Patent GB-859422-A (GB)
Title: Railway car suspension systems
IPC: B61F3/04
Filed: 1958-05-21
Abstract: 859,422. Vehicle underframes. GENERAL STEEL CASTINGS CORPORATION. May 21, 1958 [Oct. 7, 1957], No. 16349/58. Class 103(6). A bolster 15, Fig. 4, of a. truck for lightweight railway vehicles is pivotally mounted relative to the truck frame by a depending member 16 and bearing surface 17 cooperating in a recess 10 and surface 11 of a transom 9 which connects wheel pieces 7, Fig. 1, of a rigid framework 6. A sleeve 12 of friction material within the recess 10 and a pad 13 on surface 11 prevent oscillations of the bolster about the vertical axis. The end portions of the bolster are widened and extend through wheel pieces 7 outboard of the wheels to form spring seats 18, Fig. 6, which have depending brackets 19 to which are resiliently secured anchor rods 19a, the other end of which are secured to brackets 19b from vehicle underframe U to allow lateral and vertical movements between the body and bolster. Pneumatic springs which are mounted on seats 18 and held in spring caps 22, Fig. 6, depending from the underframe, each includes a vertically-disposed chamber comprising part-cylindrical cups, 23, 24, which are held against rotation in seat 18 and cap 22 by cotter pins 30. The cups have conical wall portions 33, 34 terminating in flanges 35, 36 connected by flexible convolutions 37, 38 and a rigid cylindrical connecting portion 39 so that during axial movements the convolutions will flex and roll on or away from the portions 33, 34. A coil spring 40 surrounds the pneumatic chamber and is housed in the seat 18 and the cap 22 to carry the entire body load when under light load conditions, and the seat and the cap have opposed bosses 44 and brackets 43 for abutting engagement in the event of spring failure. A valve 45 on bracket 43 which is connected by a conduit 46 to a compressed air reservoir (not shown) and by a conduit 47 to the pneumatic spring, is responsive to changes in height between the seat and cap by an arm 50 connected by a pitman 51 to the seat 18. The truck has motors 53, which are rigidly connected to gear boxes 54 mounted on the axles and which are pivotally suspended from transoms 8 by rocker arms 55, Fig. 5. The arms carry anchor rods 55a to which are resiliently secured ears 56 on the motor to allow movement relative to the frame. Friction snubbers 58 are connected between the seats 18 and the caps 22 for damping lateral movements between the underframe U and bolster and a hydraulic snubber 59 mounted on the seat 18 and having a crank 60 connected by a rod 61 to the underframe is provided. In further embodiments, the wheel pieces are formed in an isosceles trapezoidal shape through which passes the bolster or the wheel pieces may be divided vertically into a truss structure. In these embodiments another form of combined pneumatic and coil spring is described wherein the lower cup is seated in a seat on the bolster and the upper cup within a cap on the vehicle underframe, which cups are connected by a two-convolution flexible wall which forms the pneumatic chamber. The coil spring is carried within the chamber to carry the vehicle body load under light load conditions and the spring is connected to a compressed air supply as before. Specification 654,682 is referred to.