It was necessary to remove, while the rear road wheels became leading.
Story [ | ]
Apparently, the Austrian a hybrid tank could move on wheels on a good road like a car (at the appropriate speed), and when driving off-road, the wheels rose and the tank went on tracks. In 1911, officer Günter Burshtyn was the first to come up with the idea to equip an armored vehicle with both a wheeled and a caterpillar mover. Such a hybrid tank could move on wheels like a car on a good road (at the appropriate speed), and when driving off-road, the wheels rose and the tank went on tracks. Burshtyn's idea was not implemented, but it was not forgotten.
Experiments with the T-37A[ | ]
T-37 B[ | ]
The insufficient resource of the caterpillar mover, which manifested itself in military exercises in the early 1930s (breakdowns of tracks and track pins during long-term off-road driving), as well as its destructive effect on the roadway, aroused great interest in the leadership of the UMM RKKA wheeled-tracked tanks. These cars are on the march along the well-maintained roads. common use they had to move on wheels, and in off-road conditions and in battle - on tracks. Thus, both the resource of the caterpillar mover and the roadway were saved. In the future, it was planned to transfer all the tanks of the Red Army to wheeled and caterpillar tracks. With regard to small reconnaissance tanks, one of the implementations of this idea was the prototype T-37B, designed by designer P. Shitikov. However, only a number of components and assemblies were borrowed from the original model, and in general, the prototype was new car with an armored hull reduced in size and a different layout (in particular, the driver and commander were located “in the back of the head” one after another). The mass of the T-37B was about 2.7 tons, which made it possible to transfer it over considerable distances in the back of a three-ton truck. In 1935, a prototype was built (by this time, for small tanks, wheeled caterpillar mover was no longer considered as a mandatory element), the tests of which revealed a large number of intractable shortcomings. In service with the Red Army and in mass production T-37B was not accepted, the same fate befell the next project of P. Shitikov - T-37V. In the latter case, not even a prototype was made.
The solution to the "wheel-tracked problem"[ | ]
The designers of many countries competed in ingenuity, trying to find the most successful solution to the "wheel-tracked problem." However, their offspring basically remained only bold experiments: the development of technology does not stand still and tanks (ordinary) gradually got rid of "childhood diseases". The speed along the highway for light tanks reached 40-50 km / h. The resource of caterpillars has increased. And wheel-tracked hybrids were distinguished by their complexity and unreliability. The ability to move on rollers exists only with a relatively small weight of the tank (less than 20 tons) and only on paved roads. With an increase in the combat mass (the tank is filled with fuel, water and loaded with ammunition), the pressure on the ground turns out to be unacceptably high. As Lieutenant General Vetrov A.A. recalled. “when moving along the highway, columns of tanks with their tracks removed, their wheels leave a deep rut on the asphalt. Asphalt roads are subjected to especially great destruction during the hot season, when the asphalt is softened ... "
Comparative characteristics of wheeled-tracked tanks[ | ]
| TTX wheeled-tracked tanks | ||||||||
| Characteristic | M.1928 "Christie" | M.1931 (T.3) "Christie" | BT-2 | BT-5 | BT-7 (issue 1937) | BT-7A | PT-1 | T-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | ||||||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | |||||
| Dimensions | ||||||||
| Combat weight, t | 7,8 | 10,5 | 11,3 | 11,5 | 13,8 | 14,65 | 14,2 | 28,8 |
| Case length, mm | 5180 | 5500 | 5660 | 7100 | 7370 | |||
| Hull width, mm | 2130 | 2230 | 2290 | 2990 | 3220 | |||
| Height, mm | 1830 | 2280 | 2200 | 2250 | 2420 | 2450 | 2690 | 2820 |
| Clearance, mm | 450 | 360 | 350 | 400 | 390 | 425 | 500 | |
| Armament | ||||||||
