Positive Control Patents (Class 105/168)
  • Patent number: 4238006
    Abstract: A radial axle railway truck is provided with a disc brake system compatible with the radial axles comprising a single disc at the center of each axle adapted to be frictionally engaged by opposing shoes of a disc brake mechanism, the disc brake mechanism associated with each axle being supported by a yoke anti-rotatably mounted solely on truck framing supporting adaptors mounted on the axle bearings to take braking torque while accommodating free pivoting movement of the brake mechanism in the horizontal plane in accordance with movements of the axles from their tangent track positions to their curved track radial positions, such that no forces are applied by the disc brake mechanisms to the respective axles in opposition to the steering forces acting on the respective axles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1980
    Assignee: General Steel Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith L. Jackson, William C. Jones, Kenneth E. Spencer
  • Patent number: 4237791
    Abstract: A railway truck has a pair of radial axles with journal bearings at their ends and an adaptor mounted on each journal bearing and arranged to support the truck framing for steering movements of the respective axles with respect thereto, rigid links connecting the diagonally opposite axle bearing adaptors via bifurcated yokes to accommodate horizontal turning movements in opposite senses of the respective axles, the adaptors being mounted on the axle bearings to permit limited relative movement of the axle bearings and of the respective axles transversely of the truck with respect to the adaptors, whereby to permit the respective axles, while held in parallelism by the diagonal links, to move transversely of the truck with respect to each other sufficiently to follow transverse offsets in the track rails such as may occur at turnouts and the like without placing excessive strains on the bearing adaptors and linkages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1978
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1980
    Assignee: General Steel Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith L. Jackson, James J. Reece
  • Patent number: 4233910
    Abstract: A rail vehicle, especially self-propelled vehicle, in which pulling and braking forces are transmitted between pivotless bogies and the main frame of the rail vehicle, and in which on both vehicle sides, symmetrically with regard to the longitudinal central axis of the rail vehicle, pressure and pull rods are on one hand connected to the outside of the bogies and on the other hand to hydraulic cylinder-piston systems connected to the main frame. The corresponding working chambers of the hydraulic cylinders on both sides of the vehicle are respectively adapted to communicate with each other. On each vehicle side between two bogies, there is arranged one hydraulic cylinder-piston only which has two separately acting working pistons each respectively connected to a pressure rod and pull rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1978
    Date of Patent: November 18, 1980
    Assignee: Fried. Krupp Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
    Inventor: Friedrich Schumacher
  • Patent number: 4228740
    Abstract: The coupling arrangement includes a longitudinally extending shaft, means for supporting the shaft on the vehicle body and a linkage which connects the trucks to the shaft. Each linkage employs a transverse steering rod which is articulated to the end of a truck at a predetermined connection point which lies in an inclined plane passing through a guide member connecting the truck to the vehicle body and through a transverse center plane of the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1978
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1980
    Assignee: Schweizerische Lokomotiv-und Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hans H. Vogel
  • Patent number: 4221172
    Abstract: A railway truck assembly adapted to produce steering of the wheel axles radially to a curve independently of mere lateral motions of the car body to reduce wear and noise and also featuring a pivot connection between the bolster and the truck frame elements which; in cooperation with direct transmission of the load to the truck frame through the opposite ends of the bolster, allows to use a relatively thinner and centrally non-bulging bolster. Thus, more space is made available between the central portion of the bolster and the top of the rails; which space is advantageously used to install some equipment such as for instance a linear induction motor or LIM.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1980
    Assignee: Canadair Limited
    Inventor: George Sobolewski
  • Patent number: 4202276
    Abstract: A self-steering wheel set for a railway vehicle, particularly a convertible rail-highway semi-trailer, wherein an arcuate member is secured transversely beneath the vehicle body and a wheel-set unit or bogie is provided comprising a yoke to which a tongue is fixedly secured at its rear end, the front end of the tongue having means slidably mounting the tongue on and capturing the arcuate member, an axle and flanged wheels mounted on the yoke and air spring means supporting the vehicle on the yoke, whereby the tongue acts as a tow bar, the connection between the free end of the tongue and the arcuate member is such that it is capable of taking torque reactions, the tongue and its connection to the yoke is such that it is capable of taking longitudinal brake reaction and the bogie follows the curvature of the rails.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1978
