surface of the open end of the hollow barrel.

10. The suspension strut of claim 9, in which a sealing plate is bolted onto a circumferential bottom surface of the end cap, the sealing plate configured to release a warning pressure from the second fluid reservoir.

11. The suspension strut of claim 1, in which each of the one piece cylindrical outer housing and the one piece cylindrical inner housing are forged out of an alloy steel to be one piece.

12. A method of manufacturing a suspension strut for a work machine having an axle and a load carrying body, the method comprising: forging, out of an alloy steel, a one piece cylindrical inner housing comprising a hollow rod that forms a circumferential piston at an open end and a lower clevis at a closed end, in which the lower clevis is configured to attach to the axle and a first fluid reservoir extends between the open and closed ends of the hollow rod; forging, out of an alloy steel, a one piece cylindrical outer housing comprising a hollow barrel having an interior and an exterior surface, a closed end that defines an upper clevis, and an open end, in which the upper clevis is configured to attach to the load carrying body and the hollow barrel has a port on its outside surface; heat treating the inner housing and the outer housing; machining the inner and outer housing to remove excess materials; providing a disk shaped end cap having an inner diameter, in which the inner diameter of the end cap is smaller than an outer diameter of the circumferential piston; placing the closed end of the hollow rod through the inner diameter of the end cap, after placement the inner diameter of the end cap is configured to be slideably engaged with an outer surface of the hollow rod; coupling the end cap to the open end of the hollow barrel to provide slideable engagement between an outer surface of the circumferential piston and an inner surface of the hollow barrel, in which the coupling with the disk shaped end cap is configured to form a second fluid reservoir defined by a bottom surface of the circumferential piston, the interior surface of the hollow barrel, the outer surface of the hollow rod, and a top surface of the end cap.

13. The method of claim 12, in which during the machining of the inner and outer housings, excess material is removed from the upper clevis and the lower clevis to form two elongated members on each of the upper clevis and the lower clevis, each of the elongated members further defining an aperture, and the port is formed by the machining.

14. The method of claim 12, in which the alloy steel is a low alloy steel containing chromium and molybdenum as strengthening agents.

15. The method of claim 12, in which the port comprises one or more holes, the method further comprising pumping at atmospheric pressure hydraulic oil through the port into the first reservoir until the piston slides between 0.5 and 2 inches towards the open end of the hollow barrel.

16. The method of claim 15, in which after pumping in the hydraulic fluid, the method further comprising pumping in a gaseous fluid under pressure through the port to further slide the piston towards the open end of the hollow barrel, and sealing the port after pumping the gaseous fluid.

17. The method of claim 16, in which the gaseous fluid is nitrogen.

18. A method of adjusting the ride height of a work machine, the method comprising: providing the work machine comprising an axle, a load carrying body, and a suspension strut, the suspension strut further comprising: a one piece cylindrical inner housing comprising a hollow rod that defines a circumferential piston at an open end and a lower clevis at a closed end, in which the lower clevis is configured to attach to the axle and a first fluid reservoir extends between the open and closed ends of the hollow rod, a one piece cylindrical outer housing comprising a hollow barrel having an interior and an exterior surface, a closed end that forms an upper clevis, an open end, and a port on an outside surface of the hollow barrel, in which the upper clevis is configured to attach to the load carrying body and an outer surface of the cylindrical piston is in slideable engagement with the interior surface of the hollow barrel, a disk shaped end cap coupled to the open end of the hollow barrel having an inner diameter in slideable engagement with an outer surface of hollow rod, in which the inner diameter of the end cap is smaller than an outer diameter of the circumferential piston, the disk shaped end cap forming a second fluid reservoir defined by a bottom surface of the circumferential piston, the interior surface of the hollow barrel, the outer surface of the hollow rod, and a top surface of the end cap, and a hydraulic fluid or gaseous fluid sealed inside of the first and second fluid reservoirs, the hydraulic fluid or gaseous fluid configured to flow from the first reservoir to the second fluid reservoir through a check valve when the circumferential piston is moved towards the closed end of the hollow barrel; opening up the port to unseal the first fluid reservoir; pumping additional gaseous fluid or hydraulic oil through the port; and sealing the port.

19. The method of claim 18, in which the hydraulic fluid and gaseous fluid are also configured to flow through a drill hole in a side wall of the hollow rod from the second fluid reservoir to the first fluid reservoir when the circumferential piston is moved towards the open end of the hollow barrel.

