US3580557A

US3580557A - Railway spring suspension

Info

Publication number: US3580557A
Application number: US795218*A
Authority: US
Inventors: Albert G Dean
Original assignee: Budd Co
Current assignee: Bombardier Corp
Priority date: 1969-01-30
Filing date: 1969-01-30
Publication date: 1971-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1988-05-25
Also published as: GB1293682A; FR2029711A1

Abstract

Air spring apparatus consisting of two axially aligned cylinders connected by an elastomer ring which provides an air seal. The shear capacity of the ring is slight permitting relatively free axial movement between the cylinders but is substantially incompressible to compression loads to prevent relative lateral movement of the cylinders.

Description

United States Patent [72] Inventor Albert G. Dean Narberth, Pa.' [21] Appl. No. 795,218 [22] Filed Jan. 30, 1969 [45] Patented May 25, 1971 [73] Assignee The Budd Company Philadelphia, Pa.

[54] RAILWAY SPRING SUSPENSION 1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 267/3, 105/197B, 105/199R, 267/33, 267/34, 267/35, 267/65R [51] Int. Cl B6lf 5/04, F16f3/10, F16f 13/00 [50] Field of Search 105/197, 199,197 B; 267/3, 4, 33, 34, 35, 65 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 811,622 2/1906 Downer 1 05/197 2,896,551 7/1959 Lich 105/199 3,012,521 12/1961 Lich... 105/141 3,045,998 7/1962 Hirst... 267/3 3,262,693 7/1966 l-Iirst... 267/3 3,361,087 l/1968 Dean 105/199X 3,491,702 1/1970 Dean 105/199 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran Attorneys-Thomas I. Davenport, Edward M. Farrell, Alford L. Trueax, Jr. and William R. Nolte ABSTRACT: Air spring apparatus consisting of two axially aligned cylinders connected by an elastomer ring which provides an air seal. The shear capacity of the ring is slight permitting relatively free axial movement between the cylinders but is substantially incompressible to compression loads to prevent relative lateral movement of the cylinders.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Patented May 25, 1971 3,580,557

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. BY ALBERT G. DEAN UM M AGENT RAILWAY SPRING SUSPENSION Reference is made to applicants copending application Ser. No. 659,948, filed Aug. 11, 1967, entitled Series Pneumatic and Coil Spring Assembly," now US. Pat. No. 3,49l,702, issued .Ian. 27, 1970, and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. This copending application discloses a combined pneumatic and structural coil spring suspension apparatus disposed between railway car truck and a vehicle body above. The pneumatic spring comprises flexible bellows which rest upon an inverted downwardly cupped spring seat which fits over the top of the structural coil springs. While the latter coil springs are effective to resist some of the lateral movement of the pneumatic portion of the suspension system, as a unit, it has been found that the bellows per se is subject to undesirable lateral excursions.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an improved pneumatic air spring apparatus which avoids one or more of the disadvantages of the prior-art arrangements and which reduces complications and improves durability.

In accordance with the invention, the pneumatic spring apparatus of the present invention comprises first and second cylinder means of dissimilar diameters connected by elastomer ring means to provide an air seal. Each of the first and second cylinder means is closed at one of its ends by an end wall. The elastomer ring means interconnecting the sidewalls of the first and second cylinder means are substantially incompressible to forces applied laterally but are yieldable in shear vertically as a result of axial movement between the cyindrical wall portions of said first and second cylinder means.

For better understanding of he present invention together with other and further objects thereof, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claims.

ln the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a partial side elevation, with parts broken away in section, of a portion of a railway vehicle and its supporting truck at one end;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1 with portions of the floor structure of the vehicle body removed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

One corner of a car body is shown as having a side sill structure 11, a center sill structure 12, floor beam structure 13, FIG. 3; and car body bolsters 14. The bolsters are spaced apart longitudinally.

A railway truck of the same type as that referred to in the above identified application is shown as comprising said frame members 21 supporting a transverse truck bolster 22. The side frame members are supported at their opposite ends on axles 23, and wheels 24. Each wheel has associated therewith a brake assembly indicated by number 25. The outer side portion of the truck bolster 22 is recessed, FIG. 3, to accept a lower spring support 26 to receive vertically disposed coil spring assembly means 27. The latter coiled spring means are shown as including a heavy outer coil spring 29 and an inner light coil spring 30 of less diameter than the former. The lower ends of both

coil springs

29, 30 rest upon a lower core-flanged positioning plate 31. A like upper positioning plate 32 rests on the top of the

coil springs

29, 30 and carries the improved pneumatic spring means 35 in straight series with said coil spring assembly means 27 therebelow.

