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United States Patent (19) 11, 3,719,403

Sung (45) March 6, 1973
54 CRANE BOOM HAVING WEAR PADS 3,243,052 3/1966 Grove..................................... 212/55
432,372 7/1890 Clapp................................... 312/332
75) Inventor: Fu-Tien Sung, Waynesboro, Pa. 3,233,376 2/1966 Naillon et al. .30813 R
73 Assignee: Walter Kidde & Company, Inc., 3,462,023 8/1969 Grove.....................................212/55
Clifton, N.J. ...
Primary Examiner-Milton Kaufman
22 Filed: Nov. 17, 1970 Assistant Examiner-R. H. Lazarus
21 Appl. No.: 90,320 Attorney-Brady, O'Boyle & Gates
57) ABSTRACT
52 U.S.C..........................................308/3, 212/55
51l Int. Cl...............................................F16c 25/02 Wear pads or bearings for telescoping crane booms
58 Field of Search 312/332,334,335,341 NR consists of units on the rear and top and forward end
312/339 340,345. 30873 A 3 R: 92.5i 52. and bottom of adjacent telescoping sections. Each
53. 21255, is22. 52/1 15 16 17 18. wear pad unit comprises plural wear pad or plate sec
p y y 119 121 tions floatingly mounted on cushioning elements
within a retainer. The strength or spring constant of
O the cushioning elements may vary within the units to
56) References Cited meet conditions of varying stress. The wear pad units
UNITED STATES PATENTS are self-adjusting to accommodate inherent angularity
3, 68,355 2/1965 Rudolph...............................30813 R between telescoping boom sections.
3,620,579 1 1/1971 Brown.............................308/DEG, 8 5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures

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1. 2
CRANE BOOMHAVINGWEARPADS FIG. 5 is a similar section taken on line 5-5 of FIG.
In the prior art relating to plural section telescoping 3;
crane booms of the type consisting of rectangular box FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing on an exag
like boom sections, it has been customary to equip each gerated scale the self-adjusting or self-seating ability of
section with wear pads at its rear end and upper side to the wear pad elements;
frictionally engage the top wall of the next outermost FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 3
section of the boom. In like manner, the forward end showing a modification; and
and bottom of each boom section is provided with wear FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section
pads to frictionally engage the bottom wall of the next taken online 8-8 of FIG. 7.
innermost telescoping boom section. The wear pads are 10
flat single plate elements held in some form of rigid DETAILED DESCRIPTION
retainer on the particular boom section carrying them. Referring to the drawings in detail wherein like nu
Wear pads are preferred over roller devices because merals
the heavy stresses involved can be distributed over a 15 first to designate
FIG. 1,
like parts throughout, and referring
wherein there is shown a fragmentary
wide area, rollers being essentially line contact devices. portion of a telescoping crane
In practice, however, difficulty is experienced with tion 10 and one midsection 11,boom both
including a fly sec
being rectangular
conventional wear pads particularly when the telescop box members in cross section. The boom in question
ing boom sections are extended under load near the may embody three, four or even five telescoping
maximum possible extent. Under these conditions, 20 tions including a base section. In any case, accordingsec to
there is a certain amount of inherent canting between prior art practices, wear pads or plates 12 are conven
interfitting boom sections and this canting produces an tionally secured to the rear end and upper side of each
gularity between the friction faces of the wear pads and boom section which must telescope into a next outer
the walls of the boom sections on which they ride. As a most section, and in like manner similar wear pads 13
result, excessive wear and binding near the corners of 25 are conventionally secured at the forward end and
the wear pads results and uneven wear takes place and, lower side of each boom section which must receive
after a period of time, the wear pads must be replaced.