    Date of Patent: May 13, 1980
    Assignee: Bi-Modal Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Browne, Alan R. Cripe, Eugene Hindin
  • Patent number: 4175494
    Abstract: The bogies are connected together via fluid pressure operated reciprocating actuators and pressure lines in order to have the trailing bogie carry out complementary lateral movements to the lead bogie. The actuators each have a longitudinal axis directed at a downwardly inclined angle relative to the central vertical plane of the vehicle and bogies and are each mounted for universal movement on a respective bogie as well as on the vehicle body or a middle bogie.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1975
    Date of Patent: November 27, 1979
    Assignee: Schweizerische Lokomotiv-und Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Peter Moser
  • Patent number: 4170179
    Abstract: The structural arrangement relates to a steering apparatus for rail vehicles which have a vehicle body, at least two trunks movably mounted to the body, at least two sets of wheels rotatably mounted in each truck by lateral wheel bearings. At least one of the set of wheels must be mounted for rotation about a vertical axis. In the steering apparatus, there are at least two guide rods pivotally mounted around the circumference of at least one of the wheel bearing housings. One of the guide rods is pivotally mounted to the truck and the second guide rod is pivotally connected to a positioning lever which is pivotally mounted to the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 9, 1979
    Assignee: Schweizerische Lokomotive- und Maschinenfabrik
    Inventor: Hans H. Vogel
  • Patent number: 4167906
    Abstract: The drive means for each wheel set is connected via a two bar-like connecting member to an intermediate portion of the bogie frame or to a cross-member in a manner such that longitudinal forces are transferred to the vehicle body. Also, the opposite side of the drive means is mounted on an axle of the wheel set and is connected to the bogie frame in a manner so as to permit the transmission of transverse forces to the bogie frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 1977
    Date of Patent: September 18, 1979
    Assignee: Schweizerische Lokomotiv- und Maschinenfabrik
    Inventors: Friedrich Steinmann, Emil Finsterwald, Ernest Kreissig
  • Patent number: 4164188
    Abstract: A railway car includes a chassis supported on two sub-frames which are relatively pivotally movable. The sub-frames support propulsion motors, differentials, and driven flanged wheels. And intermediate steering axle and wheel assembly are transversly movable in response to track curvature and a steering beam extending outwardly from the steering axle pivots the sub-frames for steering movement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1977
    Date of Patent: August 14, 1979
    Assignee: Pullman Incorporated
    Inventors: Keith J. Hallam, Willis H. Knippel
  • Patent number: 4162653
    Abstract: A railway vehicle or a truck thereof having at least three wheelsets, diagonal elastic bracing being provided between each pair of adjacent wheelsets and additional diagonal elastic bracing being provided between non-adjacent wheelsets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 1976
    Date of Patent: July 31, 1979
    Assignee: British Railways Board
    Inventor: Alan H. Wickens
  • Patent number: 4151801
    Abstract: A railway truck suspension including a load-bearing member, a pair of wheelsets supporting the load-bearing member, each wheelset being self-steering, and means interconnecting the wheelsets such that they yaw in opposite sense, the interconnecting means comprising a pair of arms on each side of the longitudinal axis of the truck in its direction of travel, each arm being secured at one end to an axle-supported bearing on a wheelset to transmit moments to that wheelset and the arms on the same side of the longitudinal axis extending generally towards each other, and means coupling the other ends of the arms together to allow lost motion between these ends while transmitting rotation of either arm to the other arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1976
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1979
    Assignee: South African Inventions Development Corporation
    Inventors: Herbert Scheffel, Rowlen E. Von Gericke
  • Patent number: 4136620
    Abstract: A load-carrying railway truck having a longitudinal axis in its direction of travel and including at least one load-bearing member for supporting a load; a pair of live wheelsets supporting the load-bearing member, each wheelset being so mounted in the truck and having such a profile that it is substantially self-steering; means interconnecting the wheelsets to transmit yawing and lateral movements of either wheelset in the opposite sense to the other wheelset; and elastic elements suspending the load to the wheelsets, at least some of the elastic elements having a lateral stiffness in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the truck which is lower than the stiffness provided by them in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1976
