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WO2005005219A2 - Rail road car truck and members thereof - Google Patents

Rail road car truck and members thereof Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2005005219A2
WO2005005219A2 PCT/CA2004/000995 CA2004000995W WO2005005219A2 WO 2005005219 A2 WO2005005219 A2 WO 2005005219A2 CA 2004000995 W CA2004000995 W CA 2004000995W WO 2005005219 A2 WO2005005219 A2 WO 2005005219A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
truck
sideframes
sideframe
bearing
bolster
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2004/000995
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2005005219A3 (en
Inventor
James Wilfred Forbes
Jamal Hematian
Original Assignee
National Steel Car Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from CA2454472A external-priority patent/CA2454472C/en
Priority to PL04737932T priority Critical patent/PL1651498T3/en
Priority to US10/564,044 priority patent/US7845288B2/en
Priority to EP04737932.6A priority patent/EP1651498B1/en
Priority to BRPI0419218-4A priority patent/BRPI0419218B1/en
Priority to AU2004255283A priority patent/AU2004255283B2/en
Priority to GB0600163A priority patent/GB2421936B/en
Priority to BRPI0411955-0B1A priority patent/BRPI0411955B1/en
Priority to EA200600243A priority patent/EA010048B1/en
Priority to MXPA06000308A priority patent/MXPA06000308A/en
Priority to EP08153749.0A priority patent/EP1964749B1/en
Priority to EA200600220A priority patent/EA010229B1/en
Application filed by National Steel Car Limited filed Critical National Steel Car Limited
Priority to KR1020117018745A priority patent/KR101159127B1/en
Priority to CN2004800256440A priority patent/CN1845843B/en
Priority to KR1020117018750A priority patent/KR101159128B1/en
Publication of WO2005005219A2 publication Critical patent/WO2005005219A2/en
Publication of WO2005005219A3 publication Critical patent/WO2005005219A3/en
Priority to AU2010221782A priority patent/AU2010221782C1/en
Priority to AU2010221781A priority patent/AU2010221781B2/en
Priority to AU2010221780A priority patent/AU2010221780C1/en
Priority to US12/962,482 priority patent/US8272333B2/en
Priority to US13/620,958 priority patent/US8726812B2/en
Priority to US13/620,968 priority patent/US8720347B2/en
Priority to US14/275,168 priority patent/US9278700B2/en
Priority to US15/063,858 priority patent/US10286932B2/en

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/50—Other details
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F3/00—Types of bogies
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F15/00—Axle-boxes
    • B61F15/02—Axle-boxes with journal bearings
    • B61F15/08—Axle-boxes with journal bearings the axle being slidable or tiltable in the bearings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F3/00—Types of bogies
    • B61F3/02—Types of bogies with more than one axle
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/02—Arrangements permitting limited transverse relative movements between vehicle underframe or bolster and bogie; Connections between underframes and bogies
    • B61F5/04—Bolster supports or mountings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/02—Arrangements permitting limited transverse relative movements between vehicle underframe or bolster and bogie; Connections between underframes and bogies
    • B61F5/04—Bolster supports or mountings
    • B61F5/12—Bolster supports or mountings incorporating dampers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/02—Arrangements permitting limited transverse relative movements between vehicle underframe or bolster and bogie; Connections between underframes and bogies
    • B61F5/04—Bolster supports or mountings
    • B61F5/12—Bolster supports or mountings incorporating dampers
    • B61F5/122—Bolster supports or mountings incorporating dampers with friction surfaces
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/02—Arrangements permitting limited transverse relative movements between vehicle underframe or bolster and bogie; Connections between underframes and bogies
    • B61F5/14—Side bearings
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/26—Mounting or securing axle-boxes in vehicle or bogie underframes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/26—Mounting or securing axle-boxes in vehicle or bogie underframes
    • B61F5/28—Axle-boxes integral with, or directly secured to, vehicle or bogie underframes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/26—Mounting or securing axle-boxes in vehicle or bogie underframes
    • B61F5/30—Axle-boxes mounted for movement under spring control in vehicle or bogie underframes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/26—Mounting or securing axle-boxes in vehicle or bogie underframes
    • B61F5/30—Axle-boxes mounted for movement under spring control in vehicle or bogie underframes
    • B61F5/308—Axle-boxes mounted for movement under spring control in vehicle or bogie underframes incorporating damping devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/38—Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self- adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves, e.g. sliding axles, swinging axles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B61—RAILWAYS
    • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
    • B61F5/00—Constructional details of bogies; Connections between bogies and vehicle underframes; Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self-adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves
    • B61F5/38—Arrangements or devices for adjusting or allowing self- adjustment of wheel axles or bogies when rounding curves, e.g. sliding axles, swinging axles
    • B61F5/40—Bogies with side frames mounted for longitudinal relative movements

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the field of rail road cars, and, more particularly, to the field of three piece rail road car trucks for rail road cars Background of the Invention
  • Rail road cars in North America commonly employ double axle swivelling trucks known as "three piece trucks" to permit them to roll along a set of rails
  • the three piece terminology refers to a truck bolster and pair of first and second sideframes
  • the truck bolster extends cross-wise relative to the sideframes, with the ends of the truck bolster protruding through the sideframe windows Forces are transmitted between the truck bolster and the sideframes by spring groups mounted in spring seats in the sideframes
  • the sideframes carry forces to the sideframe pedestals
  • the pedestals seat on bearing adapters, whence forces are carried in turn into the bearings, the axle, the wheels, and finally into the tracks
  • the 1980 Car & Locomotive Cyclopedia states at page 669 that the three piece truck offers "lnterchangeabihty, structural reliability and low first cost but does so at the price of
  • the wheelsets are mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings Those fittings are operable to permit lateral rocking of the sideframes
  • the truck has a set of friction dampers mounted between the bolster and each of the sideframes
  • the f ⁇ ction dampers have a first face in sliding friction relationship with the sideframes and a second face seated in a bolster pocket of the bolster
  • the first face when operated in engagement with the sideframe, has a co-efficient of static friction and a co-efficient of dynamic friction, the coefficients of static and dynamic friction of the first face differing by less than 10 %
  • the second face when mounted within the bolster pocket, has a co-efficient of static friction, and a co-efficient of dynamic friction, and the co-efficients of static and dynamic f ⁇ ction of the second face diffe ⁇ ng by less than 10 %
  • there is a self-steering rail road car truck having a bolster mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted
  • the wheelsets are mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings
  • the interface fittings are operable to permit lateral rocking of the sideframes
  • the truck has a set of f ⁇ ction dampers mounted between the bolster and each of the sideframes
  • the friction dampers have a first face in shdable friction relationship with the sideframes and a second face seated in a bolster pocket of the bolster
  • the first face and the side frame are co- operable and are in a substantially stick-slip free condition
  • the second face and the bolster pocket are also in a substantially stick-slip free condition
  • the rocker has a rocking surface for rocking engagement with a mating surface of a pedestal seat of a sideframe of a railroad car truck
  • the rocking surface has a compound curvature to permit both lengthwise and sideways rocking
  • the assembly includes at least one rocker element and a mating element, the rocker and mating elements being in point contact with a mating element, the element in point contact being movable in rolling point contact with the mating element
  • the element in point contact is movable in rolling point contact with the mating element both laterally and longitudinally
  • the fittings include rockingly matable saddle surfaces
  • the fittings include a male surface having a first compound curvature and a mating female surface having a second compound curvature in rocking engagement with each other, and one of the surfaces includes at least a spherical portion
  • the fittings include a non-rocking central portion in at least one direction
  • rocking motion of the fittings longitudinally is torsionally de-coupled from rocking of the fittings laterally
  • the fittings include a force transfer interface that is torsionally compliant relative to torsional moments
  • the fittings include a force transfer interface that is torsionally compliant relative to torsional moments about a vertical axis
  • the assembly includes a resilient biasing member
  • the interface assembly has mating rocking surfaces
  • the assembly includes a bearing mounted to an end of a wheelset axle
  • the bearing has an outer ring, and one of the rocking surfaces is rigidly fixed relative to the bearing
  • the bearing has an outer member mounted in a position to permit the end of the axle to rotate relative thereto, and the outer member has a rocking surface formed thereon for engaging a mating rolling contact surface of a pedestal seat member of a sideframe of the three piece truck
  • the bearing has an axis of rotation coincident with a center n
  • Figure la shows an isometric view of an example of an embodiment of a railroad car truck according to an aspect of the present invention
  • Figure lb shows a top view of the railroad car truck of Figure la
  • Figure lc shows a side view of the railroad car truck of Figure la
  • Figure Id shows an exploded view of a portion of a truck similar to that of Figure la
  • Figure le is an exploded, sectioned view of an example of an alternate three piece truck to that of Figure la, having dampers mounted along the spring group center nes
  • Figure If shows an isometric view of an example of an embodiment of a railroad car truck according to an aspect of the present invention
  • Figure lg shows a side view of the railroad car truck of Figure If
  • Figure lh shows a top view of the railroad car truck of Figure If
  • Figure li is a split view showing, in one half an end view of the truck
  • Figure 2a is an enlarged detail of a side view of a truck such as the truck of Figure la, lb, lc or le taken at the sideframe pedestal to bearing adapter interface,
  • Figure 2e shows the longitudinal section of Figure 2d as longitudinally deflected
  • Figure 2f shows a top view of the detail of Figure 2a
  • Figure 2g shows a staggered section of the bearing adapter of Figure 2a, on section lines '2g - 2g' of Figure 2a
  • Figure 3a shows an exploded isomet ⁇ c view of an alternate sideframe pedestal to bea ⁇ ng adapter interface to that of Figure 2a
  • Figure 3b shows an alternate bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface to that of Figure 3a
  • Figure 3c shows a sectional view of the assembly of Figure 3b, taken on a longitudinal-vertical plane of symmetry thereof
  • Figure 3d shows a stepped sectional view of a detail of the assembly of Figure 3b taken on 3d - 3d' of Figure 3c
  • Figure 3e shows an exploded view of another alternative embodiment of bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface to that of Figure 3a
  • Figure 4a shows an isometric view of a retainer pad of the assembly of Figure 3a, taken from above, and in front of one comer
  • Figure 4b is an isometric view from above and behind the retainer pad of Figure 4a
  • Figure 4c is a bottom view of the retainer pad of Figure 4a
  • Figure 4d is a front view of the retainer pad of Figure 4a
  • Figure 4e is a section on '4e - 4e' of Figure 4d of the retainer pad of Figure 4a
  • Figure 5 shows an alternate bolster, similar to that of Figure Id, with a pair of spaced apart bolster pockets, and inserts with p ⁇ mary and secondary wedge angles
  • Figure 6a is a cross-section of an alternate damper such as may be used, for example, in the bolster of the trucks of Figures la, lb, lc, Id and If, Figure 6b shows the damper of Figure 6a with f ⁇ ction modifying pads removed, Figure 6c is a reverse view of a friction modifying pad of the damper of Figure 6a,
  • Figure 7a is a front view of a friction damper for a truck such as that of Figure la
  • Figure 7b shows a side view of the damper of Figure 7a
  • Figure 7c shows a rear view of the damper of Figure 7b
  • Figure 7d shows a top view of the damper of Figure 7a
  • Figure 7e shows a cross-sectional view on the centerline of the damper of Figure 7a taken on section '7e- 7e' of Figure 7c
  • Figure 7f is a cross-section of the damper of Figure 7a taken on section '7f- 7f of Figure 7e
  • Figure 7g shows an isometric view of an alternate damper to that of Figure 7a having a friction modifying side face pad
  • Figure 7h shows an isomet ⁇ c view of a further alternate damper to that of Figure 7a, having a "wraparound" friction modifying pad
  • Figure 8a shows an exploded isometric installation view of an alternate bearing adapter assembly to that of Figure 3a
  • Figure 8b shows an isometric, assembled view of the bearing adapter assembly of Figure 8a
  • Figure 8c shows the assembly of Figure 8b with a rocker member thereof removed
  • Figure 8d shows the assembly of Figure 8b, as installed, in longitudinal cross-section
  • Figure 8e is an installed view of the assembly of Figure 8b, on section '8e - 8e' of Figure 8d
  • Figure 8f shows the assembly of Figure 8b, as installed, in lateral cross section
  • Figure 9a shows an exploded isometric view of an alternate assembly to that of Figure 3a
  • Figure 9b shows an exploded isometric view similar to the view of Figure 9a, showing a bea ⁇ ng adapter assembly incorporating an elastome ⁇ c pad
  • Figure 10a shows an exploded isomet ⁇ c view of an alternate assembly to that of Figure 3a
  • Figure 10b shows a perspective view of a bea ⁇ ng adapter of the assembly of Figure 10a from above and to one comer
  • Figure 10c shows a perspective of the bearing adapter of Figure 10b from below
  • Figure lOd shows a bottom view of the bea ⁇ ng adapter of Figure 10b
  • Figure lOe shows a longitudinal section of the bearing adapter of Figure 10b taken on section '10e - 10e' of Figure lOd
  • Figure lOf shows a transverse section of the bea ⁇ ng adapter of Figure 10b taken on section '10f - lOf of Figure lOd
  • Figure 11a is an exploded view of an alternate bearing adapter assembly to that of Figure 3a
  • Figure lib shows a view of the bearing adapter of Figure 11a from below and to one comer
  • Figure 11 c is a top view of the bea ⁇ ng adapter of Figure lib,
  • Figure lid is a lengthwise section of the beanng adapter of Figure lie on 'lid - lid'
  • Figure lie is a cross-wise section of the bea ⁇ ng adapter of Figure lie on 'lie - lie'
  • Figure 1 if is a set of views of a resilient pad member of the assembly of Figure 11a
  • Figure 11 g shows a view of the bearing adapter of Figure 11a from above and to one corner
  • Figure 12a shows an exploded isomet ⁇ c view of an alternate bearing adapter to pedestal seat assembly to that of Figure 3a
  • Figure 12b shows a longitudinal central section of the assembly of Figure 12a, as assembled
  • Figure 12c shows a section on '12c - 12c' of Figure 12b
  • Figure 12d shows a section on '12d - 12d' of Figure 12b
  • Figure 13a shows a top view of an embodiment of bearing adapter and pedestal seat such as could be used in a side frame pedestal similar to that of Figure 2a, with the seat inverted to reveal a female depression formed therein for engagement with the bearing adapter
  • Figure 13b shows a side view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 13a
  • Figure 13c shows a longitudinal section of the bearing adapter of Figure 13a taken on section '13c - 13c' of Figure 13d
  • Figure 13d shows an end view of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 13a
  • Figure 13e shows a transverse section of the bearing adapter of Figure 13a, taken on the wheelset axle centreline
  • Figure 13f is a section in the transverse plane of symmetry of a bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair like that of Figure 13e, with inverted rocker and seat portions
  • Figure 13g shows a cross-section on the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair of Figure 13f
  • Figure 14a shows an isometric view of an alternate embodiment of bearing adapter and pedestal seat to that of Figure 13a having a fully curved upper surface
  • Figure 14b shows a side view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 14a
  • Figure 14c shows an end view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 14a
  • Figure 14d shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 14a taken on the longitudinal plane of symmetry
  • Figure 14e shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 14a taken on the transverse plane of symmetry
  • Figure 15a shows a top view of an alternate bearing adapter and an inverted view of an alternate female pedestal seat to that of Figure 13a
  • Figure 15b shows a longitudinal section of the bearing adapter of Figure 15a
  • Figure 15c shows an end view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 15a
  • Figure 16a shows an isometric view of a further embodiment of bearing adapter and seat combination to that of Figure 13a, in which the bearing adapter and pedestal seat have saddle shaped engagement interfaces
  • Figure 16b shows an end view of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 16a
  • Figure 16c shows a side view of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 16a
  • Figure 16d is a lateral section of the adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 16a
  • Figure 16e is a longitudinal section
  • Figure 16f shows a transverse cross section of a bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair having an inverted interface to that of Figure 16a
  • Figure 16g shows a longitudinal cross section for the bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair of Figure 16f
  • Figure 17a shows an exploded side view of a further alternate bearing adapter and seat combination to that of Figure 13a, having a pair of cylindrical rocker elements, and a pivoted connection therebetween
  • Figure 17b shows an exploded end view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 17a
  • Figure 17c shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 17a, as assembled, taken on the longitudinal centreline thereof
  • Figure 17d shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 17a, as assembled, taken on the transverse centreline thereof
  • Figure 17e shows possible permutations of the assembly of Figure 17a
  • Figure 18a is an exploded end view of an alternate version of bearing adapter and seat assembly to that of Figure 17a having an elastome ⁇ c intermediate member
  • Figure 18b shows an
  • Figure 19e shows an end view of an alternate rocker combination to that of Figure 19a employing an elastomeric pad
  • Figure 19f shows a perspective view of the alternate pad combination of Figure 19e
  • Figure 20a is a view of a bearing adapter for use in the assembly of Figure 19a
  • Figure 20b shows a top view of the bearing adapter of Figure 20a
  • Figure 20c shows a longitudinal cross-section of the bearing adapter of Figure 20a
  • Figure 21a shows an isometric view of a pad adapter for the assembly of Figure 19a
  • Figure 21b shows a top view of the pad adapter of Figure 21a
  • Figure 21c shows a side view of the pad adapter of Figure 21a
  • Figure 21d shows a half cross-section of the pad adapter of Figure 21a
  • Figure 21e shows an isometric view of a rocker for the pad adapter of Figure 21a
  • Figure 21f shows a top view of the rocker of Figure 21a
  • Figure 21g shows an end view of the rocker of Figure 21a
  • Figure 22a shows an end view of an alternate arrangement of wheelset to pedestal interface assembly arrangement to that of Figure 2a, having mating bi-directionally arcuate rocking members, one being formed integrally as an outer portion of a bearing
  • Figure 22b shows a cross-section of the assembly of Figure 22a taken on '22b - 22b' of Figure 22a
  • Figure 22c shows a cross-section of the assembly of Figure 22a as viewed in the direction of arrows '22c - 22c' of Figure 22b
  • Figure 23a shows an end view of an alternate assembly to that of Figure 22a incorporating a uni- directionally fore-and-aft rocking member
  • Figure 23b shows a cross-sectional view taken on '23b - 23b' of Figure 23a
  • Figure 24a shows an isometric view of an alternate three piece truck to that of Figure la
  • Figure 24b shows a side view of the three piece truck of Figure 24a
  • Figure 24c shows a top view of half of the three piece truck of
  • truck 20 may have a 5 x 3 spring group arrangement
  • truck 22 may have a 3 x3 arrangement
  • truck 20 may be optimized for ca ⁇ ying relatively low density, high value lading, such as automobiles or consumer products, for example, whereas truck 22 may be optimized for carrying denser semi-finished industrial goods, such as might be carried in rail road freight cars for transporting rolls of paper
  • the various features of the two truck types may be interchanged, and are intended to be illustrative of a wide range of truck types Notwithstanding possible differences in size, generally similar features are given the same part numbers
  • Trucks 20 and 22 are symmetrical about both their longitudinal and transverse, or lateral, centreline axes In each case, where reference is made to a sideframe, it will be understood that the truck has first and second sideframes, first and second spring groups, and so on Trucks 20 and 22 each have a truck bolster 24 and sideframes 26
  • Each sideframe 26 has a generally rectangular window 28 that accommodates one of the ends 30 of the
  • Bearing adapter 44 engages a bearing 46 mounted on one of the ends of one of the axles 48 of the truck adjacent one of the wheels 50
  • a fitting 40 is located in each of the fore and aft pedestal fittings 38, the fittings 40 being longitudinally aligned so the sideframe can swing sideways relative to the truck's rolling direction
  • the relationship of the mating fittings 40 and 42 is described at greater length below
  • the relationship of these fittings determines part of the overall relationship between an end of one of the axles of one of the wheelsets and the sideframe pedestal That is, in determining the overall response, the degrees of freedom of the mounting of the axle end in the sideframe pedestal involve a dynamic interface across an assembly of parts, such as may be termed a wheelset to sideframe interface assembly, that may include the bearing, the bearing adapter, an elastomeric pad, if used, a rocker if used, and the pedestal seat mounted in the roof of the sideframe pedestal Several different embodiments of this wheelset to sideframe interface assembly are described below To
  • trucks 22 may be free of unsprung lateral cross-bracing, whether in the nature of a transom or lateral rods, in the event that truck 22 is taken to represent a "swing motion" truck with a transom or other cross bracing, the lower rocker platform of spring seat 52 may be mounted on a rocker, to permit lateral rocking relative to sideframe 26
  • Spring seat 52 may have retainers for engaging the springs 54 of a spring set, or spring group, 56, whether internal bosses, or a peripheral lip for discouraging the escape of the bottom ends of the springs
  • the spring group, or spring set 56 is captured between the distal end 30 of bolster 24 and spring seat 52, being placed under compression by the weight of the rail car body and lading that bears upon bolster 24 from above
  • Bolster 24 has double, inboard and outboard, bolster pockets 60, 62 on each face of the bolster at the outboard end (I e , for a total of 8 bolster pockets per bolster, 4 at each end)
  • dampers may be mounted over each of four corner positions
  • the portion of spring force acting under the damper wedges may be in the 25 - 50 % range for springs of equal stiffness If not of equal stiffness, the portion of spring force acting under the dampers may be in the range of perhaps 20 % to 35 %
  • the coil groups can be of unequal stiffness if inner coils are used in some springs and not in others, or if springs of differing spring constant are used In the view of the present inventors, it may be that an enhanced tendency to encourage squareness at the bolster to sideframe interface (l e , through the
  • the radius of curvature of the male longitudinal rocker, rj may be less than 60 inches, and may lie in the range of 5 to 50 inches, may lie in the range of 8 to 40 inches, and may be about 15 inches
  • R_ may be infinite, or may be less than 100 inches, and may be in the range of 10 to 60 inches, or in the narrower range of 12 to 40 inches, and may be in the range of 11/10 to 4 times the size of r.
  • the radius of curvature of the male lateral rocker, r 2 may be between 30 and 50 inches Alternatively in another type of truck, r 2 , may be less than about 25 or 30 in , and may lie in the range of about 5 to 20 inches r 2 may lie in the range of about 8 to 16 inches, and may be about 10 inches Where line contact rocking motion is used, r 2 may perhaps be somewhat smaller than otherwise, perhaps in the range of 3 to 10 inches, and perhaps being about 5 inches R 2 may be less than 60 inches, and may be less than about 25 or 30 inches, then being less than half the
  • R 2 may e in the range of 6 to 40 inches, and may lie in the range of 5 to 15 inches in the case of rolling line contact R 2 may be between 1 '/_. to 4 times as large as r 2 In one embodiment R 2 may be roughly twice as large as r_>, (+/- 20 %) Where line contact is employed, R2 may be in the range of 5 to 20 inches, or more na ⁇ owly, 8 to 14 inches Where a spherical male rocker is used on a sphe ⁇ cal female cap, in some embodiments the male radius may be in the range of 8 - 13 in , and may be about 9 in , the female radius may be in the range of 11 - 16 in , and may be about 12 in Where a torus, or elliptical surface is employed, in one embodiment the lateral male radius may be about 7 in , the longitudinal male radius may be about 10 inches, the lateral female radius may be about 12 in and the longitudinal female radius may be about 15 in Where a
  • Fi ure 3e Figure 3e shows an alternate embodiment of wheelset to sideframe interface assembly, indicated generally as 170
  • Assembly 170 may include a bearing adapter 171, a pair of resilient members 156, a rocking assembly that may include a boot, resilient ⁇ ng or retainer, 172, a first rocker member 173, and a second rocker member 174
  • a pedestal seat may be provided to mount in the roof of the pedestal as desc ⁇ bed above, or second rocker member 174 may mount directly in the pedestal roof
  • Bearing adapter 171 is generally similar to bearing adapter 44, or 154, in terms of its lower structure for seating on bearing 152
  • the body of bearing adapter 171 may be a casting or a forging, or a machined part, and may be made of a material that may be a relatively low cost mate ⁇ al, such as cast iron or steel
  • Bearing adapter 171 may be provided with a central recess, socket, cavity or accommodation, indicated generally as 176, for receiving rocker member 173 and rocker
  • the true rake angle can be seen by sighting along plane of the sloped face and measuring the angle between the sloped face and the planar outboard face 230
  • the rake angle is the complement of the angle so measured
  • the rake angle may tend to be greater than 5 degrees, may lie in the range of 5 to 20 degrees, and is preferably about 10 to 15 degrees
  • a modest rake angle may be desirable
  • the damper wedges may tend to work in their pockets
  • the rake angles yield a component of force tending to bias the outboard face 230 of outboard wedge 218 outboard against the opposing outboard face of bolster pocket 214
  • the inboard face of wedge 216 may tend to be biased toward the inboard planar face of inboard bolster pocket 212
  • These inboard and outboard faces of the bolster pockets may be lined with a low friction surface pad, indicated generally as 232
  • Sloped member 324 may have a first, or lower end extending from the distal end of base 318 and running upwardly and forwardly toward a junction with platen portion 314 An upper region 326 of platen portion 314 may extend upwardly beyond that point of junction, such that damper wedge 310 may have a footprint having a vertical extent somewhat greater than the vertical extent of sloped member 324 Sloped member 324 may also have a socket or seat in the nature of a relief or rebate 328 formed therein for receiving a sliding face member 330 for engagement with the bolster pocket wear plate of the bolster pocket into which wedge 310 may seat As may be seen, sloped member 324 (and face member 330) are inclined at a primary angle ⁇ , and a secondary angle ⁇ Sliding face member 330 may be an element of chosen, possibly relatively low, friction properties (when engaged with the bolster pocket wear plate), such as may include desired values of coefficients of static and dynamic friction In one embodiment the coefficients of static and dynamic friction may be substantially equal, may be about 0 2 (+/- 20
  • Lower surface 356 may also include a keying, or indexing feature 358 of suitable shape, and may include a centering feature 360, both to aid in installation, and to aid in re-cente ⁇ ng rocker element 348 in the event that it should be tempted to migrate away from the central position during operation
  • Indexing feature 358 may also include an orienting element for discouraging misorientation of rocker element 348.
  • Indexing feature 358 may be a cavity 362 of suitable shape to mate with an opposed button 364 formed on the upper surface 346 of bearing adapter 344 If this shape is non-circular, it may tend to admit of only one permissible orientation
  • the orienting element may be defined in the plan form shape of cavity 362 and button 364 Where the various radu of curvature of rocker element 348 differ in the lateral and longitudinal directions, it may be that two positions 180 degrees out of phase may be acceptable, whereas another orientation may not While an ellipse of differing major and minor axes may serve this purpose, the shape of cavity 362 and button 364 may be chosen from a large number of possibilities, and may have a cruciform or triangular shape, or may include more than one raised feature in an asymmetrical pattern, for example
  • the centering feature may be defined in the tapered, or sloped, flanks 368 and 370 of cavity 362 and 364 respectively, in that, once positioned such that flanks 368 and 370 begin to work against
  • resilient member 412 has first and second end portions 414, 416 for inte ⁇ osition between the thrust lugs of the jaws of the pedestal and the ends 418 and 420 of the bearing adapter End portions 414, 416 may tend to be a bit undersize so that, once the roof liner is in place, they may slide vertically into place on the thrust lugs, possibly in a modest interference fit The bearing adapter may slide into place thereafter, and again, may do so in a slight interference fit, ca ⁇ ying the rocker element 408 with it into place
  • Resilient member 412 may also have a central or medial portion 422 extending between end portions 414, 416 Medial portion 422 may extend generally horizontally inward to overlie substantial portions of the upper surface bearing adapter 404
  • Resilient member 412 may have an accommodation 424 formed therein, be it in the nature of an aperture, or through hole, having a periphery of suitable extent to admit rocker element 408, and so
  • the truck may be a Barber S2HD truck, modified to cany a damper anangement, such as a four- cornered damper arrangement, such as may have an enhanced restorative tendency in the face of non-square deformation of the truck, having dampers that may include friction surfaces as described herein Figures 10a - I Qe Figure 10a shows a further alternate embodiment of wheelset to sideframe interface assembly to that of Figure 3a or Figure 8a
  • bearing adapter 444 may have an upper rocker surface of any of the configurations discussed above, or may have a rocker element in the manner of bearing adapter 344
  • the underside of bearing adapter 444 may have not only a circumferentially extending medial groove, channel or rebate 446, having an apex lying on the transverse plane of symmetry of bearing adapter
  • each of the pads, or lands may be formed on a curved surface having a radius conforming to a body of revolution such as the outer shell of the bearing Rebate 448 may tend to lie along the apex of the arch of the underside of bearing adapter 444, with the intersection of rebates 446 and 448 Rebate 448 may be relatively shallow, and may be gently radiused into the surrounding bearing adapter body
  • the body of bearing adapter 444 is more or less symmetrical about both its longitudinal central vertical plane (I c , on installation, that plane lying vertical and parallel to, if not coincident with, the longitudinal vertical central plane of the sideframe), and also about its transverse central
  • stops 466, 468 underlie toes 474, 476 of members 456
  • toes 474, 476 have a truncated appearance as compared to the toes of member 356 in order to stand clear of stops 466, 468 on installation
  • stops 466, 468 may tend to stand clear of the pedestal jaw thrust blocks by some gap distance
  • the thrust lug may tend to bottom against stop 466 or 468, as the case may be The sheltering width of stops
  • Pedestal seat insert 454 may be generally similar to liner 354, but may include radiused bulges 480, 482, and a thicker central portion 484
  • Bearing adapter 452 may include a central bi-directional rocker portion 486 for mating rocking engagement with the downwardly facing rocking surface of central portion 484 The mating surfaces may conform to any of the combinations of bidirectional rocking radii discussed herein Rocker portion 486 may be trimmed laterally as at longitudinally running side shoulders 488, 490 to accommodate bulges 480, 482
  • Bearing adapter 452 may also have different underside grooving, 492 in the nature of a pair of laterally extending tapered lobate depressions, cavities, or reliefs 494, 496 separated by a central bridge
  • the upper extremities of wings 536, 538 terminate in knobs, or prongs, or horns 548, 550 that stand upwardly proud of the flattened surface 552 of bulge 544 As installed, the upper ends of horns 548, 550 underlie the downwardly facing surfaces of wings 536, 538
  • the height of horns 548, 550 is sufficient to prevent the rocker surface of bearing adapter 452 from engaging sideframe roof member 522 That is, the height of the highest portion of the crown of the rocker surface 552 of the bearing adapter is less than the height of the ends of horns 548, 550 when horns 548, 550 are in contact with stops 466, 468
  • nose section 526 is located between wings 536, 538, and wings 536, 538 are captured above horns 548, 550 In this way, resilient members 5
  • pedestal fitting 586 mounted in roof 120 has a generally downwardly facing surface 594 that has a transversely extending trough 588 having a longitudinally oriented radius of curvature R], for engagement with r t of crown 582, and a longitudinally running, downwardly protruding crown 590 having a transverse radius of curvature r 2 for engagement with R 2 of trough 584
  • the saddle surfaces are inverted such that whereas bea ⁇ ng adapter 580 has r_ and R 2 , bea ⁇ ng adapter 596 has r 2 and R]
  • pedestal fitting 598 has r_ and
  • Figures 17a - 17d may tend to yield line contact at the force transfer interfaces, and yet rock in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, with compliance to torsion about the vertical axis That is, the bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface assembly may tend to permit rotation about the longitudinal axis to give lateral rocking motion of the side frame, rotation about a transverse axis to give longitudinal rocking motion, and compliance to torsion about the vertical axis It may tend to discourage lateral translation, and may tend to retain high stiffness in the vertical direction Figures 18
  • FIG. 644 has a torsional compliance element made of a resilient material, identified as elastomeric member 646 bonded between the opposed faces of the upper 647 and lower 645 portions of rocker element 644
  • Figures 18a and 18b show the laterally extending trough in bearing adapter 600, and the longitudinal trough in pedestal seat 604, the same permutations of Figure 7e may be made
  • the torsional element may be between the two cylindrical elements in a manner tending torsionally to decouple them, it may be that the elastomeric pad need not necessarily be installed between the two cy nd ⁇ cal members
  • the rocker element 644 may be solid, and an elastomeric element may be installed beneath the top surface of bearing adapter 600, or above the pedestal seat element, such that a torsionally compliant element is placed in series with the two rockers
  • the same general commentary may be made with regard to the pivotal connection suggested above in connection with the example of Figures 17a to 17d That is, the top of the bearing
  • the male portion of the bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface (with the smaller radius of curvature) may be on either the bearing adapter or on the pedestal seat, and the mating female portion (with the larger radius of curvature) may be on the other part, whichever it may be In that light, although a particular depiction may show a male portion on a bearing adapter, and a female fitting on the pedestal seat, these features may, in general, be reversed Figures 19a to 19c. 20a to 20c.
