HK1151078B - Wear assembly for the digging edge of an excavator - Google Patents

Description

Wear assembly for digging edge of excavator

The present application is a divisional application of an invention patent application entitled "wear assembly of a digging edge of an excavator", having an application date of 2004-4-29 and an application number of 200480011296.1(PCT application number: PCT/US 2004/011265).

Technical Field

The present invention relates to wear assemblies and, more particularly, to securing wear assemblies to the digging edge of a bucket or other excavator.

Background

It is common practice to secure wear members in the form of teeth and shrouds along the digging edge of a bucket or other excavator to protect the front lip from premature wear. The teeth project forwardly from the lip to facilitate penetration and breaking up of earth collected in the bucket. The cover plate is mounted on the lip between the teeth. It will be appreciated that the wear members, and in particular the teeth, are often subjected to severe operating conditions, where they are subjected to very high loads and a great degree of wear.

Digging teeth are generally constructed from a number of components including, for example, an adapter, a point, and a lock. The adapter has a rear mounting end for securing with the front lip of the bucket and a forwardly projecting tab for mounting the tip. The point is a tapered member with an end that penetrates the earth forward and a rearwardly open receptacle that receives the adapter nose. The lock fits within the wear assembly for retaining the point on the adapter. While the tip is worn most often, the adapter is also worn and requires periodic replacement.

As in U.S. patent No. 4,577,423 to Hahn, the adapter is typically welded to the bucket lip. While welding can secure the adapter to the bucket securely to withstand heavy loads, replacing the welded adapter is difficult and is typically done at the shop rather than at the worksite. This can result in the bucket being out of service, which, particularly in the case of larger buckets, can result in significant economic loss to the operator of the mine or other excavation site. The time and difficulty required to remove and install such welded adapters is therefore a significant obstacle.

To enable replacement at the work site, adapters have been developed that mechanically couple to the bucket lip. The most common adapter is the Whisler style adapter (shown, for example, in U.S. patent No. 4,267,653 to Hahn). In this configuration, the rear mounting end of the adapter includes a pair of bifurcated legs that straddle the lip of the bucket. Each leg of the adapter includes an opening that aligns with a through hole or keyway formed in the bucket lip. The rear end of the leg is formed with a slope that slopes upward and away from the corresponding opening. The spool and wedge are inserted into the aligned openings and through-holes, securing the adapter in place.

More specifically, the spool is generally C-shaped with arms that matingly engage the angled surfaces of the legs. The wedge is inserted between the spool and the forward end of the through bore, compressing the spool rearwardly, while the arm rides (riding over) the ramp of the leg. In this way, the arms press the legs against the inner and outer surfaces of the lip, securing the adapter in place. Typically, the wedge is inserted into the assembly by repeated blows with a large hammer. This is a tedious and time consuming task for the worker at the worksite, particularly in order to achieve the final movement necessary to adequately secure the adapter to the lip. In addition, under heavy loads, the wedge may loosen even if it is inserted tightly, risking loss of the adapter. The actual stretching of the C-shaped spool has a large effect on loosening under working loads, such as when the legs of the adapter deflect over the lip under heavy loads. Sometimes, the wedge is welded to the spool in its tightened position to prevent such loosening. However, this action prevents re-locking of the lock, which can loosen the assembly, resulting in greater stress on the wear member and a faster rate of wear on the lip. Welding the wedge and spool together makes it more difficult to remove the lock.

Another mechanically fixed adapter is disclosed in U.S. patent No. 5,653,048 to Jones et al. Bosses are welded along the surface of the lip instead of through holes. The boss is generally T-shaped and is placed in a complementary slot formed in the leg of the adapter. An opening is provided at the rear end of the leg to receive a lock. To prevent the adapter from sliding forward off the boss and lip, the lock abuts the rear end of the boss and the rear wall of the opening. While this may provide good support for most teeth, in use in excavator forms improvements are desirable so that equal large vertical loads are output from the top and bottom directions.

Disclosure of Invention

In the present invention, the wear member is securely fixed to the lip of a bucket or other excavator by mechanical means that facilitate installation and removal.

According to one aspect of the invention, the lip is provided with a through hole and a boss to hold the wear member in place. The boss and wear member include a tongue and groove arrangement to support the wear member against the applied load. The through hole may receive a lock to prevent the wear member from being removed from the lip.

