Abstract: A friction wedge with improved bond characteristics may include a friction wedge body and a friction wedge liner. The friction wedge body may include a pattern formed by a ridge or elevation disposed on a connecting face of the friction wedge body. The friction wedge liner may include a complementary pattern formed by a channel disposed on a bonding surface of the friction wedge liner.

Abstract: A friction shoe is provided for use in a railway truck. The friction shoe is placed such that it frictionally engages both a wear plate on the side frame vertical column and wear plates on the slope surfaces of the bolster to dampen the oscillating motion of the bolster when supported by spring groups in the side frame. The shoe is provided with sloped surfaces that engage complementary slope surfaces on the bolster. Wear plates are fitted and held on the sloped surfaces of the bolster and on the vertical columns of the side frames.

Abstract: A firearm includes a receiver for housing a trigger mechanism. The receiver is attached to a firearm barrel, and the receiver includes a bolt carrier that is configured to reciprocate therein. The firearm includes a recoil spring that has a first end and a second end, and the first end interfaces with the bolt carrier. The recoil spring further includes a dampened portion positioned between the first and second ends. The dampened portion has a plurality of dead spring coils. The firearm also includes a spring retainer that is configured to retain the recoil spring within the firearm.

Abstract: A suspension system for a vehicle having a frame includes a first interface member configured to be positioned on a first lateral side of the frame and a second interface member configured to be positioned on an opposing second lateral side of the frame. The first interface member and the second interface member are positioned along a common central axis. The suspension system also includes a first swing arm coupled to the first interface member and configured to rotate about the common central axis, a second swing arm coupled to the second interface member and configured to rotate about the common central axis, and a sway bar coupled to the first interface member and the second interface member. The sway bar is positioned coaxially with the common central axis and extends between the first swing arm and the second swing arm.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a friction wedge of a rail car includes forming, in drag and cope portions of a mold, at least one cavity that defines at least some exterior features of at least one friction wedge. At least one core is inserted into the drag portion adjacent to the cavity. The core includes at least one surface configured to define a column face of the friction wedge. Rigging is formed in the drag and cope portion of the mold. The rigging includes a down sprue, at least one ingate, and at least one runner for directing molten material to the cavity. Molten material is poured into the mold to form the friction wedge casting. The friction wedge casting is removed from the mold. Rigging is removed from the friction wedge casting and the friction wedge casting is finished.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a friction wedge of a rail car includes forming, in drag and cope portions of a mold, at least one cavity that defines at least some exterior features of at least one friction wedge. At least one core is inserted into the drag portion adjacent to the cavity. The core includes at least one surface configured to define a column face of the friction wedge. Rigging is formed in the drag and cope portion of the mold. The rigging includes a down sprue, at least one ingate, and at least one runner for directing molten material to the cavity. Molten material is poured into the mold to form the friction wedge casting. The friction wedge casting is removed from the mold. Rigging is removed from the friction wedge casting and the friction wedge casting is finished.

Abstract: A rail vehicle unit, having a running gear and a wagon body unit. The wagon body unit is supported on the running gear via a suspension device, a first rotational buffer device and a second rotational buffer device being associated to the running gear and the wagon body unit. The first rotational buffer device and the second rotational buffer device are adapted to damp a rotational motion between the running gear and the wagon body unit about a rotational axis parallel to the height direction. The first rotational buffer device and the second rotational buffer device are configured to form a traction link between the running gear and the wagon body unit.

Abstract: High friction railroad car components with component friction modifying inserts which are configured to coat an engagement surface on a corresponding component on the railroad car to modify or control the friction between an engagement surface of the high friction railroad car component and the engagement surface of the corresponding component while allowing such components to engage each other. The initial movement of the high friction component with the friction modifying inserts causes transfer material of the friction modifying inserts to be spread over or coat a portion of the engagement surface of the corresponding component. This forms a lubrication layer which modifies or controls the friction between these components while these components are in engagement.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The dampers may include damper wedges having primary and secondary wedge angles. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: A rail road freight car truck has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The mounting interface between the ends of the axles and the sideframe pedestals allows lateral rocking motion of the sideframes in the manner of a swing motion truck. The lateral swinging motion is combined with a longitudinal self steering capability. The self steering capability may be obtained by use of a longitudinally oriented rocker that may tend to permit resistance to deflection that is proportional to the weight carried across the interface. The truck may have auxiliary centering elements mounted in the pedestal seats, and those auxiliary centering elements may be made of resilient elastomeric material. The truck may also have friction dampers that have a disinclination to stick-slip behavior. The friction dampers may be provided with brake linings, or similar features, on the face engaging the sideframe columns, on the slope face, or both.