  • Figures 19a to 19c show the combination of a bearing adapter 650 with an elastomeric bearing adapter pad 652 and a rocker 654 and pedestal seat 656 to permit lateral rocking of the sideframe
  • Bearing adapter 650 shown in three additional views in Figures 20a - 20c is substantially similar to bearing adapter 44 (or 144) to the extent of its geometric features for engaging a bearing, but differs therefrom in having a more or less conventional upper surface
  • Upper surface 658 may be flat, or may have a large (roughly 60") radius crown 660, such as might have been used for engaging a planar pedestal seat surface
  • Crown 660 is split into two fore-and- aft portions, with a laterally extending central flat portion between them Abreast of the central flat portion, bearing adapter 650 has a pair of laterally proud, outwardly facing lateral lands, 662 and 664, and, amidst those lands, lateral lugs 666 that extend further still proud beyond lands 662 and 664
  • the resultant sandwich may tend to have comparatively high vertical stiffness, comparatively high resistance to torsion about the longitudinal (x) and lateral (y) axes, comparatively low resistance to torsion about the vertical (z) axis (given the small angular displacements in any case), and non-trivial, roughly equal resistance to shear in the x or y directions that may be in the range of 20,000 to 40,000 lbs per inch, or more nanowly, about 30,000 lbs per inch for small deflections Bearing adapt
  • this radius is "r 2 ", the male radius of a lateral rocker for permitting lateral swinging motion of side frame 26
  • the radius of rocker 654 is less than the radius of the crown, perhaps less than half the crown radius, and possibly being less than 1/3 of the crown radius It may be formed on a radius of between 5 and 20 inches, or, more nanowly, on a radius of between 8 and 15 inches
  • Surface 692 could also be formed on a parabolic profile, an elliptic or hyperbolic profile, or some other profile to yield lateral rocking
  • Pedestal seat 656 (seen in Figures 21a to 21d) has a body having a major portion 700 that is substantially rectangular in plan view When viewed from one end in the longitudinal direction, pedestal seat 656 has a generally channel shaped cross-section, in which major portion 700 forms the back 702 and two longitudinally running legs 704, 706 extend upwardly and laterally outwardly
  • Pedestal seat 656 also has four laterally projecting comer lugs, or abutment fittings 718, whose longitudinally inwardly facing surfaces oppose the laterally extending end-face surfaces of the upturned legs 678 of upper plate 674 of bearing adapter pad 652 That is, the co er abutment fittings 718 on either lateral side of pedestal seat 656 bracket the ends of the upturned legs 678 of adapter pad 652 in close fitting engagement
  • This relationship fixes the longitudinal position of pedestal seat 656 relative to the upper plate of bearing adapter pad 652
  • Major portion 700 of pedestal seat 656 has a downwardly facing surface 700 that is hollowed out to form a depression defining a female rocking engagement surface 702 This surface is formed on a female radius
  • the arcuate profile of female rocking engagement surface 702 may be such as to encourage lateral self centering of rocker 654, and may have a radius of curvature that varies from a central region to adjacent regions, which may be tangential planar regions Where pedestal seat 656 and rocker 654 are provided by way of retro-fit installation above an adapter having a crown radius, the radius of curvature of the pedestal seat may tend to be less than or equal to the crown radius
  • the central radius of curvature R 2 of surface 702, or the radius of curvature generally if constant, may be in the range of 6 to 60 inches, is preferably greater than 10 inches and less than 40 inches It may be between 1 1/10 to 4 times as large as the rocker
  • elastomeric bea ⁇ ng adapter pad assemblies 720 and 731 have respective resilient elastome ⁇ c laminates sandwiches, indicated generally as 722 and 723 in which the stiffeners 726, 727 have longitudinally extending conugations, or waves
  • the sandwich may tend to react in nearly pure shear, as before in the example of Figure 19a
  • deflection in the lateral direction now requires not only a shear component, but also a component normal to the elastomeric elements, in compressive or tensile stress, rather than, and in addition to, shear This may tend to give a stiffer lateral response, and hence an anisotropic response
  • An anisotropic shear pad anangement of this nature might have been used in the embodiment of Figure 19a, and a planar anangement, as in the
  • Figures 22a to 22c show a bearing 750 mounted on one of the end of an axle 752
  • Bearing 750 has an integrally formed arcuate rolling contact surface 754 for mating rolling point contact with a mating rolling contact surface 756 of a pedestal seat fitting 758
  • the general geometry of the rolling relationship is as desc ⁇ bed above in terms of the possible relationships of r 1; R] and L, and, as noted above, the male and female rolling contact surfaces can be reversed, such that the male surface is on the pedestal seat, and the female surface is on the bearing, or further still, in the case of a compound curvature, the surfaces made be saddle shaped, as desc ⁇ bed above
  • the bea ⁇ ng illustrations of Figures 22b and 23b are based on the bea ⁇ ng cross-section illustration shown on page 812 of the 1997 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia That illustration was provided to the Cyclopedia courtesy of Brenco Inc , of Orlando, Virginia In greater detail,
  • the integrally firmed surface is a compound surface
  • the rolling contact surface is a cylindrical surface, which may be formed on an arc of constant radius of curvature
  • the possible permutations of surface types include those indicated above in terms of a two element lnterface (i e , the rocking surface on the top of the bearing, and the mating rocking surface on the pedestal seat) or a three element interface, in which an intermediate rocking member is mounted between (a) the surface rigidly located with respect to the bearing races, and (b) the surface of the pedestal seat
  • one or another of the surfaces may be formed on a spherical arc portion such that the fittings are torsionally compliant, or, put alternatively, torsionally de-coupled with respect to rotation about the vertical axis
  • the permutations may also include the use of resilient pads such as members 156, 374, 412, or 456, as may be appropriate
  • Each of the assemblies of Figures 22a and 23a has a bearing for mounting
  • the curvature of the rolling contact surface may be sphe ⁇ cal, ellipsoidal, toroidal, paraboloid, parabolic or cylindrical
  • the rolling contact surface has a radius of curvature, or radii of curvature, if a compound curvature is employed, that is, or are, larger than the distance from the location of minimum distance from the axis of rotation, and the rolling contact surfaces are not concentric with the axis of rotation of the bearing.
  • a first distance, L is defined between the axis of rotation, and that nearest location
  • the surface of the bearing and the surface of the pedestal seat each have a radius of curvature and mate in
  • Truck 200 has three major elements, those elements being a truck bolster 192, that is symmetrical about the truck longitudinal centreline, and a pair of first and second side frames, indicated as 194 Only one side frame is shown in Figure 14c given the symmetry of truck 200
  • Three piece truck 200 has a resilient suspension (a primary suspension) provided by a spring groups 195 trapped between each of the distal (l e , transversely outboard) ends of truck bolster 192 and side frames 194
  • Truck bolster 192 is a rigid, fabricated beam having a first end for engaging one side frame assembly and a second end for engaging the other side frame assembly (both ends being indicated as 193)
  • a center plate or center bowl 190 is located at the truck center
  • An upper flange 188 extends between the two ends 194, being narrow at a central waist
  • FIG. 8a shows a bolster 830 that is similar to bolster 210 except insofar as bolster pockets 831, 832 each accommodate a pair of split wedges 833, 834 Pockets 831, 832 each have a pair of bearing surfaces 835, 836 that are
  • the lateral stiffness of the suspension may tend to reflect the stiffness of (a) the sideframe between (I) the bearing adapter and (n) the bottom spring seat (that is, the sideframes swing laterally), (b) the lateral deflection of the springs between (I) the lower spring seat and (n) the upper spring seat mounting against the truck bolster, and (c) the moment between (l) the spring seat in the sideframe and (n) the upper spring mounting against the truck bolster
  • the lateral stiffness of the spring groups may be approximately Vi of the vertical spring stiffness For a 100 or 1 10 Ton truck designed for 263,000 or 286,000 lbs GWR, vertical spring group stiffness might be 25 - 30,000 Lbs /in , assuming two groups per truck, and two trucks per car, giving a lateral spring stiffness of 13 - 16,000 Lbs /in
  • the lateral stiffness of the spring groups may be approximately Vi of the vertical spring stiffness For a 100 or 1 10 Ton truck designed for 263,000 or 286,000 lbs GWR, vertical
  • the sideframe may act more like a pendulum
  • the bearing adapter has a female rocker, of perhaps 10 in radius
  • a mating male rocker mounted in the pedestal roof may have a radius of perhaps 5 in Depending on the geometry, this may yield a sideframe resistance to lateral deflection in the order of % (or less) to about 'A of what might otherwise be typical
  • the relative softness of the pendulum may be dominant Lateral stiffness may then be less governed by vertical spring stiffness
  • Use of a rocking lower spring seat may reduce, or eliminate, lateral stiffness due to unequal spring compression Swing motion trucks have used transoms to link the side frames, and to lock them against non-square deformation
  • Other substantially rigid truck stiffening devices such as lateral unsprung rods or a "frame brace" of diagonal unsprung bracing have been used Lateral unsprung bracing may increase resistance to rotation of the sideframes about the
  • kpenduium me ' atera ' stiffness of the pendulum
  • F 2 the force per unit of lateral deflection applied at the bottom spring seat
  • ⁇ 2 a unit of lateral deflection
  • W the weight borne by the pendulum
  • L en the length of the pendulum, as undeflected, between the contact surface of the bearing adapter to the bottom of the pendulum at the spring seat
  • R S ⁇ a , and R R0Cker are of similar magnitude, and are not unduly small relative to L, the pendulum may tend to have a relatively large
  • truck 20 or 22 may be a 70 ton special, a 70 ton, 100 ton, 110 ton, or 125 ton truck, truck 20 or 22 may be a truck size having 33 inch diameter, or 36 or 38 inch diameter wheels
  • the ratio of male rocker radius Ro ck r to pendulum length, L pend may be 3 or less, in some instances 2 or less In laterally quite soft trucks this value may be less than 1
  • the factor [ (1 / L pe ⁇ d ) / ((1 / Ro cker ) - ( 1 / s e t )).
  • the lateral stiffness of the lateral rocker pendulum calculated at the maximum truck capacity, or the GWR limit for the railcar more generally, may be less than the lateral shear stiffness of the associated spring group
  • the truck may be free of lateral unsprung bracing, whether in terms of a transom, laterally extending parallel rods, or diagonally criss-crossing frame bracing or other unsprung stiffeners
  • the trucks may have four cornered damper groups driven by each spring group In the trucks desc ⁇ bed herein, for their fully laden design condition which may be determined either according to the AAR limit for 70, 100, 1 10 or 125 ton trucks, or, where a lower intended lading is chosen, then in proportion to the vertical sprung load yielding 2 inches of vertical spring deflection in the spring groups, the equivalent lateral stiffness of the
  • a 2 x 4 spring group has 8 inch diameter springs having a total vertical stiffness of 9600 lbs / in per spring group and a conesponding lateral shear stiffness k spnng sh ⁇ :ar of 8200 lbs /in
  • the sideframe has a rigidly mounted lower spring seat It may be used in a truck with 36 inch wheels
  • a 3 x 5 group of 5 'A inch diameter springs is used, also having a vertical stiffness of about 9600 lbs /in , in a truck with 36 inch wheels It may be that the vertical spring stiffness per spring group lies in the range of less than 30,000 lbs /in , that it may be in the range of less than 20,000 lbs /in and that it may perhaps be in the range of 4,000 to 12000 lbs /in, and may be about 6000 to 10,000 lbs /in
  • the twisting of the springs may have a stiffness in the range of 750 to 1200 lbs /in and a vertical shear
  • the lateral pendulum stiffness in pounds per inch of lateral deflection at the bottom spring seat where vertical loads are passed into the sideframe, per pound of weight earned by the pendulum may be in the range of 0 08 and 0 2, or, more nanowly, in the range of 0 1 to 0 16 Friction Surfaces Dynamic response may be quite subtle It is advantageous to reduce resistance to curving, and self steering may help in this regard It is advantageous to reduce the tendency for wheel lift to occur A reduction in stick-slip behaviour in the dampers may improve performance in this regard Employment of dampers having roughly equal upward and downward friction forces may discourage wheel lift Wheel lift may be sensitive to a reduction in torsional linkage between the sideframes, as when a transom or frame brace is removed While it may be desirable torsionally to decouple the sideframes it may also be desirable to supplant a physically locked relationship with a relationship that allows the truck to flex in a non-square manner, subject to
  • D represents a damper spring
  • X represents a non-damper spring
  • each spring group may have a first combination of springs that have a
  • the springs may compress to, or past, a second height That second height may be in the range of perhaps 8-' ⁇ to 9-3/4 inches, for example
  • the sprung weight is sufficient to begin to deflect another portion of the springs in the overall spring group, which may be some or all of the remaining springs, and the spring rate constant of the combined group of the now compressed springs in this second regime may tend to be different, and larger than, the spring rate in the first regime
  • this larger spring rate may be in the range of about 20,000 - 30,000 lbs/in , and may be intended to provide a dynamic response when the sum of the dead and live loads exceed the regime change threshold amount
  • This second regime may range from the threshold amount to some greater amount, perhaps tending toward an upper limit, in the case of a 1 10 Ton truck, of as great as about 130,000 or 135,000 lbs per truck For a 100 Ton truck this amount may be 1 15,000 or 120,000
  • NSC-1, NSC-2, D8, D8A and D6B refer to springs of non-standard size proposed by the present inventors
  • the properties of these springs are given in Table 2a (main springs) and 2b (side springs), along with the properties of the other springs of Table 1
  • Table 2b - Side Spring Parameters Table 3 provides a listing of truck parameters for a number of known trucks, and for trucks proposed by the present inventors
  • the truck embodiment identified as No 1 may be taken to employ damper wedges in a four-comered anangement in which the primary wedge angle is 45 degrees (+/-) and the damper wedges have steel bearing surfaces
  • the truck embodiment identified as No 2 may be taken to employ damper wedges in a four-cornered anangement in which the primary wedge angle is 40 degrees (+/-), and the damper wedges have non-metallic bearing surfaces
  • the Main Spring entry has the format of the quantity of springs, followed by the type of spring
  • the ASF Super Service Ride Master has 7 springs of the D5 Outer type, 7 springs of the D5 Inner type, nested inside the D5 Outers, and 2 springs of the D6A Inner-Inner type, nested within the D5 Inners of the middle row (l e, the row along the bolster centerhne) It also has 2 side springs of the 5052 Outer type, and 2 springs of the 5063 Inner type nested inside the 5062 Outers
  • the side springs would be the middle elements of the side rows underneath centrally mounted damper wedges
  • k cmpty refers to the overall spring rate of the group in lbs/in for a light (I e , empty) car ki o ded refers to the spring rate of the group in lbs/in , in the fully laded condition "Solid" refers to the limit, in lbs, when the spring
  • the wedges may have steel surfaces, or may have friction modified surfaces, such as non-metallic surfaces
  • the combination of wedges and side springs may be such as to give a spring rate under the side springs that is 20 % or more of the total spring rate of the spring groups It may be in the range of 20 to 30
  • the combination of wedges and side springs may be such as to give a total friction force for the dampers in the group, for a fully laden car, when the bolster is moving downward, that is less than 3000 lbs
  • the arithmetic sum of the upward and downward friction forces of the dampers in the group is less than 5500 lbs
  • the sum of the magnitudes of the upward and downward friction forces may be in the range of 4000 to 5000 lbs
  • the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving upward may be in the range of 2/3 to 3/2 of the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving downward
  • Fd(Up)/Fd (Down) may he in the range of 3/4 to 5/4 In some embodiments the ratio of Fd(Up)/Fd(Down) may he in the range of 4/5 to 6/5, and in some embodiments the magnitudes may be substantially equal In some embodiments in which non-metallic friction surfaces are used, the sum of the magnitudes of the upward and downward friction force may be in the range of 4000 to 5500 lbs In some embodiments, the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving up, Fd(Up), to the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving down, Fd(Down) may be in the range of 3 / 4 to 5/4, may be in the range of 0 85 to 1 15 Further, those wedges may employ a secondary angle, and the secondary angle may be in the range of about 5 to 15 degrees Nos 1 and 2 The inventors consider the combinations of parameters listed in Table 3 under the columns No 1 and No 2, to be advantageous No , 1 may employ with steel on steel damper wedges and sideframe columns No 2
  • the magnitudes of each of the upward and downward forces of kinematic friction may be within 20 % of their averaged value, and whose sum may he in the range of about 440 to about 4800 lbs, and may be about 4600 lbs (+/- 100)
  • Combinations and Permutations The present description recites many examples of dampers and bearing adapter anangements Not all of the features need be present at one time, and various optional combinations can be made As such, the features of the embodiments of several of the various figures may be mixed and matched, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention
  • the various damper configurations can be used with spring groups of a 2 X 4, 3 X 3, 3 2 3, 2 3 2, 3 X 5 or other arrangement
  • bearing to pedestal seat adapter interface arrangements have been described and illustrated There are a large number of possible combinations and permutations of damper anangements and bearing adapter arrangements In that light, it may be understood that the various

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)
  • Vibration Prevention Devices (AREA)
  • Springs (AREA)
  • Platform Screen Doors And Railroad Systems (AREA)
  • Handcart (AREA)
  • Bearings For Parts Moving Linearly (AREA)
  • Rolling Contact Bearings (AREA)
  • Vibration Dampers (AREA)
  • Support Of The Bearing (AREA)

Abstract

A rail road freight car truck (20 or 22) has a truck bolster (24) and a pair of side frames (26), the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The mounting interface between the ends of the axles (48) and the sideframe pedestals allows lateral rocking motion of the sideframes in the manner of a swing motion truck. The lateral swinging motion is combined with a longitudinal self steering capability. The self steering capability may be obtained by use of a longitudinally oriented rocker (116, 118) that may tend to permit resistance to deflection that is proportional to the weight carried across the interface. The truck may have auxiliary centering elements mounted in the pedestal seats, and those auxiliary centering elements may be made of resilient elastomeric material. The truck may also have friction dampers that have a disinclination to stick-slip behaviour. The friction dampers may operate to yield upward and downward friction forces that are not overly unequal. The friction dampers may be mounted in a four-cornered arrangement at each end of the truck bolster. The spring groups may include sub-groups of springs of different heights.

Description

RAIL ROAD CAR TRUCK AND MEMBERS THEREOF
Field of the Invention This invention relates to the field of rail road cars, and, more particularly, to the field of three piece rail road car trucks for rail road cars Background of the Invention Rail road cars in North America commonly employ double axle swivelling trucks known as "three piece trucks" to permit them to roll along a set of rails The three piece terminology refers to a truck bolster and pair of first and second sideframes In a three piece truck, the truck bolster extends cross-wise relative to the sideframes, with the ends of the truck bolster protruding through the sideframe windows Forces are transmitted between the truck bolster and the sideframes by spring groups mounted in spring seats in the sideframes The sideframes carry forces to the sideframe pedestals The pedestals seat on bearing adapters, whence forces are carried in turn into the bearings, the axle, the wheels, and finally into the tracks The 1980 Car & Locomotive Cyclopedia states at page 669 that the three piece truck offers "lnterchangeabihty, structural reliability and low first cost but does so at the price of mediocre ride quality and high cost in terms of car and track maintenance " Ride quality can be judged on a number of different criteria There is longitudinal ride quality, where, often, the limiting condition is the maximum expected longitudinal acceleration experienced during humping or flat switching, or slack run-in and run-out There is vertical ride quality, for which vertical force transmission through the suspension is the key determinant There is lateral ride quality, which relates to the lateral response of the suspension There are also other phenomena to be considered, such as truck hunting, the ability of the truck to self steer, and, whatever the input perturbation may be, the ability of the truck to damp out undesirable motion These phenomena tend to be inter-related, and the optimization of a suspension to deal with one phenomenon may yield a system that may not necessarily provide optimal performance in dealing with other phenomena In terms of optimizing truck performance, it may be advantageous to be able to obtain a relatively soft dynamic response to lateral and vertical perturbations, to obtain a measure of self steering, and yet to maintain resistance to lozenging (or parallelogramming) Lozenging, or parallelogramming, is non-square deformation of the truck bolster relative to the side frames of the truck as seen from above Self steering may tend to be desirable since it may reduce drag and may tend to reduce wear to both the wheels and the track, and may give a smoother overall ride Among the types of truck discussed in this application are swing motion trucks An earlier patent for a swing motion truck is US Patent 3,670,660 of Weber et al , issued June 20, 1972 This truck has unsprung lateral cross bracing, in the nature of a transom that links the sideframes together By contrast, the description that follows describes several embodiments of truck that do not employ lateral unsprung cross- members, but that may use damper elements mounted in a four-cornered arrangement at each end of the truck bolster An earlier patent for dampers is US Patent 3,714,905 of Barber, issued February 6, 1973 Summary of the Invention The present invention, in its various aspects, provides a rail road car truck with bi-directional rocking at the sideframe pedestal to wheelset axle end interface It may also provide a truck that has self steering that is proportional to the weight carried by the truck It may further have a longitudinal rocker at the sideframe to axle end interface Further it may provide a swing motion truck with self steering It may also provide a swing motion truck that has the combination of a swing motion lateral rocker and an elastomeπc bearing adapter pad In an aspect of the invention, there is a wheelset-to-sideframe interface assembly for a railroad car truck The interface assembly has a bearing adapter and a mating pedestal seat The bearing adapter has first and second ends that form an interlocking insertion between a pair of pedestal jaws of a railroad car sideframe The bearing adapter has a first rocking member The pedestal seat has a second rocking member The first and second rocking members are matingly engageable to permit lateral and longitudinal rocking between them There is a resilient member mounted between the bearing adapter and pedestal seat The resilient member has a portion formed that engages the first end of the bearing adapter The resilient member has an accommodation formed to permit the mating engagement of the first and second rocking members In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the resilient member has the first and second ends formed for interposition between the bearing adapter and the pedestal jaws of the sideframe In another feature, the resilient member has the form of a Pennsy Pad with a relief formed to define the accommodation In a further feature, the resilient member is an elastomeπc member In yet another feature, the elastomeπc member is made of rubber material In still another feature, the elastomeπc member is made of a polyurethane material In yet a further feature, the accommodation is formed through the elastomeπc material and the first rocking member protrudes at least part way through the accommodation to meet the second rocking member In an additional feature, the bearing adapter is a bearing adapter assembly which includes a bearing adapter body surmounted by the first rocker member In another additional feature, the first rocker member is formed of a different material from the bearing body In a further additional feature, the first rocker member is an insert In yet another additional feature, the first rocker member has a footprint with a profile conforming to the accommodation In still another additional feature, the profile and the accommodation are mutually indexed to discourage mis-orientation of the first rocker member relative to the bearing adapter In yet a further additional feature, the body and the first rocker member are keyed to discourage mis-orientation between them In a further feature, the accommodation is formed through the resilient member and the second rocking member protrudes at least part way through said accommodation to meet the first rocking member In another further feature, the pedestal seat includes an insert with the second rocking member formed in it In yet another further feature, the second rocker member has a footprint with a profile conforming to the accommodation In still a further feature, the portion of the resilient member that is formed to engage the first end of the bearing adapter, when installed, includes elements that are interposed between the first end of the bearing adapter and the pedestal jaw to inhibit lateral and longitudinal movement of the bearing adapter relative to the jaw In another aspect of the invention the ends of the bearing adapter includes an end wall bracketed by a pair of corner abutments The end wall and corner abutments define a channel to permit the sliding insertion of the bearing adapter between the pedestal jaw of the sideframe The portion of the resilient member that is formed to engage the first end of the bearing adapter is the first end portion The resilient member has a second end portion that is formed to engage the second end of the bearing adapter The resilient member has a middle portion that extends between the first and second end portions The accommodation is formed in the middle portion of the resilient member In another feature, the resilient member has the form of a Pennsy Pad with a central opening formed to define the accommodation In another aspect of the invention, a wheelset-to-sideframe interface assembly for a rail road car truck has an interface assembly that has a bearing adapter, a pedestal seat and a resilient member The bearing adapter has a first end and a second end that each have a end wall bracketted by a pair of corner abutments The end wall and corner abutments co-operate to define a channel that permits insertion of the bearing adapter between a pair of thrust lugs of a sidewall pedestal The bearing adapter has a first rocking member The pedestal seat has a second rocking member to make engagement with the first rocking member The first and second rocking members, when engaged, are operable to rock longitudinally relative to the sideframe to permit the rail road car truck to steer The resilient member has a first end portion that is engageable with the first end of the bearing adapter for interposition between the first end of the bearing adapter and the first pedestal jaw thrust lug The resilient member has a second end portion that is engageable with the second end of the bearing adapter for interposition between the second end of the bearing adapter and the second pedestal jaw thrust lug The resilient member has a medial portion lying between the first and second end portions The medial portion is formed to accommodate mating rocking engagement of the first and second rocking members In another feature, there is a resilient pad that is used with the bearing adapter which has a rocker member for mating and the rocking engagement with the rocker member of the pedestal seat The resilient pad has a first portion for engaging the first end of the bearing adapter, a second portion for engaging a second end of the bearing adapter and a medial portion between the first and second end portions The medial portion is formed to accommodate mating engagement of the rocker members In a feature of the aspect of the invention there is a wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit that has a pedestal seat for mounting in the roof of a rail road car truck sideframe pedestal There is a bearing adapter for mounting to a bearing of a wheelset of a rail road car truck and a resilient member for mounting to the bearing adapter The bearing adapter has a first rocker element for engaging the seat in rocking relationship The bearing adapter has a first end and a second end, both ends having an endwall and a pair of abutments bracketing the end wall to define a channel, that permits sliding insertion of the bearing adapter between a pair of sideframe pedestal jaw thrust lugs The resilient member has a first portion that conforms to the first end of the bearing adapter for interpositioning between the bearing adapter and a thrust lug The resilient member has a second portion connected to the first portion that, as installed, at least partially overlies the bearing adapter In another feature, the wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit has a second portion of the resilient member with a margin that has a profile facing toward the first rocker element The first rocker element is shaped to nest adjacent to the profile In a further feature, wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit has a bearing adapter that includes a body and the first rocker element is separable from that body In still another feature, the wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit has a second portion of the resilient member with a margin that has a profile facing toward the first rocker element which is shaped to nest adjacent the profile In yet still another feature, the wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit has a profile and first rocker element shaped to discourage mis-orientation of the first rocker element when installed In another feature, the wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit has a first rocker element with a body that is mutually keyed to facilitate the location of the first rocker element when installed In still another feature, the wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit has a first rocker element and body that are mutually keyed to discourage mis-orientation of the rocker element when installed In yet still another feature, the wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit has a first rocker element and a body with mutual engagement features The features are mutually keyed to discourage mis-orientation of the rocker element when installed In a further feature, the kit has a second resilient member that conforms to the second end of the bearing adapter In another feature, the wheelset-to-sideframe assembly kit includes a pedestal seat engagement fitting for locating the resilient feature relative to the pedestal seat on the assembly In yet still another feature, the resilient member includes a second end portion that conforms to the second end of the bearing adapter In an additional feature, there is a bearing adapter for transmitting load between the wheelset bearing and a sideframe pedestal of a railroad car truck It has at least a first and second land for engaging the bearing and a relief formed between the first and second land The relief extends predominantly axially relative to the bearing In another additional feature, the lands are arranged in an array that conforms to the bearing and the relief is formed at the apex of the array In still another additional feature, the bearing adapter includes a second relief that extends circumferencially relative to the bearing In yet still another additional feature, the axially extending relief and the circumferentially extending relief extends along a second axis of symmetry of the bearing adapter In a further feature, the radially extending relief extends along a first axis of symmetry of the bearing adapter and the circumferentially extending relief extends along a second axis of symmetry of the bearing adapter In still a further feature, the bearing adapter has lands that are formed on a circumferencial arc In yet still another feature, the bearing adapter has a rocker element that has an upwardly facing rocker surface In yet still a further feature, the bearing adapter has a body with a rocker element that is separable from the body In another aspect of the invention, there is a beaπng adapter for installation in a rail road car truck sideframe pedestal The bearing adapter has an upper portion engageable with a pedestal seat, and a lower portion engageable with a bearing casing The lower portion has an apex The lower portion includes a first land for engaging a first portion of the bearing casing, and a second land region for engaging a second portion of the bearing casing The first land lies to one side of the apex The second land lies to the other side of the apex At least one relief located between the first and second lands In an additional feature, the relief has a major dimension oriented to extend along the apex in a direction that runs axially relative to the beaπng when installed In another feature, the relief is located at the apex In another feature there are at least two the reliefs, the two reliefs lying to either side of a bridging member, the bridging member running between the first and second lands In another aspect of the invention there is a kit for retro-fitting a railroad car truck having elastomeπc members mounted over bearing adapters The kit includes a mating beaπng adapter and a pedestal seat pair The bearing adapter and the pedestal seat have co-operable bi-directional rocker elements The seat has a depth of section of greater than 1/2 inches In another aspect of the invention, there is a railroad car truck having a bolster and a pair of co- operating sideframes mounted on wheelsets for rolling operation along railroad tracks Truck has rockers mounted between the sideframes to permit lateral swinging of the sideframes The truck is free of lateral unsprung cross-bracing between the sideframes The sideframes each have a lateral pendulum height, L, measured between a lower location at which gravity loads are passed into the sideframe, and an upper location at the rocker where a vertical reaction is passed into the sideframes The rocker includes a male element having a radius of curvature, r,, and a ratio of r_ L is less than 3 In a further feature of that aspect, the rocker has a female element in mating engagement with the male element The female element has a radius of curvature R, that is greater than , and the factor [ (1 / L ) / ((1 / τ_) - (1 / Ri))] is less than 3 In another further feature, R, is at least 4/3 as large as r,, and τ_ is greater than 15 inches In an aspect of the present invention, there is a rail road car truck that has a self steering capability and friction dampers in which the co-efficients of static and dynamic friction are substantially similar It may include the added feature of lateral rocking at the sideframe pedestal to wheelset axle end interface It may include self steering proportional to the weight carried by the truck It may further have a longitudinal rocker at the sideframe to axle end interface Further it may provide a swing motion truck with self steering It may also provide a swing motion truck that has the combination of a swing motion lateral rocker and an elastomcπc bearing adapter pad In another feature, the truck may have dampers lying along the longitudinal centerlme of the spring groups of the truck suspensions In another feature, it may include dampers mounted in a four cornered arrangement In another feature it may include dampers having modified friction surfaces on both the friction bearing face and on the obliquely angled face of the damper that seats in the bolster pocket In another aspect of the invention, a three piece rail road car truck has a truck bolster mounted transversely between a pair of sideframes The truck bolster has ends, each of the ends being resiliently mounted to a respective one of the sideframes The truck has a set of dampers mounted in a four cornered damper arrangement between each the bolster end and its respective sideframe Each damper has a bearing surface mounted to work against a mating surface at a friction interface in a sliding relationship when the bolster moves relative to the sideframes Each damper has a seat against which to mount a biasing device for urging the bearing face against the mating surface The bearing surface of the damper has a dynamic co-efficient of friction and a static co-efficient of fπction when working against the mating surface The static and dynamic co-efficients of friction are of substantially similar magnitude In a further feature of that aspect of the invention, the co-efficients of friction have respective magnitudes within 10 % of each other In another feature, the co-efficients of friction are substantially equal In another feature the co-efficients of friction he in the range of 0 1 to 04 In still another feature, the co-efficients of friction lie in the range 0 2 to 0 35 In a further feature, the co-efficients of friction are about 0 30 (+/- 10 %) In still another feature, the dampers each include a friction element mounted thereto, and the bearing surface is a surface of the friction element In yet still another feature, the friction element is a composite surface element that includes a polymeric mateπal In another feature of that aspect of the invention, the truck is a self-steering truck In another feature, the truck includes a beaπng adapter to sideframe pedestal interface that includes a self-steeπng apparatus In another feature, the self-steeπng apparatus includes a rocker In a further feature, the truck includes a beaπng adapter to sideframe pedestal interface that includes a self-steering apparatus having a force-deflection characteristic varying as a function of vertical load In still another feature, the truck has a bearing adapter to sideframe pedestal interface that includes a bi-directional rocker operable to permit lateral rocking of the sideframes and to permit self-steeπng of the truck In another feature of that aspect of the invention, each damper has an oblique face for seating in a damper pocket of a truck bolster of a rail road car truck, the bearing face is a substantially vertical face for bearing against a mating sideframe column wear surface, and, in use, the seat is oriented to face substantially downwardly In another feature, the oblique face has a