| Gun caliber, mm | 37 | 45 | 76,2 | |||||
| Barrel length, calibers | 45 | 46 | 16,5 | |||||
| Ammunition, shots | 126 | 92 | 72 (115 - no radio) | 132 (172 - no radio) | 188 | 88 | 67 | |
| Machine guns, quantity | 2 | 1 | 1 + 1 anti-aircraft | 4 | 5 | |||
| Machine guns, caliber mm | 7,62 | |||||||
| Ammunition | 3000 | 2709 | 2394 | 3402 | 6930 | |||
| Booking, mm | ||||||||
| Forehead of the hull | 12,7 | 13 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 30 | ||
| Hull board | 16 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 20 | ||
| Stern | 16 | 10 | 20 | 13 | 10 | 30 | ||
| Tower | 16 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 30 | |||
| Bottom | 10 | 6 | ||||||
| Roof | 6 | 5 | 8 | |||||
| Mobility and permeability | ||||||||
| Engine | "Liberty" 338 l. With. |
M-5 400 l. With. |
M-17T 450 l. With. |
AT 2 500 l. With. |
M-17F 500 l. With. |
|||
| Fuel tank capacity, l | 132 | 337 | 360 | 650 | 580 | 400 | 660 | |
| Maximum speed on the highway on wheels, km/h | 112 | 75 | 72 | 86 | 90 | 57 | ||
| Maximum speed on the highway on caterpillars, km/h | 68 | 44 | 52 | 62 | 55 | |||
| Range on the highway on wheels, km | 185 | 240 | 300 | 200 | 500 | 900 | 230 | 328 |
| Range on the highway on caterpillars, km | 120 | 240 | 200 | 120 | 230 | 400 | 183 | 230 |
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1. Which tank does not belong on this list?
- T34 Heavy
- Tiger I
2. Without whom will the tank not be able to move?
- Engine
- mechanic
- A gun
- Charging
3
. Who invented the wheeled caterpillar mover?
- Kniepkamp
- Porsche
- Jack Churchill
- Kegress
4. What vehicles do modern militias fight on?
- Toyota
- Cadillac
- Tesla
- Alfa Romeo
5. Which tank did Brad Pitt drive in the movie Fury?
- Sherman M4A4
- Т34 Heavy
- M26 Pershing
6. Who was the creator of the first fighting tank (MARK I)?
- Louis Renault
- William Tritton
- Mikhail Koshkin
- Top clan
- gaming
8. What does a car (Porsche 911) and self-propelled guns () have in common?
We have already discussed how the history of the appearance of tanks looked like, and now some component of this topic.
The prototype of the modern caterpillar mover was first proposed by the French engineer d'Herman, who in 1713 sent the project "rosary from rollers" to the French Academy of Sciences - cargo platform was placed on a frame with a semblance of a mono-track in the form of a set of wide wooden rollers connected in a chain and rolling around the frame from the bottom of the platform. D'Herman's idea was approved, but did not find practical application.
The year of the creation of the caterpillar mover can be considered 1818, when the Frenchman Dubochet received the privilege of arranging carriages with movable rail tracks.
But who is considered the inventor of the caterpillar in Russia ...
The caterpillar mover provides cross-country ability. Big square...
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Caterpillar mover of the Ukhtysh snow and swamp vehicle circuit diagram caterpillar mover
Caterpillar mover - mover self-propelled vehicles, in which the traction force is created by rewinding the tracks.
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The invention relates to transport engineering, in particular to wheeled-caterpillar movers. Wheel-caterpillar mover contains a caterpillar chain with tracks in the form of pneumatic cushions, covering the drive and driven sprockets, spars and support rollers. The caterpillar chain is made in the form of a flexible endless inextensible belt, on which the rotation axes of paired pneumatic wheels are mounted, supported in the lower branch of the chain by pavement from the outside and on the drive support rollers located at a small distance from one another on the bottom of the spar, with inside. EFFECT: increased cross-country ability on loose soils and improved traction qualities. 1 ill.
The invention relates to transport engineering, in particular to wheeled-caterpillar movers.
Known wheeled-caterpillar mover /see. Pat. No. 2119438 (class B62D 55/08) dated 06/03/1994/, containing a caterpillar chain with tracks in the form of pneumatic cushions, covering ...