20. The method of claim 18, in which the pumping of the gaseous fluid or hydraulic fluid removes the air from inside of the first fluid reservoir.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1 is a side view of a work machine, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 2 diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a suspension strut for a work machine, according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side view of the suspension strut of FIG. 3, according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the suspension strut of FIG. 4, according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 5 is diagrammatic sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an outer housing of a suspension strut, according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an inner housing of a suspension strut, according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of an end cap of a suspension strut, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for manufacturing a suspension strut, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] While the present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof will be shown and described in detail. The disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but instead includes all modification, alternative constructions, and equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Referring now to the drawings, and with specific reference to FIG. 1, a work machine consistent with certain embodiments of the present disclosure is generally referred to by reference numeral 1. Although the work machine 1 is illustrated as a Large Mining Truck (LMT), the work machine 1 is shown primarily for illustrative purposes to assist in disclosing features of various embodiments, in that FIG. 1 does not depict all of the components of a work machine. Moreover, the readings of this disclosure can be employed on other earth moving and construction machines as well.

[0020] The work machine 1 may comprise a machine frame 2 supported by the rear wheels 3 and the front wheels 4. Although the front 4 and rear wheels 3 are shown, other support and movement devices (not shown) may be tracks or of any other type. Mounted on the frame 2 may be a cab 5 in which the operator of the work machine 1 sits. As should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the, an engine 6 may provide propulsion power to the wheels. The work machine further includes an axle 8 attached to the rear wheels 3, and a load carrying body 10. The load carrying body is connected to the frame 2 by a pivot pin 11, and a hydraulic cylinder 12 such that the contents of the load carrying body 10 can be removed by controllably pressuring the cylinder 12 to effect pivotal movement of the load carrying body 10 about the pivot pin 11. The cylinder may be actuated by any number of hydraulic pumps and tubes (not shown) powered by the engine 6 or other powering means. In a transport mode, the cylinder 12 is not pressurized and the weight of the load carrying body 10 is transferred to the frame through the pivot pin 11 and a rear suspension strut 13 that is between the axle 8 and the load carrying body 10. While the disclosure is directed primarily to rear suspension struts, such as, rear suspension strut 13, those skilled in the art will realize that the principles described here are applicable to front suspension struts, such as front suspension strut 14, as well.

[0021] Referring to FIGS. 2-4, an exemplary embodiment of a suspension strut 30 having a one piece outer housing 31 and a one piece inner housing 32, coupled together by an end cap (discussed below), is shown. Instead of being fabricated as an assembly of multiple pieces attached via welds, each of the outer housing 31 and the inner housing 32 are single unitary components formed via forging (superheated cylindrical members urged against a center, axially aligned die to form voids), which results in integration of the port 34 (discussed below) into the upper housing 31.

[0022] As best shown in FIG. 4, the one piece cylindrical inner housing has a hollow rod 36 that defines a circumferential piston 37 at on open end 38 of the hollow rod 36, and a lower clevis 39 at a closed end 40 of the hollow rod 36. The hollow rod may have an inner diameter 41 and an outer diameter 42. In this embodiment, the circumferential piston 37 may have an inner diameter 43 and an outer diameter 44, the inner diameter 43 may at least partially be the same as the inner diameter 41 of the hollow rod 36 and the outer diameter 44 of the circumferential piston 37 may be larger than the outer diameter 42 of the hollow rod 36. The hollow rod forms a first fluid reservoir 45, as best shown in FIG. 4, that extends between the open and closed ends 38, 40, of the hollow rod 36. Further, as best shown in FIG. 3, the lower clevis 39 may further include first and second elongated members 46, 47 extending from the closed end of the hollow rod 40. The elongated members 46, 47, as shown in FIG. 2, may define first and second apertures 48, 49. The elongated members 46, 47, and the apertures 48, 49, allow the lower clevis 39 to attach to an axle 8 of a work machine 1.

[0023] The one piece cylindrical housing has a hollow barrel 52 that has an interior surface 53 and an exterior surface 54. Formed on a closed end 55 of the hollow barrel 52 is an upper clevis 56 that is configured to attach to the load carry body 10 of a work machine 1. In one embodiment, an outer surface 57 of the circumferential piston is in slideable engagement with the interior surface 53 of the hollow barrel. In a further embodiment, one or more bearings 58 may be placed between the circumferential piston 37 and the interior surface 53 of the hollow barrel 52 to assist in the slideable engagement. Further, an eye lift 59 may be attached to the exterior surface 54 of the hollow barrel 52 for lifting of the suspension strut 30. As shown in FIG. 2, warning and informational labels 60, or nameplates 74, having indicia may be placed on the exterior surface 54 of the hollow barrel 52. Further, as best shown in FIG. 3, the upper clevis 56 may further include a third and fourth elongated members 61, 62 extending from the closed end of the hollow barrel 52. The elongated members 61, 62, as shown in FIG. 2, may define a third and a fourth apertures 63, 64. The elongated members 61, 62, and the apertures 63, 64, allow the upper clevis 56 to attach to the load carrying body 10 of a work machine 1.