surface treatment for encouraging sliding of the oblique face relative to the damper pocket In still another feature, the oblique face has a static coefficient of fπction and a dynamic co-efficient of friction, and the co-efficients of static and dynamic friction of the oblique face are substantially equal In a further feature, the oblique face and the bearing face both have sliding surface elements, and both of the sliding surface elements are made from materials having a polymeric component In yet a further feature, the oblique face has a pnmary angle relative to the bearing surface, and a cross- wise secondary angle In another aspect of the invention, there is a three piece railroad car truck having a bolster transversely mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface assemblies The wheelset to sideframe interface assemblies are operable to permit self steering, and include apparatus operable to urge the wheelsets in a lengthwise direction relative to the sideframes to a minimum potential energy position relative to the sideframes The self-steeπng apparatus has a force deflection characteristic that is a function of vertical load In a further aspect of the invention, there is a bearing adapter for a railroad car truck The bearing adapter has a body for seating upon a bearing of a rail road truck wheelset, and a rocker member for mounting to the body The rocker member has a rocking surface, the rocking surface facing away from the body when the rocker member is mounted to the body, and the rocker being made of a different mateπal from the body In a further feature of that aspect, the rocker member is made from a tool steel In another feature of that aspect of the invention, the rocker member is made from a metal of a grade used for the fabrication of ball bearings In another feature, the body is made of cast iron In another feature, the rocker member is a bidirectional rocker member In still another feature, the rocking surface of the rocking member defines a portion of a spherical surface In another aspect of the invention, there is a three piece railroad car truck having rockers for self steering In still another aspect, there is a railroad car truck having a sideframe, an axle bearing, and a rocker mounted between the sideframe and the axle bearing The rocker has a transverse axis to permit rocking of and the bearing lengthwise relative to the sideframe In another aspect of the invention there is a three piece railroad car truck having a bolster mounted transversely to a pair of sideframes The side frames have pedestal fittings and wheelsets mounted in the pedestal fittings The pedestal fittings include rockers Each rocker has a transverse axis to permit rocking in a lengthwise direction relative to the sideframes In another aspect of the invention there is a three piece railroad car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely to a pair of side frames, each sideframes has fore and aft pedestal seat interface fittings, and a pair of wheelsets mounted to the pedestal seat interface fittings The pedestal seat interface fittings include rockers operable to permit the truck to self steer In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad car truck having a sideframe, an axle bearing, and a bi-directional rocker mounted between the sideframe and the axle beaπng In still another aspect of the invention, there is a railroad car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes to permit rolling operation of the truck along a set of rail road tracks The truck includes rocker elements mounted between the sideframes and the wheelsets The rocker elements are operable to permit lateral swinging of the sideframes and to permit self-steering of the truck In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad car truck having a pair of sideframes, a pair of wheelsets having ends for mounting to the sideframes, and sideframe to wheelset interface fittings The sideframe to wheelset interface fittings include rocking members having a first degree of freedom permitting lateral swinging of the sideframes relative to the wheelsets, and a second degree of freedom permitting longitudinal rocking of the wheelset ends relative to the sideframes In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad car truck having rockers formed on a compound curvature, the rockers being operable to permit both a lateral swinging motion m the truck and self steeπng of the truck In still another aspect of the invention, there is a railroad car truck having a pair of sideframes, a pair of wheelsets having ends for mounting to the sideframes, and sideframe to wheelset interface fittings The sideframe to wheelset interface fittings include rocking members having a first degree of freedom permitting lateral swinging of the sideframes relative to the wheelsets, a second degree of freedom permitting longitudinal rocking of the wheelset ends relative to the sideframes The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings being torsionally compliant about a predominantly vertical axis In aspect of the invention there is a swing motion rail road car truck modified to include rocking elements mounted to permit self-steeπng In yet another aspect there is a swing motion rail road car truck having a transverse bolster sprung between a pair of side frames, and a pair of wheelsets mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings include swing motion rockers and elastomeπc members mounted in series with the swing motion rockers to permit the truck to self- steer In another aspect of the invention, there is a rail road car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings include rockers for permitting lateral swinging motion of the sideframes The rockers have a male element and a mating female element The male and female rocker elements are engaged for co-operative rocking operation The female element has a radius of curvature in the lateral swinging direction of less than 25 inches The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings are also operable to permit self steering In still another aspect of the invention there is a rail road car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings include rockers for permitting lateral swinging motion of the sideframes The rockers have a male element and a mating female element The male and female rocker elements are engaged for co-operative rocking operation The sideframes have an equivalent pendulum length, Leq, when mounted on the rocker, of greater than 6 inches The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings include an elastomeπc member mounted in seπes with the rockers to permit self steering In yet another aspect of the invention there is a rail road car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings include rockers for permitting self steering of the truck The rockers have a male element and a mating female element The male and female rocker elements are engaged for co-operative rocking operation, and the wheelset to sideframe interface fittings include an elastomeπc member mounted in series with the rockers In still another aspect of the invention there is a rail road car truck having a transverse bolster sprung between two sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings, the truck having a spring groups and dampers seated in the bolster and biased by the spring groups to ride against the sideframes The spring groups include a first damper biasing spπng upon which a first damper of the dampers seats The first damper biasing spring has a coil diameter The first damper has a width of more than 150 % of the coil diameter In another aspect of the invention there is a rail road car truck having a bolster having ends sprung from a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings The wheelset to sideframe interface fittings include bi-directional rocker fittings for permitting lateral swinging of the sideframes and for permitting self steering of the wheelsets The truck has a four cornered arrangement of dampers mounted at each end of the bolster In a further feature of that aspect of the invention the interface fittings are torsionally compliant about a predominantly vertical axis In another aspect there is a railroad car truck having a bolster transversly mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes The rail road car truck has a bi-directional longitudinal and lateral rocking interface between each sideframe and wheelset, and four cornered damper groups mounted between each sideframe and the truck bolster In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention the rocking interface is torsionally compliant about a predominantly vertical axis In another additional feature, the rocking interface is mounted in series with a torsionally compliant member In yet another aspect of the invention there is a self-steeπng rail road car truck having a transversely mounted bolster sprung between two sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes The sideframes are mounted to swing laterally relative to the wheelsets The truck has friction dampers mounted between the bolster and the sideframes The friction dampers have co-efficients of static friction and dynamic friction The coefficients of static and dynamic fπction being substantially the same In still another aspect there is a self-steering rail road car truck having a transversely mounted bolster sprung between two sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes The sideframes are mounted to swing laterally relative to the wheelsets The truck has friction dampers mounted between the bolster and the sideframes The friction dampers have co-efficients of static friction and dynamic friction The co-efficients of static and dynamic fπction differ by less than 10 % Expressed differently, the friction dampers having a coefficient of static friction, us, and a co-efficient of dynamic fπction, uk, and a ratio of us/uk lies in the range of 1 0 to 1 1 In another aspect of the invention, the truck has fπction dampers mounted between the bolster and the sideframes in a sliding friction relationship that is substantially free of stick-slip behaviour In another feature of that aspect of the invention the friction dampers include friction damper wedges having a first face for engaging one of the sideframes, and a second, sloped, face for engaging a bolster pocket The sloped face is mounted in the bolster pocket in a sliding friction relationship that is substantially free of stick-slip behaviour In another aspect of the invention there is a self-steeπng rail road car truck having a bolster mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes for rolling motion along railroad tracks
The wheelsets are mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings Those fittings are operable to permit lateral rocking of the sideframes The truck has a set of friction dampers mounted between the bolster and each of the sideframes The fπction dampers have a first face in sliding friction relationship with the sideframes and a second face seated in a bolster pocket of the bolster The first face, when operated in engagement with the sideframe, has a co-efficient of static friction and a co-efficient of dynamic friction, the coefficients of static and dynamic friction of the first face differing by less than 10 % The second face, when mounted within the bolster pocket, has a co-efficient of static friction, and a co-efficient of dynamic friction, and the co-efficients of static and dynamic fπction of the second face diffeπng by less than 10 % In yet another aspect of the invention there is a self-steering rail road car truck having a bolster mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to the sideframes for rolling motion along railroad tracks
The wheelsets are mounted to the sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings The interface fittings are operable to permit lateral rocking of the sideframes The truck has a set of fπction dampers mounted between the bolster and each of the sideframes The friction dampers have a first face in shdable friction relationship with the sideframes and a second face seated in a bolster pocket of the bolster The first face and the side frame are co- operable and are in a substantially stick-slip free condition The second face and the bolster pocket are also in a substantially stick-slip free condition In another aspect of the invention there is a rocker for a beaπng adapter of a rail road car truck The rocker has a rocking surface for rocking engagement with a mating surface of a pedestal seat of a sideframe of a railroad car truck The rocking surface has a compound curvature to permit both lengthwise and sideways rocking In a complementary aspect of the invention, there is a rocker for a pedestal seat of a sideframe of a rail road car truck The rocker has a rocking surface for rocking engagement with a mating surface of a bearing adapter of a railroad car truck The rocking surface has a compound curvature to permit both lengthwise and sideways rocking In an aspect of the invention there is a sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck, the interface assembly having fittings operable to rock both laterally and longitudinally In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention the assembly includes mating surfaces of compound curvature, the compound curvature including curvature in both lateral and horizontal directions
In another feature, the assembly includes at least one rocker element and a mating element, the rocker and mating elements being in point contact with a mating element, the element in point contact being movable in rolling point contact with the mating element In still another feature, the element in point contact is movable in rolling point contact with the mating element both laterally and longitudinally In yet another feature, the fittings include rockingly matable saddle surfaces In another feature, the fittings include a male surface having a first compound curvature and a mating female surface having a second compound curvature in rocking engagement with each other, and one of the surfaces includes at least a spherical portion In a further feature, the fittings include a non-rocking central portion in at least one direction In still another feature, relative to a vertical axis of rotation, rocking motion of the fittings longitudinally is torsionally de-coupled from rocking of the fittings laterally In a yet further feature the fittings include a force transfer interface that is torsionally compliant relative to torsional moments about a vertical axis In still another feature, the assembly includes an elastomeπc member In another aspect of the invention, there is a swing motion three piece rail road car truck having a laterally extending truck bolster, a pair of longitudinally extending sideframes to which the truck bolster is resiliently mounted, and wheelsets to which the side frames are mounted Damper groups are mounted between the bolster and each of the sideframes The damper groups each have a four-cornered damper layout, and wheelset to sideframe pedestal interface assemblies operable to permit lateral swinging motion of the sideframes and longitudinal self-steering of the wheelsets In a further aspect there is a rail road car truck having a truck bolster mounted between sideframes, and wheelsets to which the sideframes are mounted, and wheelset to sideframe interface assemblies by which to mount the sideframes to the wheelsets The sideframe to wheelset interface assemblies include rocking apparatus to permit the sideframes to swing laterally The rocking apparatus includes first and second surfaces in rocking engagement At least a portion of the first surface has a first radius of curvature of less than 30 inches The sideframe to wheelset interface includes self steering apparatus In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the self steering apparatus has a substantially linear force deflection characteristic In another feature, the self steering apparatus has a force-deflection characteristic that varies with vertical loading of the sideframe to wheelset interface assembly In a further feature, the force-deflection characteristic varies linearly with vertical loading of the sideframe to wheelset interface assembly In another feature, the self steering apparatus includes a rocking element In still another feature, the rocking element includes a rocking member subject to angular displacement about an axis transverse to one of the sideframes In another feature, the self steering apparatus includes male and female rocking elements, and at least a portion of the male rocking element has a radius of curvature of less than 45 inches In still another feature, the self steering apparatus includes male and female rocking elements, and at least a portion of the female rocking element has a radius of curvature of less than 60 inches In still another feature the self steering apparatus is self centering In a further feature, the self steering apparatus is biased toward a central position In yet another feature, the self steering apparatus includes a resilient member In a further feature of that further feature, the resilient member includes an elastomeric element In another further feature, the resilient member is an elastomeric adapter pad assembly In another feature, the resilient member is an elastomeπc adapter assembly having a lateral force-displacement characteristic and a longitudinal force- displacement characteristic, and the longitudinal force-displacement characteristic is different from the lateral force-displacement characteristic In another feature, the elastomeric adapter assembly is stiffer in lateral shear than in longitudinal shear In again another feature, a rocker element is mounted above the elastomeric adapter pad assembly In another feature, a rocker element is mounted directly upon the elastomeric adapter pad assembly In a still further feature, the elastomeric adapter pad assembly includes and integral rocker member In another feature, the three piece truck is a swing motion truck and the self steering apparatus includes an elastomeric bearing adapter pad In still another feature, the wheelsets have axles, and the axles have axes of rotation, and ends mounted beneath the sideframes, and, at one end of one of the axles, the self steering apparatus has a force deflection characteristic of at least one of the characteristics chosen from the set of force-deflection characteristic consisting of (a) linear characteristic between 3000 lbs per inch and 10,000 pounds per inch of longitudinal deflection, measured at the axis of rotation at the end of the axle when the self steering apparatus bears one eighth of a vertical load of between 45,000 and 70,000 lbs , (b) linear characteristic between 16,000 lbs per inch and 60,000 pounds per inch of longitudinal deflection, measured at the axis of rotation at the end of the axle when the self steering apparatus bears one eighth of a vertical load of between 263,000 and 315,000 lbs , and (c) a linear characteristic between 0 3 and 2 0 lbs per inch of longitudinal deflection, measured at the axis of rotation at the end of the axle per pound of vertical load passed into the one end of the one axle In another aspect of the invention there is a three piece rail road freight car truck having self steering apparatus, wherein the passive steering apparatus includes at least one longitudinal rocker In an aspect of the invention, there is a three piece rail road freight car truck having passive self steering apparatus, the self steering apparatus having a linear force-deflection characteristic, and the force- deflection characteristic varying as a function of vertical loading of the truck In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the force-displacement characteristic varies linearly with vertical loading of the truck In another feature, the self steering apparatus includes a rocker mechanism In another feature, the rocker mechanism is displaceable from a minimum energy state under drag force applied to a wheel of one of the wheelsets In still another feature, the force-deflection characteristic lies in the range of between about 0 4 lbs and 2 0 lbs per inch of deflection, measured at a center of and end of an axle of a wheelset of the truck per pound of vertical load passed into the end of the axle of the wheelset In a further feature, the force deflection characteristic lies in the range of 0 5 to 1 8 lbs per inch per pound of vertical load passed into the end of the axle of the wheelset In yet another aspect of the invention there is a three piece rail road freight car truck having a transversely extending truck bolster, a pair of side frames mounted at opposite ends of the truck bolster, and resiliently connected thereto, and wheelsets The sideframes are mounted to the wheelsets at sideframe to wheelset interface assemblies At least one of the sideframe to wheelset interface assemblies is mounted between a first end of an axle of one of the wheelsets, and a first pedestal of a first of the sideframes The wheelset to sideframe interface assembly includes a first line contact rocker apparatus operable to permit lateral swinging of the first sideframe and a second line contact rocker apparatus operable to permit longitudinal displacement of the first end of the axle relative to the first sideframe In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the first and second rocker apparatus are mounted in series with a torsionally compliant member, the torsionally complaint member being compliant to torsional moments applied about a vertical axis In another feature, a torsionally compliant member is mounted between the first and second rocker apparatus, the torsionally compliant member being torsionally compliant about a vertical axis In a further aspect of the invention, there is a bearing adapter for a three piece rail road freight car truck, the bearing adapter having a rocking contact surface for rocking engagement with a mating surface of a sideframe pedestal fitting, the rocking contact surface of the bearing adapter having a compound curvature In another feature of that aspect of the invention, the compound curvature is formed on a first male radius of curvature and a second male radius of curvature oriented cross-wise thereto In another feature, the compound curvature is saddle shaped In a further feature, the compound curvature is ellipsoidal In a further feature, the curvature is spherical In a still further aspect there is a railroad car truck having a laterally extending truck bolster The truck bolster has first and second ends First and second longitudinally extending sideframes are resiliently mounted at the first and second ends of the bolster respectively The side frames are mounted on wheelsets at sideframe to wheelset mounting interface assemblies A four cornered damper group is mounted between each end of the truck bolster and the respective side frame to which that end is mounted The sideframe to wheelset mounting interface assemblies are torsionally compliant about a vertical axis In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the truck is free of unsprung lateral cross-members between the sideframes In another feature, the sideframes are mounted to swing laterally In still another feature, the sideframe to wheelset mounting interface assemblies include self steering apparatus In another aspect of the invention, there is a railroad freight car truck having wheelsets mounted in a pair of sideframes, the sideframes having sideframe pedestals for receiving the wheelsets The sideframe pedestals have sideframe pedestal jaws The sideframe pedestal jaws include sideframe pedestal jaw thrust blocks The wheelsets have beaπng adapters mounted thereto for installation between the jaws The sideframe pedestals have respective pedestal seat members rockingly co-operable with the bearing adapter The truck has members mounted intermediate the jaws and the bearing adapters for urging the beaπng adapter to a centered position relative to the pedestal seat In another aspect, there is a member for placement between the thrust lug of a railroad car sideframe pedestal jaw and the end wall and corner abutments of a bearing adapter, the member being operable to urge the beaπng adapter to an at rest position relative to the sideframe In another aspect of the invention there is a sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck The interface assembly has fittings operable to rock both laterally and longitudinally, and the interface assembly includes a bearing assembly having one of the rocking surface fittings defined integrally thereon In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention the bearing assembly includes a rocking surface of compound curvature In another feature, the fittings include rockingly matable saddle surfaces In yet another feature, the fittings include a male surface having a first compound curvature and a mating female surface having a second compound curvature in rocking engagement with each other One of the surfaces includes at least a spherical portion In still another feature, relative to a vertical axis of rotation, rocking motion of the fittings longitudinally is torsionally de-coupled from rocking of the fittings laterally In still yet another feature, the fittings include a force transfer interface that is torsionally compliant relative to torsional moments about a vertical axis In a further feature, the assembly includes a resilient biasing member In an aspect of the invention there is a sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck The interface assembly has fittings operable to rock both laterally and longitudinally, and the interface assembly includes a beaπng assembly having one of the rocking surface fittings defined integrally thereon In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the bearing assembly includes a rocking surface of compound curvature In another feature, the fittings include rockingly matable saddle surfaces In still another feature, the fittings include a male surface having a first compound curvature and a mating female surface having a second compound curvature in rocking engagement with each other, and one of the surfaces includes at least a spherical portion In yet another feature, relative to a vertical axis of rotation, rocking motion of the fittings longitudinally is torsionally de-coupled from rocking of the fittings laterally
In still yet another feature, the fittings include a force transfer interface that is torsionally compliant relative to torsional moments about a vertical axis In a further feature, the assembly includes a resilient biasing member In another aspect of the invention, there is a sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck The interface assembly has mating rocking surfaces The assembly includes a bearing mounted to an end of a wheelset axle The bearing has an outer ring, and one of the rocking surfaces is rigidly fixed relative to the bearing In still another aspect of the invention, there is a bearing for mounting to one end of an axle of a wheelset of a three-piece railroad car truck The bearing has an outer member mounted in a position to permit the end of the axle to rotate relative thereto, and the outer member has a rocking surface formed thereon for engaging a mating rolling contact surface of a pedestal seat member of a sideframe of the three piece truck In an additional feature of that aspect of the invention, the bearing has an axis of rotation coincident with a center ne axis of the axle and the surface has a region of minimum radial distance from the center of rotation and a positive derivative dr/dθ between the region and points angularly adjacent thereto on either side In another feature, the surface is cylindrical In yet another feature, the surface has a constant radius of curvature In still another feature, the cylinder has an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the bearing In still yet another feature, when installed in the three piece truck, the surface has a local minimum potential energy position, the position of minimum potential energy being located between positions of greater potential energy In yet another feature, the surface is a surface of compound curvature In still yet another feature, the surface has the form of a saddle In a further feature, the surface has a radius of curvature The bearing has an axis of rotation, and a region of minimum radial distance from the axis of rotation The radius of curvature is greater than the minimum radial distance In yet a further feature, there is a combination of a bearing and a pedestal seat In an additional feature, the bearing has an axis of rotation A first location on the surface of the bearing lies radially closer to the axis of rotation than any other location thereon, a first distance, L is defined between the axis of rotation and the first location The surface of the bearing and the surface of the pedestal seat each have a radius of curvature and mate in a male and female relationship One radius of curvature is a male radius of curvature ri The other radius of curvature is a female radius of curvature, R2, ri being greater than L, R2 is greater than r1 ( and L, ri and R2 conform to the formula L"1 - (r, ' - R2 ') > 0 In another additional feature, the rocking surfaces are co-operable to permit self steering These and other aspects and features of the invention may be understood with reference to the detailed descriptions of the invention and the accompanying illustrations as set forth below
Brief Description of the Figures
The principles of the invention may better be understood with reference to the accompanying figures provided by way of illustration of an exemplary embodiment, or embodiments, incorporating principles and aspects of the present invention, and in which Figure la shows an isometric view of an example of an embodiment of a railroad car truck according to an aspect of the present invention, Figure lb shows a top view of the railroad car truck of Figure la, Figure lc shows a side view of the railroad car truck of Figure la, Figure Id shows an exploded view of a portion of a truck similar to that of Figure la, Figure le is an exploded, sectioned view of an example of an alternate three piece truck to that of Figure la, having dampers mounted along the spring group center nes, Figure If shows an isometric view of an example of an embodiment of a railroad car truck according to an aspect of the present invention, Figure lg shows a side view of the railroad car truck of Figure If, Figure lh shows a top view of the railroad car truck of Figure If, Figure li is a split view showing, in one half an end view of the truck of Figure If, and in the other half and a section taken level with the truck center, Figure 1 j shows a spring layout for the truck of Figurelf,
Figure 2a is an enlarged detail of a side view of a truck such as the truck of Figure la, lb, lc or le taken at the sideframe pedestal to bearing adapter interface,
Figure 2b shows a lateral cross-section through the sideframe pedestal to bearing adapter interface of Figure 2a, taken at the wheelset axle center ne, Figure 2c shows the cross-section of Figure 2b in a laterally deflected condition, Figure 2d is a longitudinal section of the pedestal seat to bearing adapter interface of Figure 2a, on the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the bearing adapter,
Figure 2e shows the longitudinal section of Figure 2d as longitudinally deflected, Figure 2f shows a top view of the detail of Figure 2a,
Figure 2g shows a staggered section of the bearing adapter of Figure 2a, on section lines '2g - 2g' of Figure 2a, Figure 3a shows an exploded isometπc view of an alternate sideframe pedestal to beaπng adapter interface to that of Figure 2a, Figure 3b shows an alternate bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface to that of Figure 3a, Figure 3c shows a sectional view of the assembly of Figure 3b, taken on a longitudinal-vertical plane of symmetry thereof, Figure 3d shows a stepped sectional view of a detail of the assembly of Figure 3b taken on 3d - 3d' of Figure 3c, Figure 3e shows an exploded view of another alternative embodiment of bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface to that of Figure 3a, Figure 4a shows an isometric view of a retainer pad of the assembly of Figure 3a, taken from above, and in front of one comer,
Figure 4b is an isometric view from above and behind the retainer pad of Figure 4a, Figure 4c is a bottom view of the retainer pad of Figure 4a, Figure 4d is a front view of the retainer pad of Figure 4a, Figure 4e is a section on '4e - 4e' of Figure 4d of the retainer pad of Figure 4a, Figure 5 shows an alternate bolster, similar to that of Figure Id, with a pair of spaced apart bolster pockets, and inserts with pπmary and secondary wedge angles, Figure 6a is a cross-section of an alternate damper such as may be used, for example, in the bolster of the trucks of Figures la, lb, lc, Id and If, Figure 6b shows the damper of Figure 6a with fπction modifying pads removed, Figure 6c is a reverse view of a friction modifying pad of the damper of Figure 6a,
Figure 7a is a front view of a friction damper for a truck such as that of Figure la, Figure 7b shows a side view of the damper of Figure 7a, Figure 7c shows a rear view of the damper of Figure 7b, Figure 7d shows a top view of the damper of Figure 7a,
Figure 7e shows a cross-sectional view on the centerline of the damper of Figure 7a taken on section '7e- 7e' of Figure 7c, Figure 7f is a cross-section of the damper of Figure 7a taken on section '7f- 7f of Figure 7e,
Figure 7g shows an isometric view of an alternate damper to that of Figure 7a having a friction modifying side face pad, Figure 7h shows an isometπc view of a further alternate damper to that of Figure 7a, having a "wraparound" friction modifying pad, Figure 8a shows an exploded isometric installation view of an alternate bearing adapter assembly to that of Figure 3a, Figure 8b shows an isometric, assembled view of the bearing adapter assembly of Figure 8a, Figure 8c shows the assembly of Figure 8b with a rocker member thereof removed, Figure 8d shows the assembly of Figure 8b, as installed, in longitudinal cross-section, Figure 8e is an installed view of the assembly of Figure 8b, on section '8e - 8e' of Figure 8d,
Figure 8f shows the assembly of Figure 8b, as installed, in lateral cross section, Figure 9a shows an exploded isometric view of an alternate assembly to that of Figure 3a, Figure 9b shows an exploded isometric view similar to the view of Figure 9a, showing a beaπng adapter assembly incorporating an elastomeπc pad, Figure 10a shows an exploded isometπc view of an alternate assembly to that of Figure 3a,
Figure 10b shows a perspective view of a beaπng adapter of the assembly of Figure 10a from above and to one comer, Figure 10c shows a perspective of the bearing adapter of Figure 10b from below, Figure lOd shows a bottom view of the beaπng adapter of Figure 10b, Figure lOe shows a longitudinal section of the bearing adapter of Figure 10b taken on section '10e - 10e' of Figure lOd, and Figure lOf shows a transverse section of the beaπng adapter of Figure 10b taken on section '10f - lOf of Figure lOd, Figure 11a is an exploded view of an alternate bearing adapter assembly to that of Figure 3a, Figure lib shows a view of the bearing adapter of Figure 11a from below and to one comer,
Figure 11 c is a top view of the beaπng adapter of Figure lib,
Figure lid is a lengthwise section of the beanng adapter of Figure lie on 'lid - lid', Figure lie is a cross-wise section of the beaπng adapter of Figure lie on 'lie - lie', and Figure 1 if is a set of views of a resilient pad member of the assembly of Figure 11a, Figure 11 g shows a view of the bearing adapter of Figure 11a from above and to one corner,
Figure 12a shows an exploded isometπc view of an alternate bearing adapter to pedestal seat assembly to that of Figure 3a, Figure 12b shows a longitudinal central section of the assembly of Figure 12a, as assembled, Figure 12c shows a section on '12c - 12c' of Figure 12b, and Figure 12d shows a section on '12d - 12d' of Figure 12b,
Figure 13a shows a top view of an embodiment of bearing adapter and pedestal seat such as could be used in a side frame pedestal similar to that of Figure 2a, with the seat inverted to reveal a female depression formed therein for engagement with the bearing adapter, Figure 13b shows a side view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 13a, Figure 13c shows a longitudinal section of the bearing adapter of Figure 13a taken on section '13c - 13c' of Figure 13d, Figure 13d shows an end view of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 13a,
Figure 13e shows a transverse section of the bearing adapter of Figure 13a, taken on the wheelset axle centreline, Figure 13f is a section in the transverse plane of symmetry of a bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair like that of Figure 13e, with inverted rocker and seat portions, Figure 13g shows a cross-section on the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair of Figure 13f, Figure 14a shows an isometric view of an alternate embodiment of bearing adapter and pedestal seat to that of Figure 13a having a fully curved upper surface, Figure 14b shows a side view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 14a, Figure 14c shows an end view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 14a,
Figure 14d shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 14a taken on the longitudinal plane of symmetry, Figure 14e shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 14a taken on the transverse plane of symmetry, Figure 15a shows a top view of an alternate bearing adapter and an inverted view of an alternate female pedestal seat to that of Figure 13a, Figure 15b shows a longitudinal section of the bearing adapter of Figure 15a, Figure 15c shows an end view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 15a, Figure 16a shows an isometric view of a further embodiment of bearing adapter and seat combination to that of Figure 13a, in which the bearing adapter and pedestal seat have saddle shaped engagement interfaces, Figure 16b shows an end view of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 16a, Figure 16c shows a side view of the bearing adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 16a, Figure 16d is a lateral section of the adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 16a, Figure 16e is a longitudinal section of the adapter and pedestal seat of Figure 16a,
Figure 16f shows a transverse cross section of a bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair having an inverted interface to that of Figure 16a, Figure 16g shows a longitudinal cross section for the bearing adapter and pedestal seat pair of Figure 16f, Figure 17a shows an exploded side view of a further alternate bearing adapter and seat combination to that of Figure 13a, having a pair of cylindrical rocker elements, and a pivoted connection therebetween, Figure 17b shows an exploded end view of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 17a, Figure 17c shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 17a, as assembled, taken on the longitudinal centreline thereof, Figure 17d shows a cross-section of the bearing adapter and seat of Figure 17a, as assembled, taken on the transverse centreline thereof, Figure 17e shows possible permutations of the assembly of Figure 17a, Figure 18a is an exploded end view of an alternate version of bearing adapter and seat assembly to that of Figure 17a having an elastomeπc intermediate member, Figure 18b shows an exploded side view of the assembly of Figure 18a, Figure 19a is a side view of alternate assembly to that of Figure 13a or 16a, employing an elastomeric shear pad and a laterally swinging rocker, Figure 19b shows a transverse cross-section of the assembly of Figure 19a, taken on the axle center line thereof, Figure 19c shows a cross section of the assembly of Figure 19a taken on the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the bearing adapter, Figure 19d shows a sectional view of the alternate assembly of Figure 19a, as viewed from above, taken on the staggered section indicated as '19d - 19d',
Figure 19e shows an end view of an alternate rocker combination to that of Figure 19a employing an elastomeric pad, Figure 19f shows a perspective view of the alternate pad combination of Figure 19e, Figure 20a is a view of a bearing adapter for use in the assembly of Figure 19a, Figure 20b shows a top view of the bearing adapter of Figure 20a,
Figure 20c shows a longitudinal cross-section of the bearing adapter of Figure 20a, Figure 21a shows an isometric view of a pad adapter for the assembly of Figure 19a, Figure 21b shows a top view of the pad adapter of Figure 21a, Figure 21c shows a side view of the pad adapter of Figure 21a, Figure 21d shows a half cross-section of the pad adapter of Figure 21a,
Figure 21e shows an isometric view of a rocker for the pad adapter of Figure 21a, Figure 21f shows a top view of the rocker of Figure 21a, Figure 21g shows an end view of the rocker of Figure 21a,
