US2667845A - Snubbed truck - Google Patents

Description

Feb- 2, l954 E. J. MAATMAN E-rAL 2,667,845

SNUBBED TRUCK l Filed July l1, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l f INVENToRs EGBERT J. MAATMAN v f u LEO A. LEHRMN BY AT ORNEY Feb. 2, 1954 E. J. MAATMAN ETAL SNUBBED TRUCK Filed July ll, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet? INVENToRs EGBERT J. MAATMAN LFO A. LEHRMAN ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 2, 1954 SNUBBED TR-UCK Egbert J. Maatman and Leo A. Lehrman, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 11, 1947, Serial No. '760,234

(Cl. MI- 197) 21 Claims. l

This invention relates to railway car trucks and more particularly to a novel snubbed truck comprising means for dampening the oscillations of the bolster-supporting springs.

The general object of the invention is to devise a truck of the type described incorporating friction means associated with the bolster and side frame columns for insuring substantially constant friction therebetween to thereby control the oscillations of the bolster-supporting spring group during operation of the truck.

A specific object of the invention is to design a railway car truck such as described wherein friction means comprising a friction shoe and wedge may be pocketed in each side of the bolster and each wedge may be urged against its associated shoe by a resilient pad compressed between the wedge and the bolster and by a leaf spring housed in the bolster and anchored thereto at one end and flexed against the wedge at its other end.

Another object of the invention is to utilize a cantilever spring in an eicient manner for actuating the friction means.

A further object of the invention is to design a railway car truck of the type described wherein a friction shoe and wedge may -be mounted in a pocket in each side of the bolster, and'each wedge may be actuated into wedge engagement with the adjacent shoe and into frictional engagement with angularly related sides of the associated pocket by means of a cantilever spring housed entirely within the bolster and extending longitudinally thereof, each spring projecting at one end into one of the bolster pockets and bearing at opposite ends against the associated wedge and the bolster and bearing intermediate its ends against an abutment fixed to the bolster.

Another object of the invention is to devise friction means such as described wherein the actuating means therefor comprises a pair of cooperatively arranged angularly disposed springs housed in the bolster and each bearing at one end against the friction means and at the other end against the bolster. Y

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the specification and the drawings.

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation of a car truck embodying the invention, the left half of the structure being shownin section taken substantially in the vertical plane as indicated by line I-l of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1, partly in section, the section being taken approximately in the horizontal plane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig-ure 1. Cer- -tain portions of the bolster and friction device are broken away to more clearly show the cooperation of the several parts of the device.

Figure 3 is a view taken in the transverse vertical plane substantially as indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figures 4 to 6 illustrate one of the wedge members, Figure 4 being a top plan view thereof,Fig ure 5 being a front View thereof, and Figure .6 being a side elevation thereof, the view being taken from the inboard side thereof.

Describing the invention in detail, the truck comprises a side frame of conventional type having tension and compression members 2 and 4 (Figure 3) and spaced columns 6, 6 merging therewith to define a bolster opening 8 with a widened lower portion fragmentarily shown at l0 (Figure 1) to accommodate assembly and disassembly of a bolster with said side frame in the usual manner, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

A plurality of springs, diagrammatically indicated at l2, l2 (Figure 3) are seated on the tension member 2 in ya customary manner and afford support for Aa. bolster generally designated I4.

The bolster is of box section with the end portion having topv and bottom Walls I6 and I8 merging with spaced side walls and 22, spaced inboard and outboard transverse walls 24 and 26 and a longitudinal center rib or wall 28, said top and bottom walls I6 and I8, said transverse walls 24 and 26 and said center rib 28 defining a pocket 30 in each side of the bolster end, the side walls being cored away intermediate the walls 24 and 26.

The bolster I4 may have at each side thereof inboard and outboard gibs 32 and 34 for interlocking engagement with the adjacent column 6.

A friction shoe and wedge member are disposed in each pocket. 'I'he shoe, generally designated 36, is substantially triangular in section, as well seen in Figure l, and comprises a horizontal surface 38 on the top thereofin slidable engagement as at 40 with a complementary surface 42 (Figurerl) on the top Wall I6 of the bolster, said shoe having a Vertical friction face 44 on one side thereof for engagement as at 46 with a friction plate 48 mounted on the adjacent side frame column 6 in 'any convenient manner, as by welding, and lon the opposite or rear side thereof the shoe is provided Vwith a wedge surface 50 slightly convex and sloping toward the adja- `side webV of the vassociated Wedge member. tical and lateral expansion of the resilient pad forces against each other.

