Patent GB-1063478-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in railway vehicle and undercarriage suspension system
IPC: B61F5/32
Filed: 1963-10-25
Abstract: 1,063,478. Railway vehicle undercarriages. S. H. BINGHAM. Oct. 25, 1963 [Oct. 31, 1962], No. 42205/63. Heading B7L. [Also in Division F2] A railway vehicle comprises a car body C, Figs. 9, 10 and 11 supported at each end at each side on a pair of undercarriages by laterally resilient rubber-metal interleaf springs 14, 16, each undercarriage comprising a bolster 12 having a vertical depending leg 12c at each end, the springs 14, 16 being mounted on the forked ends 12a, 12b of the bolster, and independent wheel-carrying side frames 18 connected by links 50, 60 and ball joints 52, 54, a hinge pin 62 and ball joint 64 to the upper and lower ends of the legs 12c whereby pitching of the side frame relative to the bolster in a substantially vertical plane can occur but relative inclination (in the plane of Fig. 11) between the bolster and side frame is prevented, and hydropneumatic springs 72, 74 connecting the upper end of the bolster and the associated side frame 18 through ball joints at 80, 68 and 70, whereby the side frames can pivot about horizontal axes as the vehicle negotiates track curved in vertical planes and about vertical axes as the vehicle negotiates track curved in a horizontal plane. The springs 14, 16 are similar to that described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 (not shown) wherein the metal interleaves are annular and their internal diameters increase in the upward direction of the springs to allow increasing lateral resilience towards the upper ends of the springs, which possess little vertical resilience. As shown in Fig. 10, each side frame has shafts 28, 36 for tyred wheels 30, 38 and coaxial, conventional rail, engaging wheels 34, 42, the wheels 38, 42 being driven from a motor 44 and bevel gears 46. The wheels 30, 38 at each side of the vehicle engage track beams TB2 whilst guide wheels 22, 26 at the ends of the side frames engage side track beams TB1. The lower ends of the springs 72, 74 are connected to the common ball joint 80 and to a rigid arm 66 on the side frame 18. Referring to Fig. 12 the springs 72 and 72a at opposite ends of the bolster are single acting and the spaces above pistons of rods 76, 76a are equalized by a pipe 86. The springs have diaphragms 82, 82a and spaces above the latter are filled with gas under pressure, whilst the spaces between the diaphragms and the pistons are filled with oil. In use these springs control vertical movements of the body C but offer no resistance to roll. Referring to Fig. 13 the springs 74, 74a at opposite ends of the bolster are double acting and oil is provided below the pistons as well as above. The crossed pipe connections 80, 90 ensure roll control but offer no resistance to vertical movements. By provision of a versible power driven pump 92 the body can be inclined relatively to the undercarriage as desired and the pump can be controlled automatically by means of an acceleration sensitive governor so as to incline the body toward the centre of a curve by the proper amount. In other embodiments the springs 72, 74, 72a, 74a are replaced by springs housed in hollow depending legs of the bolster or between rigid members extending laterally from the side frames and legs. In these embodiments the bolster has only one laterally resilient spring at each end and drag links are provided between the top and bottom of each end of the bolster and brackets on the body C. In another form the springs between the bolster ends and the body are coil springs resilient in both vertical and lateral directions and no further springing is provided. Reference has been directed by the Comptroller to Specification 949,327.