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caterpillar mover - the mover of self-propelled machines, in which tractive effort is created by rewinding caterpillar tracks.
In the literature there is a name - Caterpillar platform.
The caterpillar mover provides increased cross-country ability. A large area of contact between the tracks and the soil allows for a low average pressure on the ground - 11.8-118...
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caterpillar mover
Schematic diagram of a caterpillar mover
Caterpillar mover - the mover of self-propelled machines, in which tractive effort is created by rewinding caterpillar tracks. The caterpillar mover provides increased cross-country ability. A large area of contact between the tracks and the soil allows for a low average pressure on the ground - 11.8-118...
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General information about cars
Caterpillar movers developed at a slower pace. But due to the fact that the tracks have a large area of contact with the ground and are able to develop high traction force, tractors with such an engine have long been used as a base for traction or loading machines for work on snow, wet soils, in particular, with low bearing capacity. Traditionally, caterpillar propellers are usually used in the territory of the former Soviet Union, in the USA, and then - in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. They were forestry tractors or special machines based excavators.
Caterpillar mover - the mover of self-propelled machines, in which tractive effort is created by rewinding caterpillar tracks consisting of separate links - tracks. The caterpillar mover provides increased cross-country ability. A large area of contact between the tracks and the soil allows for low pressure - 31-122...
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On March 27, 1878, the Russian peasant F. A. Blinov applied for a patent for the “car with endless rails” invented by him (the first in the world crawler).
CATERPILLAR IS AS GREAT AND FUNDAMENTAL AS THE WHEEL. BUT IF THE NAME OF THE CREATOR OF THE WHEEL IS LOST IN THE DEEP OF CENTURIES, THEN THE INVENTOR OF THE CATERPILLAR FROM WHICH THE TRACTORS AND TANKS WERE DONE IS KNOWN. THIS IS THE RUSSIAN PEASANT FEDOR ABRAMOVICH BLINOV.
Blinov was born in 1827 in the village of Nikolsky, Volsky district. Saratov province. Parents were serfs. The usual peasant childhood of that time was work from an early age, corvée for the landowner. I first got acquainted with the technique, working with my father in the forge. As soon as he became literate, he began to read a lot. There were also books on "mechanics". It was then that his interest in technology arose, the desire to get to know it in practice. Where, at that time, could a peasant boy from a Volga village most easily realize this desire? Of course, on the Volga, by ...
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I believe that this article will be of interest to those who are seriously interested military equipment:
Military department: who invented the tank tracks and how the tracks of our tanks differ from Western ones
Often we are surrounded by things about the origin of which we do not think, but take them for granted. This also applies to military equipment. Why certain types of weapons are made in the form in which we are used to seeing them, and which concepts did not take root and why. This is precisely what the subsection of the heading "Defence and Security" - "Military Department" is devoted to, in which leading specialists of the Russian defense industry answer these questions to Vestyam.Ru.
In this note, we want to answer the question: who invented tank tracks and how do the tracks of our tanks differ from Western ones? It will help to figure it out CEO AO" Omsk plant transport engineering" (part of "Uralvagonzavod") Igor Lobov.
By whom and when were caterpillars invented?
An example of modern...
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combat vehicles with wheel-caterpillar mover
Working to increase the mobility of combat vehicles in the early 1900s. designers actively created new types of propellers, in particular combined (wheel-tracked). The machines were equipped with wheels and tracks, which, depending on road conditions were used separately. In this version, each type of propulsion had its own transmission drives and control systems, which complicated the design. A running gear scheme was also proposed, where wheeled and tracked propellers worked in parallel. This made it possible to redistribute the load, thereby improving the machine's cross-country ability and its traction performance. Initially, propellers were widely used, in which the caterpillar part transmitted traction, and the wheel part was used as an additional support and ensured the turn.
In Russia, the first machine with a combined propulsion unit was created in 1909 by a talented mechanic at the workshops of the Imperial Court...
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Agroweekend: The history of the caterpillar tractor
In early May 1935, a decision was made to convert the Kharkov plant to the production of caterpillar tractors. For the next anniversary of this event, we decided to briefly recall the history of the tractor caterpillar.