' member.

cent column for engagement as at 52 with a, flat, similarly sloping Wedge surface 54 on the associated Wedge member, generally designated 56.

Each Wedge member 56, one of which is illustrated in detail in Figures 4-6, comprises top and bottom Webs 58 and 60, a side web E2 on the outboard side thereof and a front Web `|34, on the external side of which the beforementioned Wedge surface 54 is formed.

The front web e4 merges into said top, bottom and side Webs and forms a pocket 66 therewith for a purpose hereinafter described.

The bottom web 60 of each wedge member has a nat bottom surface 68 in -slidable engagement as at T with a complementary surface '12j (Figure l) on the bottom Wall I8 of the bolster.

Each Wedge member is urged against'its associated friction shoe by a plurality of resilient actuating means, one of which is a rubber block or resilient pad 14 seated at one side against 1the center rib 28 and at its opposite side bearing "against a spring seat or spring plate 'i6 to which 'saidpad may be xed as by vulcanizing, said pad urging said spring plate into abutment against the inner ends ofthe top and bottom webs and Ver- '14 is restricted by its bearing against the top and bottom walls of the bolster and the transverse walls 24 and 26. A portion of the center rib 28 may be cored away to form an opening 8G to position the member 14 and to accommodate flow of said member under compression.v

The configuration of the resilient member 'it and its position Within the pocket is Well shown in Figure l. It will be seen that some clearance is afforded around the marginal edges vof the pad 14 to accommodate distortion of the pad,

and, likewise, the opening 85 affords additional space for such `distortion so that the blocks at opposite sides of thecenter rib might bear against each other under conditions of `maximum now or distortion of the material and' thus transmit The Yother actuating r-means Vto actuaba the Wedge member is in thefform of a leaf spring "or cantilever spring 82, 'each spring'V having Vone end received Within the pocket 6c in the associated Wedge member and bearng'as at 84 `igainst a complemnt'aryat diagonal surface vonthe inner :side `0f the front Web 64 of Said YWedge It Will be Observed that thetop lieb of each'wed'ge inember terminates short of the inboard side of the wedge memben-and the front web is relieved as indicated at VSito avoidthin fmetal sectionI due to the convergence of surfaces 54 and H|34.

Each spring '82 'extends into the bolster through a cored opening 88 inthe inboard Wall 24 Vand ffulcrums intermediate its ends as each spring 82 extends longitudinally of the bolster and passes through the associated fulcrum member 94and at its inner end extends into a socket S in an anchor member 98 also formed on the inner side or the Yadjacent side Wall of the bolster in Yinwardly spaced relation with respect to the adjacent 'fulcrum'memben It will be'observed that the openings 88,88 are large enough to accommodate exing 'of 'the springs 82, 82.`

Endwise movement of each spring 82 is 'prevented by the web 62 on the associated wedge member and a portion |00 on the associated anchor member Q8. Each spring 82, in addition to urging its related wedge member 56 outwardly of the associated bolster pocket, urges the same against a substantially vertical friction surface on the inboard. side of the outboard transverse Wall 26 of the bolster, as may be best seen in Figure 2, thus maintaining the wedge member in 4proper alignment with the associated friction `shoe and preventing the wedge member from twisting out of position during operation. It may also be noted that movement of the bolster |4 between the columns 'is frictionally resisted by slidable engagement of the wedge members 55 along the substantially vertical inboard surfaces of the outboard wall 26.

In assembling my novel friction device with the bolster, the pads 14, 14 are inserted into respective bolster pockets and seated against the center rib 2S. Thereafter the springs 82, 82 are inserted into the 'bolster bypassing the same through openings |02, |62 formed at opposite sides of the centerl rib 28 in the Aoutboard transverse wall 25 of the bolster, through the openings St, 38 in the inboard transverse wall 24 of the bolster and throughthe respective'fulcrum members '94, the springs 82, A82 being 'moved into the bolster until the inner ends thereof enter the sockets 96, 9 8 in the respective anchor members. As thus assembled with the bolster, the outer ends of the springs 82, 82 extend into the vrespective bolster pockets 3|), 30. The associated wedge members 56, 56 are inserted into the respective bolster pockets and moved thereinto until the outer end of each spring 82 enters the pocket it in the associated Wedge member. Thereafter the shoes 36, 36 are inserted into the respective bolster pockets 30, 30, each shoe being urged inwardly of its associated. pocketwith lsuicient Y force to lalign an opening |34 extending therey (not shown) through said slots and opening for maintaining the friction unit in" assembly, so'that the bolster Vmay easily be assembled with the side frames after which the rods may be removed.