Abstract: A rail road freight car truck has a truck bolster mounted transversely to a side frame pair. A mounting interface between the axel ends and the sideframe pedestals allows lateral swing truck like rocking motion of the sideframes combined with a longitudinal selfsteering capability by use of a longitudinally oriented rocker that permits resistance to deflection proportionally to the weight carried across the interface. The truck may have auxiliary centering elements made of resilient elastomeric material mounted in the pedestal seats and may also have friction dampers provided with brake linings or like on the face engaging the sideframe columns, on the slope face, having a disinclination to stick-slip behavior and operate to yield upward and downward friction forces that are not overly unequal and may be mounted in a four-cornered arrangement at each end of the truck bolster. Spring groups may include subgroups of springs of differing heights.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a friction wedge of a rail car includes forming, in drag and cope portions of a mold, at least one cavity that defines at least some exterior features of at least one friction wedge. At least one core is inserted into the drag portion adjacent to the cavity. The core includes at least one surface configured to define a column face of the friction wedge. Rigging is formed in the drag and cope portion of the mold. The rigging includes a down sprue, at least one ingate, and at least one runner for directing molten material to the cavity. Molten material is poured into the mold to form the friction wedge casting. The friction wedge casting is removed from the mold. Rigging is removed from the friction wedge casting and the friction wedge casting is finished.

Abstract: A wheel truck, including: a front wheel pair assembly and a rear wheel pair assembly, two side frame assemblies, two spring suspension devices, and a bolster assembly. The spring suspension devices include a bearing spring unit, a damping spring, and a wedge. The wedge includes a primary friction surface and a secondary friction surface. The primary friction surface is attached to a column surface of the side frame assembly. The secondary friction surface is attached to an inclined surface of the bolster assembly. The wedge has the following structure parameters: ?=16-30°, and ?<tg?<?+?1, in which a represents an included angle between the secondary friction surface and a vertical plane, ? represents a friction coefficient of the primary friction surface, and ?1 represents a friction coefficient of the secondary friction surface.

Abstract: A wheel truck for a railroad car, including: a front wheel pair assembly and a rear wheel pair assembly; two side frame assemblies, each side frame assembly including a square box and journal-box guides; two spring suspension devices; and a bolster assembly including two ends disposed on the two spring suspension devices, respectively. The bolster assembly includes a pilot hole in the center and two mounting holes on the two ends, the pilot hole is rotationally matched with a cylindrical upper center plate of a car body for transmitting vertical and horizontal forces from the car body, and the two mounting holes are disposed above the two spring suspension devices, respectively. Each mounting hole receives a lower side bearing, and the lower side bearing is matched with a corresponding upper side bearing disposed on each side of the car body for transmitting the vertical load from the car body.

Abstract: A central suspension device, a wagon bogie and an express railway wagon, wherein the central suspension device is arranged between a frame and a bolster of the wagon bogie and comprises a rubber-metal pad spring group composed of at least two rubber-metal pad springs, a bottom end of each rubber-metal pad spring is connected with the frame, a top end of at least one rubber-metal pad spring of the rubber-metal pad spring group is connected with the bolster, and a gap exists between the top end of at least one rubber-metal pad spring and the bolster. The central suspension device has multiple stages of rigidities in the transverse and vertical directions, so that the different rigidities can be mutually shifted conveniently on the empty vehicle condition and the heavy-load condition of the vehicle, therefore, the central suspension device is applicable to express railway vehicles for safe and stable running.

Abstract: A wheel truck, including: a front wheel pair assembly and a rear wheel pair assembly, two side frame assemblies, two spring suspension devices, and a bolster assembly. The spring suspension devices include a bearing spring unit, a damping spring, and a wedge. The wedge includes a primary friction surface and a secondary friction surface. The primary friction surface is attached to a column surface of the side frame assembly. The secondary friction surface is attached to an inclined surface of the bolster assembly. The wedge has the following structure parameters: ?=16-30°, and ?<tg?<?+?1, in which a represents an included angle between the secondary friction surface and a vertical plane, ? represents a friction coefficient of the primary friction surface, and ?1 represents a friction coefficient of the secondary friction surface.

