The forging tooth forming hydraulic press is the core machine in the forging tooth production process. By applying external force to the metal raw materials using this press, it causes plastic deformation of the metal, changing the shape and size of the billet while improving its internal structure and mechanical properties, resulting in the final formed forging tooth. Forging eliminates defects such as porosity generated during the metal smelting process, optimizes the microstructure, and since it preserves the complete metal flow line, the mechanical properties of forgings are generally superior to castings made from the same material. Therefore, although the forging tooth production process is costlier, it ensures the highest quality for the forged teeth. The forging tooth is a crucial component on excavators, similar to human teeth, and is an easily worn part, requiring continuous production and processing to meet demand.

Forging Tooth Production Process:

The forging tooth production process includes the following steps:

• Blanking — Heating — Pre-forging with Roller Press — Upsetting Process — Closed Die Compound Hydraulic Press Extrusion — Compound Punching and Marking Process — Post-forging Heat Treatment.

The closed-frame compound hydraulic press extrusion ensures that the forging tooth undergoes three-way compressive stress, improving the internal quality of the forging. Additionally, the compound punching and marking process reduces one step, lowers labor intensity, and enhances production efficiency.

Overview of the Forging Tooth Forming Hydraulic Press Performance and Structure:

Due to the different sizes and weights of the forging teeth, there are various tonnage models of forging tooth forming hydraulic presses. The commonly used tonnages are 1000 tons, 2000 tons, 4000 tons, and 5000 tons, with the 5000-ton forging tooth forming hydraulic press being the most commonly used. Forging presses of different sizes can forge both small and large forging teeth.

The design of the main machine structure incorporates the advantages of products from major domestic and international manufacturers, as well as advanced technology. The entire machine is optimized using finite element design and industrial design, focusing on overall performance, usability, durability, high stiffness, and reliability. At the same time, the machine's overall shape and color scheme are designed to be aesthetically pleasing.

Machine Body:

The body is composed of structural components welded from steel plates, which are vibrationally aged to eliminate welding stress. The lower crossbeam, columns, and upper crossbeam are pre-tensioned using tension rods (hydraulic pre-tensioning) to form a combined frame. The middle of the machine body is equipped with a slide, with a slanted wedge-type four-corner, eight-face guide for the slide. The slide guide plate is made of a composite material (A3+CuPb10Sn10), and the guides on the column are removable.

Hydraulic Cylinder:

The main 2000-ton downward press cylinder is implemented with a single cylinder, using high-quality 45# carbon steel forgings. The surface is treated with medium-frequency quenching, achieving hardness between HRC48-55, and is chrome-plated (5-10μm), ensuring long service life. The piston cylinder is also made of high-quality 45# carbon steel forgings, with the inner surface processed by rolling. The hydraulic cylinder provides sufficient strength and rigidity, and the main oil cylinder uses imported sealing elements to ensure reliable sealing performance.

The 2800-ton side cylinders and 200-ton top cylinders use the same manufacturing process as the 2000-ton main cylinder.

Electrical Control System:

The electrical system consists of the power circuit and control circuit. The power circuit is 380V, 50HZ, and is responsible for the starting, stopping, and protection of the oil pump motor. The core functions of the control section are handled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). Based on process requirements, commands from the main control components (such as selection switches and buttons) are processed according to signals detected by limit switches and pressure relays, driving hydraulic pilot valves and other devices to control the pressure and displacement of the hydraulic actuators (oil cylinders), thus completing the production process.

Hydraulic Control Section:

The hydraulic power system consists of the power control system, various valves, and hydraulic manipulation boxes, providing power to the main machine and enabling its control. The hydraulic station is located on the right side of the main machine.

Safety Protection Measures for the Forging Tooth Forming Hydraulic Press:

1. Stop and Emergency Stop Buttons: In case of an anomaly, pressing the “Stop” button halts pressure and work completely. Pressing the “Emergency Stop” button will stop all operations, including the motor.
2. Dual-Hand Operation Button: The dual-hand synchronization time limit for downward motion is 0.5 to 1 second.
3. Hydraulic Double Support Safety Circuit: To prevent uncontrolled downward movement of the slide, a hydraulic double-support valve circuit is set in the lower chamber of the piston-type main cylinder, ensuring safety. A hydraulic interlock circuit ensures that the main cylinder piston cannot move downward unless the support safety valve is open.
4. Overload Protection: The hydraulic system is equipped with a safety valve to ensure the press does not operate under overload conditions, thus preventing damage to the machine.
5. Maintenance Platform: The top of the machine is equipped with a maintenance platform, ladder, and safety fencing to ensure the safety of maintenance personnel.