It would seem that a caterpillar tractor and the ancient commander Hannibal could have in common ... During the Roman campaign, the Carthaginians often found themselves behind enemy lines, overcoming swamps that seemed impassable. Hannibal is credited with the invention of the "mobile gati". The warriors walked on their own shields laid under their feet. The shields, having fulfilled their function, were gradually transferred forward. As a matter of fact, the caterpillar principle was implemented, in which the supports at the rear gradually move forward and again fit under the wheels.
But the first "caterpillar", reminiscent of the modern one, was invented, as they say, by the Frenchman d'Herman. It was an endless belt of rotating rollers, moving...
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It is difficult to imagine a modern tank without a reliable caterpillar propulsion system that provides it with the ability to move without roads in difficult terrain.
The prototype of the modern caterpillar mover was first created in 1713 by d "Erman. The project, which received positive feedback French Academy, was a trolley for heavy loads, rolling on endless belts of wooden rollers, the ends of which were pivotally connected by planks.
In subsequent years, the development of Dubochet's idea and the use of the propeller of his design for both military and civilian purposes proceeded extremely rapidly. In 1821, the Englishman John Richard Barry received a patent for the invention of endless chains wound around two rear wheels wagons, one on each side tracked vehicle English inventor John Gitkot received a patent in 1832 and was used for two years on the development of swampy lands in Lancashire.
In resolving issues...
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November 8th, 2018We have already discussed how , and now some component of this topic.
The prototype of a modern caterpillar mover was first proposed by the French engineer d'Herman, who in 1713 sent the project "rosary of rollers" to the French Academy of Sciences - a loading platform was placed on a frame with a likeness of a mono-caterpillar in the form of a set of wide wooden rollers connected in a chain and rolling around frames from the bottom of the platform. D'Herman's idea was approved, but did not find practical application.
The year of the creation of the caterpillar mover can be considered 1818, when the Frenchman Dubochet received the privilege of arranging carriages with movable rail tracks.
But who is considered the inventor of the caterpillar in Russia ...
caterpillar mover- the mover of self-propelled machines, in which the traction force is created by rewinding the caterpillar tracks. The caterpillar mover provides increased cross-country ability. The large area of contact between the caterpillars and the soil makes it possible to provide a low average pressure on the ground - 11.8-118 kN / m² (0.12-1.2 kgf / cm²), that is, less pressure from a person's foot. Thus, the caterpillar mover is protected from deep immersion in the ground.
The first designs of the caterpillar mover were supposed to facilitate the movement of wagons over soft soils, which would still be pulled by horses or people. Later they were applied to steam engines. In 1832, the Englishman J. Gitkot, for the development of swampy terrain in Lancashire, puts a steam locomobile on a monocaterpillar - his car with large diameter wheels is completely covered by a wide linen caterpillar with transverse wooden slats glued to it.
According to one version, on March 12, 1837, the staff captain of the Russian army, Dmitry Andreevich Zagryazhsky, filed a petition with the Ministry of Finance for a patent for a crew with a flat-link metal caterpillar. The protocol of the commission that considered the inventor’s proposal states: “from the description and drawings of his invention presented by Zagryazhsky, it can be seen that near each ordinary wheel on which the carriage rolls, an iron chain is circled, stretched by hexagonal wheels located in front of the ordinary one. The sides of the hexagonal wheels are equal to the links of the chain, these chains replace to some extent railway, presenting the wheel with a smooth and hard surface at all times." In October 1837 a patent was issued. The industrialists were not interested and did not appreciate the advantages of the caterpillar, and D. A. Zagryazhsky, having no funds, could not realize his invention and in 1839 the patent was canceled.
According to another version, Fyodor Abramovich Blinov is considered the first creator of the caterpillar, from which tractors and tanks went. In 1877, he invents "a special wagon with endless rails for transporting goods on highways and country roads". The endless rails of the car were closed iron bands, consisting of separate links. A year later, the tester successfully tested the caterpillar mover for this machine.
