Railway truck damping assembly

In a railway truck assembly the combination comprising:

• a pair of laterally spaced elongated, upstanding rigid axle supported structures, each having a generally longitudinally central open area;
• a rigid car body support structure having portions thereof extending within said open areas;
• generally vertically extending spring arrangements carried by said axle supported structures and engaging undersurfaces of said portions of said car body support structure, respectively to support said car body support structure for relative movement with respect to said axle supported structures;
• each said portion having pockets which open downwardly and outwardly toward the longitudinal ends of said axle supported structure, said pockets including sloping surfaces which converge toward a point generally longitudinally centrally of said axle supported structure;
• said axle supported structures having essentially vertically extending first surface means located outwardly adjacent said open end of a respective one of said pockets and each said vertically extending first surface means comprising a pair of laterally adjacent first surfaces which diverge from the respective said pocket;
• metal friction shoe means supported adjacent said laterally adjacent first surfaces, each said friction shoe means including a pair of laterally adjacent vertically extending second surface portions which are maintained in complementary slideable engagement with said laterally adjacent first surfaces, respectively;
• each said friction shoe means having a surface extending generally in spaced confronting relationship to said sloping surface of the respective said pocket to provide a respective pair of spaced confronting surfaces;
• helical coil spring means engageable in biased engagement with downwardly facing surfaces of said friction shoe means and supported with respect thereto to maintain said friction shoe means in biased engagement within said pockets, respectively;
• elastomeric means located between said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces with spaced exterior surfaces thereof engaging said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces, respectively, at least one of said exterior surfaces of each said elastomeric means being slideable with respect to the one of said pair of spaced confronting surfaces in engagement therewith;
• and
• each said helical coil spring means exerting a biasing force on the respective said friction shoe means with said biasing force being maintained at a substantially uniform magnitude when the respective said friction shoe means is stationary relative to the respective said laterally adjacent first surfaces.

In a railway truck assembly having a pair of elongated, laterally spaced metal side frames each having a longitudinally central open area and an elongated metal bolster having the ends thereof extending at least into said open areas, respectively, and supported therein by partially compressed spring arrangements supported by said side frames and having the upper end portions thereof in engagement with the undersurfaces of said ends of said bolster, respectively, to support said bolster for movement relative to said side frames, wherein each end of said bolster has opposed downwardly open and open ended pockets with sloping inner surface means that converge downwardly with respect to each other and each of said side frames has at each of the longitudinally spaced ends of said open area an essentially vertically extending first surface located outwardly adjacent the open end of the respective one of said pockets adjacent thereto and forming a given included angle with the respective sloping inner surface means, a friction assembly comprising:

• a metal friction means located in a given one of said pockets and adjacent the respective one of said first surfaces with a vertically extending second surface thereof in slidable engagement with such a first surface, said friction means having laterally spaced surface means extending in spaced confronting relationship to the respective sloping inner surface means of such a pocket to provide respective, laterally spaced pairs of confronting surfaces;
• elastomeric means located between said pairs of confronting surfaces with spaced exterior surfaces of said elastomeric means being engageable with the respective said confronting surfaces;
• at least one of said exterior surfaces of said elastomeric means being slidable with respect to the one of said confronting surfaces in engagement therewith;
• helical coil spring means engageable with said friction means in a manner to bias said friction means into engagement with the respective first surface to maintain a normal force therebetween and to bias said elastomeric means into engagement with the respective sloping inner surface;
• said elastomeric means being deformable in a manner to control and limit said normal force to maintain said second surface in stationary engagement with such a first surface during an initial portion of relative movement of said bolster with respect to said side frames.