The earthwork bucket, the most familiar type of bucket in daily operations, is almost a standard configuration for small and medium-sized excavators. This type of bucket typically uses standard thickness plates, and its design lacks significant reinforcement measures on the bucket body.

Due to its unique characteristics, the earthwork bucket plays an irreplaceable role in small and medium-sized excavators. Its wide opening and sufficient bucket capacity provide excellent loading capacity, significantly improving the fill factor and overall work efficiency. Therefore, it performs excellently in tasks such as clay excavation and loading light materials like sand, soil, and gravel. However, due to the use of standard thickness plates and lack of reinforcement or wear-resistant design, its durability is relatively low and its lifespan is shorter.

In contrast, the rock bucket is designed to be tougher. It uses thicker plates, and critical areas such as the bucket teeth, bucket wings, and the sides and bottom of the bucket are reinforced. This design allows the rock bucket to demonstrate exceptional durability and work efficiency when performing tough tasks like rock excavation.

With special protection and reinforcement design, the rock bucket excels in abrasion resistance, pressure resistance, and bending performance. It is perfect for loading heavy materials like stones, semi-hard rocks, weathered stones, hard rocks, and blasted ores, making it widely used in harsh mining conditions.

Additionally, to cope with more intense excavation tasks, the clamshell bucket is equipped with high-strength teeth, allowing for soil loosening tasks to be completed in one go, significantly improving work efficiency.

The ditch bucket is specifically designed to meet the needs of ditch excavation in areas like water conservancy, roads, agriculture, and pipeline construction. This type of bucket is typically equipped with one or more teeth, and its sharp bucket teeth make soil breaking effortless. However, its disadvantage is that its smaller bucket capacity may somewhat affect excavation efficiency.

Due to varying work requirements, ditch buckets come in diverse shapes and widths, such as rectangular, trapezoidal, and triangular. Their significant advantage is that they can form a trench in one go, typically without needing further modification, thereby significantly improving work efficiency. The grate bucket is also a specially designed excavation bucket, featuring a grid-like structure at the bottom. It is particularly suited for excavating loose materials and achieving integrated excavation and separation.

Clean-up Bucket (Tilt Bucket)

Before discussing the clean-up bucket, let's first understand the silt bucket, also commonly known as a mud bucket. This bucket is characterized by its large width and lack of bucket teeth. It is ideal for large-scale reshaping on slopes or flat surfaces, as well as for dredging rivers, ditches, and similar areas.

The tilt bucket, inheriting many advantages of the mud bucket, is additionally equipped with a hydraulic cylinder to adjust the tilt angle of the bucket, making it flexible to adapt to different working requirements. Its maximum tilt angle can reach 45 degrees, and work can be done without moving the excavator, reducing mechanical wear and fuel consumption, while also enabling fine operations that ordinary buckets cannot handle, significantly enhancing work efficiency.

Grab Bucket

Grab buckets come in various forms. The shell grab is designed like a shell, consisting of two complete bucket-like components, while the orange peel grab is made up of three or more jaw plates combined cleverly. These different types of grab buckets play a unique role in various work scenarios.

The working principle of a grab bucket relies on the hydraulic cylinder to drive the opening and closing actions, completing the grasping and operation of materials. It performs excellently in tasks like trench digging in construction sites, deep pit excavation, and loading loose materials such as coal, sand, gravel, and dirt, especially in confined spaces where its adaptability is more pronounced.

Thumb Bucket

The thumb bucket is designed to resemble a human hand, equipped with a rigid linkage connected to the excavator arm via a welded bracket. This design enables the thumb bucket to be as flexible and agile as a human hand when grasping and transporting materials.

A clever feature is a barrier-like device at the front of the bucket, which effectively reduces the likelihood of material spilling and also allows for direct grabbing of materials. When the bucket is retracted into the thumb grab, it efficiently picks up, grabs, classifies, and processes various materials and objects, adapting to different working conditions in both a practical and safe manner.