Additionally, when the stress becomes concentrated at telescopically therein a next innermost section. The
the corners of the wear pads, the advantage of stress conventional prior art wear pads 12 and 13 are seated
distribution over an area is lost and the wear pads 30 in some form of rigid retainer on the boom section car
become no better than rollers. Also, this stress concen rying them and the wear pads constitute unitary rela
tration will produce excessive stress and flexure in the tively large area pads which do not have the ability to
walls of the box-like boom sections which they contact. adjust or seat themselves automatically against the
In view of the above defect in the prior art, it is the faces of the boom sections which they oppose. Con
purpose of this invention to provide greatly improved 35 sequently, when the adjacent boom sections become
and more efficient wear pad units for the telescoping canted, particularly near the limit of their extension as
sections of crane booms wherein the wear pad or bear shown exaggerated in FIG. 1, the corner regions only of
ing plate elements are floatingly supported in their the wear pads will frictionally engage the opposing sur
retainers or resilient cushioning elements and therefore faces of the boom sections and the wear pads, to a great
have the ability to adjust automatically their wear faces 40 extent, will lose their ability to distribute stresses over
to compensate for the canting of boom sections as the relatively wide surface areas. In the extreme, a line con
boom is extended. According to the invention, the wear tact condition between the corners of the wear pads
pad units may consist of plural pad elements in and the opposing walls of the boom sections will be ap
dividually supported on cushioning elements whose proached with an undesirably high concentration of
spring constant or strength may be varied to meet par 45 stresses on the top and bottom walls of adjacent boom
ticular conditions of loading or stress at that particular sections producing bending and distortion thereof. As a
pad element. The wear pad units are therefore self-ad result of this, it is customary to heavily reinforce the
justing and have the ability to maintain full face-to-face top and bottom boom section walls throughout their
frictional contact with the boom section walls which lengths by reinforcing plates 14.
they oppose during operation. 50 Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 6, an improved
Other features and advantages of the invention will form of wear pad constituting the subject of the present
be apparent during the course of the following descrip invention is illustrated. The improved wear pad struc
tion. ture is shown in conjunction with a plural section
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES 55 telescoping crane boom including boom sections 15, 16
and 17. As shown in FIG. 3, each individual boom sec
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic representation in cross sec tion is a rectangular box member fabricated from
tion of a crane boom equipped with wear pads in ac welded plate stock. Each boom section includes top
cordance with the prior art and illustrating on an exag walls or webs 18, 18' and 18', bottom walls 19, 19' and
gerated scale the canted condition of a pair of inter 60 19' and vertical side walls 20, 20' and 20'. In the em
fitting boom sections; bodiment shown, the side walls 20, 20' and 20' are
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, partly in spaced inwardly of the longitudinal edges of the top
elevation, through a telescoping crane boom equipped and bottom walls of the particular box-like boom sec
with the wear pads of the invention; tions to allow placement of the wear pads substantially
FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on the 65 directly above and below the vertical side walls 20, 20'
staggered line 3-3 in FIG. 2; and 20' so that the latter will function as columns
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken on under loading and the top and bottom walls of the
line 4-4 of FG, 3; boom sections will be substantially relieved of trans
 3,719,403
3 4
verse bending stresses. It should be understood, how tion locally. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bottom wall
ever, that the improved wear pads of this invention may of the particular boom section is also provided with
also be employed successfully with box-like boom sec openings 32 immediately above the recesses 29 to
tions constructed by other methods known in the art. receive and retain the wear pads 27. The wear pads 27
As shown in the drawings, the improved wear pads of the lower assemblies function in the same manner
comprise upper and lower pairs of assernblies 21 and and possess the same advantages as described above for
lower pairs of assemblies 22 located respectively in the upper assemblies 21.
laterally spaced relation on the rear and top of each FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings depict a modification
boom section which must telescope into a next outer of the invention wherein single elongated upper and
most section and on the front and bottom of each boom 10 lower wear pads 33 and 34 are employed in the assem
section which must receive telescopically a next inner blies in lieu of the plural smaller sectional wear pads of
most section. the previous embodiment. Beneath each elongated
Considering a typical upper wear plate assembly 21, wear pad 33 and 34 in the retainer cavity 35 or 36 is a
the same comprises a plurality, such as three, individual 15 single leaf spring 37 of sufficient strength to render the
relatively small wear pads or plates 23 having flat wear associated pad firmly seated against the opposing walk
faces for direct frictional contact with the opposing top of the next adjacent boom section and essentially self
wall of the next outermost boom section 15 or 16 in adjusting. As in the previous embodiment, the single
FIG. 2. The wear plates 23 of each unit are positioned pads 33 and 34 float on the springs 37 and a complete
in elongated rectangular retainer recesses 24 of rein 20 surface contact between the wear faces of the pads and
forcing plates 25 which span the top walls of the boom the opposing boom section walls is assured with a
sections carrying them transversely and are securely resulting load distribution over a considerable surface
welded to such a top walls to locally reinforce the same area, even when boom sections are canted as in FIGS. 1
as shown in the drawings. Beneath each wear pad sec and 6. All other parts and their functions are identical
tion 23 in each retainer recess 24 is a belleville spring 25 to corresponding parts in the previous embodiment and
26 having its tapered end facing upwardly as best no further description of the structure in FIGS. 7 and 8
shown in FIG. 3. Belleville springs are suitable because is deemed to be necessary for a proper understanding
they are essentially stiff small displacement springs and of the modification.