Abstract: The invention provides a bogie which comprises a bolster, two side frames and four constant contact dampers, two sides of two ends of the bolster are respectively provided with a wedge pocket; the four constant contact dampers are respectively arranged in four wedge pockets, and each of the four constant contact dampers comprises a wedge and a damping spring; the damping spring is arranged in an inner cavity of the wedge; one end of the damping spring bears against a top inner surface of the inner cavity of the wedge, and the other end of the damping spring bears against a bottom plate of the wedge pocket, wherein the bogie further comprises four through holes and four ejectors which respectively correspond to the four constant contact dampers; the through holes are arranged on the bottom plate, and the position of each of the four through holes on the bottom plate corresponds to the position where the damping spring bears against the bottom plate and a load spring of the bogie; and one end of the ejector pen

Abstract: An improved railway car truck is provided that includes two sideframes and a bolster. The bolster has laterally opposite ends, each end extending into and supported within a sideframe opening on a spring group. Each sideframe also has a pedestal opening at each end to receive a bearing adapter assembly. The railway car truck also includes a transom extending into and supported within a sideframe opening. The spring group is supported at each transom end. A lateral damping cylinder is connected between the bolster and the transom. A vertical damping cylinder is connected between the bolster and the sideframe.

Abstract: A single-piece friction wedge for use in damping relative movement between a bolster and a side frame of a railroad car truck includes a generally horizontal bottom surface, a generally vertical front surface, and a back surface oriented at an acute primary angle with respect to the front surface. The back surface has first and second sloped surfaces which are angled toward each other. A damping system employing such a friction wedge includes a bolster pocket insert. The bolster pocket insert is configured to be at least partially received within a pocket of the bolster and has an inner face configured to engage the pocket of the bolster and an outer face configured to engage at least one of the first and second sloped surfaces of the back surface of the friction wedge.

Abstract: A freight rail car suspension has independent but co-operating springs; a first spring is load carrying and has a variable damping function and a second control spring operates on a friction shoe to apply a constant damping component. A practical embodiment has a friction shoe engaged for vertical displacement by the first spring which is mounted on a side frame and the second spring is obliquely arranged between the bolster of the bogie and the friction shoe, which has guides to cause it to move into greater frictional engagement upon load being applied through the spring. This arrangement provides a dual damping characteristic involving both constant damping and variable damping forces.

Abstract: A railroad car truck for a railroad freight car, such as an autorack car, has a bolster mounted cross-wise between two sideframes. The bolster ends are mounted on respective spring groups carried by the sideframes. The bolster can translate laterally relative to the sideframes. The side frames are mounted to swing laterally relative to the wheel sets, and hence relative to the rails. Resistance to lateral deflection is provided by the resistance of the sideframes to the pendulum swinging motion, and by shear in the spring groups. The truck has a doubled damper arrangement of dampers in a four-cornered layout at each end of the bolster, giving a flexing resistance to yaw between the sideframes and the bolster ends. The doubled damper arrangement works against large wear plates mounted on the sideframe columns. The large wear plates are mounted normal to the dampers and square to the sideframes.

Abstract: A rail road freight car truck has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The mounting interface between the ends of the axles and the sideframe pedestals allows lateral rocking motion of the sideframes in the manner of a swing motion truck. The lateral swinging motion is combined with a longitudinal self steering capability. The self steering capability may be obtained by use of a longitudinally oriented rocker that may tend to permit resistance to self steering that is proportional to the weight carried across the interface. The trucks may have auxiliary centering elements mounted in the pedestal seats, and those auxiliary centering elements may be made of resilient elastomeric material. The truck may also have friction dampers that have a disinclination to stick-slip behavior. The friction dampers may be provided with brake linings, or similar features, on the face engaging the sideframe columns, on the slope face, or both.

Abstract: This invention relates to bogies for railway rolling stock. In particular it relates to suspension arrangements for such bogies wherein the frame is mounted on a spring suspension arrangement. In one embodiment the spring suspension arrangement comprises two groups of springs on either side of a wheel axle (11), each group comprising an inner spring (14) and two outer fore and aft springs (15, 16). In another arrangement there are two lower springs (14) on either side of a wheel axle (11) and at least one upper spring (21) above the axle. The arrangements described provide better lateral and longitudinal stiffness and shear characteristics which, reduce hunting and wheel wear. They also enable the axles to accommodate increased loads.

