Patent ID: 8978841
Filing Date: 2015-03-17
Classification: B61H

Abstract:
1. In a combination with a railway car mounted brake assembly including a pair of brake beams mounted at each end of said car mounted brake assembly, each of said brake beams having a brake head attachable to each end thereof, each of said brake heads carrying a brake shoe thereon, said each of said brake heads being positioned for engagement of a respective one of said brake shoes with a respective railway vehicle wheel during a brake application, said each of said brake beams having a control linkage pivotally attached thereto, a first force transmitting member attached to opposed first ends of each of said control linkages and a second force transmitting member attached to a second end of one of said control linkage and extending generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of said brake assembly toward a respectively opposed second end of an opposed one of said control linkage; a brake actuator assembly connected to and disposed intermediate said second force transmitting member and said second control linkage for applying and releasing said brake shoes, said brake actuator assembly comprising: (a) a first end member having an inner surface; (b) a second end member disposed in a spaced apart relationship with said first end member along said longitudinal axis of said brake actuator assembly and having an inner surface thereof opposing said inner surface of said first end member; (c) a hollow flexible elastomeric member extending between said inner surfaces of said first and said second end members along said longitudinal axis, said flexible elastomeric member having each of an exterior peripheral surface and a pair of open ends; (d) a first peripheral flange disposed on a first end of said hollow flexible elastomeric member and extending outwardly from said exterior surface thereof in a direction transverse to said longitudinal axis, said first peripheral flange having one surface thereof abutting an inner surface of one of said first and second end members; (e) a second peripheral flange disposed on a second end of said hollow flexible elastomeric member and extending outwardly from said exterior surface thereof in said direction transverse to said longitudinal axis, said second peripheral flange having one surface thereof abutting an inner surface of an opposite one of said first and second end members; (f) a securing means for securing in a substantially sealed manner each of said first and second peripheral flanges to a respectively positioned end member, said securing means includes a pair of ring shaped members, apertures formed through a thickness of each of said pair of ring shaped members, through a thickness of each of said first and second members, and through a thickness of each of said first and second peripheral flanges, and a plurality of fastening means; and (g) an arrangement disposed in said one of said first and second end members in open communication with a substantially sealed fluid chamber defined in said flexible elastomeric member and in fluid communication with a source of fluid under pressure.