US3855942A

US3855942A - Snubbed railway truck bolster

Info

Publication number: US3855942A
Application number: US00401833A
Authority: US
Inventors: H Mulcahy
Original assignee: Amsted Industries Inc
Current assignee: Amsted Industries Inc
Priority date: 1973-09-28
Filing date: 1973-09-28
Publication date: 1974-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 1991-12-24
Also published as: CA1015217A

Abstract

In a railway car truck, friction shoes are carried in pockets at opposite ends of the bolster. The invention provides for easy insertion of the shoes into the pockets, and retention therein by retaining lugs on the bolster which are received and retained in cooperating indentations of the friction shoes so that assembly may be easily accomplished. The shoes are prevented from dropping in the event their control springs become damaged or broken.

Description

United States Patent [191 Mulcahy I Dec. 24, 1974 SNUBBED RAILWAY TRUCK BOLSTER [75] Inventor: Harry W. Mulcahy, Lansing, 111.

[73] Assignee: AMSTED Industries Incorporated,

Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Sept. 28, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 401,833

[52] US. Cl. 105/197 DB, 105/207 [51] Int. Cl. B6lf 5/12, B6lf 5/24, B6lf 5/50 [58] Field of Search 105/197 D, 197 DB, 207

[56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,142,426 1/1939 Webb 105/197 DB 2,176,909 10/1939 Lazna 105/197 D 2,257,109 9/1941 Davidson... 105/197 DB 2,485,104 10/1949 Maatman 105/197 DB 2,550,910 5/1951 Christenson 105/197 DB 2,827,987 3/1958 Williams 105/197 DB 3,254,612 6/1966 Shafer 105/197 D 3,261,305 7/1966 Shafer 105/197 D 3,450,063 6/1969 Shafer 105/197 D 3,802,353 4/1974 Korpics 105/197 DB Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran [57] ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SNUBBEI) RAILWAY TRUCK BOLSTER This invention relates generally to railway car trucks and more particularly to trucks provided with friction snubbing means for controlling vertical movement of a truck bolster relative to its associated side frame. This application represents an improvement over copending Korpics application Ser. No. 265,396, filed June 22, 1972 now US. Pat. No. 3,802,353 issued Apr. 9, i974.

Briefly, the present invention contemplates the provision of a railway car truck comprising spaced side frames supported upon wheel and axle assemblies. The side frames are interconnected by a bolster which is resiliently supported at its ends on spring groups seated within the side frames. To dampen vertical movement of the bolster, friction shoes are mounted in pockets and biased into frictional engagement with surfaces on the bolster and on the side frames.

An object of the present invention is to provide a snubbed truck bolster and friction shoe sub-assembly wherein the friction shoes may be retained in the pockets prior to insertion of their control springs, and thereafter in the event of damage to or breakage of the control springs. Retention within the pockets does not affect normal snubbing operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a snubbed truck including a bolster having snubbing pockets with retaining lugs therein for cooperation with lug engaging portions of associated friction shoes to retain the shoes in the pockets.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a snubbed truck including a bolster-friction shoe arrangement wherein friction shoes may be retained in pockets on suitable retaining means. Control springs lift the friction shoes off of the retaining means and into working relationship with the bolster and associated sideframe.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a snubbed railway car truck including side frames, a bolster resiliently supported by the side frames for movement relative thereto, and friction shoes which may be assembled into snubbing position.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon closer examination of the specification herein, including the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the bolster and its friction shoe including the retaining lugs in the bolster pocket and the associated retaining structure on the friction shoe;

FIG. 2 is a partial side elevational view showing the bolster in an associated side frame and the friction shoe just prior to insertion into the pocket;

FIG. 3 is a partial side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 showing the friction shoe retained in the pocket; and

FIG. 4 is a partial side elevational view similar to FIG. 2 showing the control spring in place for biasing the friction shoe off of the retaining lugs and into its normal operating position as the bolster and shoe are lowered to support the shoe on top of the spring.

