Abstract: A pivoting joint for pivotally joining a brake head to a brake beam of a railway car allows the brake head to modify its radial and lateral direction with a controlled degree of rotation with respect to a bogie wheel, allowing the brake shoe to adapt to the wheel contour, and achieving an adequate force distribution along the brake shoe, and thus optimizing the utilization of the brake shoe material.

Abstract: A brake rigging system which adequately distributes the braking force among all its components, said brake rigging system comprising: a driving beam having a first and a second end; two driving levers having a first and a second end, each driving lever rotary coupled by its first end to an end of the driving beam, and the second end of each driving lever coupled to a brake head; and linking means for linking said driving beam, to driving means which apply a force to said driving beam to push or pull said driving levers together with the brake heads.

Abstract: A joint for pivotally joining a brake head to a brake beam of a railway car which allows to the brake head to modify its radial direction with respect to a bogie wheel, allowing the brake shoe to adapt to the wheel contour, and achieving an adequate force distribution along the brake shoe.

Abstract: A brake beam structure comprising compression and tension members having an “u” shaped cross section including two side walls and forming a housing, two end extensions having a quadrangular cross section including two side walls, a fulcrum coupled to the compression and tension members and two brake heads, in which: the ends of the compression member are placed inside the housing of the unshaped cross section of the tension member and each of the end extensions are placed inside the housing of the channel shaped cross section of the compression member, the brake beam having two fasteners passing through holes placed at the ends of the tension and compression members at each of “u” shaped cross section side walls and through holes placed at the side walls of the end extensions in order to fasten the tension member, compression member and end extensions, and in which the brake heads are welded to the ends of the tension member.

Abstract: A strut having a reversible fulcrum, which can be changed, from a left strut to a right strut, for using in brake beams of the type comprising; a compression member, a “V” shaped tension member having a central apex coupled to the ends of the compression member; a brake shoe linked to the each end of the compression member; and a strut, wherein the strut having a reversible fulcrum comprising: a fulcrum body having a first end and a second end, a central slot passing through a central portion of the fulcrum body at a side portion thereof and an off-center pinhole passing through the fulcrum body at a central portion of a front portion of the fulcrum body; a hollow bell joint, having a dome rotary coupled to a central portion of the tension member and a tubular open end at which the first end of the fulcrum body is coupled; and a crown joint having a first end including an internal annular border, rotary receiving the second end of the fulcrum body, and a second end having two opposite holding skir