Universal brake assembly

In combination with a railway car mounted brake assembly including a pair of brake beams mounted at each end of said car mounted brake assembly, each of said brake beams having a brake head attachable to each end thereof, each of said brake heads carrying a brake shoe thereon, said each of said brake heads being positioned for engagement of a respective one of said brake shoes with a respective railway vehicle wheel during a brake application, said each of said brake beams having a control linkage pivotally attached thereto, a first force transmitting member attached to opposed first ends of each of said control linkages and a second force transmitting member attached to a second end of one of said control linkage and extending generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of said brake assembly toward a respectively opposed second end of an opposed one of said control linkage;

• a brake actuator assembly connected to and disposed intermediate said second force transmitting member and said second control linkage for applying and releasing said brake shoes, said brake actuator assembly comprising:
• (a) a first end member having an inner surface;
• (b) a second end member disposed in spaced apart relationship with said first end member along said longitudinal axis of said brake actuator assembly and having an inner surface thereof opposing said inner surface of said first end member;
• (c) a hollow flexible elastomeric member extending between said inner surfaces of said first and said second end members along said longitudinal axis, said flexible elastomeric member having each of an exterior peripheral surface and a pair of open ends;
• (d) a first peripheral flange disposed on a first end of said hollow flexible elastomeric member and extending outwardly from said exterior surface thereof in a direction transverse to said longitudinal axis, said first peripheral flange having one surface thereof abutting an inner surface of one of said first and second end members;
• (e) a second peripheral flange disposed on a second end of said hollow flexible elastomeric member and extending outwardly from said exterior surface thereof in said direction transverse to said longitudinal axis, said second peripheral flange having one surface thereof abutting an inner surface of an opposed one of said first and second end members;
• (f) a first retaining member disposed in an engagement with a predetermined portion of said first peripheral flange and in a spaced apart relationship with said one of said first and second end members so as to cage said first peripheral flange therebetween;
• (g) a second retaining member disposed in an engagement with a predetermined portion of said second peripheral flange and in a spaced apart relationship with said opposed one of said first and second end members so as to cage said second peripheral flange therebetween;
• (h) a securing means operatively engaging a respectively positioned end member, flange and retaining member so as to define a substantially sealed fluid chamber in said flexible elastomeric member;
• and
• (i) an arrangement disposed in said one of said first and second end members in open communication with said fluid chamber and in fluid communication with a source of fluid under pressure.

In a combination with a railway car mounted brake assembly including a pair of brake beams mounted at each end of said car mounted brake assembly, each of said brake beams having a brake head attachable to each end thereof, each of said brake heads carrying a brake shoe thereon, said each of said brake heads being positioned for engagement of a respective one of said brake shoes with a respective railway vehicle wheel during a brake application, said each of said brake beams having a control linkage pivotally attached thereto, a first force transmitting member attached to opposed first ends of each of said control linkages and a second force transmitting member attached to a second end of one of said control linkage and longitudinally extending toward a respectively opposed second end of an opposed one of said control linkage;

• a brake actuator assembly connectable to and disposed intermediate said second force transmitting member and said second control linkage for applying and releasing said brake shoes, said brake actuator assembly comprising:
• (a) a first end member disposed substantially vertically during use of said brake actuator assembly and having a substantially planar inner surface, said first end member further having a plurality of first apertures formed in a circular pattern through a thickness thereof;
• (b) a second end member disposed substantially vertically during use of said brake actuator assembly in a spaced apart relationship with said first end member along longitudinal axis of said brake actuator assembly and having a substantially planar inner surface, said second member further having a plurality of second apertures formed in a circular pattern through a thickness thereof;
• (c) a hollow flexible elastomeric member extending between said inner surfaces of said first and said second end members along said longitudinal axis, said flexible elastomeric member having each of a generally annular cross-section in a direction transverse to said longitudinal axis and an exterior peripheral surface thereof exposed to an operating environment characterized by a presence of a detrimental extraneous foreign material, said flexible elastomeric member further having a pair of open ends;
• (d) a first annular flange disposed on a first end of said hollow flexible elastomeric member and extending outwardly from said exterior surface thereof in said direction transverse to said longitudinal axis, said first annular flange having one surface thereof abutting an inner surface of one of said first and second end members, said first annular flange further having a plurality of third apertures formed in said circular pattern through a thickness thereof and in an alignment with said plurality of first or second apertures;
• (e) a second annular flange disposed on a second end of said hollow flexible elastomeric member and extending outwardly from said exterior surface thereof in said direction transverse to said longitudinal axis, said second annular flange having one surface thereof abutting an inner surface of an opposed one of said first and second end members, said second annular flange further having a plurality of fourth apertures formed in said circular pattern through a thickness thereof and in an alignment with said plurality of first or second apertures;
• (f) a first ring abuttingly engaging an opposed surface of said first annular flange or being embedded within a thickness thereof, said first ring having a plurality of fifth apertures formed through a thickness of said first ring and disposed in an alignment with said plurality of apertures of a respectively positioned annular flange and end member;
• (g) a second ring abuttingly engaging an opposed surface of said first annular flange or being embedded within thickness thereof, said second ring having a plurality of sixth apertures formed through a thickness thereof and disposed in an alignment with said plurality of apertures of a respectively positioned annular flange and end member;
• (h) fasteners at least passed through aligned apertures between a respectively positioned end member, flange and ring so as to define a fluid chamber in said flexible elastomeric member;
• (i) means for connecting said brake actuator assembly to said control linkage;
• (j) means for securing said brake actuator assembly to at least one of said brake beam and said second force transmitting member;
• and
• (k) an arrangement disposed in said one of said first and second end members in open communication with said fluid chamber and in fluid communication with a source of fluid under pressure, whereby supply of fluid under pressure will inflate a sealed chamber within said flexible elastomeric causing a generally linear movement of one end member along said longitudinal axis in a direction away from an opposed one end member and removal of said fluid under pressure will deflate said sealed chamber causing said generally linear movement of said one end member in a direction toward said opposed one end member, and whereby selective inflation and deflation of said flexible elastomeric member causes a reciprocal motion of said brake actuator assembly to move said control linkages and said force transmitting members for actuating and releasing said brake shoes.