Figure 22a shows an end view of an alternate arrangement of wheelset to pedestal interface assembly arrangement to that of Figure 2a, having mating bi-directionally arcuate rocking members, one being formed integrally as an outer portion of a bearing, Figure 22b shows a cross-section of the assembly of Figure 22a taken on '22b - 22b' of Figure 22a, Figure 22c shows a cross-section of the assembly of Figure 22a as viewed in the direction of arrows '22c - 22c' of Figure 22b, Figure 23a shows an end view of an alternate assembly to that of Figure 22a incorporating a uni- directionally fore-and-aft rocking member, Figure 23b shows a cross-sectional view taken on '23b - 23b' of Figure 23a, Figure 24a shows an isometric view of an alternate three piece truck to that of Figure la, Figure 24b shows a side view of the three piece truck of Figure 24a, Figure 24c shows a top view of half of the three piece truck of Figure 24b, Figure 24d shows a partial section of the truck of Figure 24b taken on '24d - 24d', Figure 24e shows a partial isometπc view of the truck bolster of the three piece truck of Figure 24a showing friction damper seats, Figure 24f shows a force schematic for four cornered damper arrangements generally, such as , for example, in the trucks of Figures 1 a, If, and Figure 24a, Figure 25a shows a side view of an alternate three piece truck to that of Figure 24a, Figure 25b shows a top view of half of the three piece truck of Figure 25a, and Figure 25c shows a partial section of the truck of Figure 25a taken on '25c - 25c', Figure 25d shows an exploded isometπc view of the bolster and side frame assembly of Figure 25a, in which horizontally acting springs drive constant force dampers, Figure 26a shows an alternate version of the bolster of Figure 24e, with a double sized damper pocket for seating a large single wedge having a welded insert, Figure 26b shows an alternate dual wedge for a truck bolster like that of Figure 26a, Figure 27a shows an alternate bolster arrangement similar to that of Figure 5, but having split wedges, Figure 27b shows a bolster similar to that of Figure 24a, having a wedge pocket having primary and secondary angles and a split wedge arrangement for use therewith, Figure 27c shows an alternate stepped single wedge for the bolster of Figure 27b, Figure 28a shows an alternate bolster and wedge aπangement to that of Figure 17b, having secondary wedge angles, and Figure 28b shows an alternate, split wedge arrangement for the bolster of Figure 28a Detailed Description of the Invention The description that follows, and the embodiments described therein, are provided by way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular embodiments of the principles of the present invention These examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation, of those principles and of the invention In the description, like parts are marked throughout the specification and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals The drawings are not necessarily to scale and in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated in order more clearly to depict certain features of the invention In terms of general orientation and directional nomenclature, for each of the rail road car trucks described herein, the longitudinal direction is defined as being coincident with the rolling direction of the rail road car, or rail road car unit, when located on tangent (that is, straight) track In the case of a rail road car having a center sill, the longitudinal direction is parallel to the center sill, and parallel to the side sills, if any Unless otherwise noted, vertical, or upward and downward, are terms that use top of rail, TOR, as a datum The term lateral, or laterally outboard, refers to a distance or orientation relative to the longitudinal centerhne of the railroad car, or car unit The term "longitudinally inboard", or "longitudinally outboard" is a distance taken relative to a mid-span lateral section of the car, or car unit Pitching motion is angular motion of a railcar unit about a horizontal axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Yawing is angular motion about a vertical axis Roll is angular motion about the longitudinal axis This description relates to rail car trucks and truck components Several AAR standard truck sizes are listed at page 711 in the 1997 Car & Locomotive Cyclopedia As indicated, for a single unit rail car having two trucks, a "40 Ton" truck rating corresponds to a maximum gross car weight on rail (GWR) of
142,000 lbs Similarly, "50 Ton" corresponds to 177,000 lbs , "70 Ton" coπesponds to 220,000 lbs , "100 Ton" corresponds to 263,000 lbs , and "125 Ton" coπesponds to 315,000 lbs In each case the load limit per truck is then half the maximum gross car weight on rail Two other types of truck are the "110 Ton" truck for railcars having a 286,000 lbs GWR and the "70 Ton Special" low profile truck sometimes used for auto rack cars Given that the rail road car trucks described herein tend to have both longitudinal and transverse axes of symmetry, a description of one half of an assembly may generally also be intended to describe the other half as well, allowing for differences between right hand and left hand parts This application refers to friction dampers for rail road car trucks, and multiple friction damper systems There are several types of damper arrangements, some being shown at pp 715 - 716 of the 1997 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia, those pages being incorporated herein by reference Double damper arrangements are shown and described US Patent Application Publication No US 2003/0041772 Al, March 6, 2003, entitled "Rail Road Freight Car With Damped Suspension", and also incorporated herein by reference Each of the arrangements of dampers shown at pp 715 to 716 of the 1997 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia can be modified to employ a four cornered, double damper arrangement of inner and outer dampers in conformity with the principles of aspects of the present invention Damper wedges are discussed herein In terms of general nomenclature, the wedges tend to be mounted within an angled "bolster pocket" formed in an end of the truck bolster In cross-section, each wedge may then have a generally triangular shape, one side of the triangle being, or having, a bearing face, a second side which might be termed the bottom, or base, forming a spring seat, and the third side being a sloped side or hypotenuse between the other two sides The first side may tend to have a substantially planar bearing face for vertical sliding engagement against an opposed bearing face of one of the sideframe columns The second face may not be a face, as such, but rather may have the form of a socket for receiving the upper end of one of the springs of a spring group Although the third face, or hypotenuse, may appear to be generally planar, it may tend to have a slight crown, having a radius of curvature of perhaps 60" The crown may extend along the slope and may also extend across the slope The end faces of the wedges may be generally flat, and may have a coating, surface treatment, shim, or low friction pad to give a smooth sliding engagement with the sides of the bolster pocket, or with the adjacent side of another independently slidable damper wedge, as may be During railcar operation, the sideframe may tend to rotate, or pivot, through a small range of angular deflection about the end of the truck bolster to yield wheel load equalisation The slight crown on the slope face of the damper may tend to accommodate this pivoting motion by allowing the damper to rock somewhat relative to the generally inclined face of the bolster pocket while the planar bearing face remains in planar contact with the wear plate of the sideframe column Although the slope face may have a slight crown, for the purposes of this description it will be described as the slope face or as the hypotenuse, and will be considered to be a substantially flat face as a general approximation In the terminology herein, wedges have a primary angle α, being the included angle between (a) the sloped damper pocket face mounted to the truck bolster, and (b) the side frame column face, as seen looking from the end of the bolster toward the truck center In some embodiments, a secondary angle may be defined in the plane of angle α, namely a plane perpendicular to the vertical longitudinal plane of the (undcflected) side frame, tilted from the vertical at the primary angle That is, this plane is parallel to the (undeflected) long axis of the truck bolster, and taken as if sighting along the back side (hypotenuse) of the damper The secondary angle β is defined as the lateral rake angle seen when looking at the damper parallel to the plane of angle α As the suspension works in response to track perturbations, the wedge forces acting on the secondary angle β may tend to urge the damper either inboard or outboard according to the angle chosen General Description of Truck Features Figures la and If provide examples of trucks 20 and 22 embodying an aspect of the invention Trucks 20 and 22 of Figures la and If may have the same, or generally similar, features and similar construction, although they may differ in pendulum length, spring stiffness, wheelbase, window width and height, and damping aπangement That is, truck 20 of Figure If may tend to have a longer wheelbase (from 73 inches to 86 inches, possibly between 80 - 84 inches for truck 20, as opposed to a wheelbase of 63 - 73 inches for truck 22), may tend to have a main spring group having a softer vertical spring rate, and a four cornered damper group that may have different primary and secondary angles on the damper wedges Truck
20 may have a 5 x 3 spring group arrangement, while truck 22 may have a 3 x3 arrangement While either truck may be suitable for a variety of general purpose uses, truck 20 may be optimized for caπying relatively low density, high value lading, such as automobiles or consumer products, for example, whereas truck 22 may be optimized for carrying denser semi-finished industrial goods, such as might be carried in rail road freight cars for transporting rolls of paper The various features of the two truck types may be interchanged, and are intended to be illustrative of a wide range of truck types Notwithstanding possible differences in size, generally similar features are given the same part numbers Trucks 20 and 22 are symmetrical about both their longitudinal and transverse, or lateral, centreline axes In each case, where reference is made to a sideframe, it will be understood that the truck has first and second sideframes, first and second spring groups, and so on Trucks 20 and 22 each have a truck bolster 24 and sideframes 26 Each sideframe 26 has a generally rectangular window 28 that accommodates one of the ends 30 of the bolster 24 The upper boundary of window 28 is defined by the sideframe arch, or compression member identified as top chord member 32, and the bottom of window 28 is defined by a tension member identified as bottom chord 34 The fore and aft vertical sides of window 28 are defined by sideframe columns 36 The ends of the tension member sweep up to meet the compression member At each of the swept-up ends of sideframe 26 there are sideframe pedestal fittings, or pedestal seats 38 Each fitting 38 accommodates an upper fitting, which may be a rocker or a seat, as described and discussed below This upper fitting, whichever it may be, is indicated geneπcally as 40 Fitting 40 engages a mating fitting 42 of the upper surface of a bearing adapter 44
Bearing adapter 44 engages a bearing 46 mounted on one of the ends of one of the axles 48 of the truck adjacent one of the wheels 50 A fitting 40 is located in each of the fore and aft pedestal fittings 38, the fittings 40 being longitudinally aligned so the sideframe can swing sideways relative to the truck's rolling direction The relationship of the mating fittings 40 and 42 is described at greater length below The relationship of these fittings determines part of the overall relationship between an end of one of the axles of one of the wheelsets and the sideframe pedestal That is, in determining the overall response, the degrees of freedom of the mounting of the axle end in the sideframe pedestal involve a dynamic interface across an assembly of parts, such as may be termed a wheelset to sideframe interface assembly, that may include the bearing, the bearing adapter, an elastomeric pad, if used, a rocker if used, and the pedestal seat mounted in the roof of the sideframe pedestal Several different embodiments of this wheelset to sideframe interface assembly are described below To the extent that bearing 46 has a single degree of freedom, namely rotation about the wheelshaft axis, analysis of the assembly can be focused on the bearing to pedestal seat interface assembly, or on the bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface assembly For the purposes of this description, items 40 and 42 are intended geneπcally to represent the combination of features of a bearing adapter and pedestal seat assembly defining the interface between the roof of the sideframe pedestal and the bearing adapter, and the six degrees of freedom of motion at that interface, namely vertical, longitudinal and transverse translation (l e , translation in the z, x, and y directions) and pitching, rolling, and yawing (l e , rotational motion about the y, x, and z axes respectively) in response to dynamic inputs The bottom chord or tension member of sideframe 26 may have a basket plate, or lower spring seat
52 rigidly mounted thereto Although trucks 22 may be free of unsprung lateral cross-bracing, whether in the nature of a transom or lateral rods, in the event that truck 22 is taken to represent a "swing motion" truck with a transom or other cross bracing, the lower rocker platform of spring seat 52 may be mounted on a rocker, to permit lateral rocking relative to sideframe 26 Spring seat 52 may have retainers for engaging the springs 54 of a spring set, or spring group, 56, whether internal bosses, or a peripheral lip for discouraging the escape of the bottom ends of the springs The spring group, or spring set 56, is captured between the distal end 30 of bolster 24 and spring seat 52, being placed under compression by the weight of the rail car body and lading that bears upon bolster 24 from above Bolster 24 has double, inboard and outboard, bolster pockets 60, 62 on each face of the bolster at the outboard end (I e , for a total of 8 bolster pockets per bolster, 4 at each end) Bolster pockets 60, 62 accommodate fore and aft pairs of first and second, laterally inboard and laterally outboard friction damper wedges 64, 66 and 68, 70, respectively Each bolster pocket 60, 62 has an inclined face, or damper seat 72, that mates with a similarly inclined hypotenuse face 74 of the damper wedge, 64, 66, 68 and 70 Wedges 64, 66 each sit over a first, inboard comer spring 76, 78, and wedges 68, 70 each sit over a second, outboard comer spring 80, 82 Angled faces 74 of wedges 64, 66 and 68, 70 ride against the angled faces of respective seats 72 A middle end spring 96 bears on the underside of a land 98 located intermediate bolster pockets 60 and 62 The top ends of the central row of springs, 100, seat under the main central portion 102 of the end of bolster 24 In this four corner arrangement, each damper is individually sprung by one or another of the springs in the spring group The static compression of the springs under the weight of the car body and lading tends to act as a spring loading to bias the damper to act along the slope of the bolster pocket to force the friction surface against the sideframe Friction damping is provided when the vertical sliding faces 90 of the friction damper wedges 64, 66 and 68, 70 ride up and down on friction wear plates 92 mounted to the inwardly facing surfaces of sideframe columns 36 In this way the kinetic energy of the motion is, in some measure, converted through friction to heat This friction may tend to damp out the motion of the bolster relative to the sideframes When a lateral perturbation is passed to wheels 50 by the rails, rigid axles 48 may tend to cause both sideframes 26 to deflect in the same direction The reaction of sideframes 26 is to swing, like pendula, on the upper rockers The weight of the pendulum and the reactive force arising from the twisting of the springs may then tend to urge the sideframes back to their initial position The tendency to oscillate harmonically due to track perturbations may tend to be damped out by the friction of the dampers on the wear plates 92 As compared to a bolster with single dampers, such as may be mounted on the sideframe centerhne as shown in Figure 1 e, for example, the use of doubled dampers such as spaced apart pairs of dampers 64, 68 may tend to give a larger moment arm, as indicated by dimension "2M" in Figure Id, for resisting parallelogram deformation of truck 22 more generally Use of doubled dampers may yield a greater restorative "squaring" force to return the truck to a square orientation than for a single damper alone with the restorative bias, namely the squaring force, increasing with increasing deflection That is, in parallelogram deformation, or lozenging, the differential compression of one diagonal pair of springs (e g , inboard spring 76 and outboard spring 82 may be more pronouncedly compressed) relative to the other diagonal pair of springs (e g , inboard spring 78 and outboard spring 80 may be less pronouncedly compressed than springs 76 and 82) tends to yield a restorative moment couple acting on the sideframe wear plates This moment couple tends to rotate the sideframe in a direction to square the truck, (that is, in a position in which the bolster is perpendicular, or "square", to the sideframes) As such, the truck is able to flex, and when it flexes the dampers co-operate in acting as biased members working between the bolster and the side frames to resist parallelogram, or lozenging, deformation of the side frame relative to the truck bolster and to urge the truck back to the non-deflected position The foregoing explanation has been given in the context of trucks 20 and 22, each of which has a spring group that has three rows facing the sideframe columns The restorative moment couple of a four- cornered damper layout can also be explained in the context of a truck having a 2 row spring group arrangement facing the dampers, as in truck 400 of Figures 14a to 14e For the purposes of conceptual visualisation, the normal force on the friction face of any of the dampers can be taken as a pressure field whose effect can be approximated by a point load acting at the centroid of the pressure field and whose magnitude is equal to the integrated value of the pressure field over its area The center of this distributed force, acting on the inboard friction face of wedge 440 against column 428 can be thought of as a point load offset transversely relative to the diagonally outboard friction face of wedge 443 against column 430 by a distance that is nominally twice dimension 'L' shown in the conceptual sketch of Figure Ik In the example of Figure 14a, this distance, 2L, is about one full diameter of the large spring coils in the spring set The restoring moment in such a case would be, conceptually, MR = [(F! + F3) - (F2 + F4)]L This may be expressed MR = 4kcTan(ε)Tan(θ)L, where θ is the primary angle of the damper (generally illustrated as α herein), and kc is the vertical spring constant of the coil upon which the damper sits and is biased In the various arrangements of spring groups 2 x , 3 x 3, 3 2 3 or 3 x 5 group, dampers may be mounted over each of four corner positions The portion of spring force acting under the damper wedges may be in the 25 - 50 % range for springs of equal stiffness If not of equal stiffness, the portion of spring force acting under the dampers may be in the range of perhaps 20 % to 35 % The coil groups can be of unequal stiffness if inner coils are used in some springs and not in others, or if springs of differing spring constant are used In the view of the present inventors, it may be that an enhanced tendency to encourage squareness at the bolster to sideframe interface (l e , through the use of four cornered damper groups) may tend to reduce reliance on squareness at the pedestal to wheelset axle interface This, in turn, may tend to provide an opportunity to employ a torsionally compliant (about the vertical axis) axle to pedestal interface assembly, and to permit a measure of self steering The bearing plate, namely wear plate 92 (Figure l a) is significantly wider than the through thickness of the sideframes more generally, as measured, for example, at the pedestals, and may tend to be wider than has been conventionally common This additional width corresponds to the additional overall damper span width measured fully across the damper pairs, plus lateral travel as noted above, typically allowing 1 A (+/-) inches of lateral travel of the bolster relative to the sideframe to either side of the undeflected central position That is, rather than having the width of one coil, plus allowance for travel, plate 92 may have the width of three coils, plus allowance to accommodate 1 lA (+/-) inches of travel to either side for a total, double amplitude travel of 3" (+/-) Bolster 24 has inboard and outboard gibs 106, 108 respectively, that bound the lateral motion of bolster 24 relative to sideframe columns 36 This motion allowance may be in the range of +/- 1 V8 to 1 3/4 in , and may be in the range of 1 3/_6 to 1 9/,6 in , and can be set, for example, at 1 V2 in or 1 7 in of lateral travel to either side of a neutral, or centered, position when the sideframe is undeflected The lower ends of the springs of the entire spring group, identified generally as 58, seat in lower spring seat 52 Lower spring seat 52 may be laid out as a tray with an upturned rectangular peripheral lip Although truck 22 employs a spring group in a 3 x 3 arrangement, this is intended to be generic, and to represent a range of variations They may represent 3 x 5, 2 x 4, 3 2 3 or 2 3 2 arrangement, or some other, and may include a hydraulic snubber, or such other aπangement of springs may be appropriate for the given service for the railcar for which the truck is intended Figures 2a - 2g The rocking interface surface of the bearing adapter might have a crown, or a concave curvature, like a swing motion truck, by which a rolling contact on the rocker permits lateral swinging of the side frame The bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface might also have a fore-and-aft curvature, whether a crown or a depression, and that, for a given vertical load, this crown or depression might tend to present a more or less linear resistance to deflection in the longitudinal direction, much as a spring or elastomeric pad might do For surfaces in rolling contact on a compound curved surface (l e , having curvatures in two directions) as shown and described herein, the vertical stiffness may be approximated as infinite (l e very large as compared to other stiffnesses), the longitudinal stiffness in translation at the point of contact can also be taken as infinite, the assumption being that the surfaces do not slip, the lateral stiffness in translation at the point of contact can be taken as infinite, again, provided the surfaces do not slip The rotational stiffness about the vertical axis may be taken as zero or approximately zero By contrast, the angular stiffnesses about the longitudinal and transverse axes are non-trivial The lateral angular stiffnesses may tend to determine the equivalent pendulum stiffnesses for the sideframe more generally The stiffness of a pendulum is directly proportional to the weight on the pendulum Similarly, the drag on a rail car wheel, and the wear to the underlying track structure, is a function of the weight borne by the wheel For this reason, the desirability of self steering may be greatest for a fully laden car, and a pendulum may tend to maintain a general proportionality between the weight borne by the wheel and the stiffness of the self-steering mechanism as the lading increases Truck performance may vary with the friction characteristics of the damper surfaces Dampers have been used that have tended to employ dampers in which the dynamic and static coefficients of friction may have been significantly different, yielding a stick-slip phenomenon that may not have been entirely advantageous It may be advantageous to combine the feature of a self-steering capability with dampers that have a reduced tendency to stick-slip operation Furthermore, while bearing adapters may be formed of relatively low cost materials, such as cast iron, in some embodiments an insert of a different material may be used for the rocker Further it may be advantageous to employ a member that may tend to center the rocker on installation, and that may tend to perform an auxiliary centering function to tend to urge the rocker to operate from a desired minimum energy position Figures 2a - 2g show an embodiment of bearing adapter and pedestal seat assembly Beaπng adapter 44 has a lower portion 112 that is formed to accommodate, and to seat upon, beaπng 46, that is itself mounted on the end of a shaft, namely an end of axle 48 Bearing adapter 44 has an upper portion 114 that has a centrally located, upwardly protruding fitting in the nature of a male bearing adapter interface portion 116 A mating fitting, in the nature of a female rocker seat interface portion 118 is πgidly mounted within the roof 120 of the sideframe pedestal To that end, laterally extending lugs 122 are mounted centrally with respect to pedestal roof 120 The upper fitting 40, whichever type it may be, has a body that may be in the form of a plate 126 having, along its longitudinally extending, lateral margins a set of upwardly extending lugs or ears, or tangs 124 separated by a notch, that bracket, and tightly engage lugs 122, thereby locating upper fitting 40 in position, with the back of the plate 126 of fitting 40 abutting the flat, load transfer face of roof 120 Upper fitting 40 may be a pedestal seat fitting with a hollowed out female bearing surface, namely portion 118 As shown in Figure 2g, when the sideframes are lowered over the wheel sets, the end reliefs, or channels 128 lying between the beaπng adapter comer abutments 132 seat between the respective side frame pedestal jaws 130 With the sideframes in place, bearing adapter 44 is thus captured in position with the male and female portions (116 and 118) of the adapter interface in mating engagement Male portion 116 (Figure 2d) has been formed to have a generally upwardly facing surface 142 that has both a first curvature ri to permit rocking in the longitudinal direction, and a second curvature r2 (Figure 2c) to permit rocking (l e , swing motion of the sideframe) in the transverse direction Similarly, in the general case, female portion 118 has a surface having a first radius of curvature R] in the longitudinal direction, and a second radius of curvature R2 in the transverse direction The engagement of r_ with Ri may tend to permit a rocking motion in the longitudinal direction, with resistance to rocking displacement being proportional to the weight on the wheel That is to say, the resistance to angular deflection is proportional to weight rather than being a fixed spring constant This may tend to yield passive self-steering in both the light car and fully laden conditions This relationship is shown in Figures 2d and 2e Figure 2d shows the centered, or at rest, non-deflected position of the longitudinal rocking elements Figure 2e shows the rocking elements at their condition of maximum longitudinal deflection Figure 2d represents a local, minimum potential energy condition for the system Figure 2e represents a system in which the potential energy has been increased by virtue of the work done by force F acting longitudinally in the horizontal plane through the center of the axle and beaπng, CB , which will tend to yield an incremental increase in the height of the pedestal Put differently, as the axle is urged to deflect by the force, the rocking motion may tend to raise the car, and thereby to increase its potential energy The limit of travel in the longitudinal direction is reached when the end face 134 of bearing adapter 44 extending between corner abutments 132, contacts one or another of travel limiting abutment faces 136 of the thrust blocks of jaws 130 In general, the deflection may be measured either by the angular displacement of the axle centreline, θi, or by the angular displacement of the rocker contact point on radius r,, shown as θ2 End face 134 of bearing adapter 44 is planar, and is relieved, or inclined, at an angle η from the vertical As shown in Figure 2g, abutment face 136 may have a round, cylindrical arc, with the major axis of the cylinder extending vertically A typical maximum radius R3 for this surface is 34 inches When bearing adapter 44 is fully deflected through angle η, end face 134 is intended to meet abutment face 136 in line contact When this occurs, further longitudinal rocking motion of the male surface (of portion 116) against the female surface (of portion 118) is inhibited Thus jaws 130 constrain the arcuate deflection of bearing adapter 44 to a limited range A typical range for η might be about 3 degrees of arc A typical maximum value of δ|0ng may be about +/- 3/16" to either side of the vertical, at rest, center line Similarly, as shown in Figures 2b and 2c, in the transverse direction, the engagement of r2 with R2 may tend to permit lateral rocking motion, as may be in the manner of a swing motion truck Figure 2b shows a centered, at rest, minimum potential energy position of the lateral rocking system Figure 2c shows the same system in a laterally deflected condition In this instance δ2 is roughly (LpendU|Um - r2)Sιnφ, where, for small angles Smφ is approximately equal to φ Lpenduι„m may be taken as the at rest difference in height between the center of the bottom spring seat, 52, and the contact interface between the male and female portions 116 and 118 When a lateral force is applied at the centerplate of the truck bolster, a reaction force is, ultimately, provided at the meeting of the wheels with the rail The lateral force is transmitted from the bolster into the main spπng groups, and then into a lateral force m the spπng seats to deflect the bottom of the pendulum The reaction is earned to the bearing adapter, and hence into the top of the pendulum The pendulum will then deflect until the weight on the pendulum, multiplied by the moment arm of the deflected pendulum is sufficient to balance the moment of the lateral moment couple acting on the pendulum This bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface assembly is biased by gravity acting on the pendulum toward a central, or "at rest" position, where there is a local minimum of the potential energy in the system The fully deflected position shown in Figure 2c may correspond to a deflection from vertical of the order of less than 10 degrees (and preferably less than 5 degrees) to either side of center, the actual maximum being determined by the spacing of gibbs 106 and 108 relative to plate 104 Although in general R] and R2 may differ, so the female surface is an outside section of a torus, it may be desirable, for R| and R2 to be the same, l e , so that the bearing surface of the female fitting is formed as a portion of a spherical surface, having neither a major nor a minor axis, but merely being formed on a spherical radius Ri and R2 give a self-centeπng tendency That tendency may be quite gentle Further, and again in the general condition, the smallest of R] and R2 may be equal to or larger than the largest of r, and r2 If so, then the contact point may have little, if any, ability to transmit torsion acting about an axis normal to the rocking surfaces at the point of contact, so the lateral and longitudinal rocking motions may tend to be torsionally de-coupled, and hence it may be said that relative to this degree of freedom (rotation about the vertical, or substantially vertical axis normal to the rocking contact interface surfaces) the interface is torsionally compliant (that is, the resistance to torsional deflection about the axis through the surfaces at the point of contact may tend to be much smaller than, for example, resistance to lateral angular deflection) For small angular deflections, the torsional stiffness about the normal axis at the contact point, this condition may sometimes be satisfied even where the smaller of the female radii is less than the largest male radius Although it is possible for r_ and r2 to be the same, such that the crowned surface of the bearing adapter (or the pedestal seat, if the relationship is inverted) is a portion of a spherical surface, in the general case r_ and r2 may be different, with r perhaps tending to be larger, possibly significantly larger, than r2 In general, whether or not rt and r2 are equal, Ri and R2 may be the same or different Where rt and r2 are different, the male fitting engagement surface may be a section of the surface of a torus It may also be noted that, provided the system may tend to return to a local minimum energy state (l e , that is self-restorative in normal operation) in the limit either or both of Rt and R2 may be infinitely large such that either a cylindrical section is formed or, when both are infinitely large, a planar surface may be formed In the further alternative, it may be that r! = r2, and R] = R2 In one embodiment r, may be the same as r2, and may be about 40 inches (+/- 5") and R, may the same as R2, and both may be infinite such that the female surface is planar Other embodiments of rocker geometry may be considered In one embodiment R] = R2 = 15 inches, T[ = 8 5/8 inches and r2 = 5" In another embodiment, R, = R2 = 15 inches, and ri = 10" and r2 = 8 5/8" (+/-) In another embodiment r! = 8 5/8, r2 = 5", R! = R2 = 12" in still another embodiment rj = 12 V_", r2 = 8 5/8 and R_ = R2 = 15" In another embodiment R! = R2 = ∞ and ri = r2 = 40" The radius of curvature of the male longitudinal rocker, rj, may be less than 60 inches, and may lie in the range of 5 to 50 inches, may lie in the range of 8 to 40 inches, and may be about 15 inches R_ may be infinite, or may be less than 100 inches, and may be in the range of 10 to 60 inches, or in the narrower range of 12 to 40 inches, and may be in the range of 11/10 to 4 times the size of r. The radius of curvature of the male lateral rocker, r2, may be between 30 and 50 inches Alternatively in another type of truck, r2, may be less than about 25 or 30 in , and may lie in the range of about 5 to 20 inches r2 may lie in the range of about 8 to 16 inches, and may be about 10 inches Where line contact rocking motion is used, r2 may perhaps be somewhat smaller than otherwise, perhaps in the range of 3 to 10 inches, and perhaps being about 5 inches R2 may be less than 60 inches, and may be less than about 25 or 30 inches, then being less than half the
60 inch crown radius noted above Alternatively, R2 may e in the range of 6 to 40 inches, and may lie in the range of 5 to 15 inches in the case of rolling line contact R2 may be between 1 '/_. to 4 times as large as r2 In one embodiment R2 may be roughly twice as large as r_>, (+/- 20 %) Where line contact is employed, R2 may be in the range of 5 to 20 inches, or more naπowly, 8 to 14 inches Where a spherical male rocker is used on a spheπcal female cap, in some embodiments the male radius may be in the range of 8 - 13 in , and may be about 9 in , the female radius may be in the range of 11 - 16 in , and may be about 12 in Where a torus, or elliptical surface is employed, in one embodiment the lateral male radius may be about 7 in , the longitudinal male radius may be about 10 inches, the lateral female radius may be about 12 in and the longitudinal female radius may be about 15 in Where a flat female rocker surface is used, and a male spherical surface is used, the male radius of curvature may be in the range of about 20 to about 50 in , and may lie in the naπower range of 30 to 40 in Many combinations are possible, depending on loading, intended use, and rocker materials In each case the mating male and female rocker surfaces may tend to be chosen to yield a physically reasonable paiπng in terms of expected loading, anticipated load history, and operational life These may vary The rocker surfaces herein may tend to be formed of a relatively hard material, which may be a metal or metal alloy material, such as a steel or a material of comparable hardness and toughness Such materials may have elastic deformation at the location of rocking contact in a manner analogous to that of journal or ball bearings Nonetheless, the rockers may be taken as approximating the ideal rolling point or line contact (as may be) of infinitely stiff members This is to be distinguished from materials in which deflection of an elastomeric element be it a pad, or block, of whatever shape, may be intended to determine a characteristic of the dynamic or static response of the element In one embodiment the lateral rocking constant for a light car may be in the range of about 48,000 to 130,000 in-lbs per radian of angular deflection of the side frame pendulum, or, 260,000 to 700,000 in-lbs per radian for a fully laded car, or more geneπcally, about 0 95 to 2 6 in-lbs per radian per pound of weight borne by the pendulum Alternatively, for a light (l e , empty) car the stiffness of the pendulum may be in the range 3,200 to 15,000 lbs per inch, and 22,000 to 61,000 lbs per inch for a fully laden 110 ton truck, or, more geneπcally, in the range of 0 06 to 0 160 lbs per inch of lateral deflection per pound weight borne by the pendulum, as measured at the bottom spring seat The male and female surfaces may be inverted, such that the female engagement surface is formed on the bearing adapter, and the male engagement surface is formed on the pedestal seat It is a matter of terminology which part is actually the "seat", and which is the "rocker" Sometimes the seat may be assumed to be the part that has the larger radius, and which is usually thought of as being the stationary reference, while the rocker is taken to be the part with the smaller radius, that "rocks" on the stationary seat However, this is not always so At root, the relationship is of mating parts, whether male or female, and there is relative motion between the parts, or fittings, whether the fittings are called a "seat" or a "rocker" The fittings mate at a force transfer interface The force transfer interface moves as the parts that co-operate to define the rocking interface rock on each other, whichever part may be, nominally, the male part or the female part One of the mating parts or surfaces is part of the bearing adapter, and another is part of the pedestal There may be only two mating surfaces, or there may be more than two mating surfaces in the overall assembly defining the dynamic interface between the bearing adapter and the pedestal fitting, or pedestal seat, however it may be called Both female radii Rj and R2 may not be on the same fitting, and both male radu r_ and r2 may not be on the same fitting That is, they may be combined to form saddle shaped fittings in which the bearing adapter has an upper surface that has a male fitting in the nature of a longitudinally extending crown with a laterally extending axis of rotation, having the radius of curvature is r,, and a female fitting in the nature of a longitudinally extending trough having a lateral radius of curvature R2 Similarly, the pedestal seat fitting may have a downwardly facing surface that has a transversely extending trough having a longitudinally oriented radius of curvature R^ for engagement with r_ of the crown of the bearing adapter, and a longitudinally running, downwardly protruding crown having a transverse radius of curvature r2 for engagement with R2 of the trough of the bearing adapter In a sense, a saddle shaped surface is both a seat and a rocker, being a seat in one direction, and a rocker in the other As noted above, the essence is that there are two small radii, and two large (or possibly even infinite) radii, and the surfaces form a mating pair that engage in rolling contact in both the lateral and longitudinal directions, with a central local minimum potential energy position to which the assembly is biased to return It may also be noted that the saddle surfaces can be inverted such that the bearing adapter has r2 and i, and the pedestal seat fitting has rj and R2 In either case, the smallest of R] and R2 may be larger than, or equal to, the largest of rt and r2, and the mating saddle surfaces may tend to be torsionally uncoupled as noted above Figures 3a Figure 3a shows an alternate embodiment of wheelset to sideframe interface assembly, indicated most generally as 150 In this example it may be understood that the pedestal region of sideframe 151, as shown in Figure 3a, is substantially similar to those shown in the previous examples, and may be taken as being the same except insofar as may be noted Similarly, bearing 152 may be taken as representing the location of the end of a wheelset more generally, with the wheelset to sideframe interface assembly including those items, members or elements that are mounted between bearing 152 and sideframe 151 Bearing adapter 154 may be generally similar to bearing adapter 44 in terms of its lower structure for seating on beaπng 152 As with the bodies of the other bearing adapters described herein, the body of bearing adapter 154 may be a casting or a forging, or a machined part, and may be made of a material that may be a relatively low cost mateπal, such as cast iron or steel, and may be made in generally the same manner as beaπng adapters have been made heretofore Bearing adapter 154 may have a bi-directional rocker 153 employing a compound curvature of first and second radii of curvature according to one or another of the possible combinations of male and female radii of curvature discussed herein Bearing adapter 154 may differ from those descπbed above in that the central body portion 155 of the adapter has been trimmed to be shorter longitudinally, and the inside spacing between the comer abutment portions has been widened somewhat, to accommodate the installation of an auxiliary centering device, or centering member, or centrally biased restoπng member in the nature of, for example, elastomeric bumper pads, such as those identified as resilient pads, or members 156 Members 156 may be considered a form of restorative centering element, and may also be termed "snubbers" or "bumper" pads A pedestal seat fitting having a mating rocking surface for permitting lateral and longitudinal rocking, is identified as 158 As with the other pedestal seat fittings shown and described herein, fitting 158 may be made of a hard metal material, which may be a grade of steel The engagement of the rocking surfaces may, again, tend to have low resistance to torsion about predominantly vertical axis through the point of contact Figure 3b In Figure 3b, a bearing adapter 160 is substantially similar to bearing adapter 154, but differs in having a central recess, socket, cavity or accommodation, indicated generally as 161 for receiving an insert identified as a first, or lower, rocker member 162 As with bearing adapter 154, the main, or central portion of the body 159 of bearing adapter 160 may be of shorter longitudinal extent than might otherwise be the case, being truncated, or relieved, to accommodate resilient members 156 Accommodation 161 may have a plan view form whose periphery may include one or more keying, or indexing, features or fittings, of which cusps 163 may be representative Cusps 163 may receive mating keying, or indexing, features or fittings of rocker member 162, of which lobes 164 may be taken as representative examples Cusps 163 and lobes 164 may fix the angular orientation of the lower, or first, rocker member 162 such that the appropπate radu of curvature may be presented in each of the lateral and longitudinal directions For example, cusps 163 may be spaced unequally about the periphery of accommodation 161 (with lobes 164 being correspondingly spaced about the peπphery of the insert member 162) in a specific spacing arrangement to prevent installation in an incorrect orientation, (such as 90 degrees out of phase) For example, one cusp may be spaced 80 degrees of arc about the periphery from one neighbouπng cusp, and 100 degrees of arc from another neighbouring cusp, and so on to form a rectangular pattern Many variations are possible While body 159 of bearing adapter 160 may be made of cast iron or steel, the insert, namely first rocker member 162, may be made of a different mateπal That different mateπal may present a hardened metal rocker surface such as may have been manufactured by a different process For example, the insert, member 162, may be made of a tool steel, or of a steel such as may be used in the manufacture of ball bearings Furthermore, upper surface 165 of insert member 162, which includes that portion that is in rocking engagement with the mating pedestal seat 168, may be machined or otherwise formed to a high degree of smoothness, akin to a ball bearing surface, and may be heat treated, to give a finished beaπng part Similarly, pedestal seat 168 may be made of a hardened material, such as a tool steel or a steel from which bearings are made, formed to a high level of smoothness, and heat treated as may be appropriate, having a surface formed to mate with surface 165 of rocker member 162 Alternatively, pedestal seat 168 may have an accommodation indicated as 167, and an insert member, identified as upper or second rocker member 166, analogous to accommodation 161 and insert member 162, with keying or indexing such as may tend to cause the parts to seat in the correct orientation Member 166 may be formed of a hard mateπal in a manner similar to member 162, and may have a downward facing rocking surface 157, which may be machined or otherwise formed to a high degree of smoothness, akin to a ball or roller beaπng surface, and may be heat treated, to give a finished bearing part surface for mating, rocking engagement with surface 165 Where rocker member 162 has both male radii, and the female radii of curvature are both infinite such that the female surface is planar, a wear member having a planar surface such as a spring clip may be mounted in a sprung interference fit in the pedestal roof in lieu of pedestal seat 168 In one embodiment, the spring clip may be a clip on "Dyna-Clip" (t m ) pedestal roof wear plate such as supplied by TransDyne Inc Such a clip is shown in an isometπc view in Figure