In a preferred construction, the boss is located at the rear end of the wear member to enhance the ability to withstand lateral and/or vertical loads. In addition, the lip is provided with a rear member to engage the rear of the wear member and additionally bear axial forces. This additional support protects the lip and provides it with a longer service life and less maintenance. Preferably the rear end member is formed as part of the boss to supplement the support provided by the boss and to better stabilize the mounting of the wear member on the lip. In addition, whether or not the rear member is a stand, the rear member is preferably provided with rails and is secured to the rails to enhance support.

Preferably the wear member has a pair of rearwardly extending bifurcated legs, each leg including: an inner surface facing the lip; a rear wall; slots open in the inner surface and rear wall for receiving bosses to bear loads applied in use; an opening in front of the slot for receiving a lock to retain the wear member on the lip; and a sidewall extending between the slot and the opening.

In one construction, the boss is formed in a generally L-shape with a stem fitted into the rear end of the through bore of the lip and a body cooperating with the wear member along the surface of the lip. The bosses are preferably disposed along the inner and outer surfaces of the lip to secure the inner and outer legs of the wear member. The interconnection of the leg and boss prevents the leg from shifting which in the past has resulted in stress intensification, buckling and lock release. Preferably the bosses are welded to the lip and to each other in the through-holes. In this way, a lip formed to accommodate a Whisler-style adapter can be easily modified to use the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, a threaded wedge and spool assembly is used to secure the wear member to the lip. Specifically, the tapered wedge includes a threaded formation that engages a cooperating threaded formation on the spool such that the wedge may be driven into and out of the through-hole by rotation of the wedge. The use of threaded wedges and spools allows for easy installation and removal of the lock, reducing the risk of losing the lock during use of the excavator. In addition, the threaded wedge can be easily re-tightened to snugly fit the wear member on the lip.

In another aspect of the invention, an insert is provided at the forward end of the through hole to increase the support of the wedge by a longer support length, higher stiffness, less material deformation than the lip itself.

The present invention greatly increases the strength and stability of the wear member on the lip, resulting in an increased life of the wear member and a reduced need for maintenance of the lip. The ease and safety of securing the wear member to the lip of a bucket or other excavator may also be increased using the preferred locking device. No large hammers are required to install or remove the lock. There is no need for the task of removing the lock under the lip. The lock can be quickly and easily removed and installed to make it very easy to replace the wear member at a worksite or elsewhere.

Placing the boss at the rear of the wear member maximizes the vertical and lateral loads placed on the teeth during use. By bearing the axial load, the abutment further stabilizes the teeth on the forward end of the lip and reduces the stress on the forward end. The boss can be secured to a new lip using the boss or to an existing lip to which the Whisler-style adapter was originally mounted. This additional stability, along with the advantage that the lock can be resecured, reduces the frequency of lip repairs and allows for longer adapter life.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wear assembly according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of an excavator lip with a mounting boss according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of two bosses secured to the lip;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a keyway insert according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of a wear member in the form of an adapter according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the lock according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged front view showing a portion of the pawl barrel;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a wear member partially installed on a lip with a boss of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a spool mounted in a wear assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a wedge installed in a wear assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a partial rear perspective view of another adapter;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of another external boss cooperating with the adapter shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary perspective view of the boss and adapter shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 without the lip or inner boss;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a lip modified using a metering fixture using a preferred aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a metering fixture for placing and securing the boss of the present invention on the lip;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a preferred weld pattern for securing the boss and keyway insert to the lip;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a wedge of another lock;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the spool engaged with the wedge shown in FIG. 18 when another lock is formed;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of another boss.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to a wear assembly 10 (fig. 1) for mounting a wear member on a bucket or other excavator. The present invention is particularly suited for mounting the adapter 14 of an excavating tooth to a lip, but may also be used to secure other wear members such as shrouds. For ease of discussion, the present disclosure describes mounting the adapter to the lip of the bucket.

In one example, lip 12 defines a digging edge 16 of the bucket and includes an inner surface 18 and an outer surface 20 (FIGS. 1-3 and 9). Preferably a front tab 22 projects forwardly from the digging edge to assist in the placement and support of the adapter 14. In the lip, a through hole or keyway 24 is provided directly towards the rear of the tab 22. Although only a small portion of the lip is shown, the lip typically includes a series of spaced tabs and through holes for mounting several teeth on the bucket. In the illustrated embodiment, the lip has a rounded digging edge 16 and an enlarged region 26 formed by the through hole 24. However, many other lip configurations exist for use in the present invention.

