Endless track for traction of a vehicle

Abstract

A track for traction of an off-road vehicle such as an agricultural vehicle, a construction vehicle, a snowmobile, or another vehicle operable off-road. The track is mountable around a track-engaging assembly comprising a drive wheel for driving the track. The track is elastomeric to be flexible around the track-engaging assembly. The track comprises an inner surface for facing the track-engaging assembly, a ground-engaging outer surface for engaging the ground, and a plurality of traction projections projecting from the ground-engaging outer surface. The track may have various features to enhance its traction, its floatation, and/or other aspects relating to use and performance of a track system of the vehicle.

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         4 . A track for traction of an off-road vehicle, the track being mountable around a track-engaging assembly comprising a drive wheel for driving the track, the track being elastomeric to be flexible around the track-engaging assembly, the track comprising:
 a carcass comprising an inner surface for facing the track-engaging assembly and a ground-engaging outer surface for engaging the ground; and   a plurality of traction projections projecting from the ground-engaging outer surface;   
       wherein the carcass has an asymmetric rigidity such that the carcass is stiffer when subject to loading tending to bend the carcass in a given way than when subject to loading tending to bend the carcass in an opposite way. 
     
     
         5 . A track for traction of an off-road vehicle, the track being mountable around a track-engaging assembly comprising a drive wheel for driving the track, the track being elastomeric to be flexible around the track-engaging assembly, the track comprising:
 a carcass comprising an inner surface for facing the track-engaging assembly and a ground-engaging outer surface for engaging the ground; and   a plurality of traction projections projecting from the ground-engaging outer surface;   
       wherein a widthwise rigidity of the carcass when subject to loading tending to bend the carcass inwardly is different from the widthwise rigidity of the carcass when subject to loading tending to bend the carcass outwardly. 
     
     
         6 . A track for traction of an off-road vehicle, the track being mountable around a track-engaging assembly comprising a drive wheel for driving the track, the track being elastomeric to be flexible around the track-engaging assembly, the track comprising:
 a carcass comprising an inner surface for facing the track-engaging assembly and a ground-engaging outer surface for engaging the ground; and   a plurality of traction projections projecting from the ground-engaging outer surface;   
       wherein a longitudinal rigidity of the carcass when subject to loading tending to bend the carcass inwardly is different from the longitudinal rigidity of the carcass when subject to loading tending to bend the carcass outwardly. 
     
     
         7 . A track for traction of an off-road vehicle, the track being mountable around a track-engaging assembly comprising a plurality of wheels that includes a drive wheel for driving the track, the track being elastomeric to be flexible around the track-engaging assembly, the track comprising:
 a carcass comprising an inner surface for facing the track-engaging assembly and a ground-engaging outer surface for engaging the ground; and   a plurality of traction projections projecting from the ground-engaging outer surface;   
       wherein the carcass is bent in a widthwise direction of the track and deformable in the widthwise direction of the track under loading from respective ones of the wheels. 
     
     
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         9 . A track for traction of an off-road vehicle, the track being mountable around a track-engaging assembly comprising a drive wheel for driving the track, the track being elastomeric to be flexible around the track-engaging assembly, the track comprising:
 a carcass comprising elastomeric material, an inner surface for facing the track-engaging assembly, and a ground-engaging outer surface for engaging the ground; and   a plurality of traction projections projecting from the ground-engaging outer surface;   
       wherein the carcass comprises a first reinforcing layer embedded in the elastomeric material between a neutral axis of the carcass and the inner surface and a second reinforcing layer embedded in the elastomeric material between the neutral axis of the carcass and the ground-engaging outer surface and having a different stiffness in a given direction of the track than the first reinforcing layer. 
     
     
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