The improved pneumatic spring apparatus 35 comprises a top cuplike means 36 and a coaxially aligned bottom cuplike member 37 of smaller diameter than the top member, which are interconnected by means of an elastomeric ring means 39. The top cut member is shown as including an end wall 40 with downwardly extending generally cylindrical sidewalls 41, whereas the bottom cup member 37 includes a top end wall 42 with a downwardly extending cylindrical wall 43. The top wall 42 of the lower cup member carries the aforementioned coreflanged positioning late member 32 on its lower surface and supports a SOild resi lent bumper pad 44 on its upper surface.

The generally cyindrical sidewalls 41 of the top cuplike member 36 overlaps the sidewall 43 of the lower cup member 37 to thereby enable the elastomer ring means to seal the space therebetween against air leakage.

In order to provide a suitable source of air supply to the pneumatic suspension means 35 a conduit 47 extends from a fitting 48 opening into a reservoir R formed by the bolster member 22, to fitting 49 extending through sidewall 41 of the upper cup member at its upper end. The pressure within pneumatic chamber 35 thus formed by the upper and lower cup members and seal 39 may be regulated in a desired manner according to the car loading to maintain fixed or varying floor heights of the car. The means for regulating such pressure is well known in the art and is a usual accessory of air spring installations.

With further specific reference to elastomeric ring means 39, FIG. 3, it should be noted that the same is of a material composition which enables the same to yield readily in shear vertically as a result of differential telescopic vertical movement of

sidewalls

41, 43. The ring means also have the property of being substantially incompressible as a result of loads applied by the opposed sidewalls in a direction normal to said sidewalls and transverse to the major axis of

coil springs

29, 30. It should be noted further that the

latter sidewalls

41, 43 of the pneumatic cup members extend downwardly so that the ring means 39 is located at about midheight of the helical coil springs 35. Thus under lateral action of the car body 10 relative to the truck 20, and with the elastomeric ring so located, the ring provides in effect transverse fixity of the air spring due to the incompressibility of the ring and its location along the vertical length of the

coil springs

29, 30. This construction thereby eliminates the need of radius rods in prior art constructions. In the event of loss of air pressure the elastomeric ring 39 will deflect in shear until the resilient bumper pad 44 contacts the upper cup end wall 40. The vehicle ride will then be according to the characteristics of the

mechanical coil spring

29, 30.

While there has been described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and it is therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

1 claim:

1. Spring apparatus for supporting a load comprising, pneumatic spring means having first and second container means for enclosing a compressible medium therebetween, each said first and second container means having a sidewall portion and a top wall portion, resilient bumper pad means interposed between the top wall portion of each said first and second container means, the sidewall portion of said first container means being of greater diameter than, and overlapping, the sidewall portion of said second container means, elastomer ring means interconnecting the sidewall portion of said first container means to the sidewall portion of said second container means to provide a seal between said first and second container means, said ring means being substantially incompressible to forces applied normal to the sidewall portions of said first and second container means, said ring means being yieldable in shear as a result of relative axial movement between said sidewall portions of said first and second container means, coil spring means engaging said second container means, said pneumatic spring means, said coil spring means, and said resilient bumper means being arranged in direct series arrangement, said sidewall portion of said first and of second container means encircling said coil spring means, said elastomer ring means being positioned between said sidewall portion of said first member and said sidewall portionof said second member at approximately midheight of said coil spring means.

Claims

1. Spring apparatus for supporting a load comprising, pneumatic spring means having first and second container means for enclosing a comPressible medium therebetween, each said first and second container means having a sidewall portion and a top wall portion, resilient bumper pad means interposed between the top wall portion of each said first and second container means, the sidewall portion of said first container means being of greater diameter than, and overlapping, the sidewall portion of said second container means, elastomer ring means interconnecting the sidewall portion of said first container means to the sidewall portion of said second container means to provide a seal between said first and second container means, said ring means being substantially incompressible to forces applied normal to the sidewall portions of said first and second container means, said ring means being yieldable in shear as a result of relative axial movement between said sidewall portions of said first and second container means, coil spring means engaging said second container means, said pneumatic spring means, said coil spring means, and said resilient bumper means being arranged in direct series arrangement, said sidewall portion of said first and of second container means encircling said coil spring means, said elastomer ring means being positioned between said sidewall portion of said first member and said sidewall portion of said second member at approximately midheight of said coil spring means.