Fi ure 3e Figure 3e shows an alternate embodiment of wheelset to sideframe interface assembly, indicated generally as 170 Assembly 170 may include a bearing adapter 171, a pair of resilient members 156, a rocking assembly that may include a boot, resilient πng or retainer, 172, a first rocker member 173, and a second rocker member 174 A pedestal seat may be provided to mount in the roof of the pedestal as descπbed above, or second rocker member 174 may mount directly in the pedestal roof Bearing adapter 171 is generally similar to bearing adapter 44, or 154, in terms of its lower structure for seating on bearing 152 The body of bearing adapter 171 may be a casting or a forging, or a machined part, and may be made of a material that may be a relatively low cost mateπal, such as cast iron or steel Bearing adapter 171 may be provided with a central recess, socket, cavity or accommodation, indicated generally as 176, for receiving rocker member 173 and rocker member 174, and retainer 172 The ends of the main portion of the body of bearing adapter 171 may be of relatively short extent to accommodate resilient members 156 Accommodation 176 may have the form of a circular opening, that may have a radially inwardly extending flange 177, whose upwardly facing surface 178 defines a circumferential land upon which to seat first rocker member 173 Flange 177 may also include drain holes 178, such as may be 4 holes formed on 90 degree centers, for example Rocker member 173 has a spherical engagement surface First rocker member 173 may include a thickened central portion, and a thinner radially distant peripheral portion, having a lower radial edge, or margin, or land, for seating upon, and for transferring vertical loads into, flange 177 In an alternate embodiment, a non- galling, relatively soft annular gasket, or shim, whether made of a suitable brass, bronze, copper, or other material may be employed on flange 177 under the land First rocker member 173 may be made of a different material from the mateπal from which the body of bearing adapter 156 is made more generally That is to say, rocker member 173 may be made of a hard, or hardened mateπal, such as a tool steel or a steel such as might be used in a bearing, that may be finished to a generally higher level of precision, and to a finer degree of surface roughness than the body of bearing adapter 156 more generally Such a material may be suitable for rolling contact operation under high contact pressures Second rocker member 174 may be a disc of circular shape (in plan view) or other suitable shape having an upper surface for seating in pedestal seat 168, or, in the event a pedestal seat member is not used, then formed directly to mate with the pedestal roof having an integrally formed seat First rocker member 173 may have an upper, or rocker surface 175, having a profile such as may give bi-directional lateral and longitudinal rocking motion when used in conjunction with the mating second, or upper rocker member, 174 Second rocker member 174 may be made of a different material from the material from which the body of bearing adapter 171, or the pedestal seat, is made more generally Second rocker member 174 may be made of a hard, or hardened material, such as a tool steel or a steel such as might be used in a beaπng, that may be finished to a generally higher level of precision, and to a finer degree of surface roughness than the body of sideframe 151 more generally Such a material may be suitable for rolling contact operation under high contact pressures, particularly as when operated in conjunction with first rocker member 173 Where an insert of dissimilar material is used, that material may tend to be rather more costly than the cast iron or relatively mild steel from which bearing adapters may otherwise tend to be made Further still, an insert of this nature may be removed and replaced when worn, either on the basis of a scheduled rotation, or as the need may arise Resilient member 172 may be made of a composite or polymeric material, such as a polyurethane Resilient member 172 may also have apertures, or reliefs 179 such as may be placed in a position for cooperation with conesponding drain holes 178 The wall height of resilient member 172 may be sufficiently tall to engage the periphery of first rocker member 173 Further, a portion of the radially outwardly facing peripheral edge of the second, upper, rocking member 174, may also lie within, or may be partially overlapped by, and may possibly slightly stretchingly engage, the upper margin of resilient member 172 in a close, or interference, fit manner, such that a seal may tend to be formed to exclude dirt or moisture In this way the assembly may tend to form a closed unit In that regard, such space as may be formed between the first and second rockers 173, 174 inside the dirt exclusion member may be packed with a lubricant, such as a lithium or other suitable grease Figures 4a - 4e As shown in Figures 4a - 4e, resilient members 156 may have the general shape of a channel, having a central, or back, or transverse, or web portion 181, and a pair of left and πght hand, flanking wing portions 182, 183 Wing portions 182 and 183 may tend to have downwardly and outwardly tending extremities that may tend to have an arcuate lower edge such as may seat over the bearing casing The inside width of wing portions 182 and 183 may be such as to seat snugly about the sides of thrust blocks 180 A transversely extending lobate portion 185, running along the upper margin of web portion 181, may seat in a radiused rebate 184 between the upper margin of thrust blocks 180 and the end of pedestal seat 168 The inner lateral edge 186 of lobate portion 185 may tend to be chamfered, or relieved, to accommodate, and to seat next to, the end of pedestal seat 168 It may be desirable for the rocking assembly at the wheelset to sideframe interface to tend to maintain itself in a centered condition As noted, the torsionally de-coupled bi-directional rocker aπangements disclosed herein may tend to have rocking stiffnesses that are proportional to the weight placed upon the rocker Where a longitudinal rocking surface is used to permit self-steering, and the truck is experiencing reduced wheel load, (such as may approach wheel lift), or where the car is operating in the light car condition, it may be helpful to employ an auxiliary restorative centering element that may include a biasing element tending to urge the bearing adapter to a longitudinally centered position relative to the pedestal roof, and whose restorative tendency may be independent of the gravitational force experienced at the wheel That is, when the bearing adapter is under less than full load, or is unloaded, it may be desirable to maintain a bias to a central position Resilient members 156 described above may operate to urge such centering Figures 3c and 3d illustrate the spatial relationship of the sandwich formed by (a) the bearing adapter, for example, bearing adapter 154, (b) the centering member, such as, for example, resilient members 156, and (c) the pedestal jaw thrust blocks, 180 Ancillary details such as, for example, drain holes or phantom lines to show hidden features have been omitted from Figures 3c and 3d for clarity When resilient member 156 is in place, bearing adapter 154 (or 171, as may be), may tend to be centered relative to jaws 180 As installed, the snubber (member 156) may seat closely about the pedestal jaw thrust lug, and may seat next to the bearing adapter end wall and between the bearing adapter corner abutments in a slight interference fit The snubber may be sandwiched between, and may establish the spaced relative position of, the thrust lug and the bearing adapter and may provide an initial central positioning of the mating rocker elements as well as providing a restorative bias Although bearing adapter 154 may still rock relative to the sideframe, such rocking may tend to deform (typically, locally to compress) a portion of member 156, and, being elastic, member 156 may tend to urge bearing adapter 154 toward a central position, whether there is much weight on the rocking elements or not Resilient member 156 may have a restorative force-deflection characteristic in the longitudinal direction that is substantially less stiff than the force deflection characteristic of the fully loaded longitudinal rocker (perhaps one to two orders of magnitude less), such that, in a fully loaded car condition, member 156 may tend not significantly to alter the rocking behaviour In one embodiment member 156 may be made of a polyurethane having a Young's modulus of some 6,500 p s l In another embodiment the Young's modulus may be about 13,000 p s l The Young's modulus of the elastomeric material may be in the range of 4 to 20 k p s l The placement of resilient members 156 may tend to center the rocking elements during installation In one embodiment, the force to deflect one of the snubbers may be less than 20 % of the force to deflect the rocker a corresponding amount under the light car (l e , unloaded) condition, and may, for small deflections, have an equivalent force/deflection curve slope that may be less than 10 % of the force deflection characteristic of the longitudinal rocker Figure 5 Thus far only primary wedge angles have been discussed Figure 5 shows an isometric view of an end portion of a truck bolster 210 As with all of the truck bolsters shown and discussed herein, bolster 210 is symmetrical about the central longitudinal vertical plane of the bolster (l e , cross-wise relative to the truck generally) and symmetrical about the vertical mid-span section of the bolster (l e , the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the truck generally, coinciding with the railcar longitudinal center line) Bolster 210 has a pair of spaced apart bolster pockets 212, 214 for receiving damper wedges 216, 218 Pocket 212 is laterally inboard of pocket 214 relative to the side frame of the truck more generally Wear plate inserts 220, 222 are mounted in pockets 212, 214 along the angled wedge face As can be seen, wedges 216, 218 have a primary angle, α as measured between vertical and the angled trailing vertex 228 of outboard face 230 For the embodiments discussed herein, primary angle α may tend to he in the range of 35 - 55 degrees, possibly about 40 - 50 degrees This same angle α is matched by the facing surface of the bolster pocket, be it 212 or 214 A secondary angle β gives the inboard,
(or outboard), rake of the sloped surface 224, (or 226) of wedge 216 (or 218) The true rake angle can be seen by sighting along plane of the sloped face and measuring the angle between the sloped face and the planar outboard face 230 The rake angle is the complement of the angle so measured The rake angle may tend to be greater than 5 degrees, may lie in the range of 5 to 20 degrees, and is preferably about 10 to 15 degrees A modest rake angle may be desirable When the truck suspension works in response to track perturbations, the damper wedges may tend to work in their pockets The rake angles yield a component of force tending to bias the outboard face 230 of outboard wedge 218 outboard against the opposing outboard face of bolster pocket 214 Similarly, the inboard face of wedge 216 may tend to be biased toward the inboard planar face of inboard bolster pocket 212 These inboard and outboard faces of the bolster pockets may be lined with a low friction surface pad, indicated generally as 232 The left hand and right hand biases of the wedges may tend to keep them apart to yield the full moment arm distance intended, and, by keeping them against the planar facing walls, may tend to discourage twisting of the dampers in the respective pockets Bolster 210 includes a middle land 234 between pockets 212, 214, against which another spring 236 may work Middle land 234 is such as might be found in a spring group that is three (or more) coils wide However, whether two, three, or more coils wide, and whether employing a central land or no central land, bolster pockets can have both primary and secondary angles as illustrated in the example embodiment of Figure 5a, with or without wear inserts Where a central land, e g , land 234, separates two damper pockets, the opposing side frame column wear plates need not be monolithic That is, two wear plate regions could be provided, one opposite each of the inboard and outboard dampers, presenting planar surfaces against which the dampers can bear The normal vectors of those regions may be parallel, the surfaces may be co-planar and perpendicular to the long axis of the side frame, and may present a clear, un-inteπupted surface to the friction faces of the dampers Figure le Figure le shows an example of a three piece railroad car truck, shown generally as 250 Truck 250 has a truck bolster 252, and a pair of sideframes 254 The spring groups of truck 250 are indicated as 256 Spring groups 256 are spring groups having three springs 258 (inboard corner), 260 (center) and 262 (outboard comer) most closely adjacent to the sideframe columns 254 A motion calming, kinematic energy dissipating element, in the nature of a friction damper 264, 266 is mounted over each of central springs 260 Friction damper 264, 266 has a substantially planar fπction face 268 mounted in facing, planar opposition to, and for engagement with, a side frame wear member in the nature of a wear plate 270 mounted to sideframe column 254 The base of damper 264, 266 defines a spring seat, or socket 272 into which the upper end of central spring 260 seats Damper 264, 266 has a third face, being an inclined slope or hypotenuse face 274 for mating engagement with a sloped face 276 inside sloped bolster pocket 278 Compression of spring 260 under an end of the truck bolster may tend to load damper 264 or 266, as may be, such that friction face 268 is biased against the opposing beaπng face of the sideframe column, 280 Truck 250 also has wheelsets whose bearings arc mounted in the pedestal 284 at either ends of the side frames 254 Each of these pedestals may accommodate one or another of the sideframe to bearing adapter interface assemblies described above and may thereby have a measure of sel f steeπng In this embodiment, vertcal face 268 of friction damper 264, 266 may have a bearing surface having a co-efficient of static friction, μs, and a co-efficient of dynamic or kinetic friction, μk, that may tend to exhibit little or no "stick-slip" behaviour when operating against the wear surface of wear plate 270 In one embodiment, the coefficients of friction are within 10 % of each other In another embodiment the coefficients of friction are substantially equal and may be substantially free of stick-slip behaviour In one embodiment, when dry, the coefficients of friction may be in the range of 0 10 to 045, may be in the narrower range of 0 15 to 0 35, and may be about 0 30 Friction damper 264, 266 may have a fπction face coating, or bonded pad 286 having these friction properties, and corresponding to those inserts or pads described in the context of Figures 6a- 6c, and Figures 7a - 7h Bonded pad 286 may be a polymeric pad or coating A low fπction, or controlled fπction pad or coating 288 may also be employed on the sloped surface of the damper In one embodiment that coating or pad 288 may have coefficients of static and dynamic friction that are within 20 %, or, more naπowly, 10 % of each other In another embodiment, the coefficients of static and dynamic friction are substantially equal The co-efficient of dynamic friction may be in the range of 0 10 to 0 30, and may be about 020 Figures 6a to 6c The bodies of the damper wedges themselves may be made from a relatively common material, such as a mild steel or cast iron The wedges may then be given wear face members in the nature of shoes, wear inserts or other wear members, which may be intended to be consumable items In Figure 6a, a damper wedge is shown geneπcally as 300 The replaceable, friction modification consumable wear members are indicated as 302, 304 The wedges and wear members may have mating male and female mechanical interlink features, such as the cross-shaped relief 303 formed in the primary angled and vertical faces of wedge 300 for mating with the conesponding raised cross shaped features 305 of wear members 302, 304 Sliding wear member 302 may be made of a material having specified friction properties, and may be obtained from a supplier of such materials as, for example, brake and clutch linings and the like, such as Railway Friction Products The materials may include materials that are refeπed to as being non-metallic, low friction materials, and may include UHMW polymers Although Figures 6a and 6c show consumable inserts in the nature of wear plates, namely wear members 302, 304 the entire bolster pocket may be made as a replaceable part It may be a high precision casting, or may include a sintered powder metal assembly having suitable physical properties The part so formed may then be welded into place in the end of the bolster The underside of the wedges described herein, wedge 300 being typical in this regard, may have a seat, or socket 307, for engaging the top end of the spring coil, whichever spring it may be, spring 262 being shown as typically representative Socket 307 serves to discourage the top end of the spring from wandering away from the intended generally central position under the wedge A bottom seat, or boss, for discouraging lateral wandering of the bottom end of the spring is shown in Figure le as item 308 It may be noted that wedge 300 has a primary angle, but does not have a secondary rake angle In that regard, wedge 300 may be used as damper 264, 266 of truck 250 of Figure le, for example, and may provide friction damping with little or no "stick-slip" behaviour, but rather fπction damping for which the coefficients of static and dynamic friction are equal, or only differ by a small (less than about 20%, perhaps less than 10%) difference Wedge 300 may be used in truck 250 in conjunction with a bi-directional bearing adapter of any of the embodiments described herein Wedge 300 may also be used in a four cornered damper aπangement, as in truck 22, for example, where wedges may be employed that may lack secondary angles Figures 7 - 7h Referring to Figures 7a - 7e, a damper 310 is shown such as may be used in truck 22, or any of the other double damper trucks described herein, such as may have appropriately formed, mating bolster pockets Damper 310 is similar to damper 300, but may include both primary and secondary angles Damper 310 may, arbitrarily, be termed a right handed damper wedge Figures 7a - 7e are intended to be generic such that it may be understood also to represent the left handed, minor image of a mating damper with which damper 310 would form a matched pair Wedge 310 has a body 312 that may be made by casting or by another suitable process Body 312 may be made of steel or cast iron, and may be substantially hollow Body 312 has a first, substantially planar platen portion 314 having a first face for placement in a generally vertical orientation in opposition to a sideframe bearing surface, for example, a wear plate mounted on a sideframe column Platen portion 314 may have a rebate, or relief, or depression formed therein to receive a bearing surface wear member, indicated as member 316 Member 316 may be a material having specific friction properties when used in conjunction with the sideframe column wear plate mateπal For example, member 316 may be formed of a brake lining material, and the column wear plate may be formed from a high hardness steel Body 312 may include a base portion 318 that may extend rearwardly from and generally peφendicularly to, platen portion 314 Base portion 318 may have a relief 320 formed therein in a manner to form, roughly, the negative impression of an end of a spring coil, such as may receive a top end of a coil of a spring of a spring group, such as spring 262 Base portion 318 may join platen portion 314 at an intermediate height, such that a lower portion 321 of platen portion 314 may depend downwardly therebeyond in the manner of a skirt That skirt portion may include a corner, or wrap around portion 322 formed to seat around a portion of the spring Body 312 may also include a diagonal member in the nature of a sloped member 324. Sloped member 324 may have a first, or lower end extending from the distal end of base 318 and running upwardly and forwardly toward a junction with platen portion 314 An upper region 326 of platen portion 314 may extend upwardly beyond that point of junction, such that damper wedge 310 may have a footprint having a vertical extent somewhat greater than the vertical extent of sloped member 324 Sloped member 324 may also have a socket or seat in the nature of a relief or rebate 328 formed therein for receiving a sliding face member 330 for engagement with the bolster pocket wear plate of the bolster pocket into which wedge 310 may seat As may be seen, sloped member 324 (and face member 330) are inclined at a primary angle α, and a secondary angle β Sliding face member 330 may be an element of chosen, possibly relatively low, friction properties (when engaged with the bolster pocket wear plate), such as may include desired values of coefficients of static and dynamic friction In one embodiment the coefficients of static and dynamic friction may be substantially equal, may be about 0 2 (+/- 20 %, or, more narrowly +/- 10%), and may be substantially free of stick-slip behaviour In the alternative embodiment of Figure 7g, a damper wedge 332 is similar to damper wedge 310, but, in addition to pads or inserts for providing modified or controlled friction properties on the friction face for engaging the sideframe column and on the face for engaging the slope of the bolster pocket, damper wedge 332 may have pads or inserts such as pad 334 on the side faces of the wedge for engaging the side faces of the bolster pockets In this regard, it may be desirable for pad 334 to have low coefficients of friction, and to tend to be free of stick slip behaviour The friction materials may be cast or bonded in place, and may include mechanical interlocking features, such as shown in Figure 6a, or bosses, grooves, splines, or the like such as may be used for the same purpose Similarly, in the alternative embodiment of Figure 7h, a damper wedge 336 is provided in which the slope face insert or pad, and the side wall insert or pad form a continuous, or monolithic, element, indicated as 338 The material of the pad or insert may, again, be cast in place, and may include mechanical interlock features Figures 8a - 8f Figures 8a - 8f show an alternate bearing adapter assembly to that of Figure 3a The assembly, indicated generally as 350, may differ from that of Figure 3a insofar as bearing adapter 344 may have an upper surface 346 that may be a load bearing interface surface of significant extent, that may be substantially planar and horizontal, such that it may act as a base upon which to seat a rocker element, 348 Rocker element 348 may have an upper, or rocker, surface 352 having a suitable profile, such as a compound curvatures having lateral and longitudinal radii of curvature, for mating with a corresponding rocker engagement surface of a pedestal seat liner 354 As noted above, in the general case each of the two rocking engagement surface may have both lateral and longitudinal radii of curvature, such that there are mating lateral male and female radii, and mating longitudinal male and female radii In one embodiment, both the female radii may be infinite, such that the pedestal seat may have a planar engagement surface, and the pedestal seat liner may be a wear liner, or similar device Rocker element 348 may also have a lower surface 356 for seating on, mating with, and for transferring loads into, upper surface 346 over a relatively large surface area, and may have a suitable through thickness for diffusing vertical loading from the zone of rolling contact to the larger area of the land
(I e , surface 346, or a portion thereof) upon which rocker element 348 sits Lower surface 356 may also include a keying, or indexing feature 358 of suitable shape, and may include a centering feature 360, both to aid in installation, and to aid in re-centeπng rocker element 348 in the event that it should be tempted to migrate away from the central position during operation Indexing feature 358 may also include an orienting element for discouraging misorientation of rocker element 348. Indexing feature 358 may be a cavity 362 of suitable shape to mate with an opposed button 364 formed on the upper surface 346 of bearing adapter 344 If this shape is non-circular, it may tend to admit of only one permissible orientation The orienting element may be defined in the plan form shape of cavity 362 and button 364 Where the various radu of curvature of rocker element 348 differ in the lateral and longitudinal directions, it may be that two positions 180 degrees out of phase may be acceptable, whereas another orientation may not While an ellipse of differing major and minor axes may serve this purpose, the shape of cavity 362 and button 364 may be chosen from a large number of possibilities, and may have a cruciform or triangular shape, or may include more than one raised feature in an asymmetrical pattern, for example The centering feature may be defined in the tapered, or sloped, flanks 368 and 370 of cavity 362 and 364 respectively, in that, once positioned such that flanks 368 and 370 begin to work against each other, a normal force acting downward on the interface may tend to cause the parts to center themselves Rocker element 348 has an external periphery 372, defining a footprint Resilient members 374 may be taken as being the same as resilient members 156, noted above, except insofar as resilient members 374 may have a depending end portion for nesting about the thrust block of a jaw of the pedestal, and also a predominantly horizontally extending portion 376 for overlying a substantial portion of the generally flat or horizontal upper region of bearing adapter 344 That is, the outlying regions of surface 346 of bearing adapter 344 may tend to be generally flat, and may tend, due to the general thickness of rocker element 348, to be compelled to stand in a spaced apart relationship from the opposed, downwardly facing surface of the pedestal seat, such as may be, for example, the exposed surface of a wear liner such as item 354, or a seat such as item 168, or such other mating part as may be suitable Portion 376 is of a thickness suitable for lying in the gaps so defined, and may tend to be thinner than the mean gap height so as not to interfere with operation of the rocker elements Horizontally extending portion 376 may have the form of a skirt such as may include a pair of left and right hand arms or wings 378 and 380 having a profile, when seen in plan view, for embracing a portion of periphery 372 Resilient member 374 has a relief 382 defined in the inwardly facing edge Where rocker member 348 has outwardly extending blisters, or cusps, akin to item 164, relief 382 may function as an indexing or orientation feature A relatively coarse engagement of rocker element 348 may tend to result in wings 378 and 380 urging rocker element 348 to a generally centered position relative to bearing adapter 344 This coarse centering may tend to cause cavity 362 to pick up on button 364, such that rocker member 348 is then urged to the desired centered position by a fine centering feature, namely the chamfered flanks 368, 370 The root of portion 376 may be relieved by a radius 384 adjacent the juncture of surface 346 with the end wall 386 of bearing adapter 348 to discourage chaffing of resilient member 372, 374 at that location Without the addition of a multiplicity of drawings, it may be noted that rocker element 348 could, alternatively, be inverted so as to, seat in an accommodation formed in the pedestal roof, with a land facing toward the roof, and a rocking surface facing toward a mating bearing adapter, be it adapter 44 or some other Fi ures 9a and 9b Figure 9a shows an alternative arrangement to that of Figure 3a or Figure 8a In the wheelset to sideframe interface assembly of Figure 9a, indicated generally as 400, bearing adapter 404 may be substantially similar to bearing adapter 344, and may have an upper surface 406 and a rocker element 408 that interact in the same manner as rocker element 348 interacts with surface 346 (Or, in the inverted case, the rocker element may be seated in the pedestal roof, and the bearing adapter may have a mating upwardly facing rocker surface) The rocker element may interact with a pedestal seat fitting 410 such as may be a wear liner seated in the pedestal roof Rocker element 408 and the body of bearing adapter 404 may have mating indexing features as described in the context of Figures 8a to 8e Rather than two resilient members, such as items 374, however, assembly 400 employs a single resilient member 412, such as may be a monolithic cast material, be it polyurethane or a suitable rubber or rubberlike material such as may be used, for example, in making an LC pad or a Pennsy pad An LC pad is an elastomeric bearing adapter pad available from Lord Coφoration of Eπe Pennsylvania An example of an
LC pad may be identified as Standard Car Truck Part Number SCT 5578 In this instance, resilient member 412 has first and second end portions 414, 416 for inteφosition between the thrust lugs of the jaws of the pedestal and the ends 418 and 420 of the bearing adapter End portions 414, 416 may tend to be a bit undersize so that, once the roof liner is in place, they may slide vertically into place on the thrust lugs, possibly in a modest interference fit The bearing adapter may slide into place thereafter, and again, may do so in a slight interference fit, caπying the rocker element 408 with it into place Resilient member 412 may also have a central or medial portion 422 extending between end portions 414, 416 Medial portion 422 may extend generally horizontally inward to overlie substantial portions of the upper surface bearing adapter 404 Resilient member 412 may have an accommodation 424 formed therein, be it in the nature of an aperture, or through hole, having a periphery of suitable extent to admit rocker element 408, and so to permit rocker element 408 to extend at least partially through member 412 to engage the mating rocking element of the pedestal seat It may be that the periphery of accommodation 422 is matched to the shape of the footprint of rocker element 408 in the manner described in the context of Figures 8a to 8e to facilitate installation and to facilitate location of rocker element 408 on bearing adapter 404 In one embodiment resilient member 412 may be formed in the manner of a Pennsy Pad with a suitable central aperture formed therein Figure 9b shows a Pennsy pad installation In this installation, a bearing adapter is indicated as 430, and an elastomeric member, such as may be a Pennsy pad, is indicated as 432 On installation, member 432 seats between the pedestal roof and the bearing adapter The term "Pennsy pad", or "Pennsy Adapter Plus", refers to a kind of elastomeric pad developed by Pennsy Coφoration of Westchester Pa One example of such a pad is illustrated in US Patent 5,562,045 of Rudibaugh et al , issued October 6, 1996 (and which is incorporated herein by reference) Figure 9b may include a pad 432 and bearing adapter of 430 the same, or similar, nature to those shown and described in the 5,562,045 patent The Pennsy pad may tend to permit a measure of passive steering The Pennsy pad installation of Figure 9b can be installed in the sideframe of
Figure la, in combination with a four cornered damper aπangement, as indicated in Figures la - Id In this embodiment the truck may be a Barber S2HD truck, modified to cany a damper anangement, such as a four- cornered damper arrangement, such as may have an enhanced restorative tendency in the face of non-square deformation of the truck, having dampers that may include friction surfaces as described herein Figures 10a - I Qe Figure 10a shows a further alternate embodiment of wheelset to sideframe interface assembly to that of Figure 3a or Figure 8a In this instance, bearing adapter 444 may have an upper rocker surface of any of the configurations discussed above, or may have a rocker element in the manner of bearing adapter 344 The underside of bearing adapter 444 may have not only a circumferentially extending medial groove, channel or rebate 446, having an apex lying on the transverse plane of symmetry of bearing adapter
444, but also a laterally extending underside rebate 448 such as may tend to lie parallel to the underlying longitudinal axis of the wheelset shaft and bearing centreline (l e , the axial direction) such that the underside of bearing adapter 444 has four comer lands or pads 450 arranged in an array for seating on the casing of the bearing In this instance, each of the pads, or lands, may be formed on a curved surface having a radius conforming to a body of revolution such as the outer shell of the bearing Rebate 448 may tend to lie along the apex of the arch of the underside of bearing adapter 444, with the intersection of rebates 446 and 448 Rebate 448 may be relatively shallow, and may be gently radiused into the surrounding bearing adapter body The body of bearing adapter 444 is more or less symmetrical about both its longitudinal central vertical plane (I c , on installation, that plane lying vertical and parallel to, if not coincident with, the longitudinal vertical central plane of the sideframe), and also about its transverse central plane (l e , on installation, that plane extending vertically radially from the center line of the axis of rotation of the bearing and of the wheelset shaft) It may be noted that axial rebate 448 may tend to he at the section of minimum cross-sectional area of bearing adapter 444 In the view of the present inventors, rebates 446 and 448 may tend to divide, and spread, the vertical load earned through the rocker element over a larger area of the casing of the bearing, and hence to more evenly distribute the load into the elements of the bearing than might otherwise be the case It is thought that this may tend to encourage longer bearing life In the general case, bearing adapter 444 may have an upper surface having a crown to permit self- steering, or may be formed to accommodate a self-steering apparatus such as an elastomeric pad, such as a Pennsy Pad or other pad In the event that a rocker surface is employed, whether by way of a separable insert, or a disc, or is integrally formed m the body of the bearing adapter, the location of the contact of the rocker in the resting position may tend to he directly above the center of the bearing adapter, and hence above the intersection of the axial and circumferential rebates in the underside of bearing adapter 444 Figures 11a - 11f Figures 11a - llf show views of a bearing adapter 452, a pedestal seat insert 454 and elastomeric bumper pad members 456, as an assembly for insertion between bearing 46 and sideframe 26 Bearing adapter 452 and pad members 456 are generally similar to bearing adapter 171 and members 156, respectively They differ, however, insofar as bearing adapter 452 has thrust block standoff elements 460, 462 located at either end thereof, and the lower corners of bumpers 456 have been truncated accordingly It may be that for a certain range of deflection, an elastomeric response is desired, and may be sufficient to accommodate a high percentage of in-service performance However, excursion beyond that range of deflection might tend to cause damage, or reduction in life, to pad members 456 Standoff elements 460, 462 may act as limiting stops to bound that range of motion Standoff elements 460, 462 may have the form of shelves, or abutments, or stops 466, 468 mounted to, and standing proud of, the laterally inwardly facing faces of the comer abutment portions 470, 472 of bearing adapter 452 more generally As installed, stops