A railway truck assembly comprising:

• a pair of elongated, laterally spaced upstanding rigid side frames each having an elongated opening with opposed, longitudinally spaced and essentially vertically extending first surfaces;
• an elongated rigid bolster having longitudinal end portions thereof located intermediate said vertical first surfaces, respectively;
• upwardly extending spring arrangements carried by said side frames with the upper ends thereof in engagement with the undersurfaces of said bolster to support said bolster for movement relative to said side frames;
• each said end portion of said bolster having a pair of pocket means which open outwardly toward the respective said vertical first surfaces and downwardly, each said pocket means including sloping inner surfaces which diverge downwardly with respect to said vertical first surfaces, respectively;
• friction assemblies received within said pocket means with each said friction assembly comprising a rigid friction member and an elastomeric means;
• each said rigid friction member having an essentially vertically extending second surface disposed in slideable engagement with the respective said vertical first surface, and another surface extending generally in spaced essentially parallel and coextensive relationship with the respective said sloping inner surface to provide pairs of spaced confronting surfaces;
• said elastomeric means being located between said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces with spaced exterior surfaces thereof in engagement with said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces, respectively;
• helical coil spring means engageable in biased engagement with said friction assemblies and supported with respect thereto for biasing said friction assemblies into engagement with said vertical first surfaces and said sloping inner surfaces, respectively;
• said elastomeric means being resiliently deformable to permit relative movement between the respective said rigid friction member and said bolster in engagement therewith and to provide the sole direct connection between the respective said rigid friction member and said bolster throughout such relative movement therebetween;
• at least one of said exterior surfaces of each said elastomeric means being slideable with respect to the one of said pair of spaced confronting surfaces in engagement therewith;
• and
• said elastomeric means being deformable under loading imposed thereon by said bolster and the respective said rigid friction member in a mnner to permit a range of vertical movement of said friction member with respect to said bolster and to maintain said vertically extending second surfaces of said friction member in stationery engagement with said first surfaces, respectively, during relative movement of said bolster with respect to said side frames which includes movement in either of one of opposite vertical directions until such movement in either of said opposite vertical directions is of an extent that at least one of said friction members slides over the one of said first surfaces cooperable therewith, with said extent being relatively constant throughout repeated cycles of said movement in said opposite vertical directions.

A railway truck assembly comprising:

• a pair of laterally spaced rigid first structures adapted to be supported by railway truck wheels;
• an elongated rigid second structure adapted to support a car body and having longitudinal ends thereof located adjacent said first structures, respectively;
• spring arrangements extending generally vertically between said first and second structures, respectively, to support said second structure for movement relative to said first structures;
• each said longitudinal end having a portion which is cooperable with an adjacent portion of the respective said first structure to form a friction assembly retention means;
• in each said retention means, one of said portions including a wear surface and the other of said portions including an open ended pocket which opens toward the respective said wear surface and includes a sloping inner surface which diverges generally vertically from the respective said wear surface;
• friction assemblies retained by said retention means with each said friction assembly comprising a rigid friction means and an elastomeric means;
• said rigid friction means having respective first surfaces disposed in slideable engagement with said wear surfaces, repectively, and respective second surfaces extending generally in spaced essentially parallel and coextensive relationship with respect to said sloping surfaces, respectively, to provide pairs of spaced confronting surfaces;
• said elastomeric means being located between said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces with spaced exterior surfaces thereof engageable with said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces, respectively, to provide the sole direct connection between said rigid friction means and said second structure;
• helical coil spring means engageable with each said rigid friction means and supported with respect thereto in a manner to compressively deform said elastomeric means between the respective said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces and to maintain said friction assemblies in biased engagement with the respective said wear surfaces and sloping surfaces;
• at least one of said exterior surfaces of each of said elastomeric means being slideable with respect to the one of said pair of spaced confronting surfaces in engagement therewith;
• said elastomeric means, when compressively deformed between said respective pairs of spaced confronting surfaces, being further deformable in a manner to permit a range of vertical movement of said rigid friction means with respect to said pocket and to maintain said first surfaces of said rigid friction means in stationary engagement with said wear surfaces, respectively, during an initial extent of relative movement between said first and second structures which includes vertical movement in either one of opposite vertical directions and in sliding engagement on said wear surfaces engaged therewith after said initial extent, with said initial extent being of relatively constant magnitude throughout repeated cycles of said vertical movement in each of said opposite vertical directions.