Engineer Blinov's car
Where were they originally used?
In 1884-1887, Fyodor Abramovich Blinov built a caterpillar tractor with two steam engines, which set in motion caterpillar tracks, which was tested in 1888. In 1896, at the Nizhny Novgorod Industrial Exhibition, Blinov earned a commendable review “for a steam locomotive ... for transporting goods along highways and country roads and for diligence in its manufacture.” This time the tractor had tracks with lugs on the tracks.
engineer Blinov's tractor
At the bottom of the frame, two carts were mounted on springs, which could rotate in a horizontal plane along with the axles of the support wheels. The endless rails of the car were closed iron bands, consisting of separate links. The car had four support wheels and four drive sprockets. In 1878, the merchant Kanunnikov, counting on profits from the introduction of caterpillar tracks, entered the Department of Trade and Manufactories with a request to grant Blinov a privilege, which No. 2245 was received a year later. The introductory part read: “Privilege issued from the Department of Trade and Manufactories in 1879 to the peasant Fyodor Blinov, for a special arrangement of a wagon with endless rails for transporting goods along highways and country roads ...”
In the USA, the inventors Best and Holt (who founded the Caterpillar company, which translates as “caterpillar”) in 1890 created a caterpillar tractor with bulldozer equipment hung on it - it became the prototype of the modern bulldozer.
Why were caterpillars chosen as the propulsion system when creating the tank, and why has this scheme remained to this day?
A caterpillar mover, in comparison with a wheeled one, has more high traffic, especially when driving on swampy ground and on snow, as well as when overcoming various terrain obstacles, allows you to ensure a minimum turning radius. It is designed to provide the tank with invulnerability on the battlefield, ease of maintenance and replacement of individual parts of the propulsion unit, therefore, it is still used in the design of military, transport and engineering vehicles.
Is the caterpillar still the most vulnerable point of the tank?
Yes, the track is in direct contact with the ground and is the first to absorb shock loads. Excessive strengthening of its parts leads to an increase in weight, which negatively affects the stability of the track in the bypass and reduces the speed of the tank. But measures are constantly being taken to strengthen the mine resistance of the caterpillar.
What are the caterpillars and what are the main differences between one and the other?
There are many such differences and this is purely technical part, but in short, the tracks differ in the type of tracks (cast, stamped, welded); according to the material of manufacture - (metal, rubber-metal, rubber); according to the type of hinge used and the type of its lubrication. Depending on the type of caterpillars, they have different manufacturing complexity, resource and maintainability.
What is a caterpillar made of?
A caterpillar chain is a link structure, which is a closed (continuous) continuous tape or a chain of articulated links (tracks) used in a caterpillar mover.
Modern cast caterpillars consist of tracks with rubberized metal bushings pressed into the lugs. The tracks are interconnected by means of fingers and nuts.
Stamped caterpillars consist of track links into which rubberized pins are pressed. In the middle part, the tracks are interconnected by ridges and under-ridge shoes, and at the ends - by brackets. The brackets are attached to the pins with bolts and washers (with a collet connection) or with bolts and wedges.
tanks different models use different caterpillars- Why?
Initially, cast tracks were used on tanks, which are more technologically advanced and easy to manufacture. But with an increase in the mass of the tank and its speed, they switched to stamped ones due to more reliable operation hinge. The tracks of the T-90 tank have a metal treadmill, which makes it possible to reduce the loss of engine power due to the rolling of the road wheels along it. The caterpillars of the T-80 tank, which has a higher thrust-to-weight ratio, are made with a rubberized treadmill, which makes it possible to compensate for the heavy loads on the tire of the track rollers.
T-80 tank caterpillar
Caterpillars different tanks different "drawings" like car tires. Why?
If speaking of a picture, you mean an imprint on the surface, then it is created by lugs - protrusions on the track links that provide traction. On tracks different types these lugs have different shapes and different placements. On cast tracks they are located along the perimeter of the plate and on the lugs, on stamped tracks - along the axis of the fingers.
How much does the caterpillar itself affect the speed and maneuverability of the tank?
