Patent ID: 6662641
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: B60T,F16D,G01L

Abstract:
A method for measuring the brake force of railroad vehicle brake systems having either rotary wheel tread and brake shoe braking surfaces or brake disc and brake pad braking surfaces, without replacing the brake shoe, brake pad, or any other part of the existing braking system, comprising the steps of:(a) providing a bending moment sensor device equipped with strain gauge means for producing a signal corresponding the bending moment of said sensor device; (b) while the vehicle brake is not applied, opening a clearance space between the braking surfaces, said clearance space being sufficiently small so as to be within operational limits of the braking system; (c) inserting said bending moment sensor device into the clearance space between the braking surfaces so as to be pressed therebetween upon application of the vehicle brakes; (d) applying the vehicle brake to subject said sensor device to a bending moment and thereby cause said strain gauge means to generate a bending moment signal corresponding to the bending moment of said sensor device; and (e) processing said bending moment signal into units of force and displaying the result in units of force representing the braking force applied between the braking surfaces.