A boss 28 is secured to the lip rearward of each through-hole 24 and in alignment with each through-hole 24 (fig. 1-4 and 9). Preferably, inner boss 28a is fixed to extend along inner surface 18 of lip 12 and outer boss 28b is fixed to extend along outer surface 20 of each through-hole. However, a single boss on the inner surface 18 (or outer surface 20) may also be used. While it is preferred that the boss be welded to the lip, it could be formed as an integral part of the lip or mechanically secured. Additionally, while it is preferred that the bosses be secured directly adjacent the through-holes 24, they could be spaced rearwardly of the through-holes if desired.

Each boss 28 includes at least one body 30 that extends along the inner surface 18 or the outer surface 20 of the lip in axial alignment with the through-hole 24. The body 30 is preferably a T-shaped structure with a base 32 and a laterally extending flange or rail 34. The underside of the rail 34 defines a securing surface 36 that generally faces the lip to secure the adapter to the lip. However, the body may have other similar shapes (e.g., dovetail configuration), other shapes that provide other rails or retaining surfaces facing the lip (see another embodiment described below in fig. 12-14), or a parallelepiped or other shape without rails or retaining surfaces. While bosses without transverse rails or retaining surfaces may not be used in the same manner as T-shaped bosses to retain the adapter to the lip, they still provide lateral support against applied loads. Alternatively, the tongue and groove configuration may be reversed such that the boss defines a groove that receives the tongue defined by the wear member. In this configuration, the retaining surface of the boss that resists outward movement of the wear member (i.e., away from the lip) still faces generally toward the lip, but is placed in the groove of the wear member.

For ease of installation and removal of the wear member, the boss is preferably tapered longitudinally to widen rearwardly. However, bosses without such a longitudinal taper are also possible, particularly where the space for including the taper is not appropriate.

To enhance support for the laterally extending rails 34 and the like, each boss 28 preferably includes a rear member 38 at the rear end of its body 30. In particular, to enhance the ability of the rail to withstand the applied loads, the rear member 38 is secured at the rear end to the lip and is disposed along a lateral projection of the rail. When outwardly extending rails are used (e.g., as shown in fig. 3), the rear member may be secured to and extend laterally outward from at least a portion of the body in order to provide enhanced support for the rails 34. When the boss defines the slot, the rail projects inwardly so that the rear member need not extend laterally outwardly. Although the rear member 38 may be spaced a distance from the rear wall 52 of the adapter 14 during use, it may be placed against the adapter (fig. 1-4 and 9). In the illustrated embodiment, the rear member 38 extends at least laterally beyond the base 32, and preferably also laterally and outwardly beyond the rails 34, when the surface area is maximized against the adapter 14 to abut the rear end of the adapter. This abutment provides support against applied loads and biases the leg rearwardly to reduce the loads applied to digging edge 16 of lip 12. Eliminating the axial offset of the leg also reduces the stress placed on the lock and the risk of the lock loosening during use. When used against adapter 14, rear wall 52 of the adapter may be machined to ensure that front face 39 is closely positioned against rear wall 52 when the adapter is first slid onto the lip and against digging edge 16. By eliminating the pounding and stress placed on the digging edge of the lip, the lip can be used for a longer period of time and requires less maintenance during its useful life as compared to conventional Whisler-style adapters. Typically, in conventional Whisler-style adapters, the front end of the lip is often unjustified and must be periodically repaired with welding or other materials. Although it is preferred that the rear member forms part of the boss, it could be a separate part fixed to the lip or cast integrally with the lip.

Alternatively, the front surface 39a may be provided with a wear pad or insert 41 to protect the boss 28 a. The wear pad is preferably tack welded in the recess 43 of the boss front surface 39a, although other configurations may be used. The recess is preferably used to place and support the wear pad, but the wear pad may be secured to the front surface without the recess. In a preferred embodiment, the tack weld is burned off to replace the wear pad. In fig. 20, two wear pads 41 are affixed with the front surface 39 a-one on each side of the body 30 a. However, other configurations of one or more than two wear pads may be used as desired. In addition, the entire front surface 39a may be covered with a wear pad. The wear pad is preferably metal, although other durable materials are possible. The wear pad may be made of a material that is softer, harder, or the same as the material of the boss. For example, to reduce the rebound of the wear member due to the impact of the front surface 39a (fig. 20), the wear pad may be made of a softer metal. To prevent wear, the wear pad may also be made of a harder metal.

