US 6,142,081 AGranted

Pedestal rocker seat for providing passive axle steering to a rigid railway truck

AssigneeNACO, Inc.

InventorsJack R. Long, Hans B. Weber

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Abstract

A pedestal rocker seat arrangement adapted for use in connection with the side frame of a railway truck and with a roller bearing adapter member. The pedestal rocker seat includes an elastomeric pad adapted to be placed within the pedestal roof cavity of the pedestal of a side frame. The pad includes a base member adapted to engage the pedestal and a generally pyramidal-shaped projection extending downwardly from the base member. The pedestal rocker seat also includes a rocker member having a top side including a generally pyramidal-shaped cavity adapted to matingly receive the pyramidal-shaped projection of the elastomeric pad. The rocker member also includes a convex generally cylindrical-shaped curved rocker surface that is adapted to contact the roller bearing adapter member. The pedestal rocker seat provides resistance to hunting and passive axle steering for improved curving.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A pedestal rocker seat adapted for use in connection with a railway truck including a side frame having a longitudinal axis and a pedestal having spaced apart first and second pedestal jaws and a pedestal roof including a pedestal roof cavity, and a roller bearing adapter member located between the first and second pedestal jaws coupled to a rotatable axle having a longitudinal axis disposed generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the side frame, said pedestal rocker seat including:

an elastomeric pad adapted to be placed within the pedestal roof cavity of the pedestal of the side frame, said pad including a base member having an upper surface adapted to be placed in engagement with the pedestal of the side frame, and a generally pyramidal-shaped projection extending outwardly from said base member, said projection having a generally pyramidal-shaped lower surface, said upper surface and said lower surface of said pad being disposed on opposite sides of said pad relative to one another;
and
a rocker member having a top side and an opposing bottom side, said top side including a generally pyramidal-shaped surface forming a generally pyramidal-shaped cavity, said pyramidal-shaped projection of said elastomeric pad adapted to be disposed within said pyramidal-shaped cavity of said rocker member, said pyramidal-shaped cavity being complementarily shaped with respect to said pyramidal-shaped projection such that said pyramidal-shaped surface of said projection of said elastomeric pad matingly engages said pyramidal-shaped surface of said cavity of said rocker member, said bottom side of said rocker member including a convex generally cylindrical-shaped curved rocker surface, said rocker surface being curved about a generally linear axis, said rocker surface adapted to rockably engage the roller bearing adapter member with said linear axis of said rocker member disposed generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the side frame;
whereby said pedestal rocker seat enables the side frame to rock transversely with respect to the axle, and enables the axle to horizontally pivot with respect to the side frame to provide the railway truck with passive axle steering.

1 more element

a rocker seat bearing having an upper surface and an opposing concave generally cylindrical-shaped curved lower surface formed at a first radius about a first generally linear axis, said lower surface forming a cradle, said rocker seat bearing adapted to be placed within the pedestal roof cavity of the pedestal of the side frame such that said upper surface of said rocker seat bearing engages the pedestal of the side frame;
a rocker member including a base member having a first side and an opposing second side, and a generally semi-cylindrical projection extending outwardly from said second side of said base member, said projection including a convex generally cylindrical-shaped curved surface formed at a second radius about a second generally linear axis, said projection adapted to be placed in said cradle of said rocker seat bearing such that said convexly curved surface of said rocker member rockably engages said concavely curved surface of said rocker seat bearing such that said rocker seat bearing and said rocker member are rockable with respect to one another generally transversely to said first linear axis of said rocker seat bearing and said second linear axis of said rocker member, said first side of said base member including a lower surface;
and
an elastomeric pad having an upper surface and an opposing bottom surface, said upper surface adapted to engage said lower surface of said base member of said rocker member, said bottom surface of said elastomeric pad adapted to engage the roller bearing adapter member;
whereby said pedestal rocker seat enables the side frame to transversely rock with respect to the axle and enables the axle to horizontally pivot with respect to the side frame to provide the railway truck with passive axle steering.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.