Attachment of a lip shroud

Abstract

A method of locking a lip shroud to a cable shovel includes the use of a lock having a locating portion and an activating portion. The locating portion is arranged to be positioned within an aperture of the lip. The activating portion has varying effective length, and is arranged to be tightened such that it locks between a bearing surface of the lip and bearing surface of the lip shroud. In this way the lip shroud is locked to the lip of the cable shovel bucket.

1 . A wear assembly arranged to locate over a lip of a digging apparatus, the lip having a first face and a second face, the lip having an aperture extending between the first face and the second face, the aperture including an engaging surface and a bearing surface;
 the wear assembly including a wear member having at least one extending leg, the extending leg having an outer surface arranged to face away from the first face of the lip and an inner surface arranged to face towards the first face of the lip, and a lock-receiving opening extending between the outer surface of the extending leg and the inner surface of the extending leg;   the lock-receiving opening and the aperture of the lip being arranged, when aligned, to form a through-hole;   the wear assembly including a lock having a lock body and an actuator, the lock body having a locating portion and an active portion, the locating portion being arranged to locate within the lip aperture, the locating portion having an engaging surface arranged to engage with the engaging surface of the lip aperture and a bearing surface arranged to bear against the bearing surface of the lip aperture,   the active portion being arranged to locate within the lock-receiving opening of the wear member, the active portion having an effective length,   the actuator being located within the active portion of the lock body;   the actuator being operable to alter the effective length of the active portion of the lock body,   the actuator having a bearing surface arranged to bear against a bearing surface of the wear member and thus restrain disengagement of the wear assembly from the lip.   
     
     
         2 . A wear assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the lock is formed as a discrete assembly. 
     
     
         3 . A wear assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bearing surface of the wear member is located within the lock-receiving opening. 
     
     
         4 . A wear assembly as claimed in claim  4 , wherein the bearing surface is oriented so as to face towards a wear end of the wear member. 
     
     
         5 . A wear assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the actuator is able to be extended in an axial direction between a release position and a locked position, the actuator having an axial length when in the locked position greater than when in the release position. 
     
     
         6 . A wear assembly as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the actuator has an extendible member, such that extension of the extendible member alters the effective length of the active portion of the lock body. 
     
     
         7 . A wear assembly as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the extendible member is formed by an externally threaded adjustment bolt located within an internally threaded barrel nut, the barrel nut having an outer head that forms the bearing surface of the actuator. 
     
     
         8 . A wear assembly as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the aperture of the lip has a first wall representing the bearing surface, the first wall being opposed to a second wall, the engaging surface being located on the second wall. 
     
     
         9 . A wear assembly as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the engaging surface is formed by a shoulder located on the second wall. 
     
     
         10 . A wear member arranged to locate over a lip of a digging apparatus, the wear member having at least one extending leg, the extending leg having an outer surface arranged to face away from the lip and an inner surface arranged to face towards the lip, and a lock-receiving opening extending between the outer surface of the extending leg and the inner surface of the extending leg; wherein a bearing surface of the wear member is located within the lock-receiving opening, the bearing surface being oriented towards a wear end of the wear member. 
     
     
         11 . A wear member as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the bearing surface is annular. 
     
     
         12 . A bucket of a digging apparatus, the bucket having an outer lip, the lip having a first face and a second face, the lip having an aperture extending between the first face and the second face, the aperture including an engaging surface and a bearing surface; wherein the aperture has a first wall representing the bearing surface, the first wall being opposed to a second wall, the engaging surface being formed by a shoulder located on the second wall. 
     
     
         13 . A bucket of a digging apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the shoulder extends across the second wall in a direction parallel to the first face of the lip. 
     
     
         14 . A bucket of a digging apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the distance between the first wall and the second wall is greater at the second face of the lip than at the first face of the lip. 
     
     
         15 . A bucket of a digging apparatus as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein the digging apparatus is a cable shovel. 
     
     
         16 . A lock for a ground engaging tool, the lock having a lock body and an actuator, the lock body having a locating portion and an active portion, the locating portion being arranged to locate within an aperture of a lip of a digging apparatus;
 the locating portion having an engaging surface arranged to engage with an engaging surface of the aperture and a bearing surface arranged to bear against a bearing surface of the aperture, the active portion being arranged to locate within a lock-receiving opening of the ground engaging tool, the active portion having an effective length;   the actuator being receivable within the active portion of the lock body;   the actuator being operable to alter the effective length of the active portion of the lock body;   the actuator having a bearing surface arranged to bear against a bearing surface of the ground engaging tool.   
     
     
         17 . A lock for a ground engaging tool as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the actuator is able to be extended in an axial direction between a release position and a locked position, the actuator having an axial length when in the locked position greater than when in the release position. 
     
     
         18 . A lock for a ground engaging tool as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the actuator has an extendible member, such that extension of the extendible member alters the axial length of the actuator. 
     
     
         19 . A lock for a ground engaging tool as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the extendible member is formed by an externally threaded adjustment bolt located within an internally threaded barrel nut. 
     
     
         20 . A lock for a ground engaging tool as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the locating portion of the lock body has a front wall including the bearing surface and an actuate tail portion. 
     
     
         21 . A lock for a ground engaging tool as claimed in  claim 20 , wherein the bearing surface is planar, and is oriented at about 10° away from perpendicular to the effective length of the active portion. 
     
     
         22 . A lock for a ground engaging tool as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the locating portion of the lock body has a rear wall including a first portion extending away from the active portion, and a second portion extending away from the first portion at an obtuse bend. 
     
     
         23 . A lock for a ground engaging tool as claimed in  claim 22 , wherein the obtuse bend is between 90° and 120°. 
     
     
         24 . A method of locking a wear assembly over a lip of a digging apparatus, the lip having a first face and a second face, the lip having an aperture extending between the first face and the second face, the aperture including an engaging surface and a bearing surface;
 the wear assembly including a wear member having at least one extending leg, the extending leg having an outer surface arranged to face away from the first face of the lip and an inner surface arranged to face towards the first face of the lip, and a lock-receiving opening extending between the outer surface of the extending leg and the inner surface of the extending leg;   the wear assembly including a lock having a lock body and an actuator, the lock body having a locating portion and an active portion;   the method including the steps of:   positioning the wear member over the lip such that the lock-receiving opening and the aperture of the lip are aligned and form a through-hole;   positioning the lock in the through-hole such that the locating portion locates within the lip aperture and the active portion locates within the lock-receiving opening,   engaging an engaging surface of the lock with the engaging surface of the lip aperture; and   operating the actuator to increase the axial length of the actuator such that a bearing surface of the lock body bears against the bearing surface of the lip aperture and a bearing surface of the actuator bears against a bearing surface of the wear member.