Railcar truck bearing adapter construction

A bearing adapter assembly to rigidly retain a bearing assembly and axle end of an axle in a railway truck sideframe pedestal jaw, each said railway truck having a first longitudinal axis, a first sideframe and a second sideframe, which sideframes are about parallel to each other and to said first longitudinal axis,

• each said sideframe having a first pedestal jaw, a second pedestal jaw, a first outer wall surface and a second outer wall surface with a wall thickness between said first and second outer wall surfaces,
• one of said first sideframe first and second pedestal jaws generally aligned with one of said second sideframe first and second pedestal jaws, and the other of said first sideframe first and second pedestal jaws generally aligned with the other of said second sideframe first and second pedestal jaws;
• an axle extending between a first sideframe pedestal jaw and a generally aligned second sideframe pedestal jaw at each said pedestal jaw end,
• each said first and second pedestal jaw having an upper wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall, said upper wall, first sidewall and second sidewall cooperating to define a pedestal-jaw opening at each said first and second pedestal jaw, which pedestal-jaw opening is an inverted and generally u-shaped trough;
• said bearing adapter assembly positionable in said opening,
• said axle being generally cylindrical and having a second longitudinal axis, a first end and a second end;
• a bearing assembly mounted on each said axle first and second axle end, said bearing being generally annular with a horizontal diameter and having a bearing end face with an outer circumference, said bearing horizontal diameter generally extending through said second longitudinal axis and intersecting said outer circumference at a first contact point and a second point, said second longitudinal axis and said horizontal diameter cooperating to define a plane,
• said adapter assembly comprising:
• an upper portion, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, an outer surface and an inner surface,
• said adapter assembly positioned in said pedestal jaw opening with said adapter assembly outer surface contacting said pedestal-jaw upper wall, first sidewall and second sidewall, and extending between about said sideframe first and second outer wall surfaces;
• means for rigidly securing said adapter assembly to said sideframe in said pedestal jaw opening;
• said adapter assembly inner surface contoured to receive said bearing outer circumference, which bearing on said axle end is nestable against said contoured inner surface,
• said securing means having an upper surface, a first arm with an inner surface and a second arm with an inner surface generally extending vertically downward from said securing means upper surface, one of said first and second arm inner surfaces tangentially contacting said bearing circumference at about one of said first and second contact points, and the other of said first and second arm inner surfaces tangentially contacting said bearing circumference at about the other of said first and second circumference contact points to securely grip and retain said bearing assembly and axle end against motion along said first longitudinal axis and against rotational motion in a plane defined by said second longitudinal axis and said horizontal bearing diameter.

In a railcar truck assembly having a first longitudinal axis, a first sideframe, a second sideframe, a bolster coupling said first and second sideframes, a first axle and a second axle,

• said first and second sideframes about parallel and, said bolster, first axle and second axle about normal to said first and second sideframes,
• each said first and second sideframe having a sideframe longitudinal axis, a forward end, a rearward end, an inner facing surface and an outer facing surface, said sideframe axes generally parallel to said first longitudinal axis,
• each said first and second axle being generally cylindrical and having an axle longitudinal axis, a first axle end and a second axle end,
• a plurality of bearing assemblies for said first and second axles, a bearing assembly mounted on each said first and second axle end,
• each said bearing assembly being generally annular and having an end face, an outer circumference, and a horizontal diameter at said bearing end face intersecting said circumference at a first contact point and a second contact point,
• said horizontal diameter intersecting and cooperating with said axle longitudinal axis to define a generally horizontal plane,
• each said first and second sideframe having a first pedestal jaw, a second pedestal jaw, a first outer wall surface and a second outer wall surface with a wall thickness between said first and second outer wall surfaces;
• each said first and second pedestal jaws having an upper wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall, said upper wall, first sidewall and second sidewall having an outer wall surface and cooperating to define a pedestal-jaw opening at each said first and second pedestal jaw, said first and second pedestal-jaw openings at said respective forward and rearward ends of said first and second sideframes being generally aligned at a reference position;
• a plurality of bearing adapter assemblies to reduce truck hunting in said truck assembly,
• each said bearing adapter assembly comprising:
• an upper portion, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, an outer surface and an inner surface,
• said adapter assembly positioned in said pedestal-jaw opening with said adapter assembly outer surfaces contacting said pedestal-jaw wall surfaces, and generally extending between about said sideframe inner and outer wall surfaces;
• means for rigidly securing said adapter assembly to said sideframe in said pedestal-jaw opening;
• said adapter assembly inner surface contoured to receive said bearing-assembly outer circumference, which bearing on said axle end is nestable against said adapter-assembly contoured inner surface,
• said adapter assembly first sidewall inner surface tangentially contacting said bearing circumference at about one of said first and second contact points, and said adapter assembly second sidewall inner surface tangentially contacting said bearing circumference at about the other of said first and second contact points to securely grip and retain said bearing and axle end against displacement along said first longitudinal axis and against rotational motion in said horizontal plane to retain said axles is said pedestal-jaw openings and to maintain said first and second axles and sideframes in their respective parallel reference positions to reduce truck hunting.

A bearing adapter assembly to rigidly retain a bearing and axle end of an axle in a railway truck sideframe pedestal jaw, each said sideframe having a first longitudinal axis, a first pedestal jaw, a second pedestal jaw, a first outer wall surface and a second outer wall surface with a wall thickness between said first and second outer wall surfaces,

• each said first and second pedestal jaw having an upper wall, a first sidewall and a second sidewall,
• said upper wall, first sidewall and second sidewall cooperating to define a pedestal jaw opening at each said first and second pedestal jaw,
• a plurality of said bearing adapter assemblies, one of said bearing adapter assemblies positionable in said opening,
• said axle being generally cylindrical with a second longitudinal axis, a first end and a second end,
• a plurality of bearing assemblies,
• one of said bearing assemblies mounted on each said axle first and second end, said bearing assembly being generally annular with a horizontal diameter, an end face and an outer circumference, said horizontal diameter generally extending through said second longitudinal axis and intersecting said outer circumference at a first contact point and a second contact point, said second longitudinal axis and said horizontal diameter cooperating to define a generally horizontal plane,
• said adapter assembly comprising:
• an upper portion, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, an outer surface and an inner surface,
• said adapter assembly positioned in said pedestal-jaw opening with said adapter assembly outer surfaces contacting said pedestal-jaw upper wall, first sidewall and second sidewall, and extending between about said sideframe first and second outer wall surfaces;
• said adapter assembly inner surface contoured to receive said bearing outer circumference, said bearing assembly and axle end nestable against said contoured inner surface,
• means for rigidly securing said adapter assembly to said sideframe in said pedestal-jaw opening, said securing means integral with said adapter assembly and having an upper surface, a first arm with an inner surface and a second arm with an inner surface, said first arm and second arm generally extending vertically downward from said securing means upper surface, one of said first and second arm inner surfaces tangentially contacting said bearing circumference at about one of said first and second contact points, and the other of said first and second arm inner surfaces tangentially contacting said bearing circumference at about the other of said first and second contact points to securely grip and retain said bearing and axle end against motion along said longitudinal axis and against rotational motion in said horizontal plane defined by said axle longitudinal axis and said horizontal bearing diameter.