Four-in-One Bucket

The four-in-one bucket features a more complex design with a broader functionality. It combines functions such as loading, leveling, clamping, and more, integrating the capabilities of the mud bucket, rotating bucket, and earthwork bucket. This allows it to perform excellently in various operational environments.

As the functionality of the four-in-one bucket increases, the demands on the operator's technical skills rise. However, it is not suitable for tasks like trenching or ditch digging that require heavier operations. Additionally, due to the addition of more parts and functions, the maintenance workload also increases.

Excavator buckets come in various types and serve different functions. In daily operations, we often see buckets of different shapes and sizes, each carefully chosen according to specific working conditions. Let’s explore several common types of buckets and examine their unique functions and applicable scenarios.

No.1 Standard Bucket

The standard bucket, a common excavator accessory, is typically used for excavating ordinary clay and loading light materials such as sand, soil, and gravel. Its design is simple, with a large capacity and a high fill factor, providing excellent work efficiency. Additionally, its manufacturing cost is relatively low.

No.2 Reinforced Bucket

The reinforced bucket is built upon the standard bucket, with high-strength, wear-resistant steel material used to reinforce high-stress and easily worn areas. This bucket not only inherits many of the standard bucket’s advantages but also significantly improves strength and wear resistance, greatly extending its service life. The reinforced bucket is particularly suitable for digging hard soil, soft stone, and loading heavy materials like crushed stone and gravel.

No.3 Rock Bucket

The rock bucket is made from thicker plates, with special reinforcement in high-stress areas and additional strengthening ribs at the bottom. Furthermore, the wear-prone areas have thicker material, and side plates and protective plates are added to enhance its durability.

No.4 Mud Bucket

The mud bucket, also known as the dredging bucket, is specifically designed for river and ditch dredging. Its key features include the lack of bucket teeth and a wider design, making it highly suitable for reshaping slopes and flat surfaces or for dredging tasks in rivers and ditches.

No.5 Cement Bucket

The cement bucket is designed to excavate trenches of various shapes, meeting different work needs. With multiple choices of widths and shapes, such as trapezoidal, rectangular, and triangular, the cement bucket can flexibly adapt to various operational scenarios. Additionally, the trench formed by the cement bucket can be shaped in one go without further adjustment, greatly improving work efficiency.

No.6 Soil Loosening Bucket

The soil loosening bucket is designed for crushing, digging, and loading hard soil, semi-hard stone, and weathered stone. It is equipped with high-strength soil loosening teeth on the bucket, offering greater excavation force. Moreover, the loosening process is completed in one go, significantly improving operational efficiency.

No.7 Grate Bucket

The grate bucket resembles the standard bucket in appearance but features a grid-like design at the bottom, offering a larger capacity. Its primary function is separation, allowing for simultaneous excavation and separation work. This design makes the grate bucket widely used in municipal, agricultural, forestry, water conservancy, and earth-moving projects.

A track is a flexible chain loop driven by the drive wheel, operating around the drive wheel, idler wheel, tensioning wheel, and support rollers. This chain loop consists of key components such as the track plate and track pin. The track pin connects the individual track plates, forming a complete track loop.

Working Principle of the Track

The design of the track plate is ingenious, with holes at both ends that engage with the drive wheel, driving the track to work. In the middle of the track plate, induction teeth are cleverly arranged. These induction teeth not only help align the track’s direction but also effectively prevent the track from detaching during turns or when the Excavator tilts. Additionally, the surface that contacts the ground is reinforced with anti-slip ribs (commonly called tread patterns). This design not only enhances the strength of the track plate but also significantly improves the track’s grip on the ground.

Design and Function of the Idler Wheel

The idler wheel is an essential component of the Excavator. It not only supports the Excavator's weight but also helps align the direction of the track. The internal structure of the idler wheel is intricate, consisting of components such as the hub, wheel disc, rubber tape, ball bearings, axle cover, fixed nuts, and oil-seal cover. Through the combined function of multiple idler wheels, the Excavator's weight is evenly distributed, ensuring a more balanced distribution of pressure from the track on the ground. This design not only improves the Excavator's mobility but also extends its service life.