[0024] To seal the suspension strut 30 and prevent the inner housing 32, having the circumferential piston 37 in slideable engagement with the interior surface 53 of the hollow barrel, from sliding out, a disk shaped end cap 65 is provided. The end cap 65 is coupled to an open end 61 of the hollow barrel 52. This coupling may be done with one or more bolts 67 or other coupling means. An inner diameter 68 of the end cap 65 may be in slideable engagement with an outer surface 69 of the hollow rod 36, allowing the hollow rod 36 to extend and retract into hollow barrel 52. In one exemplary embodiment, the disk shaped end cap 65 may form a second fluid reservoir 71 that is defined by a bottom surface 72 of the circumferential piston 37, the interior surface 53 of the hollow barrel 53, the outer surface 69 of the hollow rod 36, and a top surface 73 of the end cap. The second fluid reservoir 71 allows for one more liquid or gaseous fluids to flow between the first and second reservoirs 45, 71 during the retracting and extending of the inner housing 32 into and out of the outer housing 31.

[0025] In one exemplary embodiment, the hollow barrel 52 may further include a port 34 located on its exterior surface 54. The port 34 may further comprise one or more apertures (not shown) sealed by a sealing plate (not shown). The one or more apertures extend from the inner surface 53 of the hollow barrel 52 to its exterior surface 54, and allows for the pumping of fluids through the port 34 into the first fluid reservoir 45. These fluids may include liquid fluids, such as hydraulic oil including 10 W hydraulic oil or equivalent, and gaseous fluids, such as nitrogen or other gaseous fluids used in suspension struts.

[0026] In manufacturing of the suspension strut 30, the inner housing 32, a one piece body forming the hollow rod 36, the circumferential piston 37, and the lower clevis 39, is forged as a one piece housing out of an alloy steel. Further, the outer housing 31, a one piece body forming the upper clevis 56 and hollow barrel 52 having the internal port 34, is forged as a one piece housing out of an alloy steel. The alloy steel used to form the inner and outer housing 31, 32, may be a 4130 steel or other alloy steel compound. After the forging, the inner and outer housings 31, 32, are heat treated, and then machined to remove any excess material from the forging process. Particularly, the upper and lower clevis 56, 39, are machined to remove excess materials to form the first, second, third, and elongated members 46, 47, 61, 62, as well as their corresponding apertures, including the first, second, third, and fourth apertures 48, 49, 63, 64. After the machining, the inner housing 32 is placed through the end cap 65, before the end cap 65 is coupled to the outer housing 31, thus assembling the one piece outer housing 31 and one piece inner housing 32 into the suspension strut 30.

[0027] Once assembled, a charging operation is performed on the suspension strut 30. The charging operation includes first pumping, at atmospheric pressure, a liquid fluid, such as hydraulic oil, through the port 34 and into the first fluid reservoir 45 until the inner housing 32 starts to extend from the outer housing 31 between 0.5 to 2 inches. This extending happens when the liquid fluid begins to fill the first fluid reservoir 45, and the circumferential piston 37 begins to move towards the open end 66 of the hollow barrel 52. After the extension of the inner housing 32, a gaseous fluid, such as nitrogen, is pumped under pressure through the port 34 and into the first fluid reservoir 45. This pumping of the gaseous fluid may cause any air inside of the suspension strut to flow out through a vent hole (not shown) of the port 34, and further cause the inner housing 32 to extend. Once a desired ride height is reached, the port 34 is sealed with, in one exemplary embodiment, the sealing plate, but other sealing means may be used.

[0028] Once manufactured and attached to the work machine, the hydraulic oil will sit at the bottom of the first fluid reservoir 45, and the gaseous fluid will sit on top of the hydraulic oil in the first fluid reservoir 45. The gaseous fluid provides the springing mechanism of the suspension strut. When a force is applied to either the axle 8 or the load carrying body 10, the inner housing 32 will be retracted into the outer housing 31, causing the circumferential piston 37 to move towards the closed end 55 of the hollow barrel 52. This retracting will cause the liquid and gaseous fluids to mix. Because the gaseous fluid is compressible and the liquid fluid is not, the pressure inside of the first hydraulic reservoir 45 will increase, causing a mixture of the liquid and gaseous fluids to pass through a check valve 76 and into the second fluid reservoir 71. The check valve 76 may be a pressure valve, only allowing the passage of fluids after reaching a pressure limit. The suspension strut 30 will then stabilize, and the fluids will pass from the second fluid reservoir 71 back to the first fluid reservoir 45 through a drill hole 80 located in the wall of the hollow rod 36, causing the circumferential piston 37 to extend towards the open end 66 of the hollow barrel 52. This retracting and extending of the inner housing 32 into and out of the outer housing 31 allows the suspension strut 30 to absorb forces and prevent the forces from being transferred to the load carrying body 10 from the axle 8, or the axle 8 to the load carrying body 10.