In a railway truck assembly having a pair of elongated, laterally spaced rigid side frames each having a longitudinally central open area and elongated rigid bolster with longitudinal ends that extend into the open areas, respectively, and are supported therein for movement relative to the side frames by spring arrangements carried by the side frames, and wherein each longitudinal end of the bolster and adjacent portions of the side frames, respectively, provide friction assembly retention means including downwardly open and open ended pockets and essentially vertically extending wear surfaces spaced outwardly of the open ends of the respective pockets to accommodate friction assemblies which are received at least partially within each respective pocket and in engagement with each respective wear surface, the combination comprising:

• a rigid friction means adapted to be disposed in a given one of such pockets with a first surface thereof in slideable engagement with the respective one of such wear surfaces and with a second surface thereof extending in spaced confronting relationship to an inner surface means of the pocket to provide a pair of spaced confronting surfaces;
• an elastomeric means located between said pair of spaced confronting surfaces with a pair of spaced exterior sufaces of said elastomeric means being engageable with the respective said pair of spaced confronting surfaces;
• at least one of said exterior surfaces of said elastomeric means being slideable with respect to the one of said pair of spaced confronting surfaces in engagement therewith;
• helical coil spring means supported with respect to said rigid friction means and engageable with a downwardly facing surface thereof to maintain said rigid friction means in biased engagement with such a wear surface and to maintain said elastomeric means in biased engagement with said pair of spaced confronting surfaces;
• and
• means for laterally restraining mutually engaged portions of the other of said exterior surfaces of said elastomeric means and the one of said spaced confronting surfaces engaged therewith in a manner to transmit relative lateral shear forces in a given lateral direction between said elastomeric means and said respective one of said spaced confronting surfaces.

A railway truck assembly comprising:

• a pair of elongated, laterally spaced upstanding rigid side frames each having an elongated opening with opposed longitudinally spaced and essentially vertically extending first surfaces;
• an elongated rigid bolster having longitudinal end portions thereof located intermediate said vertical first surfaces, respectively;
• upwardly extending spring arrangements carried by said side frames with the upper ends thereof in engagement with undersurfaces of said bolster to support said bolster for movement relative to said side frames;
• each said end portion of said bolster having pocket means which open outwardly toward the respective said vertical first surfaces and downwardly and each said pocket means including a sloping inner surface which diverges downwardly with respect to the respective said vertical first surface;
• friction assemblies received within said pocket means with each said friction assembly comprising a rigid friction member and an elastomeric means;
• each said rigid friction member having an essentially vertically extending second surface disposed in slideable engagement with the respective said vertical first surface, and another surface extending generally in spaced essentially parallel and coextensive ralationship with the respective said sloping inner surface;
• to provide pairs of spaced confronting surfaces;
• said elastomeric means being located between said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces and having spaced exterior surfaces thereof in engagement with said pairs of spaced confronting surfaces, respectively;
• helical coil spring means engageable in biased engagement with said friction assemblies and supported with respect thereto for biasing said friction assemblies into engagement with said vertical first surfaces and said sloping inner surfaces, respectively;
• said elastomeric means being resiliently deformable to accommodate relative movement between the respective said rigid friction member and said bolster and to provide the sole direct connection between said rigid friction member and said bolster throughout such relative movement therebetween;
• said elastomeric means providing at least one of a pair of mutually engaged, relatively slideable surfaces to further accommodate such relative movement between the respective said rigid friction member and bolster;
• said elastomeric means being deformable under loading imposed thereon by said bolster and the respective said rigid friction member in a manner to permit a range of vertical movement of said friction member with respect to said bolster and to maintain said vertically extending second surfaces of said friction member in stationary engagement with said first surfaces, respectively, during relative movement of said bolster with respect to said side frames which includes movement in either one of opposite vertical directions until such movement in either one of said opposite vertical directions is of an extent that at least one of said friction members slides over the one of said first surfaces cooperable therewith, with said extent being relatively constant throughout repeated cycles of said movement in said opposite vertical directions.