In a preferred embodiment, each boss additionally includes a stem 40 extending into the adjacent through hole 24. The rod provides greater support for the boss against applied loads, particularly when the rear member 38 is formed as an abutment portion of the boss. The rod also enables the inner and outer bosses 28a, 28b to be welded to each other and the bosses to grip or clamp the lip, thereby increasing the strength of the boss to which the lip is secured. To facilitate the interconnection of the bosses 28a, 28b, it is preferred that the ends of the two bars together form a weld groove 42 for the welding process to be carried out from above the lip of the bucket. The rod is preferably welded to the lip within the through hole 24. However, the rod may be omitted, particularly when used in environments where the load is not so severe (see, for example, fig. 20).

Adapter 14 is a wear member mounted on the lip of the bucket for holding the earth penetrating tooth tips in place (fig. 1-2, 6 and 9-11). Adapter 14 includes a forwardly projecting tab 44 (fig. 1 and 2) for mounting a tip 45, and a mounting end 46 with a bifurcated leg 48 that rides on lip 12. In the preferred embodiment, the legs are of equal length and each leg has a slot 50 that receives the inner and outer bosses 28a, 28 b. In the embodiment shown (fig. 6), the slot is T-shaped to matingly receive the boss 28. However, the slot may be varied so long as the shape of the slot still accommodates the boss to provide the desired support to withstand the lateral or outward pressure on the leg. In addition, the shape of the groove may vary depending on the shape of the boss and the load to be borne. In addition, the use of bosses and slots on only one of the inner and outer surfaces 18, 20 of the lip may have limited advantages, but may provide better support through the use of two bosses 28a, 28 b.

As shown in fig. 6, the slot 50 opens at a rear wall 52 of the leg 48 for slidably receiving the boss. Preferably, each of said grooves 50 comprises a recessed wall 43 spaced from and facing the respective surface 18, 20 of lip 12. A narrowed portion 41 is provided between the recessed wall 43 and the lip to define a retaining surface 47 to oppose the fixing surface 36 and retain the track 34 in the groove 59 of the slot 50. Preferably, each slot 50 extends only a short distance forward from the rear wall 52, a distance approximately equal to the length of the main body 30 of the boss. In this way, the side walls 54 at the forward end of the slots 50 can abut the front wall 56 of the boss 28 when the rear walls 52 of the legs 48 abut the rear member 38 to carry axially applied loads. By using the front wall 56 and rear member 38, the surface area to bear the load is maximized to reduce stress on the wear member 10 and lip 12. As shown (fig. 6 and 12), the side wall 54 may extend completely across the slot 50, or only partially across the slot 50 (not shown). It should be understood, however, that it is not necessary for the front wall 56 of the body 30 (or the front piece) or the front wall 39 of the rear element 38 to abut the adapter 14.

In another embodiment (fig. 12-14), another adapter 49 includes a slot 51 that is not T-shaped or of similar construction. Specifically, the slot 51 and boss 53 have complementary, generally planar side walls 55, 59 extending generally perpendicular to the surfaces 18, 20 of the lip. Instead of flanges or rails 34 along the sides of the boss, the boss 53 includes a forwardly projecting flange or overhang 61 spaced from the respective lip 18, 20. A pin 63 projects rearwardly from the rear end 65 of the adapter leg 67 and is mounted between the flange 61 and the lip 12 to prevent outward movement of the adapter leg 67 relative to the lip 12 and thereby support the leg against heavy upward or downward loads on the tip. In addition, rear ends 65 of legs 67 and rear ends 69 of pins 63 preferably abut front faces 71 of bosses 53 to reduce the load placed on digging edge 16 of lip 12, but may be provided with clearance to avoid such abutment. However, as mentioned above, the pin 63 and flange 61 may be omitted so that there is no lateral securing surface to prevent movement of the leg away from the lip.

It will be appreciated that the primary load on the teeth is placed on the earth penetrating front end of the point. The tip is subjected to loads of varying intensity, kind and direction as the tooth is forced through the ground. As a result, a lot of applied load is pressed against the tip at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the tooth. Therefore, a large force is applied to the adapter that secures the tip to the bucket. By mounting the rear end of the leg 48 on the mounting boss 28 (fig. 1 and 2), the boss is able to effectively withstand reaction forces in all directions for bosses with rails or other mounting surfaces; while for a boss without rails or fixed surfaces, it can at least withstand reaction forces in the transverse direction. In the preferred embodiment, the bosses cooperate with the lip pads 57 to support the legs; alternatively, the boss may provide full support for the rear end of the adapter leg.