It is to be understood that We do 'not Wish to be limited by the Yexact embodiment ofthe device shown which is merely by Way of Yillustration and not limitation as various and other Yforms of the device will, of course, be apparent "to those skilled in the art Without departing from vthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims,

We claim:

1. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns with friction faces, a bolster spring-supported between said columns 'with inboard and outboard guide means for 'engagement therewith, pockets in each side of the Abolster between said guide means opposite said "'fa'ces, each of said pockets being dened by an "inboard and an outboard web and an intermediate web merging with top and bottom walls of said bolster, 'a friction 'shoe and wedge ineansin each pocket, said friction shoes bearing against said faces respectively and against one of the 'walls of 'said bolster, horizontally acting resilient means under compression between each of said wedge vmeans and said intermediate web, each of said wedge means having frictional engagement' with the associated shoean'd with the vother wall of said bolster, and lleaf springs -housed within said `bolster and extending longitudinally thereof and operatively associated with respective wedge means for urging the same in cooperation with said resilient means along the associated wall of said bolster and into said engagement with the respective of said shoes.

2. In a railway car truck, a side frame with spaced columns, a bolster resiliently supported therebetween, a pocket in said bolster adjacent each column, each of said pockets being dened by an inboard and an outboard web merging with the top and bottom walls of said bolster, a friction unit in each pocket, each friction unit comprising a shoe, a wedge, and actuating means therefor, the shoe slidably engaging the adjacent column and one of said bolster walls and having a diagonal face at the rear thereof sloping toward the adjacent column, the wedge slidably engaging the other bolster wall and having a wedge surface sloping toward the adjacent column and engaging said face, the actuating means comprising a leaf spring and a pad of rubber, the rubber pad being compressed between said intermediate web and the associated wedge, the leaf spring extending through said inboard web into the bolster and having one end pocketed within the associated wedge and having its other end anchored to said bolster.

3. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster resiliently supported from said frame between said columns and having top and bottom walls and spaced side walls merging into said top and bottom walls, pockets in said bolster adjacent said columns and dened by inboard and outboard webs and an intermediate web merging with said top and bottom walls of said bolster, said side walls being cored away intermediate said inboard and outboard webs, friction means in each pocket comprising a friction shoe in frictional engagement with said top wall and the adjacent column and a wedge member in wedge engagement with said shoe and in frictional engagement with said bottom wall, a fiexible element extending through said inboard web and having one end bearing against said wedge member and having its other end anchored to the adjacent side wall of said bolster, and fulcrum means on said side wall affording a fulcrum for said flexible member at a point intermediate the ends thereof.

4. In a railway car truck, a side frame having spaced columns, a bolster resiliently supported from said frame between said columns and having top and bottom walls and spaced side walls merging into said top and bottom walls, pockets I in said bolster adjacent said columns and dened with the associated shoe and in frictional engagement with said bottom wall, and flexible elements extending through said inboard web i and having one end bearing against the adjacent wedge member and having the other end anchored to the adjacent side wall of said bolster.

5. In a railway car truck, a side frame with spaced columns presenting friction walls, a bolster spring-supported between said columns with `pockets opposite said walls, a friction device in each pocket comprising friction shoe means and ,wedge means and a plurality of resilient means reacting against said wedge means, said resilient means including a resilient pad under compression between the associated wedge means and said bolster and a cantilever spring housed in said bolster and slidingly bearing at one end against the associated wedge means and anchored at the other end to said bolster, each of said friction shoe means engaging the adjacent column wall and a surface of said pocket and having a diagonalsurface engaging the adjacent wedge means, said wedge means slidably engaging other surfaces of said pocket, certain of the resilient means associated with respective wedge means being oriented to urge the same into said engagement with said other surfaces of the related pocket and all of the resilient means associated with respective wedge means being oriented to urge the same against the related shoe means.

6. In a railway car truck, a sideframev-with spaced columns, a box-section bolster resiliently supported between said columns and comprising spaced top and bottom walls and spaced inboard and outboard walls defining a pocket in each side of said bolster adjacent respective columns, friction shoe means in each pocket bearing against one of said Erst-mentioned walls and frictionally engaging the adjacent column, wedge means in each pocket in wedge engagement with the associated shoe means and frictionally engaging the other of said first-mentioned walls and one of said second-mentioned walls, and spring means operatively associated with each of said wedge means and reacting between the same and said bolster for urging the former into said engagement and against the related shoe means.

