Note : Les revendications sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A method of braking for use with a truck of
a railroad car having swingable first and second wheelsets
and first and second swingable arms in which said wheel-
sets are rotatably mounted, said method comprising the
steps of:
1) applying a linear braking force to a middle
portion of a floating brake lever positioned transversely
to a direction of said linear force,
2) dividing said linear force into a first
and second force component and transferring said first
and second force components to first and second elongated
connecting rods having one end connected respectively to
ends of said floating brake lever,
3) positioning said first and second connecting
rods substantially parallel to said direction of said linear
braking force,
4) transferring said first and second force
components to a first and second truck lever having ends
attached to opposite ends of said connecting rods respec-
tively with said levers positioned substantially perpen-
dicular to said connecting rods,
5) supporting an opposite end of said first
truck lever from a pivot permanently mounted to said first
swingable arm,
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6) supporting a middle portion of said second
truck lever from a pivot permanently mounted to said
second swingable arm,
7) connecting a first braking device to a
middle portion of said first truck lever and a second
braking device to an opposite end of said second truck
lever,
8) moving said ends of said first and second
truck levers in said direction of said linear braking
force with said first and second force components,
9) moving said first braking device in said
direction of said linear braking force and said second
braking device in an opposite direction, and
10) engaging said first and second wheelsets
with said first and second braking devices,
wherein a horizontal rotation of said first
or said second swingable arm causes a like rotation of
said first or second braking device and is unaffected by
activation of said braking force.
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2. A method of braking a truck of a railroad car
having a first and second wheelset rotatably carried in a
first and second swingable arm respectively, said swingable
arms carried in side frames of said truck so as to permit
limited horizontal rotational movements between said side
frames, said method comprising the steps of:
1) positioning a first and a second truck
lever in an upright orientation,
2) supporting a bottom end of said first truck
lever in a pivot fixed to said first swingable arm,
3) supporting a middle portion of said second
truck lever in a pivot fixed to said second swingable arm,
4) connecting a first braking device to a
middle portion of said first lever arm,
5) connecting a second braking device to a
bottom end of said second truck lever,
6) translating horizontal rotational movements
of said first or second wheelset to said first or second
braking device through said swingable arms and said truck
levers attached thereto,
7) applying a linear braking force having a
first direction proximately perpendicular to said levers
to top ends of said truck levers to cause a rotation
thereof,
8) converting said rotation of said first
truck lever to a linear force having a direction proximating
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said first direction to move said first braking device in
said first direction,
9) converting said rotation of said second
truck lever to a linear force having a direction opposite
said first direction to move said second braking device
in an opposite direction, and
10) engaging said first and said second wheel-
sets with said first and second braking devices to cause
a decrease in rotational velocity of said wheelsets,
wherein said braking force may be applied
without unduly changing a horizontal position of said
wheelsets with respect to said side frames.
3. A braking system for a railroad car truck
having a transversely positioned bolster supported at its
ends in a right side frame and left side frame and a front
and a rear wheelset rotatably mounted in a front swingable
arm and a rear swingable arm, respectively, said arms
being connected to said side frames to allow relative
movement of said swingable arms with respect to said side
frames, said system comprising,
means for supplying a braking force, said
means connected to said braking system,
means for dividing said braking force into
a first and second force component,
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first and second connecting means for trans-
ferring said force components respectively,
first and second lever means connected to said
first and second connecting means for converting said force
components to a first and second rotatable moment,
a first pivot means provided on said first
swingable arm and connected to an opposite end of said
first truck lever and a second pivot means provided on
said second swingable arm and connected to a middle portion
of said second truck lever, and
first braking means and second braking means
engageable with said first wheelset and said second wheelset,
respectively, for applying a braking force thereto, said
first braking means pivotally connected intermediate the
ends of said first lever means and said second braking
means pivotally connected at an opposing end of said second
lever means,
` whereby said first braking means and said
second braking means move horizontally with respect to
horizontal movements of said swingable arms and remain
aligned with said wheelsets upon an application of said
braking force.
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4. A braking system for a railroad car truck
comprising,
a truck body,
a left and right side frame carried by said
body,
a front swingable arm and a rear swingable
arm resiliently engaged with said side frames to allow
limited horizontal rotational movements of said swingable
arms with respect to said side frames,
a front wheelset and a rear wheelset each having
axle ends rotatively carried in ends of said front and rear
swingable arms respectively,
an upwardly oriented front truck lever having
a lower end pivotally attached in a bracket intermediate
ends of said front swingable arm,
an upwardly oriented rear truck lever pivotally
mounted intermediate its ends to a bracket provided on a
center part of said rear swingable arm,
a front braking device including a front brake
beam and a right brake shoe and a left brake shoe carried
at ends of said beam, said beam pivotally connected to a
center portion of said front truck lever with said shoes
aligned to engage with said front wheelset,
a rear braking device including a rear brake
beam and a right brake shoe and a left brake shoe carried
at ends of said beam, said beam pivotally connected to a
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bottom of said rear brake lever with said shoes aligned to
engage with said rear wheelset,
a front connecting rod and a rear connecting
rod positioned substantially parallel to said front rod
with said rods positioned substantially perpendicular to
said truck levers, said rods each having one end thereof
connected to a top end of said front and rear truck levers
respectively, and
a floating brake lever positioned transversely
to said connecting rods and having ends connected to
opposite ends of each said connecting rod respectively,
wherein a horizontal position of said front
swingable arm or rear swingable arm with respect to said
side frame remains unaffected by an application of a
braking force to said floating brake lever to activate
said system.