A hole or opening 58 extends through each leg 48 toward the front of slot 50 to receive a lock 60 (fig. 1-2, 7-8, and 10-11). Lock 60 is described in detail in co-pending U.S. patent application No. 10/425,934 entitled "Releasable Coupling Assembly" (attorney docket No. 051291.00057), filed on 30/4/2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Briefly, lock 60 includes a wedge 62 and spool 64 that are threaded together to tightly secure the adapter to the lip. Wedge 62 has a generally frustoconical shape with a helical groove 66 forming a threaded configuration and spool 64 has a generally C-shaped configuration with two arms 68 adapted to receive a portion of the wedge and a passage 70. The channel includes spaced apart helical ridges 72 forming a thread formation to complement the helical groove 66. As the wedge is rotated, the engaged thread structure causes the wedge to move axially along the spool, and thus into and out of the aligned openings 58 and through-hole 24. For engagement with a wrench, a recess 74 with flats is provided at one end of wedge 62. In use, a rubber cap 76 may be fitted into the recess 74 in order to prevent small clods of earth from becoming embedded.

A resiliently biased pawl 78 (fig. 8) is preferably provided on the spool for engagement with a plurality of ratchet teeth (not shown) formed on the helical groove. Preferably, the detent is formed in channel 70 along one of the ridges, although the detent may be formed on other wall surfaces adjacent wedge 62. In any event, as the wedge is rotated, the pawl 78 engages the teeth so that the wedge can be rotated to push the wedge into the through-hole 24, but prevented from rotating in a direction that would cause the wedge to exit the through-hole. The jaws may be broken by removing the wedge from the assembly by applying a wrench to the wedge 62.

In use, the barrel 64 is inserted into the opening 58 and through-hole 24 such that the surface 80 abuts a front end face 82 (fig. 2 and 10) of the sidewall 54 along the shank 81. As shown in fig. 2, each opening 58 preferably includes a cavity 83 that receives the arm 68. In this manner, the spool is fixed to prevent movement of the spool as the wedge is rotated. However, other structures, such as flanges on the adapter, may be used in addition to the arms 68 to secure the spool in the assembly. With such other securing means, the arm 68 may be omitted. A handle 86 is provided for the operator to place the spool and temporarily hold it in place while the wedge is inserted. Once the spool is in its proper position, the wedge is inserted into the channel 70 and rotated, tightly bringing the wedge into position (FIG. 11). Although the wedge may abut directly against the front end 88 (fig. 2) of the through-hole 24, it is preferred that the keyway insert 90 be welded in place at the front end of the through-hole 24.

Preferably, keyway insert 90 is of a generally C-shaped configuration with a central body 92, an inner flange 94, and an outer flange 96 (although other shapes are possible). The inner and outer flanges 94, 96 overlap and are welded to the inner and outer surfaces 18, 20 of the lip 12, respectively. Rear surface 98 of central body 92 is preferably curved to accommodate the front side of wedge 62. Keyway insert 90 provides a longer and more deformation resistant bearing surface for wedge 62. It also provides a maintenance advantage in that replacement is possible, and weld re-establishment of the keyway is not only difficult, but may actually cause the lip to fail due to the effects of weld heat in high stress areas.

The threaded wedge and spool may also be replaced with a conventional grooved wedge 101 (FIG. 18) and grooved spool 103 (FIG. 19), in which case the wedge is hammered into place. Alternatively, an unthreaded wedge (not shown) having the same conical shape or a generally block shape (i.e., with a generally flat wall) may be used. In the case of a tapered wedge, the channel in the spool may be formed without ridges and detents (not shown). In the case of a flat wedge wall, the spool (not shown) may be modified to provide a generally flat front surface in place of the channel 70. In any event, the unthreaded wedges can be hammered into place as is common with the locks of conventional Whisler-style adapters.

The adapter 14 also preferably includes a central groove 102 and a bight 106 along an inner surface 104 of the leg 48. The central groove is adapted to fit around the tab 22 for additional support of the adapter. The central groove also receives the keyway insert 90 during axial sliding of the adapter onto and off of the lip. Preferably, the bight portion 106 is configured with an outer lip 108 to provide a greater support force and a greater surface area in contact with digging edge 16 of lip 12.