Turning now in more detail to the drawings, each side frame 10, only one of which is shown, includes bearing or column surfaces 12 to which may be secured a wear plate 14 for a purpose to be disclosed. Only one column surface 12 is shown.

Side frame defines a window 16 in which a bolster 18 is suitably carried on spring groups, not shown.

Bolster 18 defines at each end thereof a pair of shoe receiving pockets 20, one on each side thereof. Pockets 20 are so oriented within window 16 of side frame 10 when in assembled condition as to be opposite wear plates 14. Pockets 20 are defined by bolster 18 adjacent bearing surfaces 12 and open toward wear plates 14.

Extending into the pocket from side surfaces 24 are a pair of retaining lugs 26. Retaining lugs 26 extend in the generally horizontal direction from side surfaces 24 toward each other at approximately the bottom of bolster 18. Also extending horizontally from side surfaces 24 are a pair of retaining lugs 28. Lugs 28 are spaced from and above lugs 26 and extend toward each other and inwardly toward surface 22.From the interior end of each lug 28 an upward extension is defined to form the hooked portion thereof. It should be understood that each side surface 24 is provided with a retaining lug 26 and a hooked retaining lug 28. Opposite pairs of lugs are in alignment for the purpose to be defined herein.

For insertion into each pocket 20 a friction shoe 30 is provided. Friction shoe 30 defines a vertical wear surface 32 for frictional engagement with wear plate 14 and an inclined wear surface 34 for frictional engagement with inclined surface 22. Each friction shoe 30 further defines side portions 36 such that friction shoe 30 may be inserted within pocket 20 between side surfaces 24 thereof. Each side portion 36 defines a pair of indentations 38 therein. Indentations 38 are constructed and arranged to be in alignment with retaining lugs 26 as the friction shoe 30 is inserted into pocket 20 (FIG. 2). However, they are constructed and arranged to be offset from lugs 26 when the friction shoe 30 is within pocket 20 (FIG. 3). Lugs 26 provide stabilization of friction shoe 30 when

lugs

28 and 40 are cooperatively engaged, thereby preventing rotational motions about the engagement points of

lugs

28 and 40 with potential frictional contact between wear plate 14 and the lower extremity of surface 32.,Such contact could conceivably lead to an undesired dislodgement of friction shoe 30.

Similarly, each friction shoe 30 defines a retaining lug or hook 40 on each side portion 36 thereof. Each retaining hook 40 is constructed and arranged so that insertion of friction shoe 30 into pocket 20 may be freely accomplished. Retaining books 40 are cooperable with lugs 28 so as to retain friction shoe.30 in pocket 20 when lugs 26 are offset from indentations 38.

Control springs 42, one of which is shown in the drawings, support each friction shoe 30 free of retain

ing lugs

26 and 28 so that normal snubbing may be accomplished.

A primary advantage of this invention resides in the fact that friction shoe 30 may be inserted into pocket 20 while bolster 18 is in place with pocket 20 adjacent wear plate 14 of column 12. In practice bolster 18 is held in position by suitable jacks, not shown. Friction shoe 30 is manually inserted upwardly and vertically as shown in FIG. 2 such that indentations 38 in side portions 36 cooperate with retaining lugs 26 to allow upward passage of friction shoes 30 into pockets 20. Upward movement of friction shoe 30 moves the shoe into engagement with inclined surface 22 of bolster 18. Continued upward pressure causes friction shoe 30 to move upwardly and leftwardly, as best shown in FIG.

3, into a position where retaining lugs 26 are offset from indentations 38 and the bottom of side portions 36 are moved into position above retaining lugs 26 so as to be engageable therewith. At the same time, retaining hooks 40 are moved into position above retaining lugs 28 so as to be engageable therewith. When in this position, the friction shoe may be released and will be retained in the pocket.

