# US 12,759,598 B2 · Railroad car truck damper wedge fittings > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,598 B2 - Document ID: US12759598B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/378,955 - Filed: 2023-10-11 - Published: 2024-02-01 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-09 - Assignees: National Steel Car Limited - Applicants: National Steel Car Limited - Inventors: Jamal Hematian; Kenneth Wayne Black - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759598B2 ## CPC - B61F 5/122: {with friction surfaces} - B61F 3/02: with more than one axle - B61F 5/06: incorporating metal springs - B61F: RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES (for vehicles in general B60; axles or wheels B60B; vehicle tyres B60C) ## Abstract There is a damper wedge for a railroad car truck. It has a removable and replaceable friction element that reciprocates on the wear plate of the side frame column of the railroad car truck. It has a non-metallic wear surface; a spring seat that, in use, engages a spring of the railroad car truck; and an inclined damper wedge surface having a primary angle, alpha, and a secondary angle, beta. The inclined damper wedge surface has a curvature. The curvature has a working point. The working point is located in a central region of a contact patch, or working surface patch. The nonmetallic wear surface material is mounted to a carrier that mounts removably to the damper wedge body. The carrier has fingers that span the wedge and that transfer shear and resist torsion, the fingers preventing the non-metallic member from migrating out of position. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A friction wear assembly removably mounted to a friction damper wedge body that seats in a bolster pocket of a truck bolster of a railroad car truck, and, that in use forms the face that slides against a side frame column wear plate, wherein said friction wear assembly comprises: a carrier and a friction element secured to said carrier; said carrier being formed of a plate having a first face and a second face, said first face being opposed to said second face, said first face defining a datum surface; said friction element is mounted to said first face of said carrier, and lies forwardly of said datum surface, said friction element having a set of mechanical interlinks that mate with corresponding mechanical interlinks of said carrier rearwardly of said datum surface; said second face of said plate defining a force transfer interface that, in use, abuts the friction damper wedge body; said plate having first and second side margins; said plate having first and second fingers formed to extend rearwardly from said first and second side margins respectively; and said fingers defining shear force and moment couple transfer interfaces. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly is free of any material other than said friction element forward of said datum surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said fingers have a root width, w, and a rearward reach distance, x; and w is at least twice as great as x. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said second face of said carrier is free of rearwardly protruding obstructions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said datum surface is planar. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said set of mechanical interlinks of said carrier includes an array of holes formed in said carrier rearwardly of said datum surface. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said fingers are formed to span said damper wedge body and to lie within the dynamic profile of said damper wedge body. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said fingers are formed to clip to said damper wedge body in a sprung pre-load interference fit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said friction element is a non-metallic friction lining. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The friction wear assembly of claim 1 wherein said friction wear assembly is molded to said carrier; said mechanical interlinks of said plate include holes; and said mechanical interlinks of said friction element include molded studs that form anchors within said mechanical interlink holes of said plate. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A damper wedge assembly for a railroad car truck, that includes the friction wear assembly of claim 1 and the friction damper wedge body to which it is mounted, and wherein: said friction element being made of a non-metallic friction pad that is mounted to a forward face of said carrier and, in use, movably engages a wear surface of a side frame column of the railroad car truck; said damper wedge body has a spring seat, a rear face removably engaged in the bolster pocket, and a forwardly oriented wear member seat; said first and second fingers of said carrier extend rearwardly from said friction element and define respective engagement fittings matable with said damper wedge body; said damper wedge body has at least first and second accommodations, said first and second accommodations being formed in opposed margins of said damper wedge body; said first and second fingers of said carrier being removably engageable in said first and second accommodations of said damper wedge body; when seated in said accommodations, said first and second fingers and said first and second accommodations being in a vertical shear force transfer relationship; and said carrier being removably engaged with said damper wedge body. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11 wherein said rear face of said damper wedge body has a primary angle, alpha, and a transverse secondary angle, beta; and said damper wedge assembly is provided as a matching pair of such assemblies of which a first member of the pair has a right-handed beta angle, and a second member of the pair has a left-handed beta angle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11 wherein said damper wedge body has a diagonal face formed on a curvature, and said curvature has a working point in rocking contact with a slope face of the bolster pocket of the bolster of the railroad car truck. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11, wherein as installed said damper wedge body is in rolling contact with the bolster pocket at a working point. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The damper wedge assembly of claim 14 wherein said damper wedge body is hollow; said damper wedge body has an internal web extending forwardly of said working point between said spring seat, said rear face, and said wear member seat. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11 wherein: said wear member seat includes at least first and second accommodations, said first and second accommodations being spaced apart spanwise; said engagement fittings of said plate of said carrier include at least a first engagement fitting and a second engagement fitting, said first and second engagement fittings being opposed and spaced apart to span said carrier; said first engagement fitting of said plate of said carrier removably engages said first accommodation of said damper wedge body; said second engagement fitting of said plate of said carrier removably engages said second accommodation of said damper wedge body. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11 wherein: said plate of said carrier is free of any material other than said friction element forward of said datum surface; said second face of said carrier is free of rearwardly protruding obstructions; said datum surface is planar; and said set of mechanical interlinks of said carrier includes an array of holes formed in said carrier rearwardly of said datum surface. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11 wherein said fingers are formed to span said damper wedge body and to lie within the dynamic profile of said damper wedge body; and said fingers are formed to clip to said damper wedge body in a sprung pre-load interference fit. ### Claim 19 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11 wherein said friction element is a non-metallic friction lining; said friction wear assembly is molded to said carrier; said mechanical interlinks of said plate of said carrier include holes; and said mechanical interlinks of said friction element include molded studs that form anchors within said mechanical interlink holes of said plate of said carrier. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The damper wedge assembly of claim 11 wherein said fingers of said plate of said carrier have a root width, w, and a rearward reach distance, x; and w is at least twice as great as x.