Structural design of tension units for tracked vehicles, especially construction machines under the aspect of safety requirements

• Published in: Journal of terramechanics Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 155 - 163
• Main Author: Ketting, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.05.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction; Road transportation and traffic; Structural design; Tension spring; Illustrated description; Innovation; Regulation(control); Elastomer; Tracked vehicle; Joining; Safety; Steel; Risk analysis; Nitrogen
• ISSN: 0022-4898; 1879-1204
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-4898(97)00031-1

The commercial types of tension units for tracked vehicles which have been available so far consist of a spring which is in a permanent pretensioned condition. Although the probability of spring unit failures is very low, it cannot be guaranteed that springs in pretensioned condition will not break due to a potential material defect. This can mainly be explained by the fact that the special shape of the spring does not allow inspection and control. So to meet today's safety requirements in an improved way, a tension unit has been developed which is pretensioned only during assembly in the machine so that it does not involve any potential risk with regard to transport, storage or disposal of the component. This paper deals with some safety requirements for the use of tension units in construction machines under the aspect of an improved design of conventional tension units.