5. A braking system as defined by Claim 4 and
further characterized by,
said front truck lever having a horizontal end
segment joining with said front swingable arm bracket to
form a vertical pivot,
said middle portion of said front truck lever
being at an elevation below said vertical pivot with said
front brake beam attached to said middle portion adjacent
to a brite of said truck lever to align proximately horizon-
tally with said rear brake beam.
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6. A method of braking for use particularly with
railroad car trucks having swingable wheelset means,
comprising the steps of:
1) supplying a braking force having a first
linear direction,
2) dividing said braking force into a first
force component and a second force component each having a
direction proximating said braking force direction,
3) converting said first force component and
said second force component into a first rotational moment
and a second rotational moment by applying said force
components to an end of a first and a second truck lever
respectively,
4) rotating with said first rotational moment
said first truck lever about a pivot formed between an op-
posite end of said first truck lever and a bracket carried
by a first swingable arm of said swingable wheelset means,
5) rotating with said second rotational moment
said second truck lever about a pivot formed at a point
located between said end and an opposite end of said
second truck lever and a bracket carried by a second swing-
able arm of said swingable wheelset means,
6) converting respectively said rotation of said
first truck lever and said second truck lever into a third
linear force and a fourth linear force having proximately
equal magnitudes but opposite directions, and
7) applying said third linear force to a first
bracking device carried by said first truck lever at a point
located between said end and said opposite end and said
fourth linear force to a second braking device carried by
said second truck lever at said opposite end to engage said
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wheelsets and cause a decrease in rotational velocity of
such.
7. A method of braking as defined by Claim 6 and
further characterized by,
said first force component and said second force
component having proximately equal magnitudes, and
said first rotational moment and said second
rotational moment having proximately a same rotational
direction.
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8. A braking system for a railroad truck having
a truck body and wheelsets mounted for turning movement in
opposite directions as the truck traverses curved trackage,
said braking system including,
dividing means for dividing a braking force
supplied to said braking system into two forces,
converting means for converting each of said
two forces into individual rotatable moments of the same
direction,
reconverting means for reconverting said
rotational moments into equal linear forces of opposite
directions, and
friction applying means engageable with res-
pective one of said front wheelsets and said rear wheelsets
for braking said wheelsets.
9. The braking system as defined in Claim 8
including,
transfer means for connecting said dividing
means and said converting means.
10. The braking system as defined in Claim 8
wherein said converting means includes,
converting lever means pivotally connected to-
said truck frame, and
said reconverting means is connected to said
lever means to provide said equal and oppositely directed
forces.
11. The braking system as defined in Claim 9 wherein
said dividing means comprises,
a force supply lever pivotally connected inter-
mediate its ends to said truck body.
12. The braking system as defined in Claim 10 wherein
said converting lever means includes,
a first converting lever pivotally connected
intermediate its ends to said truck body, and
a second converting lever pivotally connected
at one end to said truck body.
13. The braking system as defined in Claim 11 wherein
said reconverting means includes,
a first reconverting lever connected to one end
of said first converting lever and said second reconverting
lever is connected intermediate the ends of said second
converting lever.
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14. A brake rigging for a railroad car truck
including a front and a rear wheelset having axle ends
rotatively carried by a front and a rear U-shaped swing-
able arm, respectively, said swingable arms having side
portions being joined to ends of a pair of spaced side
frames such that said front wheelset with said front
swingable arm and said rear wheelset with said rear
swingable arm may rotate about a vertical axis of said
respective wheelset, and a transversely positioned
bolster having ends respectively carried in a pocket formed
in a middle portion of each said side frame, said brake
rigging further comprising,
a front truck lever carried in a pivot connection
formed in part by said front swingable arm with a center of
said pivot connection proximately aligning with a longitudinal
axis of said front swingable arm,
a front braking device carried by said front truck
lever a first distance from said pivot connection, said de-
vice including a pair of spaced brake shoes engageable with
wheels of said front wheelset,
front operative means connected to said front truck
lever at a distance greater from said pivot connection than
said first distance, said means prepared to selectively rotate
said front truck lever to engage said front brake shoes with
said front wheels,
a rear truck lever carried in a pivot connection
formed in part by said rear swingable arm with a center of
said pivot connection proximately aligned with a longitudinal
axis of said rear swingable arm,
a rear braking device carried by said rear truck
lever on one side of said pivot connection, said device in-
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cluding a pair of spaced brake shoes engageable with
wheels of said rear wheelset, and
rear operative means connected to said rear
brake lever on a side opposite said pivot connection,
said means prepared to selectively rotate said rear truck
lever to engage said rear brake shoes with said rear
wheels.
15. A brake rigging as defined by Claim 14 and
further characterized by,
said front and said rear braking devices being
positioned below said front and said rear swingable arms,
and
said front and said rear operative means being
positioned above said front and said rear swingable arms.
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