Abstract: In wheel suspensions of automotive vehicles, equipped with a wheel suspension system comprising a coil spring, a specific mutual association is required for functional reasons for the individual components of the wheel suspension, forcing constructional compromises in connection with the other structural conditions inherent in the design of the vehicle. In order to be able to avoid in such cases expensive compromise solutions, it is disclosed to have one or several vehicle components, to be correspondingly correlated with the coil spring, project in between turn portions of a spring turn that has a larger lead as compared with the regular lead of the coil spring, or pass such components through the expanded spring section of the coil spring.

Abstract: A dry viscous spring strut is provided having at least a top outer housing member, a bottom outer housing member, a shear spring elastomerically associating the top outer housing member to the bottom outer housing member, a selectively pressurizable gas chamber, a subchamber disposed in association with the gas chamber including a plurality of elastomeric particles, a rigid structural member associated with the top outer housing member, and a bearing portion associated with the bottom outer housing member to receive the structural member. The structural member is received in the bearing portion to bear side loading forces to the strut and to limit nonaxial deformation of the strut. Relative movement between the top and the bottom housing members operates to stress the shear spring and the elastomeric particles, vary the pressurization of the gas chamber and subchamber, and vary the positioning of the structural member relative to the bearing portion to absorb shock and dissipate energy imparted to the strut.

Abstract: A spring for a disc brake wherein a caliper cooperates with a pair of friction elements to engage the latter with a rotor during braking. A torque member carries the caliper relative to the rotor and opposes movement of the pair of friction elements with the rotor. The spring extends from the caliper to one of the pair of friction elements to releasably attach the latter to the caliper and also bias the one friction element into a substantially anti-rattle abutment with the torque member whereby rattling noises for the one friction element are reduced or eliminated.

Abstract: A disc brake assembly includes a caliper assembly and a torque member with matching slots to receive a pin assembly. A bolt is connected with the torque member arm to prevent separation between the caliper assembly and the torque member in the event the pin assembly separates from the torque member and caliper assembly.

Abstract: A bicycle brake assembly includes a bracket member having a pair of elongate legs each arranged to extend on a different side of the rotational plane of a wheel. A pair of brake pad devices are mounted on the legs for pivotable movement and longitudinal movement relative to the associated legs, and the brake pad devices can be fixed at a desired longitudinal position relative to the legs. An actuating mechanism is linked to the brake pad devices for pivoting them together toward the wheel so that brake pads in the devices frictionally contact the wheel. The location at which the brake pads engage the wheel in the radial direction thus is determined according to the positions at which the brake pad devices are fixed on the legs of the bracket member. Optimum braking action therefore can be obtained regardless of the particular position at which the bracket member itself is fixed in the radial direction.

Abstract: A vibration damper comprises a housing defining a cavity; a damping mass accommodated for oscillation in the cavity between wall surfaces; and spring elements situated on two opposite sides of the damping mass. Each spring element is in engagement with the damping mass and a respective one of the wall surfaces for positioning the damping mass in the cavity. Each spring element has a shape selected to confer to the spring element a dynamic deformation behavior characterizing spherical bodies. Further, the spring elements, as viewed together, are arranged at least approximately symmetrically with respect to a central axis of the damping mass oriented parallel to the path of oscillation. The vibration damper also includes an arrangement for guiding the damping mass linearly along the path of oscillation.

Abstract: In wheel suspensions for automotive vehicles, equipped with a wheel suspension system comprising a coil spring, a specific mutual association can be desirable for functional reasons for the individual components of the wheel suspension, forcing constructional compromises in connection with other structural conditions inherent in the design of the vehicle. In order to be able to avoid in such cases expensive compromise solutions, it is disclosed to form the coil spring of two series-connected individual spring ends mutually supported against each other by way of a bridge member, at a spacing from one or several vehicle components.

Abstract: A suspension strut for a motor vehicle which has a pneumatic spring assembly 28 mounted about a strut assembly 10. The pneumatic spring assembly has a flexible diaphragm 30 secured to a tubular sleeve 48 which is coaxially mounted about the strut body 18. The sleeve 48 is rotatably mounted to the strut body 18 by a bearing 54 and a bushing 67 to minimize torsional stress of the flexible diaphragm 30 when steering of the wheel rotates the strut body 18 with respect to the vehicle body.

Abstract: The brake beams of a single axle railway car wheel truck are swingingly suspended from a body portion of the car and engage with the axle housings of the wheel and axle assembly to enable the brake beams to move laterally and longitudinally with the wheel and axle assembly when this assembly is forced to move with respect to the body portion of the car. Movement of the brake beams with the wheel and axle assembly enables the brake heads on the brake beams to be properly aligned with braking surfaces on the wheels under substantially all operating conditions of the wheel truck even though substantially all of the weight of the brake beam and actuator assemblies is borne by the body portion of the railway car.

Abstract: A brake is provided for twin wheel casters. A brake lever extends between the wheels and is depressed by a toe. This rocks a link through a toggle position and presses a sheet metal brake shoe of generally W-shape against the inner drum or surface of the wheel flange to lock the wheel against rotation. Reverse movement of the lever is effected by a toe to unlock the brake. Edges of the sheet metal brake shoe impinge against the inner surface of the wheel flanges to lock the wheel, and locking action may be augmented by serrating the inner surface of the wheel.