    Date of Patent: January 30, 1979
    Assignee: South African Inventions Development Corporation
    Inventors: Herbert Scheffel, Rowlen E. VON Gericke
  • Patent number: 4135456
    Abstract: A railway car includes a central steering axle transversely movable on the car body in response to track curvature. Actuating members connected to the transversely movable axle include longitudinally extensible and retractable elements which steer end axle assemblies about vertical pivot axes, the actuating members and associated elements including helical gearing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 1977
    Date of Patent: January 23, 1979
    Assignee: Pullman Incorporated
    Inventor: Patrick G. Welsh
  • Patent number: 4131069
    Abstract: A vehicle running gear with articulated, self-aligning, wheelsets having means providing elastic restraint of steering moments. This means ensures that the axles of the wheelsets, while free to yaw conjointly to assume a radial position in curves, are restrained from unstable steering motions when operating in a relatively straight line at high speeds.The wheelset bearings are each carried by a subtruck which is shaped to provide a steering arm, and these arms are movably coupled in a region intermediate the axles, to accommodate conjoint yawing motions of the axles with respect to each other and in the general plane of the axles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 26, 1978
    Assignee: Railway Engineering Associates, Inc.
    Inventor: Harold A. List
  • Patent number: 4095531
    Abstract: A railcar running gear or a wheel unit for railcars with at least two essentially parallel axles with two wheels on each axle is provided for, of which the front two wheels have a roll surface touching the rail that is slightly tapered so that the smaller diameter of the roll surface is located at the outside and the larger diameter of the roll surface is located at the inside of the wheel, and the rear two wheels have a roll surface touching the rail that is slightly tapered so that the smaller diameter of the roll surface is located at the inside and the larger diameter of the roll surface is located at the outside of the wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1976
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1978
    Assignee: Phillips Petroleum Company
    Inventor: Richard J. Bennett
  • Patent number: 4067262
    Abstract: A railway truck having at least one load-bearing member supported on two live axle wheelsets and including symmetrical suspension structure for damping hunting of the truck and wheelsets, the structure for each wheelset connected to bearings on the wheelset and two rods pivotally connected at each of its ends to the sub-frames for diagonally interconnecting the wheelsets to couple the yawing and lateral movements of the wheelsets. The sub-frame may be rigid to transmit moments to the wheelset or it may be a pinned structure. The suspension is said to cause inefficient gearing between the wheelsets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1978
    Assignee: South African Inventions Development Corporation
    Inventor: Herbert Scheffel
  • Patent number: 3961583
    Abstract: Stabilizing device for compensating by restraining the relative rocking movements between an articulated railroad car body and bogie running at high speed. The device comprises, longitudinally extending across the frame of the bogie a tube having sufficient stiffness for being free of any torsion, adapted to rotate inside bearings disposed at the extremities of the frame. The tube is provided at its extremities, with two parallel crank-arms integrally connected to the tube. The extremity of each of the crank-arms is articulated to a rigid connecting member which is attached on the other hand, by means of a swivel-joint, to a corresponding car body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1974
    Date of Patent: June 8, 1976
    Assignee: Ateliers de Constructions Electriques de Charlerol (ACEC)
    Inventor: Roger Fagel
  • Patent number: 3945455
    Abstract: A first link member branched into two straight arms at a fixed angle is pivotally supported by the vehicle body at the branching point, and the free end of the first arm is linked with a connecting rod which in turn is connected to a steering arm for a road wheel while the free end of the second arm is pivoted to an end of a straight second link member which is equal to the second arm in length, the other end of which second link member is pivoted to a middle portion of a rod supporting at the ends thereof a pair of guide wheels. The rod is provided with means to move the rod relatively to the vehicle body thereby to retract the guide wheels and rotate the second link member until it forms no angle between the second arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1975
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1976
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Company Limited
    Inventors: Mitsuharu Hamada, Hiromichi Uchiyama