no large displacement is required in the present appli The terms and expressions which have been en
cation. The belleville springs simply serve to cushion 30 ployed herein are used as terms of description and not
the individual wear pads 23 and render the same self of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of
adjusting or self-seating against the flat opposing wall such terms and expressions, of excluding any
of the next outermost boom section. This feature allows equivalents of the features shown and described or por
the wear pads 23 to compensate automatically for cant 35
tions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifica
ing of adjacent boom sections and this ability to adjust tions are possible within the scope of the invention
or compensate is shown graphically and on a somewhat claimed.
exaggerated scale in FIG. 6. In this figure, it can be ob I claim:
served that the upper wear pads 23 are all totally con 1. In an extensible telescoping crane boom, a pair of
tacting the top wall of the boom section 16 despite the 40 telescopically interfitting boom sections each having
canted relationship of the boom sections 16 and 17. side webs and a top and a bottom web, upper and lower
The high concentration of stresses discussed in connec load supporting wear pad assemblies respectively on
tion with FIG. 1 is completely avoided and the wear on the rear end and top of the interior boom section inter
the pad elements 23 is drastically reduced. posed between and being substantially parallel with the
Another feature of the invention is that the in 45 top webs of the two boom sections and on the forward
dividual belleville springs 26 may be varied in strength end and bottom of the exterior boom section inter
or stiffness to counteract the stress or loading on a par posed between and being substantially parallel with the
ticular pad. For example, again referring to FIG. 6, the closely adjacent bottom webs of the two boom sections,
rearmost wear pads 23 on the boom section 17 should upper and lower pairs of wear pads included in said
have the strongest springs under them because the 50 upper and lower wear padassemblies, the improvement
heaviest loading is at this location. In any case, how comprising said lower wear pad assembly including a
ever, all that is required is a spring force sufficient to heavy retainer plate connected beneath the bottom
assure proper load distribution over the entire flat face web of the exterior boom section and having retaining
of the wear pad in question. As stated, each pad ele recesses therein located directly below said side webs
ment 23 is floatingly supported on its own cushion or of the interior boom section, belleville springs having a .
spring element and is essentially self-adjusting or self small vertical height resting in the bottoms of said
seating. recesses, the wear pads of the lower pad resting on top
Referring not to the lower wear pad assemblies 22, of said belleville springs and extending upwardly
FIG. 5, each of these embodies the same plurality of through retaining apertures in the bottom web of the
rectangular wear pad sections 27 which may be identi 60 exterior boom section and engaging the bottom web of
cal to the elements 23. Beneath each pad section 27 is a the interior boom section, said belleville springs opera
belleville spring 28 similar or identical to the springs 26 tive to universally resiliently urge said wear pads of the
of the upper assemblies. The pads 27 and springs 28 are lower pair into substantially complete seating engage
located in retaining recesses 29 of bottom U-shaped 65 ment with the bottom web of the interior boom section,
reinforcing straps 30 whose opposite vertical side por the wear pads of the upper and lower pairs being
tions 31 are welded to the vertical walls of the particu located directly above and below said side webs of the
lar boom section in question to reinforce this boom sec interior boom section for transmitting forces directly
 3,719,403
S 6
thereto, and the side webs functioning substantially as
columns to absorb said forces.
2. An extensible telescoping crane boom as set forth
in claim 1 including plural separate closely spaced bel
leville springs in each of said retaining recesses ar
ranged longitudinally of the exterior boom section, and
said wear pads of the lower pair each comprising a cor
responding number of separate load supporting wear
pad sections resting on the respective belleville springs
and each being substantially universally self-adjusting.
3. An extensible telescoping crane boom as set forth
in claim 1 in which said upper wear pad assembly in
cludes a heavy retainer plate connected to the top of
the top web of the interior boom section and having
retaining recessed therein located directly above said
side webs of the interior boom section, upper belleville
springs having a small vertical height resting in the bot
toms of said recesses, the wear pads of the upper pair
resting on top of said upper belleville springs and ex
tending upwardly through and above the retaining
recesses into engagement with the top web of the ex
terior boom section.
4. The structure of claim 9, and said retaining
recesses being elongated rectangular recesses posi
tioned horizontally of the boom, said load supporting
wear pad sections each comprising a substantially
10 square flat plate element and the several plate elements
within each recess substantially filling the recess.
5. The structure of claim 9 and said belleville springs
in each retaining recess being of unequal strength with
the strongest belleville spring disposed beneath the
15 load supporting wear pad section closest to the forward
end of the exterior boom section which is resisting the
greatest load.
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