7. A bolster of box section, spaced guide lugs on each side of said bolster at each end thereof for cooperation with associated side frame co1- umns, said lugs defining in part pockets recessed in the side walls of said bolster, each of said pockets comprising inboard and outboard vertical webs aligned with said lugs and an intermediate web merging with top and bottom walls of said bolster, openings in said inboard and outboard webs for accommodating insertion of spring means into said bolster from the outboard end thereof for actuation of frictionmeans enclosed in said pockets, and a fulcrum member and an anchor member on the inner side of each of said side walls formed and arranged to afford a fulcrum and anchor for the associatedl of said spring means.

8. In a railway car truck, a side frame with spaced columns, a bolster therebetween resiliently supported from said frame, a pocket in each side of said bolster adjacent respective columns, friction means in each pocket comprising a friction shoe and wedge member, said shoe having frictional engagement with the adjacent column and a Surface of said pocket and having Wedge engagement with said wedge member, said wedge member having frictional engagement with an opposed surface of said pocket and with a surface of said pocket intermediate said named surfaces, and resilient means housed in said bolster and directly bearing against said wedge member along a surface disposed at an obtuse angle with respect to said third-named surface.

9. A wedge member having a front web, a sloping face on the external side of saidfront web, top and bottom webs and a side web, disposed at one side of said member, said front web merging into said top and bottom webs `and said side web and dening va pocket therewith for reception of associated spring'means, fand `a `flat .diagonal surface on the internal iside of said front web intermediate said top and lbot- .tom webs, said surface being disposed Yat an obtuse angle .with-respect to the plane lof said Aside web.

10. In a railway car truck, a side frame, a bolster resiliently supported thereby, frict'ion vshoe .means bearing against a surface of said `bolster and frictionally engaging the frame, wedge means 'in complementary'wedge Jengagement with said shoe means Aand bearing against La 'plurality of fangularly related internal surfaces of said bolster, and spring means l-reactingfbetween Vthe bolster and wedge 'nfieans vfor urging the latter against the related surfaces fand y'against the shoe means, said wedge means land spring means slidingly engaging lalong surfaces disposed at an angle with respect to one-of said `angularly related internal bolster surfaces.

'11. A railway car truck rcomprising spaced eolumns, a hollow box-section bolster disposed therebetween, resilient means for supporting'said bolster from said frame, a leaf `spring extending longitudinally of said bolster and housed therewithin, the inner end of said spring bearing Vagainst theY bolster, friction shoe means ybearing against the outer end of said spring and fric- 'tiona'lly en'gaging'one of the columns, and a fulcrum in said bolster bearing against said spring intermediate its ends.

12. A railway car truck comprising spaced columns, a bolster resiliently supported therebetween, an elongated resilient member flexible transversely thereof housed within said bolster "and anchored therewithin at a point inboardly of said frame, and friction means carried by said member, said member being flexed to urge said friction means against one of said columns.

13. A railway ca-r truck comprising a side iframe with spaced columns, a bolster resiliently .supported from said frame between said columns, a pair of cantilever springs housed withn 'in 'the bolster and extending longitudinally thereof, friction means ,Carried by the, Springs in engagement with respective columns, each of said springs being flexed 'between the associated friction means and spaced abutments in the bolster.

14. In a railway car truck, ka side frame havu ing a 'friction face, a bolster spring-Supported from the frame and having a pocket adjacent Ysaid face, a'friction element in engagement with said face and a surface in said pocket, a single .wedge member within said pocket, and resilient means housed within the bolster and arranged to urge said wedge member into frictional engagement with a pluralityT of other angularly related surfaces in said pocket and to move said wedge member laterally of the bolster along .said surfacesfagainst said friction element.

, 15. In ,a railway car truck, a side frame hav- 'in'g .a friction face, a 'bolster spring-Supported 'from the frame, friction means carried by the vbolster and engaging said face, and actuating means for said friction .means comprising resilient means extending lengthwise longitudinally of the bolster and reacting against the bolster and said friction means transversely of 4said bolster. y

'16.'v In a railway car truck, a side frame having* a friction face, `a bolster spring-supported from the frame, a friction surface on the bolster 'facing longitudinally thereof, frictionmeans carried "by: the Lbolster vin engagement 'with saidsur- 'face and'said face, and a-single'spring reacting directly between theV bolst'eriand said friction means and oriented to simultaneously urge `said friction means longitudinally' of the bolster against said surface and transversely ofsaid bolster` against said face. g V1'7. In a railway Vcar truck, av side-frame member, a bolster Vmember resiliently supported 'to exert forces directed diagonally toward'said faceand said surface.

