Abstract: A shoe or friction brake having the brake levers thereof connected both at the pivotably mounted end and also at the end driven by a brake spring mutually independently of one another at the brake housing. The pivotably mounted end is connected with the brake housing by elements which have a resilient or spring action perpendicular to the direction of action of the brake spring. These resilient elements are in the form of plate springs and/or a leaf or blade spring. The bearing means for each brake lever is arranged between the plate springs. Each brake lever has operatively associated therewith a choke or reactance coil, and the choke yoke or the like is arranged at the bearing means and the choke core at the brake housing. With the brake levers located in their braking position the latter, when subjected to load, are movable perpendicular to the direction of action of the brake springs, so that the air gaps of the choke coils can be reduced or increased in size, as the case may be.

Abstract: A damping body composed of two substantially parallel, oppositely situated support surfaces for supporting a machine mounting base or foundation frame and for contact with a machine pedestal or socket arrangement. To obtain a uniform damping of sound and vibrations and to achieve a certain leveling of the machine mounting base, the damping body comprises at least two substantially wedge-shaped partial bodies which, in their unloaded state, can be shifted relative to one another along parting surfaces which are not in parallelism with the support surfaces. The damping body may be particularly advantageously employed for mounting elevator drive machines or the like.