When the engine's power is transmitted to the drive wheel, the drive wheel rotates in a clockwise direction, driving the track. This driving mechanism creates a mutual force between the track’s contact with the ground and the ground itself. According to Newton’s third law of motion—action and reaction—the track exerts a force on the ground in the horizontal direction, and the ground exerts a reactive force on the track. It is this reactive force that propels the Excavator forward, known as the Excavator’s traction force.

Initially, the developers of Excavators drew inspiration from the track design of agricultural crawler tractors. For example, in 1915, the British "Little Wanderer" Excavator used the tracks of the American "Blauek" tractor. By 1916, the French "Schneider" and "Saint-Chamond" Excavators adopted the tracks of the American "Holt" tractor. After nearly 90 years of development and evolution, the track has become an indispensable part of the Excavator, with continuous improvements in its structure, materials, and manufacturing processes, providing stable support and excellent traction to enable the Excavator to meet the challenges of various combat environments.

Excavator Mobility: Power and Ground Conditions

The mobility of a Excavator is constrained by two key conditions: power conditions and ground conditions. The power condition comes from the engine, which must provide sufficient force to move the Excavator across the ground. Without this power, the drive wheel cannot rotate. The ground condition relates to the force exerted by the drive wheel through the track, which requires the ground’s reactive force (traction) to move the Excavator forward. When the traction force equals the resistance to movement, the Excavator moves at a constant speed. If the traction force exceeds the resistance, the Excavator accelerates; conversely, if the traction force is less than the resistance, the Excavator slows down.

Tracks, as a unique method of mobility, are widely used in fields such as construction machinery, agricultural machinery, and military equipment. Compared to traditional wheel hub drive systems, tracks offer distinct advantages and are suitable for specific applications.

Role of Tracks

1. Increased Contact Area: Tracks increase the contact area with the ground, dispersing the weight of the machine and thus reducing the pressure on the ground. This is especially important on soft or uneven terrain, as it effectively prevents ground damage.
2. Enhanced Traction: The design of tracks ensures good traction across various terrains. Particularly in harsh conditions like mud or snow, tracks provide much greater traction than wheels.
3. Reduced Ground Compaction: Due to the larger contact area, tracks cause less ground compaction. This is particularly important in agricultural machinery, as it helps reduce soil structure damage.
4. Stability and Passability: Track vehicles maintain better stability when traveling over uneven terrain and have superior passability compared to wheel vehicles, allowing them to easily cross obstacles.

Why Choose Tracks Over Wheels?

1. Adaptability: In complex and variable terrain, tracked vehicles are more adaptable. Wheel vehicles tend to slip or become stuck on soft or uneven surfaces, while tracked vehicles can maintain stable movement.
2. Load Capacity: Tracked vehicles generally have a greater load capacity due to more evenly distributed weight. This is particularly important for heavy machinery and transport vehicles.
3. Maintenance Costs: While the initial cost of tracks may be higher than wheels, the maintenance costs are typically lower. Tracks reduce the impact on the ground, thereby minimizing wear and tear on the vehicle itself.

Contributions of Shandong Hanyue Group in Track Technology

Shandong Hanyue Group, a leading domestic manufacturer of construction machinery, has been committed to the research and development of track technology. The group not only strives for excellence in track design but also continuously breaks new ground in material science, power systems, and intelligent control, providing efficient, reliable, and environmentally friendly track solutions for customers.

1. Innovative Design: Shandong Hanyue Group uses advanced design concepts to ensure that tracks maintain optimal performance under various working conditions. Their track products have gained widespread recognition in the market for their durability and efficiency.
2. Material Science: The group has invested heavily in the research and development of track materials, using high-strength, wear-resistant materials to extend the service life of tracks and reduce maintenance costs.
3. Intelligent Control: Shandong Hanyue Group's tracked vehicles are equipped with advanced intelligent control systems, which can automatically adjust the track tension and speed according to terrain and load, improving operational efficiency.
4. Environmental Awareness: Throughout the design and manufacturing process, Shandong Hanyue Group adheres to environmental principles, and their track products have made positive contributions to reducing environmental impact.

Conclusion

Tracks and wheels each have their advantages, but in specific fields, tracks are undoubtedly the superior choice. With its deep expertise and ongoing innovation in track technology, Shandong Hanyue Group has become a leader in the industry. The group's products not only meet the needs of domestic and international customers but also contribute significantly to the development of the construction machinery industry.