The present invention can be modified for use in existing lips that were originally configured for use with conventional Whisler-style adapters. In these cases, it is necessary to better adapt the lip to the coupling of the adapter 14. The metering fixture 110 shown in fig. 15 and 16 may be slid over the lip and the inserted dowel pin 116 to determine where the lip should be built. In particular, it is desirable to construct digging edge 16 and pad 57 from a welding material until they contact front portion 112 and rear portion 114 of metering fixture 110. It is also desirable to grind a radius around the inner and outer edges of the through-hole 24. The boss 28 is positioned with the legs 118 of the metering fixture 110 with the rod 40 in the through-hole 24 and the back end member 38 on the back end 120 of the metering fixture 110. Preferably the bosses are welded to lip 12 along the sides and rear face of rear member 38, to each other through notches 42, and to the lip along posts 40 in through-hole 24. The body 30 of boss 28 may also be welded along lip 12 if desired. The forward end of keyway insert 90 may also be placed in through-hole 24 and welded to lip 12 along the forward ends of flanges 94, 96, leaving the weld away from the high stress region of the through-hole.

In assembly, the adapter is slid back onto the bucket with one leg 48 on each side of lip 12 so that bosses 28 are received in slots 50. Adapter 14 continues to move rearwardly until bend 106 abuts digging edge 16. In the preferred construction, the front wall 54 of the slot 50 abuts the boss 28 and/or the rear wall 52 abuts the rear member 38 only after wear has begun to develop due to use of the bucket. However, if desired, these other surfaces could be formed as the first abutment surface in place of the bight portion 106. When the adapter is properly positioned, lock 60 is inserted into opening 58 and through-hole 24. Specifically, spool 64 is positioned such that arms 68 rest on ledge 73 of opening 58. However, wedge 62 can be threaded into the assembly by engaging groove 66 with ridge 72 and rotating the wedge about its axis. The thread tightening continues until the wedge grips to a set torque level. Pawl 78 engages the ratchet teeth in groove 66 and holds the wedge in a locked, tightened condition. A cover 76 is preferably placed in the recess 74 to prevent small objects from striking the recess.

To remove the adapter, the lid is first removed so that a wrench fits into the recess 74. The wedge is rotated so that it is lifted upwardly out of the assembly. And bobbin 64 is removed from the assembly. The adapter 14 is then pulled from the lip. If the adapter is secured in place, a pry tool (not shown) may be inserted into hole 122 and pulled to pry adapter 14 from lip 12.

The above description relates to preferred embodiments of the present invention. Various other embodiments and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims (8)

1. A wear member for securing to a lip of an excavating bucket comprising a front working portion projecting forwardly from the lip and a pair of rearwardly extending legs straddling the lip, each of said legs having an inner face facing the lip, an opposite outer face, a rear wall extending transversely of the inner face, slots opening in the inner and rear faces for receiving bosses secured to the lip, and apertures extending through the legs and opening in the inner and outer faces for receiving locks to secure the wear member to the lip, each of said apertures including a recess adjacent the outer face for receiving and securing a portion of the lock, said slots being formed only between said aperture and said rear wall.

2. A wear member in accordance with claim 1 wherein the bore is at least partially formed by a front wall portion and a rear wall portion, and the recess is formed in the rear wall portion.

3. A wear member in accordance with claim 2 wherein the wear member is an adapter and the nose portion includes a protrusion for receiving the tip.

4. A wear assembly for securing a wear member to a lip of an excavating bucket, the wear assembly comprising:

a wear member having a front working portion and a leg extending rearwardly on a surface of the lip and including a rear wall and a groove;

a boss having a main part received in the groove and an abutting part abutting against a rear wall of the leg portion;

an insert forming an abutment surface between the rear wall of the leg and the abutment member of the boss; and

a lock received in a hole through the leg and the lip to releasably secure the wear member to the lip.

5. A wear assembly in accordance with claim 4 wherein the insert is releasably secured to one of the rear wall of the leg or the abutment member.

6. The wear assembly of claim 5, wherein:

an insert is disposed along a forward end of the bore through the leg and the lip;

the lock includes a spool inserted at a rear end of the bore and a wedge inserted between the spool and the insert.

7. The wear assembly of claim 4, wherein:

an insert is disposed along a forward end of the bore through the leg and the lip;

the insert includes an arm extending forwardly from the bore along each of the inner and outer surfaces of the lip, and a body disposed in the bore interconnecting the arms.

8. The wear assembly of claim 4, wherein:

an insert is disposed along a forward end of the bore through the leg and the lip;

the insert includes at least one arm extending forwardly along a surface of the lip, substantially extending the distance between the aperture and the front edge of the lip.