466, 468 underlie toes 474, 476 of members 456 As may be noted, toes 474, 476 have a truncated appearance as compared to the toes of member 356 in order to stand clear of stops 466, 468 on installation In the at rest, centered condition, stops 466, 468 may tend to stand clear of the pedestal jaw thrust blocks by some gap distance When the lateral deflection of the elastomer in member 456 reaches the gap distance, the thrust lug may tend to bottom against stop 466 or 468, as the case may be The sheltering width of stops
466, 468 (l e , the distance by which they stand proud of the inner face of co er abutment portions 470, 472) may tend to provide a reserve compression zone for wings 475, 477 and may thereby tend to prevent them from being unduly squeezed or pinched Pedestal seat insert 454 may be generally similar to liner 354, but may include radiused bulges 480, 482, and a thicker central portion 484 Bearing adapter 452 may include a central bi-directional rocker portion 486 for mating rocking engagement with the downwardly facing rocking surface of central portion 484 The mating surfaces may conform to any of the combinations of bidirectional rocking radii discussed herein Rocker portion 486 may be trimmed laterally as at longitudinally running side shoulders 488, 490 to accommodate bulges 480, 482 Bearing adapter 452 may also have different underside grooving, 492 in the nature of a pair of laterally extending tapered lobate depressions, cavities, or reliefs 494, 496 separated by a central bridge region 498 having a deeper section and flanks that taper into reliefs 494, 496 Reliefs 494, 496 may have a major axis that runs laterally with respect to the bearing adapter itself, but, as installed, runs axially with respect to the axis of rotation of the underlying bearing The absence of material at reliefs 494, 496 may tend to leave a generally H-shaped footprint on the circumferential surface 500 that seats upon the outside of bearing 46, in which the two side regions, or legs, of the H form lands or pads 502, 504 joined by a relatively nanow waist, namely bridge region 498 To the extent that the undersurface of the lower portion of bearing adapter 452 conforms to an arcuate profile, such as may accommodate the bearing casing, reliefs 494, 496 may tend to run, or extend, predominantly along the apex of the profile, between the pads, or lands, that he to either side This configuration may tend to spread the rocker rolling contact point load into pads 502, 504 and thence into bearing 46 Bearing life may be a function of peak load in the rollers By leaving a space between the underside of the bearing adapter and the top center of the bearing casing over the bearing races, reliefs 494, 496 may tend to prevent the vertical load being passed in a concentrated manner predominantly into the top rollers in the bearing Instead, it may be advantageous to spread the load between several rollers in each race This may tend to be encouraged by employing spaced apart pads or lands, such as pads 502,
504, that seat upon the bearing casing Central bridge region 498 may seat above a section of the bearing casing under which there is no race, rather than directly over one of the races Bridge region 498 may act as a central circumferential ligature, or tension member, intermediate bearing adapter end arches 506, 508 such as may tend to discourage splaying or separation of pads 502, 504 away from each other as vertical load is applied Figures 12a - 12d Figures 12a to 12d show an alternate assembly to that of Figure 11 a, indicated generally as 510 for seating in a sideframe 512 Bearing 46 and bearing adapter 452 may be as before Assembly 510 may include an upper rocker fitting identified as pedestal seat member 514, and resilient members 516 Sideframe 512 may be such that the upper rocker fitting, namely pedestal seat member 514 may have a greater through thickness, ts, than otherwise This thickness, ts may be greater than 10 % of the magnitude of the width W5 of the pedestal seat member, and may be about 20 (+/-5) % of the width In one embodiment the thickness may be roughly the same as the thickness of and 'LC pad' such as may be obtained from Lord Corporation Such thickness may be greater than 7/16", and such thickness may be 1 inch (+/- 1/8") Pedestal seat member 514 may tend to have a greater thickness for enhancing the spreading of the rocker contact load into sideframe 512 It may also be used as part of a retro-fit installation in sideframes such as may formerly have been made to accommodate LC pads Pedestal seat member 514 may have a generally planar body 518 having upturned lateral margins 520 for bracketing, and seating about, the lower edges of the sideframe pedestal roof member 522 The major portion of the upper surface of body 518 may tend to mate in planar contact with the downwardly facing surface of roof member 522 Seat member 514 may have protruding end potions 524 that extend longitudinally from the main, planar portion of body 518 End portions 524 may include a deeper nose section 526, that may stand downwardly proud of two wings 528, 530 The depth of nose section 526 may correspond to the general through thickness depth of member 514 The lower, downwardly facing surface 532 of member 518 (as installed) may be formed to mate with the upper surface of the bearing adapter, such that a bi-directional rocking interface is achieved, with a combination of male and female rocking radii as described herein In one embodiment the female rocking surface may be planar Resilient members 516 may be formed to engage protruding portions 524 That is, resilient member 516 may have the generally channel shaped for of resilient member 156, having a lateral web 534 standing between a pair of wings 536, 538 However, in this embodiment, web 534 may extend, when installed, to a level below the level of stops 466, 468, and the respective base faces 540, 542 of wings 536, 538 are positioned to sit above stops 466, 468 A superior lateral wall, or bulge, 544 surmounts the upper margin of web 534, and extends longitudinally, such as may permit it to overhang the top of the sideframe jaw thrust lug 546 The upper surface of bulge 544 may be trimmed, or flattened to accommodate nose section 526
The upper extremities of wings 536, 538 terminate in knobs, or prongs, or horns 548, 550 that stand upwardly proud of the flattened surface 552 of bulge 544 As installed, the upper ends of horns 548, 550 underlie the downwardly facing surfaces of wings 536, 538 In the event that an installer might attempt to install bearing adapter 452 in sideframe 512 without first placing pedestal seat member 512 in position, the height of horns 548, 550 is sufficient to prevent the rocker surface of bearing adapter 452 from engaging sideframe roof member 522 That is, the height of the highest portion of the crown of the rocker surface 552 of the bearing adapter is less than the height of the ends of horns 548, 550 when horns 548, 550 are in contact with stops 466, 468 However, when pedestal seat member 512 is conectly in place, nose section 526 is located between wings 536, 538, and wings 536, 538 are captured above horns 548, 550 In this way, resilient members 514, and in particular horns 548, 550, act as installation error detection elements, or damage prevention elements The steps of installation may include the step of removing an existing bearing adapter, removing an existing elastomeric pad, such as an LC pad, installing pedestal seat fitting 514 in engagement with roof 522, seating of resilient members 514 above each of thrust lugs 546, and sliding bearing adapter 452 between resilient pad members 514 Resilient pad members 514 then serve to locate other elements on assembly, to retain those elements in service, and to provide a centering bias to the mating rocker elements, as discussed above Figures 13a - 13g Figures 13a to 13g show and alternate beaπng adapter 144 and pedestal seat 146 pair Bearing adapter 144 is substantially the same as beaπng adapter 44, except insofar as beaπng adapter 44 has a fully curved top surface 142, whereas bearing adapter 144 has an upper surface that has a flat central portion 148 between somewhat elevated side portions 149 The male bearing surface portion 147 is located centrally on flat central portion 148, and extends upwardly therefrom As with bearing adapter 44, beaπng adapter 144 has first and second radii r_ and r2, formed in the longitudinal and transverse directions respectively, such that the upwardly protruding surface so formed is a toroidal surface Pedestal seat 146 is substantially similar to pedestal seat fitting 38 Pedestal seat 146 has a body having an upper surface 145 that seats in planar abutment against the downwardly facing surface of pedestal roof 120, and upwardly extending tangs 124 that engage lugs 122 as before While in the general sense, the female engagement fitting portion, namely the hollow depression formed in the lower face of seat 146, is formed on longitudinal and lateral radii Ri and R2, as above, when these two radii are equal a spheπcal surface 143 is formed, giving the circular plan view of Figure 13a Figures 13f and 13g serve to illustrate that the male and female surfaces may be inverted, such that the female engagement surface 560 is formed on beaπng adapter 562, and the male engagement surface 564 on seat 566 Figures 14a - 14e Figures 14a - 14e show enlarged views of bearing adapter 44 and pedestal seat fitting 38 The compound curve of upwardly facing surface 142 runs fully to terminate at the end faces 134, and the side faces 570 of bearing adapter 44 The side faces show the circularly downwardly arched lower walls margins 572 of side faces 570 that seat about bearings 46 In all other respects, for the puφoses of this descπption, beaπng adapter 44 can be taken as being the same as bearing adapter 144 Figures 15a - 15c Figures 15a - 15c, show a conceptually similar beaπng adapter and pedestal seat combination to that of Figures 13a to 13g, but rather than having the interface portions standing proud of the remainder of the beaπng adapter, the male portion 574 is sunken into the top of the bearing adapter, and the surrounding surface 576 is raised up The mating female portion 578 while retaining its hollowed out shape, stands proud of the sunounding structure of the seat to provide a conesponding mating surface The longitudinally extending phantom lines indicate drain ports to discourage the collection of water Figures 16a - 16e Both female radii R_ and R2 need not be on the same fitting, and both male radii i^ and r2 need not be on the same fitting In the saddle shaped fittings of Figures 16a to 16e, a bearing adapter 580 is of substantially the same construction as bearing adapters 44 and 144, except insofar as beaπng adapter 580 has an upper surface
592 that has a male fitting in the nature of a longitudinally extending crown 582 with a laterally extending axis of rotation, for which the radius of curvature is r1; and a female fitting in the nature of a longitudinally extending trough 584 having a lateral radius of curvature R2 Similarly, pedestal fitting 586 mounted in roof 120 has a generally downwardly facing surface 594 that has a transversely extending trough 588 having a longitudinally oriented radius of curvature R], for engagement with rt of crown 582, and a longitudinally running, downwardly protruding crown 590 having a transverse radius of curvature r2 for engagement with R2 of trough 584 In Figures 16f and 16g the saddle surfaces are inverted such that whereas beaπng adapter 580 has r_ and R2, beaπng adapter 596 has r2 and R] Similarly, whereas pedestal fitting 586 has r2 and R), pedestal fitting 598 has r_ and R2 In either case, the smallest of Ri and R2 may be larger than, or equal to, the largest of rj and r2, and the mating opposed saddle surfaces, over the desired range of motion, may tend to be torsionally decoupled as in bearing adapters 44 and 144 Figures 17a - 17d It may be desired that the vertical forces transmitted from the pedestal roof into the bearing adapter be passed through line contact, rather than the bi-directional rolling or rocking point contact A pedestal seat to bearing adapter interface assembly having line contact rocker interfaces is represented by Figures 17a to 17d A bearing adapter 600 has a hollowed out transverse cyhndπcal upper surface 602, acting as a female engagement fitting portion formed on radius Rt Surface 602 may be a round cyhndπcal section, or it may be parabolic, or other cylindrical section The conesponding pedestal seat fitting 604 may have a longitudinally extending female fitting, or trough, 606 having a cylindrical surface 608 formed on radius r, Again, fitting 604 is cylindrical, and may be a round cylindrical section although, alternatively, it could be parabolic, elliptic, or some other shape for producing a rocking motion Trapped between bearing adapter 600 and pedestal seat fitting 604 is a rocker member 610 Rocker member 610 has a first, or lower portion 612 having a protruding male cylindrical rocker surface 614 formed on a radius ri for line contact engagement of surface 602 of bearing adapter 600 formed on radius Rj, i"i being smaller than R1; and thus permitting longitudinal rocking to obtain passive self steering As above, the resistance to rocking, and hence to self steering, may tend to be proportional to the weight on the rocker and hence may give proportional self steeπng when the car is either empty or loaded Lower portion 612 also has an upper relief 616 that may be machined to a high level of flatness Lower portion 612 also has a centrally located, integrally formed upwardly extending cyhndπcal stub 618 that stands peφendicularly proud of surface 616 A bushing 620, which may be a press fit bushing, mounts on stub 618 Rocker member 600 also has an upper portion 622 that has a second protruding male cylindrical rocker surface 624 formed on a radius r2 for line contact engagement with the cyhndπcal surface 608 of trough 606, formed on radius R2, thus permitting lateral rocking of sideframe 26 Upper portion 622 may have a lower relief 626 for placement in opposition to relief 616 Upper portion 622 has a centrally located blind bore 628 of a size for tight fitting engagement of bushing 620, such that a close tolerance, pivoting connection is obtained that is largely compliant to pivotal motion about the vertical, or z, axis of upper portion 622 with respect to lower portion 612 That is to say, the resistance to torsional motion about the z-axis is very small, and can be taken as zero for the puφoses of analysis To aid in this, beaπng 630 may be installed about stub 618 and bushing 620 and is placed between opposed surfaces 606 and 616 to encourage relative rotational motion therebetween In this embodiment, stub 618 could be formed in upper portion 622, and bore 618 formed in lower portion 612, or, alternatively, bores 628 could be formed in both upper portion 612 and lower portion 622, and a freely floating stub 618 and bushing 620 could be captured between them It may be noted that the angular displacement about the z axis of upper portions 622 relative to lower portion 612 may be quite small - of the order of 1 degree, and may tend not to be even that large overly frequently Bearing adapter 600 may have longitudinally extending raised lateral abutment side walls 632 to discourage lateral migration, or escape of lower portion 612 Lower portion 612 may have non-galling, relatively low co-efficient of friction side wear shim stock members 634 trapped between the end faces of lower portion 612 and side walls 632 Bearing adapter 600 may also have a drain hole formed therein, possibly centrally, or placed at an angle Similarly, pedestal seat fitting 604 may have laterally extending depending end abutment walls 636 to discourage longitudinal migration, or escape, of upper portion 622 In a like manner to shim stock members 634, non-galling, relatively low co-efficient of friction end wear shim stock members 638 may be mounted between the end faces of upper portion 622 and end abutment walls 636 In an alternative to the foregoing embodiment, the longitudinal cyhndπcal trough could be formed on the bearing adapter, and the lateral cylindrical trough could be formed in the pedestal seat, with conesponding changes in the entrapped rocker element Further, it is not necessary that the male cyhndπcal portions be part of the entrapped rocker element Rather, one of those male portions could be on the beaπng adapter, and one of those male portions could be on the pedestal seat, with the conesponding female portions being formed on the entrapped rocker element In the further alternative, the rocker element could include one male element, and one female element, having the male element formed on ri (or r2) being located on the bearing adapter, and the female clement formed on Ri (or R2) being on the underside of the entrapped rocker element, and the male element formed on r2 (or r() being formed on the upper surface of the entrapped rocker element, and the respective mating female element formed on radius R2 (or Ri) being formed on the lower face of the pedestal seat In the still further alternative, the rocker element could include one male element, and one female element, having the male element formed on rt (or r2) being located on the pedestal seat, and the female element formed on R! (or R2) being on the upper surface of the entrapped rocker element, and the male element formed on r2 (or r,) being formed on the lower surface of the entrapped rocker element, and the respective mating female element formed on radius R2 (or R,) being formed on the upper face of the bearing adapter There are, in this regard, at least eight combinations as represented in Figure 17e by assemblies 601, 603, 605, 607, 611, 613, 615, and 617 The embodiment of Figures 17a - 17d may tend to yield line contact at the force transfer interfaces, and yet rock in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, with compliance to torsion about the vertical axis That is, the bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface assembly may tend to permit rotation about the longitudinal axis to give lateral rocking motion of the side frame, rotation about a transverse axis to give longitudinal rocking motion, and compliance to torsion about the vertical axis It may tend to discourage lateral translation, and may tend to retain high stiffness in the vertical direction Figures 18a and 18b The embodiment of Figures 18a and 18b is substantially similar to the embodiment of Figures 17a to 17d However, rather than employing a pivot connection such as the bore, stub, bushing and bearing of Figures 17a - 17d, a rocker element 644 is captured between bearing adapter 600 and pedestal seat 604 Rocker element
644 has a torsional compliance element made of a resilient material, identified as elastomeric member 646 bonded between the opposed faces of the upper 647 and lower 645 portions of rocker element 644 Although Figures 18a and 18b show the laterally extending trough in bearing adapter 600, and the longitudinal trough in pedestal seat 604, the same permutations of Figure 7e may be made In general, while the torsional element may be between the two cylindrical elements in a manner tending torsionally to decouple them, it may be that the elastomeric pad need not necessarily be installed between the two cy ndπcal members For example, the rocker element 644 may be solid, and an elastomeric element may be installed beneath the top surface of bearing adapter 600, or above the pedestal seat element, such that a torsionally compliant element is placed in series with the two rockers The same general commentary may be made with regard to the pivotal connection suggested above in connection with the example of Figures 17a to 17d That is, the top of the bearing adapter could be pivotally mounted to the body of the bearing adapter more generally, or the pedestal seat could be pivotally mounted'to the pedestal roof, such that a torsionally compliant element would be in seπes with the two rockers However, as noted above, the torsionally compliant element may be between the two rockers, such that they may tend to be torsionally de-coupled from each other In general, with regard to the embodiments of Figures 17a - 17d, and
18a - 18b, provided that the radii employed yield a physically appropriate combination tending toward a local' stable minimum energy state, the male portion of the bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface (with the smaller radius of curvature) may be on either the bearing adapter or on the pedestal seat, and the mating female portion (with the larger radius of curvature) may be on the other part, whichever it may be In that light, although a particular depiction may show a male portion on a bearing adapter, and a female fitting on the pedestal seat, these features may, in general, be reversed Figures 19a to 19c. 20a to 20c. and 21a to 21g Figures 19a to 19c show the combination of a bearing adapter 650 with an elastomeric bearing adapter pad 652 and a rocker 654 and pedestal seat 656 to permit lateral rocking of the sideframe Bearing adapter 650, shown in three additional views in Figures 20a - 20c is substantially similar to bearing adapter 44 (or 144) to the extent of its geometric features for engaging a bearing, but differs therefrom in having a more or less conventional upper surface Upper surface 658 may be flat, or may have a large (roughly 60") radius crown 660, such as might have been used for engaging a planar pedestal seat surface Crown 660 is split into two fore-and- aft portions, with a laterally extending central flat portion between them Abreast of the central flat portion, bearing adapter 650 has a pair of laterally proud, outwardly facing lateral lands, 662 and 664, and, amidst those lands, lateral lugs 666 that extend further still proud beyond lands 662 and 664 Bearing adapter pad 652 may be a commercially available assembly such as may be manufactured by Lord Corporation of Erie Pennsylvania, or such as may be identified as Standard Car Truck Part Number SCT 5844 Bearing adapter pad 652 has a bearing adapter engagement member in the nature of a lower plate 668 whose bottom surface 670 is relieved to seat over crown 660 in non-rocking engagement Lateral and longitudinal translation of bearing adapter pad 652 is inhibited by an anay of downwardly bent securement locating lugs, or fingers, or claws, in the nature of indexing members or tangs 672, two per side in pairs located to reach downwardly and bracket lugs 666 in close fitting engagement The bracketing condition with respect to lugs 666 inhibits longitudinal motion between bearing adapter pad 652 and bearing adapter 650 The laterally inside faces of tangs 672 closely oppose the laterally outwardly facing surfaces of lands 662 and 664, tending thereby to inhibit lateral relative motion of bearing adapter pad 652 relative to bearing adapter 650 The vertical, lateral, and longitudinal position relative to beaπng adapter 650 can be taken as fixed Bearing adapter pad 652 also has an upper plate, 674, that, in the case of a retro- fit installation of rocker 654 and seat 656, may have been used as a pedestal seat engagement member In any case, upper plate 674 has the general shape of a longitudinally extending channel member, with a central, or back, portion, 676 and upwardly extending left and right hand leg portions 678, 680 adjoining the lateral margins of back portion 676 Leg portions 678 may have a size and shape such as might have been suitable for mounting directly to the sideframe pedestal Between lower plate 668 and upper plate 674, beaπng adapter pad 652 has a bonded resilient sandwich
680 that may include a first resilient layer, indicated as lower elastomeπc layer 682 mounted directly to the upper surface of lower plate 668, an intermediate stiffener shear plate 684 bonded or molded to the upper surface of layer 682, and an upper resilient layer, indicated as upper elastomeric layer 686 bonded atop plate 684 The upper surface of layer 686 may be bonded or molded to the lower surface of upper plate 674 Given that the resilient layers may be quite thin as compared to their length and breadth, the resultant sandwich may tend to have comparatively high vertical stiffness, comparatively high resistance to torsion about the longitudinal (x) and lateral (y) axes, comparatively low resistance to torsion about the vertical (z) axis (given the small angular displacements in any case), and non-trivial, roughly equal resistance to shear in the x or y directions that may be in the range of 20,000 to 40,000 lbs per inch, or more nanowly, about 30,000 lbs per inch for small deflections Bearing adapter pad 652 may tend to permit a measure of self steering to be obtained when the elastomeric elements are subjected to longitudinal shear forces Rocker 654 (seen in additional views 21e, 21f and 21g) has a body of substantially constant cross- section, having a lower surface 690 formed to sit in substantially flat, non-rocking engagement upon the upper surface of plate 674 of bearing adapter pad 652, and an upper surface 692 formed to define a male rocker surface Upper surface 692 may have a continuously radius central portion 694 lying between adjacent tangential portions 696 lying at a constant slope angle In one embodiment, the central portion may describe 4 - 6 degrees of arc to either side of a central position, and may, in one embodiment have about 4-! _. to 5 degrees In the terminology used above, this radius is "r2", the male radius of a lateral rocker for permitting lateral swinging motion of side frame 26 Where a bearing adapter with a crown radius is mounted under the resilient bearing adapter pad, the radius of rocker 654 is less than the radius of the crown, perhaps less than half the crown radius, and possibly being less than 1/3 of the crown radius It may be formed on a radius of between 5 and 20 inches, or, more nanowly, on a radius of between 8 and 15 inches Surface 692 could also be formed on a parabolic profile, an elliptic or hyperbolic profile, or some other profile to yield lateral rocking Pedestal seat 656 (seen in Figures 21a to 21d) has a body having a major portion 700 that is substantially rectangular in plan view When viewed from one end in the longitudinal direction, pedestal seat 656 has a generally channel shaped cross-section, in which major portion 700 forms the back 702 and two longitudinally running legs 704, 706 extend upwardly and laterally outwardly from the lateral margins of major portion 700 Legs 704 and 706 have an inner, or proximal portion 708 that extends upwardly and outwardly at an angle from the lateral margins of main portion 700, and an outer, or distal portion, or toe 710 that extends from the end of proximal portion 708 in a substantially vertical direction The breadth between the opposed fingers of the channel section (I e , between opposed toes 710) conesponds to the width of the sideframe pedestal roof 712, as shown in the cross-section of Figure 19b, with which legs 704 and 706 sit in close fitting, bracketing engagement Legs 704 and 706 have longitudinally centrally located cut-outs, reliefs, rebates, or indexing features, identified as notches 714 Notches 714 seat in close fitting engagement about T-shaped lugs 716
(Figure 19b) that are welded to the sideframe on either side of the pedestal roof This engagement establishes the lateral and longitudinal position of pedestal seat 656 with respect to sideframe 26 Pedestal seat 656 also has four laterally projecting comer lugs, or abutment fittings 718, whose longitudinally inwardly facing surfaces oppose the laterally extending end-face surfaces of the upturned legs 678 of upper plate 674 of bearing adapter pad 652 That is, the co er abutment fittings 718 on either lateral side of pedestal seat 656 bracket the ends of the upturned legs 678 of adapter pad 652 in close fitting engagement This relationship fixes the longitudinal position of pedestal seat 656 relative to the upper plate of bearing adapter pad 652 Major portion 700 of pedestal seat 656 has a downwardly facing surface 700 that is hollowed out to form a depression defining a female rocking engagement surface 702 This surface is formed on a female radius
(identified as R2 in concordance with terminology used herein above) that is quite substantially larger than the radius of central portion 694 (Figure 21 f) of rocker 654, such that rocker 654 and pedestal seat 656 meet in rolling line contact engagement and permit sideframe 26 to swing laterally in a lateral rocking relationship on rocker 654 The arcuate profile of female rocking engagement surface 702 may be such as to encourage lateral self centering of rocker 654, and may have a radius of curvature that varies from a central region to adjacent regions, which may be tangential planar regions Where pedestal seat 656 and rocker 654 are provided by way of retro-fit installation above an adapter having a crown radius, the radius of curvature of the pedestal seat may tend to be less than or equal to the crown radius The central radius of curvature R2 of surface 702, or the radius of curvature generally if constant, may be in the range of 6 to 60 inches, is preferably greater than 10 inches and less than 40 inches It may be between 1 1/10 to 4 times as large as the rocker radius of curvature r2 As noted elsewhere, the pedestal seat need not have the female rocker surface, and the rocker need not have the male rocker surface, but rather, these surfaces could be reversed, so that the male surface is on the pedestal seat, and the female surface is on the rocker Particularly in the context of a retro-fit installation, there may be relatively little clearance between the upturned legs 678 of upper plate 674 and legs 704, 706 of pedestal seat 656 This distance is shown in Figure 19b as gap 'C, which is preferably sufficient allowance for rocking motion between the parts that rocking motion is bounded by the spacing of the truck bolster gibs 106, 108 By providing the combination of a lateral rocker and a shear pad, the resultant assembly may provide a generally increased softness in the lateral direction, while permitting a measure of self steering The example of Figure 19a may be provided as an original installation, or may be provided as a retrofit installation In the case of a retrofit installation, rocker 654 and pedestal seat 656 may be installed between an existing elastomeric pad and an existing pedestal seat, or may be installed in addition to a replacement elastomeric pad of lesser through- thickness, such that the overall height of the bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface may remain roughly the same as it was before the retrofit Figures 19e and 19f represent alternate embodiments of combinations of elastomeric pads and rockers
While the embodiment of Figure 19a showed an elastomeric sandwich that had roughly equivalent response to shear in the lateral and longitudinal directions, this need not be the general case For example, in the embodiments of Figures 19e and 19f, elastomeric beaπng adapter pad assemblies 720 and 731 have respective resilient elastomeπc laminates sandwiches, indicated generally as 722 and 723 in which the stiffeners 726, 727 have longitudinally extending conugations, or waves In the longitudinal direction, the sandwich may tend to react in nearly pure shear, as before in the example of Figure 19a However, deflection in the lateral direction now requires not only a shear component, but also a component normal to the elastomeric elements, in compressive or tensile stress, rather than, and in addition to, shear This may tend to give a stiffer lateral response, and hence an anisotropic response An anisotropic shear pad anangement of this nature might have been used in the embodiment of Figure 19a, and a planar anangement, as in the embodiment of Figure 19a could be used in either of the embodiments of Figures 19e, and 19f Considering Figure 19e, both base plate 728 and upper plate 730 has a wavy contour corresponding to the wavy contour of sandwich 722 generally Rocker 732 has a lower surface of conesponding profile Otherwise, this embodiment is substantially the same as the embodiment of Figure 19a Considering Figure 19f, an elastomeric bearing adapter pad assembly 721 has a base plate 734 having a lower surface for seating in non-rocking relationship on a bearing adapter, in the same manner as beaπng adapter pad assembly 652 sits upon beaπng adapter 650 The upper surface 735 of base plate 734 has a conugated or wavy contour, the conugations running lengthwise, as discussed above An elastomeric laminate of a first resilient layer 736, an internal stiffener plate 737, and a second resilient layer 738 are located between base plate 734 and a conespondingly wavy undersurface of upper plate 740 Rather than being a flat plate upon which a further rocker plate is mounted, upper plate 740 has an upper surface 742 having an integrally formed rocker contour conesponding to that of the upper surface of rocker 654 Pedestal seat 744 then mounts directly to, and in lateral rocking relationship with upper plate 740, without need for a separate rocker part The combination of bearing adapter pad 721 and pedestal seat 742 may have interconnecting abutments 747 to prevent longitudinal migration of rocker surface 742 relative to the contoured downwardly facing surface 748 of pedestal seat 744 Figures 22a to 22c. 23a and 23b Rather than employ a beaπng adapter that is separate from the bearing, Figures 22a to 22c show a bearing 750 mounted on one of the end of an axle 752 Bearing 750 has an integrally formed arcuate rolling contact surface 754 for mating rolling point contact with a mating rolling contact surface 756 of a pedestal seat fitting 758 The general geometry of the rolling relationship is as descπbed above in terms of the possible relationships of r1; R] and L, and, as noted above, the male and female rolling contact surfaces can be reversed, such that the male surface is on the pedestal seat, and the female surface is on the bearing, or further still, in the case of a compound curvature, the surfaces made be saddle shaped, as descπbed above The beaπng illustrations of Figures 22b and 23b are based on the beaπng cross-section illustration shown on page 812 of the 1997 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia That illustration was provided to the Cyclopedia courtesy of Brenco Inc , of Petersburg, Virginia In greater detail, bearing 750 is an assembly of parts including an inner ring 760, a pair of tapered roller assemblies 762 whose inner ring engages axle 752, and an outer ring member 764 whose inner frustoconical bearing surfaces engage the rollers of assemblies 762 The entire assembly, including seals, spacers, and backing ring is held in place by an end cap 766 mounted to the end of axle 752 In the assembly of Figures 22a to 22c, does not employ a round cylindrical outer ring member, but rather, ring member 764 is made with an upper portion 770 having the same general shape and function as bearing adapter 44 or 144, including tapered end walls 768 for rocking motion travel limiting abutment against the surfaces of the pedestal jaws 130 as described above Further, upper portion 770 includes comer abutments 774 for bracketing jaws 130, again, as described above Thus a bearing is provided with an integrally formed rocking surface The rocking surface is permanently fixed with relation to the remainder of the underlying bearing assembly In this way, an assembly is provided in which rotation of the bearing housing is inhibited relative to the rocking surface In Figures 23a and 23b, an integrated bearing and bearing adapter rocker assembly, or wheelset to pedestal interface assembly, is indicated as modified bearing 790 In this case the outer ring 792 has been formed in the shape of a laterally extending, cylindrical rocker surface 794, such as a male surface (although it could be female as discussed above), for engaging the mating female (although, as discussed, it could be male) laterally rocker surface 796 of pedestal seat 798, such as may tend to provide weight-proportional self steering, as discussed above Thus, the embodiments of Figures 22a and 23a both show a sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck The assembly of the embodiment of Figure 22a has fittings that are operable to rock both laterally and longitudinally Both embodiments include bearing assemblies having one of the rocking surface fittings, whether male or female, of saddle shape, formed as an integral portion of the outer ring of the bearing, such that the location of the rolling contact surface is rigidly located relative to the bearing (because, in this instance, it is part of the bearing) In the embodiment of
Figure 22a, the integrally firmed surface is a compound surface, whereas in the embodiment of Figure 23b, the rolling contact surface is a cylindrical surface, which may be formed on an arc of constant radius of curvature The possible permutations of surface types include those indicated above in terms of a two element lnterface (i e , the rocking surface on the top of the bearing, and the mating rocking surface on the pedestal seat) or a three element interface, in which an intermediate rocking member is mounted between (a) the surface rigidly located with respect to the bearing races, and (b) the surface of the pedestal seat As above, one or another of the surfaces may be formed on a spherical arc portion such that the fittings are torsionally compliant, or, put alternatively, torsionally de-coupled with respect to rotation about the vertical axis The permutations may also include the use of resilient pads such as members 156, 374, 412, or 456, as may be appropriate Each of the assemblies of Figures 22a and 23a has a bearing for mounting to one end of an axle of a wheelset of a three-piece railroad car truck The bearing has an outer member mounted in a position to permit the end of the axle to rotate relative thereto, inasmuch as the inner ring is intended to rotate with respect to the outer ring The bearing has an axis of rotation, about which its rings and bearings are concentric that, when installed, may tend to be coincident with the longitudinal axis of the axis of the axle of the wheelset In each case, the outer member has a rocking surface formed thereon for engaging a mating rolling contact surface of a pedestal seat member of a sideframe of the three piece truck The rolling contact surface of the bearing has a local minimum energy condition when centered under the corresponding seat, and it is preferred that the mating rolling contact surface be given a radius that may tend to encourage self centering of the male rolling contact element That is to say, displacement from the minimum energy position (preferably the centered position) may tend to cause the vertical separation distance between the center ne of the wheelset axis (and hence the centreline of the axis of rotation of the bearing) to become more distantly spaced from the sideframe pedestal roof, since the rocking action may tend marginally to raise the end of the sideframe, thus increasing the stored potential energy in the system This can be expressed differently In cylindrical polar co-ordinates, the long axis of the wheelset axle may be considered as the axial direction There is a radial direction measured perpendicularly away from the axial direction, and there is an angular circumferential direction that is mutually perpendicular to both the axial direction, and the radial direction There is a location on the rolling contact surface that is closer to the axis of rotation of the bearing than any other location This defines the "rest" or local minimum potential energy equilibrium position Since the radius of curvature of the rolling contact surface is greater than the radial length, L, between the axis of rotation of the bearing and the location of minimum radius, the radial distance, as a function of circumferential angle θ will increase to either side of the location of minimum radius (or, put alternatively, the location of minimum radial distance from the axis of rotation of the bearing lies between regions of greater radial distance) Thus the slope of the function r(θ), namely dr/dθ, is zero at the minimum point, and is such that r increases at an angular displacement away from the minimum point to either side of the location of minimum potential energy Where the surface has compound curvature, both dr/dθ and dr/dL are zero at the minimum point, and are such that r increases to either side of the location of minimum energy to all sides of the location of minimum energy, and zero at that location
