Railway truck bolster friction assembly

Abstract

A railway freight truck bolster friction assembly and more particularly improved friction assemblies of elastomeric material which are adapted to be captively retained intermediate an axial end portion of a bolster member and an adjacent side frame.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A railway truck bolster friction assembly adapted to be captively retained within a pocket of an elongated truck bolster member which extends between spaced elongated side frame members of a railway truck vehicle comprising: elastomeric friction means adapted to have a first portion thereof in .[.communication.]. .Iadd.engagement .Iaddend.with adjacent surfaces of such a pocket and a second portion thereof in .Iadd.biased .Iaddend.frictional engagement with adjacent portions of .[.wearing.]. .Iadd.wear .Iaddend.surface means of a column guide of a respective one of said side frames, said second portion being spaced .[.longitudinally outwardly, with respect to.]. .Iadd.outwardly of such a pocket from .Iaddend.the .[.longitudinal.]. axis of such a bolster member, .[.from such a pocket.]. and said first portion being spaced .[.longitudinally.]. inwardly from said second portion; .Iadd.bias means cooperable with said elastomeric friction means to maintain such frictional engagement; .Iaddend.said .[.elastomeric.]. friction means being operative to deform .[.and maintain said frictional engagement.]., without slipping between adjacent engaging surfaces, during at least initial vertical and transverse movements of such a bolster member with respect to such a respective one of said side frame members; during a subsequent transverse movement of such a bolster member with respect to such a side frame member, at least a section of said .[.section.]. .Iadd.second .Iaddend.portion slips transversely with respect to the adjacent portion of said .[.wearing.]. .Iadd.wear .Iaddend.surface means; and during such transverse slipping, said adjacent portion of said .[.wearing.]. .Iadd.wear .Iaddend.surface means cooperates with such a pocket to continuously increase the friction between said section of said second portion and said adjacent portion of said .[.wearing.]. .Iadd.wear .Iaddend.surface means in direct proportion to the amount of said subsequent transverse movement. 
     
     
       2. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 1 additionally including biasing means to bias said elastomeric friction means into said communication and said frictional engagement. 
     
     
       3. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 2 wherein during a subsequent vertical movement of such a bolster member, said elastomeric friction means are operative such that at least sections of said second portion will slip with respect to adjacent portions of said wearing surface means. 
     
     
       4. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 2 wherein said adjacent portion of said wearing surface means slopes transversely outwardly from a generally vertically extending longitudinally innermost surface of said wearing surface means. 
     
     
       5. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 4 wherein said wearing surface means includes a pair of said adjacent portions, each of said adjacent portions slope transversely outwardly from said innermost surface and a respective section of said elastomeric friction means frictionally engages each of said adjacent portions. 
     
     
       6. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 5 wherein said adjacent portions are identical and said innermost portion is transversely equidistant from the transverse edges of said wearing surface means. 
     
     
       7. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 6 wherein during said .[.second.]. .Iadd.subsequent .Iaddend.transverse movement in one direction only the friction between one of said sections of said second portions and said .[.second.]. adjacent portion of said wearing surface .Iadd.means .Iaddend.adjacent thereto increases and during said .[.second.]. .Iadd.subsequent .Iaddend.transverse movement in a direction opposite said one direction only the friction between the other of said sections of said second portion and the other of said adjacent portion of said wearing surface increases. 
     
     
       8. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 7 wherein said elastomeric friction means comprises a pair of transversely adjacent, identical elastomeric friction members. 
     
     
       9. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 8 wherein when said friction members are in operational position within such a pocket, the transversely adjacent surfaces thereof are transversely spaced from each other. 
     
     
       10. A railway truck bolster friction assembly as specified in claim 9 wherein said biasing means continuously biases each of said elastomeric friction members into said communication and said frictional engagement. .Iadd. 
     
     
       11.  In a friction assembly adapted for use in a railway truck intermediate a longitudinal end portion of an elongated truck bolster and an adjacent column guide portion of a truck side frame to provide frictional damping of relative vertical and lateral motion between the bolster and the side frame, the combination comprising: a friction element adapted to be retained with respect to such a longitudinal end portion of such a bolster;   a wear surface means adapted to be retained with respect to such an adjacent column guide portion of such a side frame;   bias means operable to maintain frictional engagement between said friction element and said wear surface means throughout such relative motion between such a bolster and such a side frame;   said friction element being relatively movable in opposite lateral directions with respect to said wear surface means while in frictional engagement therewith during such relative motion between such a bolster and such a side frame;   and said wear surface means and adjacent portions of said friction element being configured to continuously increase the magnitude of friction between said wear surface means and at least a portion of said friction element during relative lateral motion therebetween throughout a range of such lateral motion in either of such opposite lateral directions. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. The combination as claimed in claim 11 wherein said increase in the magnitude of friction between said wear surface means and said at least a portion of said friction element is directly proportional to the magnitude of such relative lateral motion. .Iaddend. .Iadd.13. The combination as claimed in claim 12 wherein said friction element includes a resiliently deformable means which is initially deformed in response to the bias of said bias means. .Iaddend. .Iadd.14. The combination as claimed in claim 13 wherein said resiliently deformable means includes a surface portion thereof which is mantained in frictional engagement with said wear surface means. .Iaddend. .Iadd.15. The combination as claimed in claim 14 wherein said resiliently deformable means is further deformed beyond said initial deformation in response to such relative motion. .Iaddend. .Iadd.16. The combination as claimed in claim 15 wherein said friction element is retained with respect to an end portion of such a bolster in an outwardly open pocket. .Iaddend. .Iadd.17. The combination as claimed in claim 16 wherein said at least a portion of said friction element is a pair of portions thereof and the magnitude of friction between said wear surface means and said friction element is increased during such relative lateral motion by increasing the magnitude of friction with respect to a respective one of said pair of portions during such relative lateral motion in respective opposite lateral directions. .Iaddend. .Iadd.18. The combination as claimed in claim 11 wherein said wear surface means and said adjacent portions of said friction element are mutually engageable in frictional engagement along respective adjacent surface portions thereof to provide such frictional damping of such relative vertical and lateral motion and said respective surface portions are configured to continuously increase the magnitude of friction between said wear surface means and said at least a portion of said friction element during such relative lateral motion therebetween. .Iaddend.