[0029] In another embodiment, after being attached to the work machine 1, the ride height of the load carrying body 10 may be adjusted by first unsealing the first fluid reservoir 45 by removing the sealing plate, or other sealing means. Once unsealed, further liquid fluids (at atmospheric pressure) or gaseous fluids (greater than atmospheric pressure), may be pumped through the port until a desired ride height is achieved. If the ride height is desired to be lowered, the liquid or gaseous fluids can be drained through a drain valve 77. It is desirable to place the drain valve at the closed end 40 of the hollow rod 52 as to let the fluids drain by gravity from the reservoirs.

[0030] Further, end cap bearings 78 may be present between the end cap 65 and the outer surface 69 of the hollow rod 36. To better seal the suspension strut and prevent the fluids from leaking out, or debris from getting inside, between the end cap and the hollow rod, the end cap 65 may further include a primary pressure seal 81 as a pressure or lubricated fluid seal, a second protective seal 82, and a debris seal 83. Further, the end cap 65 may include a cover plate 85 that is used to cover the bolts 67 that secure the end cap 65 to the hollow barrel 52. This cover plate 85 serves to prevent users from unbolting the end cap 65 because the content of the reservoirs are under pressure when sealed 65. In one embodiment, the end cap 65 may include safety channels (not shown), that allow a small amount of pressurized fluid to pass from the second fluid reservoir 71, or first fluid reservoir 45 in some embodiments, to the connection between the end cap 65 and cover plate 85. Thus, in this embodiment, when a user tries to remove the cover plate 85, as small amount of pressurized fluid is released, warning the user that the suspension strut 30 contains fluids under pressure. Additionally, a further seal ring 86 may exist between the end cap 65 and the interior surface 53 of the hollow barrel 52.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0031] In general, the foregoing disclosure finds utility in various applications, such as, in earthmoving, construction, industrial, agricultural, mining, transportation, and forestry machines. In particular, the disclosed suspension strut may be used by Large Mining Trucks (LMTs) and other applications, such as, a smaller mining trucks and the like. By applying the disclosed suspension strut, method of manufacturing a suspension strut, and method of adjusting the ride height of a work machine optimum removal of failure points of traditional suspension struts and manufacturing efficiency of suspension struts may be achieved.

[0032] In particular, the disclosed suspension strut provides a one piece inner housing and one piece outer housing each forged as a single component, removing the need for welding. Furthermore, the suspension strut may be attached to the axle and load carrying body of a large mining truck and is designed to allow for the adjustment of the ride height of a load carrying body of a work machine with the suspension strut attached, minimizing interference with mining operations.

[0033] Turning now to FIG. 8, with continued references to FIGS. 2-7, a flowchart illustrating an example process 100 for manufacturing a work machine is disclosed. At blocks 102-104, the one piece inner housing 32 and the one piece outer housing 31 are forged. As shown in FIG. 6, inner housing 32 including the circumferential piston 37, the hollow rod 36, and the lower clevis 39 forged as a one piece construction. As shown in FIG. 5, the outer housing 31 including the upper clevis 56 and the hollow barrel 52 forged as a one piece construction.

[0034] At block 106, the inner and outer housings 32, 31, are heat treated before being machined in block 108 to remove excess materials from the forging process. Excess materials may include removing excess alloy steel from the upper and lower clevis 56, 39.

[0035] At block 110, inner housing 32 is inserted through the end cap 65, as shown in FIG. 7, and the end cap is coupled to the outer housing 31 to form the suspension strut 30. At block 110, a charging procedure is performed by pumping liquid and gaseous fluids into the suspension strut through an internal port located on the side of the hollow barrel 52.

[0036] While the preceding text sets forth a detailed description of numerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legal scope of protection is defined by the words of the claims set forth at the end of this patent. The detailed description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented, using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims defining the scope of protection.

[0037] It should also be understood that, unless a term was expressly defined herein, there is no intent to limit the meaning of that term, either expressly or by implication, beyond its plain or ordinary meaning, and such term should not be interpreted to be limited in scope based on any statement made in any section of this patent (other than the language of the claims). To the extent that any term recited in the claims at the end of this patent is referred to herein in a manner consistent with a single meaning, that is done for sake of clarity only so as to not confuse the reader, and it is not intended that such claim term be limited, by implication or otherwise, to that single meaning.