This may tend to be true whether the rolling contact surface on the bearing is a male surface or a female surface or a saddle, and whether the center of curvature lies below the center of rotation of the bearing, or above the rolling contact surfaces The curvature of the rolling contact surface may be spheπcal, ellipsoidal, toroidal, paraboloid, parabolic or cylindrical The rolling contact surface has a radius of curvature, or radii of curvature, if a compound curvature is employed, that is, or are, larger than the distance from the location of minimum distance from the axis of rotation, and the rolling contact surfaces are not concentric with the axis of rotation of the bearing Another way to express this is to note that there is a first location on the rolling contact surface of the bearing that lies radially closer to the axis of rotation of the bearing than any other location thereon A first distance, L is defined between the axis of rotation, and that nearest location The surface of the bearing and the surface of the pedestal seat each have a radius of curvature and mate in a male and female relationship, one radius of curvature being a male radius of curvature r1; the other radius of curvature being a female radius of curvature, R2, (whichever it may be) π is greater than L, R2 is greater than r,, and L, I-! and R2 conform to the formula L"1 - (r_ - R2~ ) > 0, the rocker surfaces being co-operable to permit self steering Figures 24a to 24e Figures 24a to 24e relate to a three piece truck 200 Truck 200 has three major elements, those elements being a truck bolster 192, that is symmetrical about the truck longitudinal centreline, and a pair of first and second side frames, indicated as 194 Only one side frame is shown in Figure 14c given the symmetry of truck 200 Three piece truck 200 has a resilient suspension (a primary suspension) provided by a spring groups 195 trapped between each of the distal (l e , transversely outboard) ends of truck bolster 192 and side frames 194 Truck bolster 192 is a rigid, fabricated beam having a first end for engaging one side frame assembly and a second end for engaging the other side frame assembly (both ends being indicated as 193) A center plate or center bowl 190 is located at the truck center An upper flange 188 extends between the two ends 194, being narrow at a central waist and flaring to a wider transversely outboard termination at ends 194 Truck bolster 192 also has a lower flange 189 and two fabricated webs 191 extending between upper flange 188 and lower flange 189 to form an inegular, closed section box beam Additional webs 197 are mounted between the distal portions of flanges 188 and 189 where bolster 192 engages one of the spring groups 195 The transversely distal region of truck bolster 192 also has friction damper seats 196, 198 for accommodating friction damper wedges Side frame 194 may be a casting having pedestal fittings 40 into which bearing adapters 44, bearings 46, and a pair of axles 48 and wheels 50 mount Side frame 194 also has a compression member, or top chord member 32, a tension member, or bottom chord member 34, and vertical side columns 36 and 36, each lying to one side of a vertical transverse plane bisecting truck 200 at the longitudinal station of the truck center A generally rectangular opening is defined by the co-operation of the upper and lower beam members 32, 34 and vertical sideframe columns 36, into which end 193 of truck bolster 192 can be introduced The distal end of truck bolster 192 can then move up and down relative to the side frame within this opening Lower beam member 34 has a bottom or lower spring seat 52 upon which spring group 195 can seat Similarly, an upper spring seat 199 is provided by the underside of the distal portion of bolster 192 which engages the upper end of spring group 195 As such, vertical movement of truck bolster 192 will tend to increase or decrease the compression of the springs in spring group 195 In the embodiment of Figure 24a, spring group 195 has two rows of springs 193, a transversely inboard row and a transversely outboard row In one embodiment each row may have four large (8 inch +/-) diameter coil springs giving vertical bounce spring rate constant, k, for group 195 of less than 10,000 lbs / inch In one embodiment this spring rate constant may be in the range of 6000 to 10,000 lbs / in , and may be in the range of 7000 to 9500 lbs / in, giving an overall vertical bounce spring rate for the truck of double these values, perhaps in the range of 14,000 to 18,500 lbs / in for the truck The spring anay may include nested coils of outer springs, inner springs, and inner-inner springs depending on the overall spring rate desired for the group, and the apportionment of that stiffness The number of springs, the number of inner and outer coils, and the spring rate of the various springs can be varied The spring rates of the coils of the spring group add to give the spring rate constant of the group, typically being suited for the loading for which the truck is designed Each side frame assembly also has four friction damper wedges arranged in first and second pairs of transversely inboard and transversely outboard wedges 204, 205, 206 and 207 that engage the sockets, or seats 196, 198 in a four-cornered anangement The corner springs in spring group 195 bear upon a friction damper wedge 204, 205, 206 or 207 Each vertical column 36 has a friction wear plate 92 having transversely inboard and transversely outboard regions against which the friction faces of wedges 204, 205, 206 and 207 can bear, respectively Bolster gibs 106 and 108 lie inboard and outboard of wear plate 92 respectively In the illustration of Figure 24e, the damper seats are shown as being segregated by a partition 208 If a longitudinal vertical plane is drawn through truck 200 through the center of partition 208, it can be seen that the inboard dampers he to one side of plane 209, and the outboard dampers lie to the outboard side of the plane In hunting then, the normal force from the damper working against the hunting will tend to act in a couple in which the force on the friction bearing surface of the inboard pad will always be fully inboard of the plane on one end, and fully outboard on the other diagonal friction face In one embodiment, the size of the spring group embodiment of Figure 24b may yield a side frame window opening having a width between the vertical columns 36 of side frame 194 of roughly 33 inches This is relatively large compared to existing spring groups, being more than 25 % greater in width In the embodiment of Figure If truck 20 may also have an abnormally wide sideframe window to accommodate 5 coils each of 5 V." dia Truck 200 may have a conespondingly greater wheelbase length, indicated as WB WB may be greater than 73 inches, or, taken as a ratio to the track gauge width, may be greater than 1 30 time the track gauge width It may be greater than 80 inches, or more than 1 4 times the gauge width, and in one embodiment is greater than 1 5 times the track gauge width, being as great, or greater than, about 84 inches Similarly, the side frame window may be wider than tall The measurement across the wear plate faces between the opposed side frame columns 36 may be greater than 24", possibly in the ratio of greater than 8 7 of width to height, and possibly in the range of 28" or 32" or more, giving ratios of greater than 4 3 and greater than 3 2 The spring seat may have lengthened dimensions to correspond to the width of the side frame window, and a transverse width of 15 'A - 17" or more Figures 25a to 25d Figures 25a to 25d, show an alternate truck embodiment Truck 800 has a bolster 808, side frame 807 and damper 801 , 802 installation that employs constant force inboard and outboard, fore and aft pairs of friction dampers 801, 802 independently sprung on horizontally acting springs 803, 804 housed in side-by- side pockets 805, 806 mounted in the ends of truck bolster 808 While only two dampers 801, 802 are shown, a pair of such dampers faces toward each of the opposed side frame columns Dampers 801, 802 may each include a block 809 and a consumable wear member 810 mounted to the face of block 809 The block and wear member have mating male and female indexing features 812 to maintain their relative position A removable grub screw fitting 814 is provided in the spring housing to permit the spring to be pre-loaded and held in place during installation Spring s 803, 804 urge, or bias, friction dampers 801, 802 against the corresponding friction surfaces of the sideframe columns The deflection of springs 803, 804 does not depend on compression of the main spring group 816, but rather is a function of an initial pre-load Figures 26a and 26b Figures 26a and 26b show a partial isometric view of a truck bolster 820 that is generally similar to truck bolster 402 of Figure 14a, except insofar as bolster pocket 822 does not have a central partition like web 452, but rather has a continuous bay extending across the width of the underlying spring group, such as spring group 436 A single wide damper wedge is indicated as 824 Damper 824 is of a width to be supported by, and to be acted upon, by two springs 825, 826 of the underlying spring group In the event that bolster 400 may tend to deflect to a non-peφendicular orientation relative to the associated side frame, as in the parallelogramming phenomenon, one side of wedge 824 may tend to be squeezed more tightly than the other, giving wedge 824 a tendency to twist in the pocket about an axis of rotation peφendicular to the angled face (l e , the hypotenuse face) of the wedge This twisting tendency may also tend to cause differential compression in springs 825, 826, yielding a restoring moment both to the twisting of wedge 824 and to the non-square displacement of truck bolster 820 relative to the truck side frame There may tend to be a similar moment generated at the opposite spring pair at the opposite side column of the side frame Figure 26b shows an alternate pair of damper wedges 827, 828 This dual wedge configuration can similarly seat in bolster pocket 822, and, in this case, each wedge 827, 828 sits over a separate spring Wedges 827,
828 are shdable relative to each other along the primary angle of the face of bolster pocket 822 When the truck moves to an out of square condition, differential displacement of wedges 827, 828 may tend to result in differential compression of their associated springs, e g , 825, 826 resulting in a restoring moment In either case, the bolster pockets may have wear liners 494, and the pockets themselves may be part of prefabricated inserts 506 to be welded to the end of the bolster, either at original manufacture or retro-fit, such as might include installation of wider sideframe columns, and a different spring group selection such as might accompany a retrofit conversion from a single damper to a double damper (l e , four cornered) anangement Figures 27a and 27b Figure 27a shows a bolster 830 that is similar to bolster 210 except insofar as bolster pockets 831, 832 each accommodate a pair of split wedges 833, 834 Pockets 831, 832 each have a pair of bearing surfaces 835, 836 that are inclined at both a primary angle α and a secondary angle β, the secondary angles of surfaces 835 and 836 being of opposite hand to yield the damper separating forces discussed above Surfaces 835 and 836 are also provided with linings in the nature of relatively low friction wear plates 837, 838 Each pair of split wedges seats over a single spring The example of Figure 27b shows a combination of a bolster 840 and biased split wedges 841, 842 Bolster pockets 843, 844 are stepped pockets in which the steps, e g , items 845, 846, have the same primary angle α, and the same secondary angle β, and are both biased in the same direction, unlike the symmetrical faces of the split wedges in Figure 27a, which are left and right handed Thus the outboard pair of split wedges 842 has first and second members 847, 848 each having primary angle α and secondary angle β of the same hand, both members being biased in the outboard direction Similarly, the inboard pair of split wedges 841 has first and second members 849, 850 having primary angle α, and secondary angle β, except that the sense of secondary angle β is such that members 849 and 850 tend to be driven in the inboard direction In the arrangement of Figures 27c a single stepped wedge 851, 852 may be used in place of the pair of split wedges e g , members 847, 848 or 849, 850 A corresponding wedge of opposite hand is used in the other bolster pocket Figures 28a and 28b In Figure 28a, a truck bolster 860 has welded bolster pocket inserts 861, 862 of opposite hands welded into accommodations in its end Each bolster pocket has inboard and outboard portions 863, 864 that share the same primary angle α, but have secondary angles β that are of opposite hand Respective inboard and outboard wedges are indicated as 865, 866, each seating over a vertically oriented spring 867, 868 In this case bolster 860 is similar to bolster 820 of Figure 26a, to the extent that there is no land separating the inner and outer portions of the bolster pocket Bolster 860 is also similar to bolster 210 of Figure 5, except that the bolster pockets of opposite hand are merged without an intervening land In Figure 28b, split wedge pairs 869, 870 (inboard) and 871 , 872 (outboard) are employed in place of the single inboard and outboard wedges 865 and 866 Compound Pendulum Geometry The various rockers shown and described herein may employ rocking elements that define compound pendulums - that is, pendulums for which the male rocker radius is non-zero, and there is an assumption of rolling (as opposed to sliding) engagement with the female rocker The embodiment of Figure
2a (and others) for example, shows a bi-directional compound pendulum The performance of these pendulums may affect both lateral stiffness and self-steering on the longitudinal rocker The lateral stiffness of the suspension may tend to reflect the stiffness of (a) the sideframe between (I) the bearing adapter and (n) the bottom spring seat (that is, the sideframes swing laterally), (b) the lateral deflection of the springs between (I) the lower spring seat and (n) the upper spring seat mounting against the truck bolster, and (c) the moment between (l) the spring seat in the sideframe and (n) the upper spring mounting against the truck bolster The lateral stiffness of the spring groups may be approximately Vi of the vertical spring stiffness For a 100 or 1 10 Ton truck designed for 263,000 or 286,000 lbs GWR, vertical spring group stiffness might be 25 - 30,000 Lbs /in , assuming two groups per truck, and two trucks per car, giving a lateral spring stiffness of 13 - 16,000 Lbs /in The second component of stiffness relates to the lateral rocking deflection of the sideframe The height between the bottom spring seat and the crown of the bearing adapter might be about 15 inches (+/-) The pedestal seat may have a flat surface in line contact on a 60 inch radius bearing adapter crown For a loaded 286,000 lbs car, the apparent stiffness of the sideframe due to this second component may be 18,000 - 25,000 Lbs /in, measured at the bottom spring seat Stiffness due to the third component, unequal compression of the springs, is additive to sideframe stiffness It may be of the order of 3000 - 3500 Lbs /in per spring group, depending on the stiffness of the springs and the layout of the group The total lateral stiffness for one sideframe for an S2HD 1 10 Ton truck may be about 9200 Lbs /inch per side frame An alternate truck is the "Swing Motion" truck, such as shown at page 716 in the 1980 Car and
Locomotive Cyclopedia ( 1980, Simmons-Boardman, Omaha) In a swing motion truck, the sideframe may act more like a pendulum The bearing adapter has a female rocker, of perhaps 10 in radius A mating male rocker mounted in the pedestal roof may have a radius of perhaps 5 in Depending on the geometry, this may yield a sideframe resistance to lateral deflection in the order of % (or less) to about 'A of what might otherwise be typical If combined with the spring group stiffness, the relative softness of the pendulum may be dominant Lateral stiffness may then be less governed by vertical spring stiffness Use of a rocking lower spring seat may reduce, or eliminate, lateral stiffness due to unequal spring compression Swing motion trucks have used transoms to link the side frames, and to lock them against non-square deformation Other substantially rigid truck stiffening devices such as lateral unsprung rods or a "frame brace" of diagonal unsprung bracing have been used Lateral unsprung bracing may increase resistance to rotation of the sideframes about the long axis of the truck bolster This may not necessarily enhance wheel load equalisation or discourage wheel lift A formula may be used for estimation of truck lateral stiffness Struck —
Figure imgf000057_0001
J where
Figure imgf000057_0002
moment J k_pπng shear = The lateral spring constant for the spring group in shear kpenduium = The force required to deflect the pendulum per unit of deflection, as measured at the center of the bottom spring seat k.pnng moment = The force required to deflect the bottom spring seat per unit of sideways deflection against the twisting moment caused by the unequal compression of the inboard and outboard springs In a pendulum, the relationship of weight and deflection is roughly linear for small angles, analogous to F = /be, in a spring A lateral constant can be defined as kpeπduιum = W / L, where W is weight, and L is pendulum length An approximate equivalent pendulum length can be defined as Lcq = W / kpendu|um
W is the sprung weight on the sideframe For a truck having L= 15 and a 60" crown radius, Lcq might be about 3 in For a swing motion truck, Leq may be more than double this A formula for a longitudinal (l e , self-steering) rocker as in Figure 2a, may also be defined F / δlong = klonB = (W / L) [ [ (l / L) / (l / r1 - l / R,) ] - l] Where kι„„g is the longitudinal constant of proportionality between longitudinal force and longitudinal deflection for the rocker F is a unit of longitudinal force, applied at the center ne of the axle διong is a unit of longitudinal deflection of the centreline of the axle L is the distance from the centreline of the axle to the apex of male portion 116 R, is the longitudinal radius of curvature of the female hollow in the pedestal seat 38 r_ is the longitudinal radius of curvature of the crown of the male portion 116 on the bearing adapter In this relationship, R] is greater than r1; and (1 / L) is greater than [(1 / r,) - (1 / Rj)], and, as shown in the illustrations, L is smaller than either rt or R_ In some embodiments herein, the length L from the center of the axle to apex of the surface of the beaπng adapter, at the central rest position may typically be about 5 - YΛ to 6 inches (+/-), and may be in the range of 5 - 7 inches Bearing adapters, pedestals, side frames, and bolsters are typically made from steel The present inventor is of the view that the rolling contact surface may preferably be made of a tool steel, or a similar mateπal In the lateral direction, an approximation for small angular deflections is kp._H_.h__. = (F2/δ2) = (W/Lpend )[[ (1 / Lpend ) / ((1 / RRocker) - (1 / RSeat))l + 1 ] where kpenduium = me 'atera' stiffness of the pendulum F2 = the force per unit of lateral deflection applied at the bottom spring seat δ2 = a unit of lateral deflection W = the weight borne by the pendulum L en = the length of the pendulum, as undeflected, between the contact surface of the bearing adapter to the bottom of the pendulum at the spring seat ^Rocker = r2 = the lateral radius of curvature of the rocker surface Rseat = R2 = the lateral radius of curvature of the rocker seat Where RSβa, and RR0Cker are of similar magnitude, and are not unduly small relative to L, the pendulum may tend to have a relatively large lateral deflection constant Where RSeot is large compared to L or RR„ckcr_ or both, and can be approximated as infinite (l e , a flat surface), this formula simplifies to ^pendulum = (F|ateral ' δ|ateral) = ( " ' Lpend )[(R_locker ' Lpen u|um) + 1 ] Using this number in the denominator, and the design weight in the numerator yields an equivalent pendulum length, Leq = W / kpcnduιunl The sideframe pendulum may have a vertical length measured (when undeflected) from the rolling contact interface at the upper rocker seat to the bottom spring seat of between 12 and 20 inches, perhaps between 14 and 18 inches The equivalent length Leq, may be in the range of greater than 4 inches and less than 15 inches, and, more narrowly, 5 inches and 12 inches, depending on truck size and rocker geometry
Although truck 20 or 22 may be a 70 ton special, a 70 ton, 100 ton, 110 ton, or 125 ton truck, truck 20 or 22 may be a truck size having 33 inch diameter, or 36 or 38 inch diameter wheels In some embodiments herein, the ratio of male rocker radius Rock r to pendulum length, Lpend , may be 3 or less, in some instances 2 or less In laterally quite soft trucks this value may be less than 1 The factor [ (1 / Lpeπd) / ((1 / Rocker) - ( 1 / se t))]. may be less than 3, and, in some instances may be less than 2 lA In laterally quite soft trucks, this factor may be less than 2 In those various embodiments, the lateral stiffness of the lateral rocker pendulum, calculated at the maximum truck capacity, or the GWR limit for the railcar more generally, may be less than the lateral shear stiffness of the associated spring group Further, in those various embodiments the truck may be free of lateral unsprung bracing, whether in terms of a transom, laterally extending parallel rods, or diagonally criss-crossing frame bracing or other unsprung stiffeners In those embodiments the trucks may have four cornered damper groups driven by each spring group In the trucks descπbed herein, for their fully laden design condition which may be determined either according to the AAR limit for 70, 100, 1 10 or 125 ton trucks, or, where a lower intended lading is chosen, then in proportion to the vertical sprung load yielding 2 inches of vertical spring deflection in the spring groups, the equivalent lateral stiffness of the sideframe, being the ratio of force to lateral deflection, measured at the bottom spring seat, may be less than the horizontal shear stiffness of the springs In some embodiments, particularly for relatively low density fragile, high valued lading such as automobiles, consumer goods, and so on The equivalent lateral stiffness of the sideframe ksldeframe may be less than 6000 lbs /in and may be between about 3500 and 5500 lbs /in , and perhaps in the range of 3700 - 4100 lbs /in
For example, in one embodiment a 2 x 4 spring group has 8 inch diameter springs having a total vertical stiffness of 9600 lbs / in per spring group and a conesponding lateral shear stiffness kspnng sh<:ar of 8200 lbs /in The sideframe has a rigidly mounted lower spring seat It may be used in a truck with 36 inch wheels In another embodiment, a 3 x 5 group of 5 'A inch diameter springs is used, also having a vertical stiffness of about 9600 lbs /in , in a truck with 36 inch wheels It may be that the vertical spring stiffness per spring group lies in the range of less than 30,000 lbs /in , that it may be in the range of less than 20,000 lbs /in and that it may perhaps be in the range of 4,000 to 12000 lbs /in, and may be about 6000 to 10,000 lbs /in The twisting of the springs may have a stiffness in the range of 750 to 1200 lbs /in and a vertical shear stiffness in the range of 3500 to 5500 lbs /in with an overall sideframe stiffness in the range of 2000 to 3500 lbs /in In the embodiments of trucks having a fixed bottom spring seat, the truck may have a portion of stiffness, attributable to unequal compression of the springs equivalent to 600 to 1200 lbs /in of lateral deflection, when the lateral deflection is measured at the bottom of the spring seat on the sideframe This value may be less than 1000 lbs /in , and may be less than 900 lbs /in The portion of restoring force attributable to unequal compression of the springs may tend to be greater for a light car as opposed to a fully laden car Some embodiments, including those that may be termed swing motion trucks, may have one or more features, namely that, in the lateral swinging direction r/R < 0 7, 3 < r < 30, or more nanowly, 4 < r < 20, and 5 < R < 45, or more nanowly, 8 < R < 30, and in lateral stiffness, 2,000 lbs/in < kp<.nduhlm < 10,000 lbs/in, or expressed differently, the lateral pendulum stiffness in pounds per inch of lateral deflection at the bottom spring seat where vertical loads are passed into the sideframe, per pound of weight earned by the pendulum, may be in the range of 0 08 and 0 2, or, more nanowly, in the range of 0 1 to 0 16 Friction Surfaces Dynamic response may be quite subtle It is advantageous to reduce resistance to curving, and self steering may help in this regard It is advantageous to reduce the tendency for wheel lift to occur A reduction in stick-slip behaviour in the dampers may improve performance in this regard Employment of dampers having roughly equal upward and downward friction forces may discourage wheel lift Wheel lift may be sensitive to a reduction in torsional linkage between the sideframes, as when a transom or frame brace is removed While it may be desirable torsionally to decouple the sideframes it may also be desirable to supplant a physically locked relationship with a relationship that allows the truck to flex in a non-square manner, subject to a bias tending to return the truck to its squared position such as may be obtained by employing the larger resistive moment couple of doubled dampers as compared to single dampers While use of laterally softy rockers, dampers with reduced stick slip behaviour, four-cornered damper arrangements, and self steering may all be helpful in their own right, it appears that they may also be interrelated in a subtle and unexpected manner Self steering may function better where there is a reduced tendency to stick slip behaviour in the dampers Lateral rocking in the swing motion manner may also function better where the dampers have a reduced tendency to stick slip behaviour Lateral rocking in the swing motion manner may tend to work better where the dampers are mounted in a four cornered arrangement Counter-intuitively, truck hunting may not worsen significantly when the rigidly locked relationship of a transom or frame brace is replaced by four cornered dampers (apparently making the truck softer, rather than stiffer), and where the dampers are less prone to stick slip behaviour The combined effect of these features may be surprisingly interlinked In the various truck embodiments described herein, there is a friction damping interface between the bolster and the sideframes Either the sideframe columns or the damper (or both) may have a low or controlled friction bearing surface, that may include a hardened wear plate, that may be replaceable if worn or broken, or that may include a consumable coating or shoe, or pad That bearing face of the motion calming, friction damping element may be obtained by treating the surface to yield desired co-efficients of static and dynamic friction whether by application of a surface coating, and insert, a pad, a brake shoe or brake lining, or other treatment Shoes and linings may be obtained from clutch and brake lining suppliers, of which one is Railway Friction Products Such a shoe or lining may have a polymer based or composite matrix, loaded with a mixture of metal or other particles of materials to yield a specified friction performance That friction surface may, when employed in combination with the opposed beaπng surface, have a co-efficient of static friction, μs, and a co-efficient of dynamic or kinetic friction, μk The coefficients may vary with environmental conditions For the puφoses of this description, the friction coefficients will be taken as being considered on a dry day condition at 70 F In one embodiment, when dry, the coefficients of friction may be in the range of 0 15 to 045, may be in the nanower range of 020 to 0 35, and, in one embodiment, may be about 0 30 In one embodiment that coating, or pad, may, when employed in combination with the opposed bearing surface of the sideframe column, result in coefficients of static and dynamic friction at the fπction interface that are within 20%, or, more nanowly, within 10 % of each other In another embodiment, the coefficients of static and dynamic friction are substantially equal Sloped Wedge Surface Where damper wedges are employed, a generally low fπction, or controlled friction pad or coating may also be employed on the sloped surface of the damper that engages the wear plate (if such is employed) of the bolster pocket where there may be a partially sliding, partially rocking dynamic interaction The present inventors consider the use of a controlled friction interface between the slope face of the wedge and the inclined face of the bolster pocket, in which the combination of wear plate and friction member may tend to yield coefficients of friction of known properties, to be advantageous In some embodiments those coefficients may be the same, or nearly the same, and may have little or no tendency to exhibit stick-slip behaviour, or may have a reduced stick-shp tendency as compared to cast iron on steel Further, the use of brake linings, or inserts of cast materials having known friction properties may tend to permit the properties to be controlled within a nanower, more predictable and more repeatable range such as may yield a reasonable level of consistency in operation The coating, or pad, or lining, may be a polymeric element, or an element having a polymeric or composite matrix loaded with suitable friction materials It may be obtained from a brake or clutch lining manufacturer, or the like One such firm that may be able to provide such friction materials is Railway Fπction Products of 13601 Launnburg Maxton Ai, Maxton NC, another may be Quadrant EPP USA Inc , of 2120 Fairmont Ave , Reading PA In one embodiment, the material may be the same as that employed by the Standard Car Truck Company in the "Barber Twin Guard" (t m ) damper wedge with polymer covers In one embodiment the material may be such that a coating, or pad, may, when employed with the opposed bearing surface of the sideframe column, result in coefficients of static and dynamic friction at the friction interface that are within 20%, or more nanowly, within 10 % of each other In another embodiment, the coefficients of static and dynamic fπction are substantially equal The co-efficient of dynamic friction may be in the range of 0 15 to 030, and in one embodiment may be about 0 20 A damper may be provided with a fπction specific treatment, whether by coating, pad or lining, on both the vertical friction face and the slope face The coefficients of friction on the slope face need not be the same as on the friction face, although they may be In one embodiment it may be that the coefficients of static and dynamic friction on the fπction face may be about 0 3, and may be about equal to each other, while the coefficients of static and dynamic friction on the slope face may be about 0 2, and may be about equal to each other In either case, whether on the vertical beaπng face against the sideframe column, or on the sloped face m the bolster pocket, the present inventors consider it to be advantageous to avoid surface pairings that may tend to lead to galling, and stick-shp behaviour Spring Groups The main spring groups may have a variety of spring layouts Among various double damper embodiments of spring layout are the following
Figure imgf000061_0001
In these groups, D, represents a damper spring, and X, represents a non-damper spring In the context of 100 Ton or 1 10 Ton trucks, the inventors propose spring and damper combinations lying within 20 % (and preferably within 10 %) of the following parameter envelopes (a) For a four wedge arrangement with all steel or iron damper surfaces, an envelope having an upper boundary according to kdampe, 2 41(θwcdge) , and a lower boundary according to ■^damper - * ^ * ("wedge/ (b) For a four wedge anangement with all steel or iron damper surfaces, a mid range zone of kdam„er = 1 81(θwedge)1 76 (+/- 20 %) (c) For a four wedge anangement with non-metallic damper surfaces, such as may be similar to brake linings, an envelope having an upper boundary according to kdamper = 4 84(θwcdge)' 64, and a lower a lower boundary according to kdan,per = 2 42(θwcdge)' M where the wedge angle may he in the range of 30 to 60 degrees (d) For a four wedge anangement with non-metallic damper surfaces, a mid range zone of kdamper = 3 63(θwedge)' <* (+/- 20 %) Where kdamper is the side spring stiffness under each damper in lbs/in/damper θwedge- is the associated pπmary wedge angle, in degrees θwedge may tend to lie in the range of 30 to 60 degrees In other embodiments θwedge may he in the range of 35 - 55 degrees, and in still other embodiments may tend to lie in the nanower range of 40 to 50 degrees It may be advantageous to have upward and downward damping forces that are not overly dissimilar, and that may in some cases tend to be roughly equal Frictional forces at the dampers may differ depending on whether the damper is being loaded or unloaded The angle of the wedge, the coefficients of friction, and the springing under the wedges can be varied A damper is being "loaded" when the bolster is moving downward in the sideframe window, since the spring force is increasing, and hence the force on the damper is increasing Similarly, a damper is being "unloaded" when the bolster is moving upward toward the top of the sideframe window, since the force in the springs is decreasing The equations can be written as
While loading Fd = μc Fs ( Cot (φ) - u (1 + (μs - μc ) Cot (φ) + μs μc )
While unloading Fd = μc Fs ( Cot (Φ1 + u_. ) (1 + (μc - μs ) Cot (φ) + μ_ μc )
Where Fd = friction force on the sideframe column Fs = force in the spring μs = coefficient of friction on the angled slope face on the bolster μc = the coefficient of friction against the sideframe column φ = the included angle between the angled face on the bolster and the friction face bearing against the column For a given angle, a friction load factor, Cf can be determined as Cf = Fd / Fs This load factor Cf will tend to be different depending on whether the bolster is moving up or down It may be advantageous to have different vertical spring rates in the empty and fully loaded conditions To that end springs of different heights may be employed, for example, to yield two or more vertical spring rates for the entire spring group In this way, the dynamic response in the light car condition may be different from the dynamic response in a fully loaded car, where two spring rates are used Alternatively, if three (or more) spring rates are used, there may be an intermediate dynamic response in a semi-loaded condition In one embodiment, each spring group may have a first combination of springs that have a free length of at least a first height, and a second group of springs of which each spring has a free length that is less than a second height, the second height being less than the first height by a distance δj, such that the first group of springs will have a range of compression between the first and second heights in which the spring rate of the group has a first value, namely the sum of the spring rates of the first group of springs, and a second range in which the spring rate of the group is greater, namely that of the first group plus the spring rate of at least one of the springs whose free height is less than the second height The different spring rate regimes may yield conesponding different damping regimes For example, in one embodiment a car having a dead sprung weight (I e , the weight of the car body with no lading excluding the unsprung weight below the main spring such as the sideframes and wheelsets), of about 35,000 to about 55,000 lbs (+/- 5000 lbs) may have spring groups of which a first portion of the springs have a free height in excess of a first height The first height may, for example be in the range of about 9 - Vt to 10 - '/- inches When the car sits, unladen, on its trucks, the springs compress to that first height When the car is operated in the light car condition, that first portion of springs may tend to determine the dynamic response of the car in the vertical bounce, pitch-and-bounce, and side-to-side rocking, and may influence truck hunting behaviour The spring rate in that first regime may be of the order of 12,000 to 22,000 lbs/ in , and may be in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 lbs/in When the car is more heavily laden, as for example when the combination of dead and live sprung weight exceeds a threshold amount, which may correspond to a per car amount in the range of perhaps
60,000 to 100,000 lbs, (that is, 15,000 to 25,000 lbs per spring group for symmetrical loading, at rest) the springs may compress to, or past, a second height That second height may be in the range of perhaps 8-'Λ to 9-3/4 inches, for example At this point, the sprung weight is sufficient to begin to deflect another portion of the springs in the overall spring group, which may be some or all of the remaining springs, and the spring rate constant of the combined group of the now compressed springs in this second regime may tend to be different, and larger than, the spring rate in the first regime For example, this larger spring rate may be in the range of about 20,000 - 30,000 lbs/in , and may be intended to provide a dynamic response when the sum of the dead and live loads exceed the regime change threshold amount This second regime may range from the threshold amount to some greater amount, perhaps tending toward an upper limit, in the case of a 1 10 Ton truck, of as great as about 130,000 or 135,000 lbs per truck For a 100 Ton truck this amount may be 1 15,000 or 120,000 lbs per truck Table 1 gives a tabulation of a number of spring groups that may be employed in a 100 or 1 10 Ton truck, in symmetrical 3 x 3 spring layouts and that include dampers in four-cornered groups The last entry in Table 1 is a symmetrical 2 3 2 layout of springs The term "side spring" refers to the spring, or combination of springs, under each of the individually sprung dampers, and the term "main spring" refening to the spring, or combination of springs, of each of the main coil groups
Figure imgf000064_0001
Figure imgf000064_0002
Figure imgf000064_0003
Table 1 - Spring Group Combinations In this tabulation, the terms NSC-1, NSC-2, D8, D8A and D6B refer to springs of non-standard size proposed by the present inventors The properties of these springs are given in Table 2a (main springs) and 2b (side springs), along with the properties of the other springs of Table 1
Figure imgf000064_0004
Table 2a Main Spring Parameters
Figure imgf000065_0002
Table 2b - Side Spring Parameters Table 3 provides a listing of truck parameters for a number of known trucks, and for trucks proposed by the present inventors In the first instance, the truck embodiment identified as No 1 may be taken to employ damper wedges in a four-comered anangement in which the primary wedge angle is 45 degrees (+/-) and the damper wedges have steel bearing surfaces In the second instance, the truck embodiment identified as No 2, may be taken to employ damper wedges in a four-cornered anangement in which the primary wedge angle is 40 degrees (+/-), and the damper wedges have non-metallic bearing surfaces
Figure imgf000066_0001
Table 3 - Truck Parameters In Table 3, the Main Spring entry has the format of the quantity of springs, followed by the type of spring For example, the ASF Super Service Ride Master, in one embodiment, has 7 springs of the D5 Outer type, 7 springs of the D5 Inner type, nested inside the D5 Outers, and 2 springs of the D6A Inner-Inner type, nested within the D5 Inners of the middle row (l e, the row along the bolster centerhne) It also has 2 side springs of the 5052 Outer type, and 2 springs of the 5063 Inner type nested inside the 5062 Outers The side springs would be the middle elements of the side rows underneath centrally mounted damper wedges kcmpty refers to the overall spring rate of the group in lbs/in for a light (I e , empty) car kio ded refers to the spring rate of the group in lbs/in , in the fully laded condition "Solid" refers to the limit, in lbs, when the springs are compressed to the solid condition HEmpt refers to the height of the springs in the light car condition Headed refers to the height of the springs in the at rest fully loaded condition kw refers to the overall spring rate of the springs under the dampers kw/k|oaded gives the ratio of the spring rate of the springs under the dampers to the total spring rate of the group, in the loaded condition, as a percentage The wedge angle is the primary angle of the wedge, expressed in degrees FD is the friction force on the sideframe column It is given in the upward and downward directions, with the last row giving the total when the upward and downward amounts are added together In various embodiments of trucks, such as truck 22, the resilient interface between each sideframe and the end of the truck bolster associated therewith may include a four cornered damper arrangement and a