The use of caterpillars reduces top speed tank on the highway due to losses on their rewinding, but, due to the increased bearing surface, the tank's patency increases when driving over rough terrain and soils with poor bearing capacity (snow, swampy terrain, sand, etc.).
How do Russian, German, French and other caterpillars differ from each other? Are there any special approaches in different countries?
Stamped tracks for T-80 and T-90 tanks have a pitch of 164mm, a width of 580mm and a guaranteed mileage of 6000 km. Regular caterpillars are made with metal lugs. Asphalt shoes are installed in them only when necessary.
Rubber pads for the T-80 tank
In the "West" the mass of tanks significantly exceeds the mass of Russian tanks, so the size of the tracks is larger than ours.
In the US, rubber-to-metal articulated tracks with rubber shoes are used. Track width - 635mm. The mileage of the original tracks for Abrams model T156 with non-removable rubber shoes is 1100-1300 km. The new tracks of the T158 model with removable rubber shoes and a rubberized treadmill have a guaranteed mileage of 3360 km
US main battle tank M1A1 "Abrams"
In Germany, the caterpillars of the Leopard 2 tank are made with rubber-metal hinges and a rubberized treadmill, the caterpillar pitch is 184mm. To reduce pressure on the ground, Diehl has developed new tracks with a width of 635 mm; in the grooves of the track, two asphalt pads are fastened with spring latches. To increase grip when driving on snow, ice or slippery ground, part of the pillows (up to 10 per track) can be replaced with removable X-shaped steel grouser.
The main battle tank of Germany "Leopard-2"
In France, the Leclerc caterpillar is a lantern gear, 635 mm wide, with a rubber-metal hinge, a rubber-coated treadmill and removable rubber shoes for movement on paved roads.
French main battle tank "Lecrlerc"
How is the development of tracks for new machines going: where are they developed, what are they taken into account, are new materials used?
The development of tracks for new machines is carried out simultaneously with the design of machines in the design office by the undercarriage department with the involvement of the accounting department. The development takes into account the mass of the machine, the requirements for asphalt running, the cross-country ability of the machine, the resource of the caterpillar, the dimensions of the machine and the caterpillar. The caterpillar should be as technologically advanced as possible and allow for mass production.
Of course, the development takes into account the possibilities of industry and production. Thus, the use of thermomechanical processing of finger reinforcement made it possible to increase their cyclic durability by an order of magnitude, the use of modern ingredients rubber compounds- increase the mileage of asphalt shoes and the durability of the rubber joint when high temperatures environment, the use of modern machines - to increase the accuracy of dimensions and surface finish when machining stamped track parts, which also increases their service life.
Did you have to come up with something new for Almaty, or is it on tracks from the T-90?
In connection with the Russian army focus on interchangeability, caterpillars like the caterpillars of the T-90 tank, but longer, can be used on the Armata tank. Several new solutions have been proposed for the standard Armatov caterpillar. But, since the tests of the tank with the development of individual units continue, it is too early to talk about them.
sources
http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=2699826
http://btvt.narod.ru/istoria_t64/2.htm
http://xn-80aaxgqbdi.xn-p1ai/publ/1-1-0-434
Here are some more interesting technical features: look for example at or for example . And here, and here
This is a copy of the article located atTRACKED MOTOR, crawler, - supporting and leading mechanism of self-propelled vehicles (Fig. 1), replacing the wheel travel to obtain better cross crew on any terrain, i.e. off-road.
Caterpillar mover of trailed vehicles that do not develop independent tractive effort, in contrast to the caterpillar mover of self-propelled vehicles, is called caterpillar undercarriage . The idea of a caterpillar mover is to automatically place sections of a hard and smooth track under the bearing wheels, on which the resistance to movement is negligible compared to the resistance of soft soil; a significant contact surface of the laid path to the soil protects the caterpillar mover from deep immersion in the ground. Caterpillar propellers are used in self-propelled carriages, which require, if possible, complete patency where the wheel travel is deeply immersed in the soil. Under these conditions, the caterpillar mover, which produces a specific pressure on the ground, usually in the range from 0.3 to 0.5 kg / cm 2, i.e. less than a human foot, sinks into the soil to an insignificant depth and on a flat surface changes relatively little resistance to movement, reaching best designs about 40 kg per ton of total crew weight.