This feature of the invention allows easy assembly of the truck and in addition provides a safety feature in that the friction shoe is retained in the pocket in the event of failure of the control spring, thereby avoiding damage to the shoe and to associated components.

As shown in FIG. 4, a conventional control spring 42 is in position to engage friction shoe 30 and move it upwardly away from retaining

lugs

26 and 28 into its normal operating position. In this position wear surface 32 is engageable with wearplate 14. The final step would be to release the jacks holding bolster 18, thereby allowing it to drop into position so that inclined surface 38 is engageable with inclined surface 22. It should be understood that springs directly supporting the bolster 18 may be provided but are not shown herein. Springs 42 also support the bolster.

Thus it will be seen that the inventive concept dispocket and being offset thereafter whereby said lug retains said friction shoe in said pocket.

2. The invention according to claim I wherein said cooperative means includes a hooked retaining lug extending from said bolster into said pocket and a retaining hook on said friction shoe, said lug and hook being engageable for retaining said friction shoe in said pocket.

3. In a railway truck bolster and friction shoe subassembly; the combination of a bolster having a pocket with inboard and outboard side walls and a wedge wall closed herein allows for easy assembly or disassembly of a conventional railway truck. It allows assembly by one man and indeed can be done with one hand. It does not require the use of cotter pins for retaining the friction shoes in the pockets. It does not require any auxiliary devices or tools for assembly. It may be disassembled without danger of the shoe dropping on the hand of-the workman involved. And finally it retains the friction shoe in the pocket in the event of spring breakage, eliminating the danger of jamming.

While the preferred form of the invention has been described and shown herein, it should be understood that variations thereof are contemplated and that the scope of the invention should be limited only by the accompanying claims.

I claim: 1. In a railway car truck including a side frame having connected therebetween and sloping downwardly and inwardly toward the bottom of the bolster to define a friction shoe pocket, an upwardly facing hook on one of said side walls, a friction shoe in said pocket having a downwardly facing hook engaged with the firstmentioned hook, said friction shoe having a sloping wedge surface spaced from the wedge wall andengageable therewith when the shoe is urged upwardly by an associated bolster-supporting spring to disengage said hooks from each other, said hooks being reengageable in the event said spring breaks or is lost.

4. A sub-assembly according to claim 3 wherein the lower edge of one side wall is provided with a lug projecting into said pocket, and the friction shoe is provided with an indentation to receive said lug as the friction shoe is elevated in said pocket while the shoe hook is offset inwardly from the side wall hook, said lug being misaligned vertically with respect to said indentation when the hooks are interengaged.

Claims

1. In a railway car truck including a side frame having a window, a bolster having one end resiliently supported in said window, said bolster having a pocket adjacent said side frame, and a friction shoe receivable in said pocket for snubbing engagement with said side frame and said bolster, the improvement wherein said bolster and said friction shoe include cooperative means comprising a lug extending from said bolster into said pocket and an indentation in said friction shoe for receiving said lug, said lug and indentation being in alignment for insertation of said friction shoe into said pocket and being offset thereafter whereby said lug retains said friction shoe in said pocket.

2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said cooperative means includes a hooked retaining lug extending from said bolster into said pocket and a retaining hook on said friction shoe, said lug and hook being engageable for retaining said friction shoe in said pocket.

3. In a railway truck bolster and friction shoe sub-assembly; the combination of a bolster having a pocket with inboard and outboard side walls and a wedge wall connected therebetween and sloping downwardly and inwardly toward the bottom of the bolster to define a friction shoe pocket, an upwardly facing hook on one of said side walls, a friction shoe in said pocket having a downwardly facing hook engaged with the first-mentioned hook, said friction shoe having a sloping wedge surface spaced from the wedge wall and engageable therewith when the shoe is urged upwardly by an associated bolster-supporting spring to disengage said hooks from each other, said hooks being reengageable in the event said spring breaks or is lost.