3 x 3 spring group having one of the spring groupings set forth in Table 1 Those groupings may have wedges having primary angles lying in the range of 30 to 60 degrees, or more nanowly in the range of 35 to
55 degrees, more nanowly still in the range 40 to 50 degrees, or may be chosen from the set of angles of 32,
36, 40 or 45 degrees The wedges may have steel surfaces, or may have friction modified surfaces, such as non-metallic surfaces The combination of wedges and side springs may be such as to give a spring rate under the side springs that is 20 % or more of the total spring rate of the spring groups It may be in the range of 20 to 30
% of the total spring rate In some embodiments the combination of wedges and side springs may be such as to give a total friction force for the dampers in the group, for a fully laden car, when the bolster is moving downward, that is less than 3000 lbs In other embodiments the arithmetic sum of the upward and downward friction forces of the dampers in the group is less than 5500 lbs In some embodiments in which steel faced dampers are used, the sum of the magnitudes of the upward and downward friction forces may be in the range of 4000 to 5000 lbs In some embodiments, the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving upward may be in the range of 2/3 to 3/2 of the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving downward In some embodiments, the ratio of
Fd(Up)/Fd (Down) may he in the range of 3/4 to 5/4 In some embodiments the ratio of Fd(Up)/Fd(Down) may he in the range of 4/5 to 6/5, and in some embodiments the magnitudes may be substantially equal In some embodiments in which non-metallic friction surfaces are used, the sum of the magnitudes of the upward and downward friction force may be in the range of 4000 to 5500 lbs In some embodiments, the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving up, Fd(Up), to the magnitude of the friction force when the bolster is moving down, Fd(Down) may be in the range of 3 / 4 to 5/4, may be in the range of 0 85 to 1 15 Further, those wedges may employ a secondary angle, and the secondary angle may be in the range of about 5 to 15 degrees Nos 1 and 2 The inventors consider the combinations of parameters listed in Table 3 under the columns No 1 and No 2, to be advantageous No , 1 may employ with steel on steel damper wedges and sideframe columns No 2 may employ non-metallic friction surfaces, that may tend not to exhibit stick-s p behaviour, for which the resultant static and dynamic friction coefficients are substantially equal The friction coefficients of the friction face on the sideframe column may be about 0 3 The slope surfaces of the wedges may also work on a non-metallic bearing surface and may also tend not to exhibit stick slip behaviour The coefficients of static and dynamic friction on the slope face may also be substantially equal, and may be about 0 2 Those wedges may have a secondary angle, and that secondary angle may be about 10 degrees No 3 In some embodiments there may be a 2 3 2 spring group layout In this layout the damper springs may be located in a four cornered anangement in which each pair of damper springs is not separated by an intermediate main spring coil, and may sit side-by-side, whether the dampers are cheek-to-cheek or separated by a partition or intervening block There may be three main spring coils, arranged on the longitudinal centreline of the bolster The springs may be non-standard springs, and may include outer, inner, and inner- inner springs identified respectively as D51-0, D61-I, and D61-A in Tables 1, 2 and 3 above The No 3 layout may include wedges that have a steel-on-steel friction interface in which the kinematic friction co- efficient on the vertical face may be in the range of 0 30 to 0 40, and may be about 0 38, and the kinematic friction co-efficient on the slope face may be in the range of 0 12 to 0 20, and may be about 0 15 The wedge angle may be in the range of 45 to 60 degrees, and may be about 50 to 55 degrees In the event that 50 (+/-) degree wedges are chosen, the upward and downward friction forces may be about equal (I e , within about 10 % of the mean), and may have a sum in the range of about 4600 to about 4800 lbs, which sum may be about 4700 lbs (+/- 50) In the event that 55 degree (+/-) wedges are chosen, the upward and downward friction forces may again be substantially equal (within 10 % of the mean), and may have a sum on the range of 3700 to 4100 Lbs, which sum may be about 3850 - 3900 lbs Alternatively, in other embodiments employing a 2 3 2 spring layout, non-metallic wedges may be employed Those wedges may have a vertical face to sideframe column co-efficient of kinematic friction in the range of 0 25 to 0 35, and which may be about 0 30 The slope face co-efficient of kinematic friction may be in the range of 0 08 to 0 15, and may be about 0 10 A wedge angle of between about 35 and about 50 degrees may be employed It may be that the wedge angles he in the range of about 40 to about 45 degrees In one embodiment in which the wedge angle is about 40 degrees, the upward and downward kinematic fπction forces may have magnitudes that are each within about 20 % of their average value, and whose sum may he in the range of about 5400 to about 5800 lbs, and which may be about 5600 lbs (+/- 100)
In another embodiment in which the wedge angle is about 45 degrees, the magnitudes of each of the upward and downward forces of kinematic friction may be within 20 % of their averaged value, and whose sum may he in the range of about 440 to about 4800 lbs, and may be about 4600 lbs (+/- 100) Combinations and Permutations The present description recites many examples of dampers and bearing adapter anangements Not all of the features need be present at one time, and various optional combinations can be made As such, the features of the embodiments of several of the various figures may be mixed and matched, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention For the purpose of avoiding redundant description, it will be understood that the various damper configurations can be used with spring groups of a 2 X 4, 3 X 3, 3 2 3, 2 3 2, 3 X 5 or other arrangement Similarly, several variations of bearing to pedestal seat adapter interface arrangements have been described and illustrated There are a large number of possible combinations and permutations of damper anangements and bearing adapter arrangements In that light, it may be understood that the various features can be combined, without further multiplication of drawings and description The various embodiments described herein may employ self-steering apparatus in combination with dampers that may tend to exhibit little or no stick-slip They may employ a "Pennsy" pad, or other elastomeric pad anangement, for providing self-steering Alternatively, they may employ a bi-directional rocking apparatus, which may include a rocker having a bearing surface formed on a compound curve of which several examples have been illustrated and described herein Further still, the various embodiments descπbed herein may employ a four cornered damper wedge arrangement, which may include bearing surfaces of a non-stick-slip nature, m combination with a self steering apparatus, and in particular a bidirectional rocking self-steering apparatus, such as a compound curved rocker In the various embodiments of trucks herein, the gibs may be shown mounted to the bolster inboard and outboard of the wear plates on the side frame columns In the embodiments shown herein, the clearance between the gibs and the side plates is desirably sufficient to permit a motion allowance of at least 3Λ" of lateral travel of the truck bolster relative to the wheels to either side of neutral, advantageously permits greater than 1 inch of travel to either side of neutral, and may permit travel in the range of about I or 1 - 1/8" to about 1 - 5/8 or 1 - 9/16" inches to either side of neutral The inventors presently favour embodiments having a combination of a bi-directional compound curvature rocker surface, a four cornered damper anangement in which the dampers are provided with friction linings that may tend to exhibit little or no stick-s p behaviour, and may have a slope face with a relatively low friction bearing surface However, there are many possible combinations and permutations of the features of the examples shown herein In general it is thought that a self draining geometry may be preferable over one in which a hollow is formed and for which a drain hole may be required In each of the trucks shown and descπbed herein, the overall ride quality may depend on the interrelation of the spring group layout and physical properties, or the damper layout and properties, or both, in combination with the dynamic properties of the bearing adapter to pedestal seat interface assembly It may be advantageous for the lateral stiffness of the sideframe acting as a pendulum to be less than the lateral stiffness of the spring group in shear In rail road cars having 1 10 ton trucks, one embodiment may employ trucks having vertical spring group stiffnesses in the range of 16,000 lbs/inch to 36,000 lbs/inch in combination with an embodiment of bi-directional beaπng adapter to pedestal seat interface assemblies as shown and descπbed herein In another embodiment, the vertical stiffness of the spring group may be less than 12,000 lbs /in per spring group, with a horizontal shear stiffness of less than 6000 lbs /in The double damper anangements shown above can also be varied to include any of the four types of damper installation indicated at page 715 in the 1997 Car and Locomotive Cyclopedia, whose information is incorporated herein by reference, with appropriate structural changes for doubled dampers, with each damper being sprung on an individual spring That is, while inclined surface bolster pockets and inclined wedges seated on the main springs have been shown and described, the friction blocks could be in a horizontal, spring biased installation in a pocket in the bolster itself, and seated on independent springs rather than the main springs Alternatively, it is possible to mount friction wedges in the sideframes, in either an upward orientation or a downward orientation The embodiments of trucks shown and described herein may vary in their suitability for different types of service Truck performance can vary significantly based on the loading expected, the wheelbase, spring stiffnesses, spring layout, pendulum geometry, damper layout and damper geometry Vaπous embodiments of the invention have been described in detail Since changes in and or additions to the above-described best mode may be made without departing from the nature, spirit or scope of the invention, the invention is not to be limited to those details but only by the appended claims

Claims

Claims
We claim
1 A sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck, said interface assembly having fittings operable to rock both laterally and longitudinally
2 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly includes mating surfaces of compound curvature, the compound curvature including curvature in both lateral and horizontal directions
3 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly includes at least one rocker element and a mating element, the rocker and mating element being in point contact with a mating element, said element in point contact being movable in rolling point contact with said mating element
4 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 3 wherein said element in point contact is movable in rolling point contact with said mating element both laterally and longitudinally
5 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 1 wherein said fittings include rockingly matable saddle surfaces
6 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 1 wherein said fittings include a male surface having a first compound curvature and a mating female surface having a second compound curvature in rocking engagement with each other, and one of said surfaces includes at least a spherical portion
7 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 1 wherein, relative to a vertical axis of rotation, rocking motion of said fittings longitudinally is torsionally de-coupled from rocking of said fittings laterally 8 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 1 wherein said fittings include a force transfer interface that is torsionally compliant relative to torsional moments about a vertical
Figure imgf000071_0001
9 The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 1 wherein said assembly includes an elastomeric member 10 A swing motion three piece rail road car truck having a laterally extending truck bolster, a pair of longitudinally extending sideframes to which the truck bolster is resiliently mounted, and wheelsets to which the side frames are mounted, damper groups mounted between the bolster and each of the sideframes, the damper groups each having a four-cornered damper layout, and wheelset to sideframe pedestal interface assemblies operable to permit lateral swinging motion of the sideframes and longitudinal self-steering of the wheelsets
1 1 A three piece rail road car truck having a truck bolster mounted between sideframes, and wheelsets to which the sideframes are mounted, and wheelset to sideframe interface assemblies by which to mount said sideframes to said wheelsets, said sideframe to wheelset interface assemblies including rocking apparatus to permit said sideframes to swing laterally, said rocking apparatus including first and second surfaces in rocking engagement, at least a portion of said first surface having a first radius of curvature of less than 30 inches, and said sideframe to wheelset interface including self steering apparatus The three piece rail road car truck of claim 11 wherein said self steering apparatus has a force- deflection characteristic that varies with vertical loading of said sideframe to wheelset interface assembly A three piece rail road freight car truck having self steering apparatus, wherein said self steering apparatus includes at least one longitudinal rocker A three piece rail road freight car truck having passive self steering apparatus, said self steering apparatus having a linear force-deflection characteristic, and said force-deflection characteristic varying as a function of vertical loading of said truck The three piece rail road freight car truck of claim 14 wherein said force-displacement characteristic varies linearly with vertical loading of said truck The three piece rail road freight car truck of claim 14 wherein said self steering apparatus includes a rocker mechanism A three piece rail road freight car truck having a transversely extending truck bolster, a pair of side frames mounted at opposite ends of said truck bolster, and resiliently connected thereto, and wheelsets, said sideframes being mounted to said wheelsets at sideframe to wheelset interface assemblies, at least one of said sideframe to wheelset interface assemblies being mounted between a first end of an axle of one of said wheelsets, and a first pedestal of a first of said sideframes, said wheelset to sideframe interface assembly including a first line contact rocker apparatus operable to permit lateral swinging of said first sideframe and a second line contact rocker apparatus operable to permit longitudinal displacement of said first end of said axle relative to said first sideframe The three piece rail road fright car truck of claim 17 wherein said first and second rocker apparatus arc mounted m series with a torsionally compliant member, said torsionally complaint member being compliant to torsional moments applied about a vertical axis The three piece rail road freight car truck of claim 18 wherein a torsionally compliant member is mounted between said first and second rocker apparatus, said torsionally compliant member being torsionally compliant about a vertical axis A three piece railroad car truck having a laterally extending truck bolster, said truck bolster having first and second ends, first and second longitudinally extending sideframes resiliently mounted at said first and second ends of said bolster respectively, and said side frames being mounted on wheelsets at sideframe to wheelset mounting interface assemblies, a four cornered damper group being mounted between each end of said truck bolster and the respective side frame to which that end is mounted, and said sideframe to wheelset mounting interface assemblies accommodating rotational deflection of the wheelsets relative to the sideframes about a predominantly vertical axis The three piece rail road car truck of claim 20 wherein said truck is free of unsprung lateral cross- members between said sideframes The three piece rail road car truck of claim 20 wherein said sideframes are mounted to swing laterally The three piece rail road car truck of claim 22 wherein said sideframe to wheelset mounting interface assemblies include self steering apparatus A three piece rail road car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely between a pair of sideframes, said truck bolster having ends, each of said ends of said truck bolster being resiliently mounted to a respective one of said sideframes, said truck having a set of dampers mounted in a four cornered damper anangement between each said bolster end and its respective sideframe, each damper having a bearing surface mounted to work shdingly against a mating surface at a fπction interface in a substantially stick-s p free relationship when said bolster moves relative to said sideframes, each damper having a seat against which to mount a biasing device for urging the bearing face against the mating surface, said bearing face of said damper having a dynamic co-efficient of friction and a static co-efficient of friction when working against said mating surface The truck of claim 24 wherein said co-efficients of friction have respective magnitudes within 10 % of each other The truck of claim 24 wherein said co-efficients of friction are substantially equal The truck of claim 24 wherein said co-efficients of friction lie in the range of 0 1 to 04 The truck of claim 24 wherein said co-efficients of fπction he in the range 0 2 to 035 The truck of claim 24 wherein said truck is a self-steering truck The truck of claim 24 wherein said truck includes a bearing adapter to sideframe pedestal interface that includes a self-steering apparatus The truck of claim 24 wherein said truck has a bearing adapter to sideframe pedestal interface that includes a bi-directional rocker operable to permit lateral rocking of said sideframes and to permit self- steering of said truck A three piece railroad car truck having a bolster transversely mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted thereto by wheelset to sideframe interface assemblies, said interface assemblies being operable to permit self steering, said assemblies having a self steering force-deflection characteπstic that is a function of vertical load A bearing adapter for a railroad car truck, said bearing adapter having a body for seating upon a bearing of a rail road truck wheelset, and a rocker member for mounting to said body, said rocker member having a rocking surface, said rocking surface facing away from said body when said rocker member is mounted to said body, and said rocker being made of a different material from said body A three piece railroad car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely to a pair of side frames, each of said sideframes having fore and aft pedestal seat interface fittings, and a pair of wheelsets mounted to said pedestal seat interface fittings, said pedestal seat interface fittings including rockers operable to permit said truck to self steer A railroad car truck having a truck bolster mounted transversely between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes to permit rolling operation of said truck along a set of rail road tracks, said truck including rocker elements mounted between said sideframes and said wheelsets, said rocker elements being operable to permit lateral swinging of the sideframes and to permit self-steering of said truck A railroad car truck having a pair of sideframes, a pair of wheelsets having ends for mounting to said sideframes, and sideframe to wheelset interface fittings, said sideframe to wheelset interface fittings including rocking members having a first degree of freedom permitting lateral swinging of said sideframes relative to said wheelsets, a second degree of freedom permitting longitudinal rocking of said wheelset ends relative to said sideframes A railroad car truck having rockers formed on a compound curvature, said rockers being operable to permit both a lateral swinging motion in said truck and self steering of said truck A railroad car truck having a pair of sideframes, a pair of wheelsets having ends for mounting to said sideframes, and sideframe to wheelset interface fittings, said sideframe to wheelset interface fittings including rocking members having a first degree of freedom permitting lateral swinging of said sideframes, a second degree of freedom permitting longitudinal rocking of said wheelset ends relative to said sideframes, and said wheelset to sideframe interface fittings being torsionally compliant about a predominantly vertical axis A swing motion rail road car truck having a transverse bolster sprung between a pair of side frames, and a pair of wheelsets mounted to said sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings, said wheelset to sideframe interface fittings including swing motion rockers and elastomeric members mounted in series with said swing motion rockers to permit said truck to self-steer A rail road car truck having a transverse bolster sprung between two sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings, said truck having a spring groups and dampers seated in said bolster and biased by said spring groups to ride against said sideframes, said spring groups including a first damper biasing spring upon which a first damper of said dampers seats, said first damper biasing spπng having a coil diameter, and said first damper having a width of more than 150 % of said coil diameter A rail road car truck having a bolster having ends sprung from a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings, said wheelset to sideframe interface fittings including bi-directional rocker fittings for permitting lateral swinging of said sideframes and for permitting self steering of said wheelsets, and said truck having a four cornered arrangement of dampers mounted at each end of said bolster The rail road car truck of claim 41 wherein said interface fittings are torsionally compliant about a predominantly vertical axis A self-steering rail road car truck having a transversely mounted bolster sprung between two sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes, said sideframes being mounted to swing laterally relative to said wheelsets, said truck having fπction dampers mounted between said bolster and said sideframes, said friction dampers having co-efficients of static fπction and dynamic friction, said co-efficients of static and dynamic friction being substantially the same A self-steering rail road car truck having a transversely mounted bolster sprung between two sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes, said sideframes being mounted to swing laterally relative to said wheelsets, said truck having fπction dampers mounted between said bolster and said sideframes, said friction dampers having a co-efficient of static friction, us, and a co-efficient of dynamic friction, uk, and a ratio of us/uk lies in the range of 1 0 to 1 1 A self-steering rail road car truck having a transversely mounted bolster sprung between two sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes, said sideframes being mounted to swing laterally relative to said wheelsets, said truck having friction dampers mounted between said bolster and said sideframes in a sliding friction relationship that is substantially free of stick-s p behaviour The self-steering rail road car truck of claim 45 wherein said bolster has bolster pockets formed therein for accommodating said dampers, said friction dampers include friction damper wedges having a first face for engaging one of said sideframes, and a second, sloped, face for engaging a bolster pocket, and said sloped face is mounted in said bolster pocket in a sliding friction relationship that is substantially free of stick-shp behaviour A self-steering rail road car truck having a bolster mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes for rolling motion along railroad tracks, said wheelsets being mounted to said sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings operable to permit lateral rocking of said truck, said truck having a set of friction dampers mounted between said bolster and each of said sideframes, said friction dampers having a first face in sliding fπction relationship with said sideframes and a second face seated in a bolster pocket of said bolster, said first face, when operated in engagement with said sideframe, having a co-efficient of static friction and a co-efficient of dynamic friction, said co-efficients of static and dynamic friction of said first face differing by less than 10 %, and said second face, when mounted within said bolster pocket, has a co-efficient of static friction, and a co-efficient of dynamic friction, and said co-efficients of static and dynamic fπction of said second face differing by less than 10 % The rail road car truck of claim 47 wherein said co-efficients of static and dynamic friction of said first face are substantially equal A self-steering rail road car truck having a bolster mounted between a pair of sideframes, and wheelsets mounted to said sideframes for rolling motion along railroad tracks, said wheelsets being mounted to said sideframes at wheelset to sideframe interface fittings operable to permit lateral rocking of said truck, said truck having a set of friction dampers mounted between said bolster and each of said sideframes, said friction dampers having a first face in shdable friction relationship with said sideframes and a second face seated in a bolster pocket of said bolster, said first face and said side frame being co- operable and being substantially in a stick-s p free condition, and said second face and said bolster pocket being in a substantially stick-s p free condition A rail road car truck bearing adapter rocker, said rocker having a rocking surface for rocking engagement with a mating surface of a pedestal seat of a sideframe of a railroad car truck, said rocking surface having a compound curvature to permit both lengthwise and sideways rocking A rail road car truck pedestal seat rocker, said rocker having a rocking surface for rocking engagement with a mating surface of a bearing adapter of a railroad car truck, said rocking surface having a compound curvature to permit both lengthwise and sideways rocking A railroad freight car truck having wheelsets mounted in a pair of sideframes, said sideframes having pedestals for receiving said wheelsets, said pedestals having pedestal jaws, said jaws including sideframe pedestal jaw thrust blocks, said wheelsets having bearing adapters mounted thereto for installation between said jaws, said sideframe pedestals having respective pedestal seat members rockingly co-operable with said beaπng adapter, and said truck having members mounted intermediate said jaws and said bearing adapters for urging said bearing adapter to a centered position relative to said pedestal seat A wheelset-to-sideframe interface assembly for a railroad car truck, said interface assembly comprising a bearing adapter and a mating pedestal seat, said bearing adapter having first and second ends formed for interlocking insertion between a pair of pedestal jaws of a railroad or sideframe, said bearing adapter having a first rocking member, said pedestal seat having a second rocking member, said first and second rocking members being matingly engageable to permit lateral and longitudinal rocking therebetween, a resilient member mounted between said bearing adapter and said pedestal seat, said resilient member having a portion formed to engage said first end of said bearing adapter, and said resilient member having an accommodation formed therein to permit mating engagement of said first and second rocking members The wheelset-to-sideframe interface assembly of claim 53 wherein said resilient member has first and second ends formed for interposition between said bearing adapter and pedestal jaws of the sideframe A wheelset-to-sideframe interface assembly for a rail road car truck, said interface assembly comprising a bearing adapter, a pedestal seat, and a resilient member, said bearing adapter having a first end and a second end, each of said first and second ends having an end wall bracketted by a pair of comer abutments, said end wall and corner abutments co-operating to define a channel permitting insertion of said bearing adapter between a pair of thrust lugs of a sideframe pedestal, said bearing adapter having a first rocking member, said pedestal scat having a second rocking member for making engagement with said first rocking member, said first and second rocking members, when engaged, being operable to rock longitudinally relative to a sideframe to permit the rail road car truck to steer, said resilient member having a first end portion engageable with said first end of said bearing adapter for interposition between said first end of said bearing adapter and a first pedestal jaw thrust lug, said resilient member having a second end portion engageable with said second end of said bearing adapter for interposition between said second end of said bearing adapter and a second pedestal jaw thrust lug, said resilient member having a medial portion lying between said first and second end portions, and said medial portion being formed to accommodate mating rocking engagement of said first and second rocking members A resilient pad for use with a bearing adapter for a railroad car truck, the bearing adapter having a rocker member for mating, rocking engagement with a rocker member of a pedestal seat, said resilient pad having a first portion for engaging a first end of the bearing adapter, a second portion for engaging a second end of the bearing adapter, and a medial portion between said first and second end portions, said medial portion being formed to accommodate mating engagement of the rocker members A wheelset-to-sideframe interface assembly kit, said kit comprising a pedestal seat for mounting in the roof of a rail road car truck sideframe pedestal, a bearing adapter for mounting to a bearing of a wheelset of a rail road car truck and a resilient member for mounting to said bearing adapter, said bearing adapter having a first rocker element for engaging said seat in rocking relationship, said bearing adapter having a first end and a second end, each of said ends having an endwall and a pair of abutments bracketing said end wall to define a channel, permitting sliding insertion of said bearing adapter between a pair of sideframe pedestal jaw thrust lugs, said resilient member having a first portion conforming to said first end of said bearing adapter for interpositioning between said bearing adapter and a thrust lug, said resilient member having a second portion connected to said first portion when installed, said second portion at least partially overlying said bearing adapter A bearing adapter for installation in a rail road car truck sideframe pedestal, said bearing adapter having an upper portion engageable with a pedestal seat, and a lower portion engageable with a bearing casing, said lower portion having an apex, said lower portion including a first land for engaging a first portion of the bearing casing, a second land for engaging a second portion of the bearing casing, said first land lying to one side of the apex, the second land lying to the other side of the apex, and at least one relief located between said first and second lands A kit for retro-fitting a railroad car truck having elastomeric members mounted over bearing adapters, said kit comprising a mating beaπng adapter and a pedestal seat, said bearing adapter and said pedestal seat having co-operable bi-directional rocker elements, said seat having a depth of section of greater than 1/2 inches A railroad car truck having a bolster and a pair of co-operating sideframes mounted on wheelsets for rolling operation along railroad tracks, said truck having rockers mounted between said sideframes to permit lateral swinging of said sideframes, said truck being free of lateral unsprung cross-bracing between said sideframes, said sideframes having a lateral pendulum height, L, measured between a lower location at which gravity loads are passed into the sideframe, and an upper location at said rocker where a vertical reaction is passed into the sideframes, said rocker including a male element having a radius of curvature, τ_, and a ratio of r, L is less than 3 The railroad car truck of claim 60 wherein said rocker has a female element in mating engagement with said male element, said female element having a radius of curvature R] greater than rt, and the factor [ (1 / L ) / ((l / r,) - (l / R,))] is less than 3 The railroad car truck of claim 61 wherein R, is at least 4/3 as large as τ_, and T] IS greater than 15 inches The railroad car truck of claim 62 wherein RI is between 15 and 45 inches A sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck, said interface assembly having fittings operable to rock both laterally and longitudinally, and said interface assembly including a bearing assembly having one of said rocking surface fittings defined integrally thereon The sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly of claim 64 wherein said assembly includes a resilient biasing member A sideframe pedestal to axle bearing interface assembly for a three piece rail road car truck, said interface assembly having mating rocking surfaces, said assembly including a bearing mounted to an end of a wheelset axle, said bearing having an outer ring, and one of said rocking surfaces is rigidly fixed relative to said bearing A bearing for mounting to one end of an axle of a wheelset of a three-piece railroad car truck, said bearing having an outer member mounted in a position to permit the end of the axle to rotate relative thereto, and said outer member has a rocking surface formed thereon for engaging a mating rolling contact surface of a pedestal seat member of a sideframe of the three piece truck The bearing of claim 67 wherein said bearing has an axis of rotation coincident with a centerhne axis of the axle and said surface has a region of minimum radial distance from said center of rotation and a positive derivative dr/dθ between said region and points angularly adjacent thereto on either side A combination of claim 67 and the pedestal seat, wherein said bearing has an axis of rotation, a first location on said surface of said bearing lies radially closer to said axis of rotation than any other location thereon, a first distance, L is defined between said axis of rotation and said first location, said surface of said bearing and said surface of said pedestal seat each have a radius of curvature and mate in a male and female relationship, one radius of curvature being a male radius of curvature ri, the other radius of curvature being a female radius of curvature, R2, rt being greater than L, R2 is greater than r(, and L, rt and R2 conform to the formula I_J - (r, ' - R2 ') > 0 The combination of claim 69 wherein said rocking surfaces are co-operable to permit self steering
PCT/CA2004/000995 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof WO2005005219A2 (en)

Priority Applications (22)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP08153749.0A EP1964749B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
EA200600243A EA010048B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
KR1020117018745A KR101159127B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
BRPI0419218-4A BRPI0419218B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 MANCAL AND TRUCK ADAPTER FOR RAIL WAGON
CN2004800256440A CN1845843B (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and car axle bearing fittings installation parts therefor
GB0600163A GB2421936B (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
BRPI0411955-0B1A BRPI0411955B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 auto steering device, interface assembly, railcar wrench and resilient cushion
KR1020117018750A KR101159128B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
MXPA06000308A MXPA06000308A (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof.
US10/564,044 US7845288B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
EA200600220A EA010229B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
PL04737932T PL1651498T3 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
EP04737932.6A EP1651498B1 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
AU2004255283A AU2004255283B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2004-07-08 Rail road car truck and members thereof
AU2010221782A AU2010221782C1 (en) 2003-07-08 2010-09-15 Relieved bearing adapter for rail road car truck
AU2010221780A AU2010221780C1 (en) 2003-07-08 2010-09-15 Railroad freight car truck with self-steering rocker fittings
AU2010221781A AU2010221781B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2010-09-15 Railroad freight car truck with multiple dampers and steering apparatus
US12/962,482 US8272333B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2010-12-07 Rail road car truck and members thereof
US13/620,958 US8726812B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2012-09-15 Rail road freight car truck with self-steering rocker
US13/620,968 US8720347B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2012-09-15 Relieved bearing adapter for railroad freight car truck
US14/275,168 US9278700B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2014-05-12 Fittings for railroad car truck
US15/063,858 US10286932B2 (en) 2003-07-08 2016-03-08 Rail road car truck and members therefor

Applications Claiming Priority (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2,434,603 2003-07-08
CA2434603 2003-07-08
CA2436327 2003-07-31
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WO2011019579A3 (en) * 2009-08-13 2011-06-16 Wabtec Holding Corp. Friction wedge for railroad car truck
US8136456B2 (en) 2009-08-13 2012-03-20 Wabtec Corporation Friction wedge for railroad car truck
EP2464554A2 (en) * 2009-08-13 2012-06-20 Wabtec Holding Corp. Friction wedge for railroad car truck
CN102625759A (en) * 2009-08-13 2012-08-01 韦伯太克控股公司 Friction wedge for railroad car truck
EP2464554A4 (en) * 2009-08-13 2014-05-14 Wabtec Holding Corp Friction wedge for railroad car truck
WO2014131117A1 (en) * 2013-03-01 2014-09-04 National Steel Car Limited Truck and sideframe therefor
CN105324289A (en) * 2013-03-01 2016-02-10 全国钢车有限公司 Truck and sideframe therefor
US10399578B2 (en) 2015-11-13 2019-09-03 Aktiebolaget Skf Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
AU2016231656B2 (en) * 2015-11-13 2020-10-29 Aktiebolaget Skf Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
US20170137041A1 (en) * 2015-11-13 2017-05-18 Aktiebolaget Skf Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
EP3326883A1 (en) 2015-11-13 2018-05-30 Aktiebolaget SKF Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
US10384695B2 (en) 2015-11-13 2019-08-20 Aktiebolaget Skf Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
EP3168106A1 (en) * 2015-11-13 2017-05-17 Aktiebolaget SKF Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
US10576999B2 (en) 2015-11-13 2020-03-03 Aktiebolaget Skf Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
EP3168107A1 (en) * 2015-11-13 2017-05-17 Aktiebolaget SKF Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
AU2016231655B2 (en) * 2015-11-13 2020-10-22 Aktiebolaget Skf Railcar adapter for connecting a railcar body to a bearing
US10597051B2 (en) 2017-03-08 2020-03-24 Amsted Rail Company, Inc. Railway car truck friction shoe
WO2021077198A1 (en) * 2019-10-22 2021-04-29 National Steel Car Limited Railroad car truck damper wedge fittings
CN114845922A (en) * 2019-10-22 2022-08-02 全国钢车有限公司 Wedge fitting for railway car bogie damper
EP4048572A4 (en) * 2019-10-22 2023-07-26 National Steel Car Limited Railroad car truck damper wedge fittings
AU2019470817B2 (en) * 2019-10-22 2023-12-14 National Steel Car Limited Railroad car truck damper wedge fittings
CN114845922B (en) * 2019-10-22 2024-07-26 全国钢车有限公司 Railway vehicle bogie damper wedge fitting
WO2022094687A1 (en) * 2020-11-09 2022-05-12 National Steel Car Limited Railroad car truck damper wedge fittings
US11807282B2 (en) 2020-11-09 2023-11-07 National Steel Car Limited Railroad car truck damper wedge fittings
RU209429U1 (en) * 2021-11-16 2022-03-16 Общество с ограниченной ответственностью "Алтайский сталелитейный завод" FRICTION WEDGE OF RAILWAY CAR TROLLEY

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US7497169B2 (en) 2009-03-03

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