How much the traction force on the hook of a tractor of a given weight can be increased, without fear of losing traction with the soil, when using a caterpillar mover, can be seen from the graph in Fig. 2, which is built according to test data American tractors: 74 wheeled, 14 tracked and 1 tracked-wheeled.
For a caterpillar mover, the ratio of traction force to the weight of the crew on most soils on which transport or plowing is normally carried out varies within 45-80% (and even higher on favorable soils and with a rational design of the caterpillar mover) and drops in some designs to 25% on wet sand. Caterpillar movers are used Ch. arr. military department for tanks, tractors, self-propelled artillery, as well as special carts designed for movement on any terrain. IN agriculture and industry, caterpillar movers are used in tractors for working heavy soils, in forestry for the transport of forest materials, in peat mines and in general for off-road transport.
The main details of the caterpillar mover (Fig. 1) are as follows: driving wheel 1 receiving rotation from the engine; front, freely sitting on the axles, caterpillar wheels ( sloths) 2, which the caterpillar chain goes around, then going back to the drive wheel; track chain ( ribbon) 3 - the path along which the carriage rolls; lower carrier rollers, with the help of which the crew rolls along the caterpillar chain (tape); part of the lower rollers is equipped with flanges that guide the rollers along the track rails; upper support rollers that direct the movement of the idle part of the caterpillar chain, eliminate its swing and reduce shocks when the chain links run into sloths; caterpillar frames to which carts with rollers or directly carrying rollers are attached, as well as sloths (caterpillar frames are absent in some designs); stretching device 4, adjusting the distance between the axles of the drive wheel and the front idler ( crawler base ), for removing, dressing and tensioning a chain stretched from work.
drive wheel can be made in the form of a gear, usually cast steel or disk, with a cast gear rim. The teeth are engaged with the hinge links of the caterpillar chain, there are also drive wheels that work on the principle of silent chain gears or in the form of a drum, in the groove of which the ridge of the inner surface of the rubber track is wedged. Finally, the drive wheel may simply have truck and engage with the track by wedging the weight in the spring grips of the tape.
Sloths they guide the chain, entering with their rim or protrusions between the rails, or covering the crests of the chain with a notch of their rim, or pinching the protrusions of the tape in the groove, or rolling into spring grips like driving wheels. Since the drive wheel is engaged with the gear that rotates it and cannot change its position relative to the latter, then stretching device , screw or eccentric, are placed at the sloth, the position of the axis of which is adjustable.
track chain in most designs, articulated with steel links is used. In light-type structures (caterpillar movers for cars, motorcycles, hand trucks, on some military self-propelled guns), a hingeless flexible steel or rubber band is also used.
In experimental designs, there are, in addition, a cable chain and a woven tape, as well as a rubber tape with a steel backing. The links of the caterpillar chain usually consist of a pair of rails 3 (Fig. 3 and 4), on which the carrier rollers 4 roll, and from shoes, pliz 1, with which the link lies on the ground.
The links have hinged ears 2, internal, usually with pressed steel bushings 5. With the help of the last links, they are connected into a chain with fingers 6, with tarsals which 7 (Fig. 5) are in engagement with the teeth of the drive wheel.
The links are either solid cast or assembled on rivets or bolts that fasten the stamped shoe to the cast or stamped rails. To increase adhesion with the soil, the shoes are equipped with transverse ridges 8 (Fig. 3), or spurs 9 are bolted to them (Fig. 5). To reduce the shaking from the transverse ridges when driving on hard roads, the shoes are sometimes supplied with tides 10 (Fig. 3). Chain links are predominantly cast from steel and heat treated; fingers, bushings and pins are made of special steel, also with heat treatment.
