초록 ▼

The invention relates to an endless vehicular rubber track. The invention particularly relates to such track having hard rubber guide lugs with a softer guide support layer. It is to be appreciated that such guide lugs may also be positively driven drive lugs. The invention further relates to a vehi

The invention relates to an endless vehicular rubber track. The invention particularly relates to such track having hard rubber guide lugs with a softer guide support layer. It is to be appreciated that such guide lugs may also be positively driven drive lugs. The invention further relates to a vehicle having such track.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An endless rubber track designed to encompass a combination of at least one vehicular drive wheel and at least one vehicular guide wheel is provided wherein said rubber track has an outer tread comprised of a plurality of raised rubber lugs designed to be ground engaging and an inner surface comp

1. An endless rubber track designed to encompass a combination of at least one vehicular drive wheel and at least one vehicular guide wheel is provided wherein said rubber track has an outer tread comprised of a plurality of raised rubber lugs designed to be ground engaging and an inner surface comprised of a plurality of spaced apart rubber guide lugs designed to be guided and/or engaged by said vehicular drive wheel, and a rubber guide lug support layer, wherein said guide lugs are positioned on and co-vulcanized and integral with said guide lug supporting rubber layer, wherein said guide lug support layer is positioned on and integral with the inner surface of said rubber track; and wherein said guide lug support layer is of a rubber composition comprised of, based upon 100 parts by weight elastomers (phr),(A) said elastomers comprised of (1) about 30 to about 70 phr of cis 1,4-polyisoprene natural rubber and, correspondingly, (2) about 70 to about 30 phr at least one additional elastomer comprised of (i) about 30 to about 70 phr of cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber and, correspondingly, (ii) about zero to about 20 phr of styrene/butadiene copolymer rubber which contains from about 10 to about 40 weight percent bound styrene; (B) about 30 to about 70 phr of reinforcing filler selected from rubber reinforcing carbon black and synthetic amorphous silica comprised of about 40 to about 70 phr of said carbon black and from zero to about 50 phr of said silica, and (C) a coupling agent for said silica having a moiety which is reactive with hydroxyl groups (silanol groups) contained on the surface of said silica and another moiety interactive with said diene based elastomer(s). 2. The rubber track of claim 1 wherein said additional rubber is comprised of about 40 about 60 phr of cis 1,4-polybutadiene rubber and from about 5 to about 15 phr of organic solution polymerization prepared styrene/butadiene rubber and where said reinforcing filler is comprised of about 40 to about 60 phr carbon black and from about 10 to about 40 phr of precipitated silica.3. The track of claim 2 wherein said guide lugs are of a of a sulfur cured diene based rubber composition having a Shore A hardness in a range of about 60 to about 90 and said sulfur cured guide lug support rubber layer has a Shore A hardness in a range of about 60 to about 90, wherein said guide support rubber layer has a hardness of at least about 5 Shore A hardness units less than the Shore A hardness of said rubber guide lugs.4. A vehicle having at least two endless rubber track systems, namely a track system on each side of the vehicle, for driving said vehicle over the ground, said track systems individually comprised of the endless track of claim 3, a plurality of wheels engaged with said vehicle and encompassed by said track wherein at least one of said wheels is a drive wheel.5. The track of claim 2 wherein said guide lug support layer rubber composition has a minimum flex fatigue resistance of about 60 kilocycles at 65 percent strain according to ASTM D4482.6. The track of claim 2 wherein said guide lug support layer has a width of at least about 0.25 cm wider than said drive lugs with which it is associated wherein said guide lug support layer has a thickness in a range of about 0.1 cm to about 1.0 cm.7. A vehicle having at least two endless rubber track systems, namely a track system on each side of the vehicle, for driving said vehicle over the ground, said track systems individually comprised of the endless track of claim 2, a plurality of wheels engaged with said vehicle and encompassed by said track wherein at least one of said wheels is a drive wheel.8. The track of claim 1 wherein said guide lugs are of a of a sulfur cured diene based rubber composition having a Shore A hardness in a range of about 60 to about 90 and said sulfur cured guide lug support rubber layer has a Shore A hardness in a range of about 60 to about 90, wherein said guide support rubber layer has a hardness of at least about 5 Shore A hardness units less than the Shore A hardness of said rubber guide lugs.9. The track of claim 1 wherein the rubber composition for the guide lug support layer has an ultimate tensile strength in a range of about 15 to about 19 MPa, an ultimate elongation in a range of about 500 to about 750 percent, a 300 percent modulus in a range of about 5 to about 14 MPa, a hot rebound value in a range of about 35 to about 55 and a peel adhesion (to itself) according to ASTM D4393 test greater than 40 Newtons and wherein said carbon black is a N205 (ASTM) carbon black.10. The track of claim 1 wherein said guide lug support layer rubber composition has a minimum flex fatigue resistance of about 60 kilocycles at 65 percent strain according to ASTM D4482.11. A vehicle having at least two endless rubber track systems, namely a track system on each side of the vehicle, for driving said vehicle over the ground, said track systems individually comprised of the endless track of claim 10, a plurality of wheels engaged with said vehicle and encompassed by said track wherein at least one of said wheels is a drive wheel.12. The track of claim 1 wherein said guide lug support layer has a width of at least about 0.25 cm wider than said drive lugs with which it is associated wherein said guide lug support layer has a thickness in a range of about 0.1 cm to about 1.0 cm.13. A vehicle having at least two endless rubber track systems, namely a track system on each side of the vehicle, for driving said vehicle over the ground, said track systems individually comprised of the endless track of claims 12, a plurality of wheels engaged with said vehicle and encompassed by said track wherein at least one of said wheels is a drive wheel.14. A vehicle having at least two endless rubber track systems, namely a track system on each side of the vehicle, for driving said vehicle over the ground, said track systems individually comprised of the endless track of claim 1, a plurality of wheels engaged with said vehicle and encompassed by said track wherein at least one of said wheels is a drive wheel; wherein said drive wheelA. is adapted to engage said guide lugs of said track for thereby driving track around said drive wheel and to thereby propel the associated vehicle over the ground, or B. is adapted to drive said track by friction between the outer, peripheral surface of said drive wheel in contact with the inside surface of the track to drive said track around said drive wheel and to thereby propel the associated vehicle over the ground; whereby said guide lugs of said track act to guide the track by passing through an appropriate indentation, or groove, in or between said drive wheel(s).