Railway truck bolster friction assembly
AssigneeA. Stucki Company
InventorDonald Wiebe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railway freight truck bolster friction assembly and more particularly improved friction assemblies of elastomeric material which are adapted to be captively retained intermediate an axial end portion of a bolster member and an adjacent side frame.
Claims18
A railway truck bolster friction assembly adapted to be captively retained within a pocket of an elongated truck bolster member which extends between spaced elongated side frame members of a railway truck vehicle comprising:
- elastomeric friction means adapted to have a first portion thereof in [communication] engagement with adjacent surfaces of such a pocket and a second portion thereof in biased frictional engagement with adjacent portions of [wearing] wear surface means of a column guide of a respective one of said side frames, said second portion being spaced [longitudinally outwardly, with respect to] outwardly of such a pocket from the [longitudinal] axis of such a bolster member, [from such a pocket] and said first portion being spaced [longitudinally] inwardly from said second portion;
- bias means cooperable with said elastomeric friction means to maintain such frictional engagement;
- said [elastomeric] friction means being operative to deform [and maintain said frictional engagement], without slipping between adjacent engaging surfaces, during at least initial vertical and transverse movements of such a bolster member with respect to such a respective one of said side frame members;
- during a subsequent transverse movement of such a bolster member with respect to such a side frame member, at least a section of said [section] second portion slips transversely with respect to the adjacent portion of said [wearing] wear surface means;
- and during such transverse slipping, said adjacent portion of said [wearing] wear surface means cooperates with such a pocket to continuously increase the friction between said section of said second portion and said adjacent portion of said [wearing] wear surface means in direct proportion to the amount of said subsequent transverse movement.
In a friction assembly adapted for use in a railway truck intermediate a longitudinal end portion of an elongated truck bolster and an adjacent column guide portion of a truck side frame to provide frictional damping of relative vertical and lateral motion between the bolster and the side frame, the combination comprising:
- a friction element adapted to be retained with respect to such a longitudinal end portion of such a bolster;
- a wear surface means adapted to be retained with respect to such an adjacent column guide portion of such a side frame;
- bias means operable to maintain frictional engagement between said friction element and said wear surface means throughout such relative motion between such a bolster and such a side frame;
- said friction element being relatively movable in opposite lateral directions with respect to said wear surface means while in frictional engagement therewith during such relative motion between such a bolster and such a side frame;
- and said wear surface means and adjacent portions of said friction element being configured to continuously increase the magnitude of friction between said wear surface means and at least a portion of said friction element during relative lateral motion therebetween throughout a range of such lateral motion in either of such opposite lateral directions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.