Abstract: A disc brake, particularly suitable for use in tractors and like vehicles, is disclosed. Balls are located in complementary inclined recesses in a pressure plate and in an adjacent end wall of the brake housing. The brake is actuated by radial movement of the pressure plate, which produces a camming effect as the balls tend to ride out of the recesses, so that the pressure plate moves axially to urge a rotatable friction disc into engagement with a surface of the housing. Pilot pins engage with lugs on the pressure plate, constraining it against angular movement, so that when on application of the brake the pressure plate engages the friction disc, the pressure plate is prevented from being carried round with the friction disc, ensuring that no servo effect takes place.

Abstract: A pneumatic spring for use in absorbing an external force by compressing gaseous fluid trapped therein. The pneumatic spring includes internal valves for recharging and for relieving excessive pressure. In one form, the pneumatic spring comprises an outer housing defining an open-ended outer cylinder and an inner cylinder slidingly and sealingly positioned in the outer cylinder. The inner cylinder has a cylindrical side wall and end walls and a rod extends from the inner end wall of the outer cylinder through the inner end wall of the inner cylinder. A piston is fixed on the rod within the inner cylinder, thereby defining a first chamber between the inner end of the outer cylinder and the inner end wall on the inner cylinder and a second chamber between the piston on the rod and the outer end wall of the inner cylinder. The chambers are isolated from one another.

Abstract: In a spreading disc brake, actuating movement of an actuator assembly in a stationary housing can be effected hydraulically by a piston working in a cylinder and acting on a pull-rod through a rocking thrust coupling, and the pull-rod is adapted for connection to a hand-lever in order to apply the brake manually or mechanically. The thrust coupling is provided at an intermediate point in the length of a lever, a first pivotal connection is provided between the pull-rod and an intermediate point in the length of the lever, a second pivotal connection is provided between one end of the lever and the housing, and a third pivotal connection is provided between the opposite end of the lever and a transmission member for connection to the hand-lever.

Abstract: An improvement in a bicycle brake in which arms are swingably supported to lever shafts at bases fixed to the bicycle frame and in which brake shoes having mounting pins are fixed to the arms through fixing bolts and nuts respectively. Each adjusting member has a pair of inner surfaces parallel to the outside surface of the shoe mounting portion of the associated arm and a pair of outer surfaces inclined with respect to the outside surface of the shoe mounting portion of the associated arm and parallel to each other. A separate adjusting member is supported rotatably with respect to each of the arms so that the vertical and rotational positions of the brake shoes are adjustable by rotations of the adjusting members respectively.

Abstract: A mechanical actuator for a disc brake assembly comprises a cam shaft and a pair of toggles. The cam shaft is designed with different interfaces for the pair of toggles to minimize travel for the cam shaft and maximize clamping forces during a parking brake application for the disc brake assembly.

Abstract: A magnetic friction device for permitting one machine member to be moved relative to another by applying a predetermined force and for holding one member in a fixed position when the force is discontinued. One member is magnetically susceptible and has a smooth surface interfacing with but slightly spaced from a surface on the other member. The other member's surface has one or more recesses in which there are magnetic disks of a polymer impregnated with magnetic particles. The disks are attracted to the smooth surface to produce a design controlled predetermined frictional force.

Abstract: The braking system incorporates at least one brake disc (36) sliding on a rotating driving component (22) capable of being braked by way of friction components (44, 50). The sliding disc (36) is provided with a device for returning and memorizing a position (60) enabling the disc to be always at the same predetermined distance relative to one of the friction components (44) when the brake is not applied, irrespective of the state of wear of the friction component (44). Applicable to motor vehicle braking systems.

Abstract: A two-dimensional (2-D) suspension system consists of series of rhomboidal parallel leaf springs (RPLSs) each of which comprises plural leaf springs apart from one another and at least two rigid walls for fixing both ends of the leaf springs at the same fixing angle selected not to be a right angle and to be different from fixing angles of other rhomboidal parallel leaf springs. Plural rhomboidal parallel leaf springs are linked in series by connecting the rigid walls in such a way that faces of all the leaf springs are perpendicular to an imaginary plane. The 2-D suspension system suspends a movable body which is allowed translation in a plane only and which is restricted in other motions. The mass of the rigid body connecting two RPLSs is so small that the resonance of the rigid body hardly interferes with the motion of the movable body. The 2-D suspension system can hold the movable body at both sides thereof in symmetry.

Abstract: A rubber vibration isolator is disclosed, which comprises a pair of upper and lower liquid chambers capable of changing volumes by elastic deformation of an annular rubber elastomer accompanied with longitudinal vibration, a restricted passage for communicating these chambers with each other, at least two liquid chambers formed in the outer periphery of the elastomer and capable of changing volumes accompanied with lateral vibration, and another restricted passage for communicating the latter chambers with each other.

Abstract: A brake cylinder lever on a railway car is supported in a substantially vertical orientation by a roller mounted on an inclined ramp to bias the brake system toward a "brake off" or nondrag condition.