Lower carrier rollers - usually cast, steel or cast iron, in light caterpillar movers - aluminum, with sliding steel or bronze, as well as ball or roller bearings severe type, mainly with thick or semi liquid lubricant stuffed into the wheel hub. There are also rollers with a central liquid lubricant supplied by a hand pump from the driver's seat. The lower rollers are connected in several to caterpillar trucks 11 (Fig. 6), often connected to one another by balancers 14, and to the caterpillar frame 12 by means of 13 lamellar or coil springs.
Often the axles of the rollers are fixed directly in the caterpillar frame. In some caterpillar movers, there are no bogies, and the functions of the rollers are carried by the drive wheel and sloths. The degree of elasticity of the fastening of the bogies to the frame or to the body largely determines the ability of the caterpillar to follow the unevenness of the path and thus achieve. even load distribution throughout working surface caterpillar chain. The best in this respect is cable suspension (Fig. 7), usually connected to bogies, in which, in addition to rolling the rollers on the axles, translational movements of the bogie parallel to the axis of its spiral spring and then balancing the loads on the bogies by means of a cable, one end of which is fixed directly to the caterpillar frame, are possible and the other through a coil spring.
The axles of the upper rollers are fixed rigidly or with the help of springs on brackets to the crew body or to the frame of the caterpillar mover. At short base caterpillar mover, the upper rollers may even be completely absent. Roller axles are normally manufactured from special steels.
According to the method of suspension of caterpillar propellers to the hull, there are: 1) a rigid caterpillar, the frame of which is fixedly connected to the crew hull, forming part of its frame (especially common on tanks); in this case, the crew is not sprung. 2) Caterpillars articulated with the body of the crew, most often swinging around the axis of the drive wheel or around special pins on the body of the crew. In both latter versions, sloths are mounted on caterpillar frames, the front ends of which are connected to the body through individual coil or leaf springs for each frame, or through one transverse spring, or through a balancer with spring shock absorbers. The latter design allows the caterpillar mover to swing relative to the tractor body (Bear "B" 1923 and 1924) by 11° and gives a high friction coefficient (Fig. 2). 3) Frameless caterpillars, two options: a) bogies or separate rollers are connected by springs directly to the crew body; b) in addition to the frame, there are no bogies and lower rollers.
Track frames they make cast, stamped and riveted - both solid and composite - hinged to the rear bogie. For their manufacture, sometimes special steels (for example, chrome-vanadium) are also used. Caterpillar propellers with steel links are made: rigid for speeds up to 13 km/h; with a swinging caterpillar frame (even with rollers rigidly fixed in it) - up to 20 km / h; with sprung bogies - up to 30 km/h; with rubber band - up to 25 km/h. For greater flexibility and quiet running when moving with high speeds apply: rubber tires on sloths, lower and upper rollers, or rubberizing their hubs; supply of steel chain shoes with rubber pads for driving on roads with hard bark.
When moving at high speeds, the losses from impacts of the rollers at the junctions of caterpillar rails during the transition from link to link are significant, especially due to the formation of incoming angles on the chain when it fits the passable track irregularities. To reduce these losses, caterpillar propellers are used with a chain whose deflection inward is negligible, while over the joints, when the chain deflects outward, the carriage passes by inertia without impact. For the same purpose, orbital caterpillar propulsors are used, the track of which goes around the caterpillar frame. closed loop like a caterpillar chain, the rollers (Fig. 8) with their axles are placed in the eyes of the caterpillar chain shoes, replacing the hinge pins of the links. When moving, the tractor rolls with the lower part of the track orbit along the rollers, which move together with the caterpillar chain.
Some reduction in rolling resistance along the chain is achieved at the cost of increasing its weight. In agricultural tractors, the total weight of the caterpillar mover with a steel articulated chain is usually from 40 to 45%, and the chains from 7 to 13% of the working weight of the tractor. The maximum number of kilometers of service of a caterpillar mover with steel chain- up to 3000 km; For rubber band- over 2500 km. The main disadvantages of the service of the latter are the difficulty of keeping the rolling parts of the crew on it when cornering and the frequent jumping off of the tape as a result, especially after it is stretched during operation.
