Wheel roller having a log chain forging or a carrier link forging for an 88 series chain

Abstract

A wheel roller for a chain conveyor of an automated carwash has a more robust configuration due to a direction connection of the wheels to the carrier link. The wheel roller contains a carrier link forging having a main body with a carrier link formed as an unitary component, pins secured to the main body in a fixed, non-pivotable manner, and wheels attached to the pins.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A wheel roller, comprising:
 a carrier link forging having a main body and a carrier link formed as a unitary component, said carrier link having a front end and a rear end and disposed below said main body, said main body having openings formed therein and extending completely through said main body, said main body having a front end extending past said front end of said carrier link and a rear end extending past said rear end of said carrier link, said carrier link being formed to connect to an adjacent carrier link and forming part of a conveyor chain, said carrier link being C-shaped with two opposing arms having a gap formed between said arms; 
 pins disposed in said openings in said main body and fixed to said main body in a non-pivotable manner; and 
 wheels supported by said pins and said wheels disposed on opposing sides of said main body. 
 
     
     
       2. The wheel roller according to  claim 1 , wherein said main body has two said openings formed therein and one of said pins is disposed in each of said openings. 
     
     
       3. The wheel roller according to  claim 2 , wherein said carrier link forging has a sub-body disposed directly below said main body and above said carrier link, said sub-body is formed as a part of said unitary component. 
     
     
       4. The wheel roller according to  claim 1 , wherein said carrier link forging has a center of gravity disposed directly above said carrier link. 
     
     
       5. A wheel roller, comprising:
 a carrier link forging having a main body and a carrier link formed as a unitary component, said carrier link having a front end and a rear end and disposed below said main body, said main body having two openings formed therein and extending completely through said main body, said carrier link forging further having a sub-body disposed directly below said main body and above said carrier link, said sub-body is formed as a part of said unitary component, wherein said main body having a top surface with sides and said sides overlap said sub-body; 
 pins, one of said pins disposed in each of said openings in said main body and fixed to said main body in a non-pivotable manner, a first reinforcement surrounding a first of said openings and a second reinforcement surrounding a second of said openings, said first reinforcement being separated from said second reinforcement by a portion of said sub-body; and 
 wheels supported by said pins. 
 
     
     
       6. The wheel roller according to  claim 5 , wherein said sides of said top surface each have a reinforcement said first and second reinforcements which extends extend down over sides of said sub-body and said first and second reinforcements directly contact said sub-body. 
     
     
       7. The wheel roller according to  claim 6 , wherein said openings run completely through said reinforcement first and second reinforcements and said sub-body. 
     
     
       8. The wheel roller according to  claim 6 , wherein said reinforcements each have two circular sub-reinforcement parts in which said openings are formed. 
     
     
       9. A wheel roller, comprising:
 a carrier link forging having a main body and a carrier link formed as a unitary component, said carrier link having a front end, a rear end, and a bottom and is disposed directly below said main body, said bottom of said carrier link being C-shaped with two opposing arms having a gap formed between said arms for linking to another carrier link of another carrier link forging and forming part of a conveyor chain, said main body having openings formed therein and extending completely through said main body; 
 pins disposed in said openings and secured to said main body in a fixed, non-pivotable manner; 
 wheels supported by said pins; 
 said carrier link having a first longitudinal extent; 
 said main body having a second longitudinal extent; and 
 said carrier link is disposed below said main body and the first longitudinal extent does not exceed boundaries of the second longitudinal extent and is within the boundaries of the second longitudinal extent. 
 
     
     
       10. A wheel roller, comprising:
 a carrier link forging having a single main body and a carrier link formed as a unitary component, said carrier link having a front end and a rear end and disposed below said single main body, said single main body having openings formed therein and extending completely through said single main body; 
 pins disposed in said openings in said single main body and fixed to said single main body in a non-pivotable manner; 
 wheels supported by said pins; 
 said carrier link further containing:
 two spaced apart legs with openings formed therein and each having a front end and a rear end, said two spaced apart legs are both supported by said single main body; 
 a link connecting housing having end sides, said link connecting housing disposed between inner sides of said legs and each of said end sides respectively connected to said rear end of one of said legs; and 
 said front end of said legs together defining a pocket for receiving a rear end of an adjacent carrier link. 
 
 
     
     
       11. The wheel roller according to  claim 10 , further comprising horizontal webs connected between one of said legs and said sub-body. 
     
     
       12. A wheel roller, comprising:
 a carrier link forging having a main body and a carrier link formed as a unitary component, said carrier link having a front end, a rear end, and a bottom and is disposed directly below said main body, said bottom of said carrier link being C-shaped with two opposing arms having a gap formed between said arms for linking to another carrier link forging, said main body having openings formed therein and extending completely through said main body, said main body having an underside with a recessed pocket formed therein for receiving said carrier link;   pins disposed in said openings and secured to said main body in a fixed, non-pivotable manner; and   wheels supported by said pins.   
     
     
       13. The wheel roller according to claim  12   1 , wherein:
 said carrier link has a first length L 1 , 
 said main body has a second length L 2 ; 
 wherein a ratio of L 2 /L 1  is less than 1.5. 
 
     
     
       14. The wheel roller according to claim  12   1 , wherein main body has sides which overlap and extend along sides of said carrier link. 
     
     
       15. The wheel roller according to  claim 14 , wherein each of said sides of said main body has a front circular shaped reinforcement and a rear circular reinforcement, said front and rear circular shaped reinforcements have said openings running completely through said front and rear circular shaped reinforcements. 
     
     
       16. The wheel roller according to  claim 15 , wherein said front and rear circular shaped reinforcements are each directly disposed above one of said arms of said carrier link. 
     
     
       17. The wheel roller according to  claim 12 , wherein said carrier link forging has a center of gravity disposed directly above said carrier link. 
     
     
       18. The wheel roller according to  claim 1 , wherein said wheels are supported by a single said main body.  
     
     
       19. The wheel roller according to  claim 5 , wherein said main body has a front end extending past said front end of said carrier link and a rear end extending past said rear end of said carrier link.  
     
     
       20. The wheel roller according to  claim 6 , wherein said openings run completely through said first and second reinforcements.  
     
     
       21. The wheel roller according to  claim 5 , wherein said carrier link is C-shaped with two opposing arms having a gap formed between said arms.  
     
     
       22. The wheel roller according to  claim 9 , wherein said wheels are disposed on opposing sides of said main body.  
     
     
       23. The wheel roller according to  claim 10 , wherein said pocket surrounds the adjacent carrier link on at least three sides.  
     
     
       24. The wheel roller according to  claim 10 , wherein said pocket surrounds the adjacent carrier link on at least four sides.  
     
     
       25. The wheel roller according to  claim 10 , wherein said legs have at least one section which is tapered.  
     
     
       26. The wheel roller according to  claim 10 , further comprising horizontal webs connected between one of said legs and said single main body, said horizontal webs spacing said legs from said single main body in a horizontal direction.