18. In a railway car truck, a side fra-me having a transverse,v substantially vertical friction face, a bolster spring-supported from the frame, friction means engaging saidv face r'and pocketed within the bolster and in slidable engagement with said bolster along a plurality of surfaces, one of said surfaces being disposed outboardly of said friction means, andspring means within the bolster extending inboardly of said-friction means and engaging saidy friction means along a substantially vertical surface angularly arrangedwith respect to said face and said one bolster surface, and urging said 'friction means against all of lsaid surfaces and laterally outwardly of the bolster against said face.

19. In a railway car truck,I a vside frame, a bolster spring-supported therefrom, friction means carried by the bolster and engaging said surface, and actuating means for said friction means comprising a spring member reacting ,between said friction means andV said bolster for moving the same, solely laterally outwardly of the bolster against said surface, and, resilient means reacting between the friction means ,and the bolster arranged to urge saidfriction .means longitudinally of the bolster Vinto engagement with a surface thereon and also laterally .outwardly of the bolster, said resilientI means ,being slidable -against said kfriction means longitudinally of the bolster, said ,spring Vmemberbeing effective, on movement of the frictionmeans outwardly laterally of the bolster, to reduce the wear between said resilient means and said-,fi i c tion means due to the sliding action therebetween by aiding in such outward movement yof the friction means and thus relieving thel ,contact pressure between said resilient means and frictionv means.

20. In a vehicle, relatively movable members, friction means carried byv one :member in lengagement Vwith the other for yieldinslycontrolline the movements of Sad members, and e plurality of resilient ,means reacting against substantially vertical surfaeesof said friction means .and 'formed and larranged to cooperatively urge .said friction ,means into saidengagement, v:cer-

tain of said resilientv meansslidinglyniction- .ally engaging said friction mea-neto. frictionally resist Amovement. of said..friction `means :in ia,.di

:rection loading .said certainspring means, and

the other of said springuneans being arranged to urge said friction means in a ydirectionV un- .loading'said certain spring Vmeans toreduce the frictional resistance between said certain :means yand said friction means duriny movement. .of

.the latter ,in 'said .last-.mentioned direction.r

.21. In :a damping mech-anismifor .araiIWay-car truck, a side frame provided with spaced guide columns, a bolster having an end portion extending between said guide columns, a substantially horizontal top wall and a substantially horizontal bottom wall on the bolster, a centrally `disposed substantially vertical rib arranged longitudinally of the end portion of said bolster connecting the top and bottom walls thereof, spring means supported by said frame and supporting the bottom wall of said bolster, an inboard transverse wall at one side of the bolster connecting the top and bottom walls, and outboard transverse wall at said side of the bolster connecting the top and bottom walls, a Wedge member mounted between the top and bottom walls of the bolster and between said transverse walls, a spring carried by the bolster and extending between said rib and the adjacent column, said spring being stressed against the bolster and wedge member for urging the latter towards said adjacent column, an inclined surface on the Wedge member having the same slope throughout the space between said transverse walls, a friction shoe having a flat face arranged along said adjacent guide column, a substantially horizontal surface on the friction shoe arranged along one of said top and bottom walls substantially throughout the space between the inboard and outboard transverse walls, an inclined surface on the friction shoe having the same inclination throughout the space between the transverse walls and engaging the inclined surface of the Wedge member,

whereby the spring moves the friction shoe into engagement along said ilat face thereof with said aacent guide column and the reaction set up between the inclined surfaces urges the horizontal surface on the shoe into engagement with said one bolster wall and urges a portion of the wedge member into engagement with the other of said top and bottom bolster Walls.

EGBERT J. MAATMAN.

LEO A. LEHRMAN.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,064,464 Darby Dec. 15, 1936 2,237,382 Woodling Apr. 8, 1941 2,257,109 Davidson Sept. 30, 1941 2,333,921 Flesch Nov. 9, 1943 2,365,198 Lehrman Dec. 19, 1944 2,365,199 Light Dec. 19, 1944 2,392,599 Light Jan. 8, 1946 2,408,866 Marquardt Oct. 29, 1946 2,410,032 Keyser Oct. 29, 1946 2,424,936 Light July 29, 1947 2,434,838 Cottrell Jan. 20, 1948 2,437,359 Pierce Mar. 9, 1948 2,444,011 Lehrman June 22, 1948 2,446,506 Barrett et al. Aug. 3, 1948 2,473,678 Dath June 21, 1949 2,485,974 Lehrman Oct. 25, 1949 2,624,291 Settles Jan. 6, 1953

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