Abstract: A single-piece friction wedge for use in damping relative movement between a bolster and a side frame of a railroad car truck includes a generally horizontal bottom surface, a generally vertical front surface, and a back surface oriented at an acute primary angle with respect to the front surface. The back surface has first and second sloped surfaces which are angled toward each other. A damping system employing such a friction wedge includes a bolster pocket insert. The bolster pocket insert is configured to be at least partially received within a pocket of the bolster and has an inner face configured to engage the pocket of the bolster and an outer face configured to engage at least one of the first and second sloped surfaces of the back surface of the friction wedge.

Abstract: A suspension for a rail vehicle includes a bogie pedestal 10, an axle box 11 and suspension springs 16, 18 and 19 arranged such that the axle box supports load exerted on the pedestal via the springs. The suspension includes a pair of wedge elements 20 urged, by means of springs 18 and 19, into engagement with faces 30 of the pedestal and faces 21 of the axle box. This engagement causes damping of axle box movements. Wedge elements 20 are urged resiliently in opposing directions A and B into frictional slidable contact at the faces 21 by means of additional preset springs 40 mounted at the pedestal 11. This further urging is independent of the load carried by the springs and provides improved suspension characteristics.

Abstract: A suspension for a rail vehicle includes at least one spring (18) carrying a wedge element (20) constrained to move in a vertical direction and a load application member (24) for engaging the wedge (20) to transmit the load to the wedge (20) along a direction. The damping ration of the suspension is variable by altering the engagement between the load application member (24) and the wedge (20) and hence the direction.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The dampers may include damper wedges having primary and secondary wedge angles. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The dampers may include damper wedges having primary and secondary wedge angles. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: A swing motion rail road freight car truck is provided that does not have lateral underslung cross bracing in the nature of a transom, a frame brace, or lateral rods. The truck has a truck bolster and a pair of sideframes, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the sideframes. The sideframes have spring seats for the groups of springs. The springs seats may be on rockers, or may be rigidly mounted in the sideframes. Friction dampers are provided in inboard and outboard pairs. The biasing force on the dampers urges then to that act between the bolster ands and sideframes to resist parallelogram deflection of the truck.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The dampers may include damper wedges having primary and secondary wedge angles. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: A rail road freight car truck has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The mounting interface between the ends of the axles and the sideframe pedestals allows lateral rocking motion of the sideframes in the manner of a swing motion truck. The lateral swinging motion is combined with a longitudinal self steering capability. The self steering capability may be obtained by use of a longitudinally oriented rocker that may tend to permit resistance to deflection that is proportional to the weight carried across the interface. The truck may have auxiliary centering elements mounted in the pedestal seats, and those auxiliary centering elements may be made of resilient elastomeric material. The truck may also have friction dampers that have a disinclination to stick-slip behavior. The friction dampers may be provided with brake linings, or similar features, on the face engaging the sideframe columns, on the slope face, or both.

Abstract: This invention relates to the field of mechanical engineering, notably to snubbing devices with friction shock absorbers used in railroad car for freight cars. The major tasks of proposed snubbing device for railroad car are the procurement of stable pressing of frictional wedge to inclined lateral surfaces of bogie bolster and to vertical surfaces of lateral frame of railroad car, and the procurement of friction force between vertical planes of friction wedge and lateral frame independently on car loading. Proposed technical solution lets to increase security and improve the running gear.

Abstract: This invention relates to bogies for railway rolling stock. In particular it relates to suspension arrangements for such bogies wherein the frame is mounted on a spring suspension arrangement. In one embodiment the spring suspension arrangement comprises two groups of springs on either side of a wheel axle (11), each group comprising an inner spring (14) and two outer fore and aft springs (15, 16). In another arrangement there are two lower springs (14) on either side of a wheel axle (11) and at least one upper spring (21) above the axle. The arrangements described provide better lateral and longitudinal stiffness and shear characteristics which, reduce hunting and wheel wear. They also enable the axles to accommodate increased loads.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The dampers may include damper wedges having primary and secondary wedge angles. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The dampers may include damper wedges having primary and secondary wedge angles. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has a relatively soft suspension and an empty vertical bounce natural frequency of less than 2.0 Hz. The car also has additional ballast to increase the dead sprung weight of the car relative to the weight of the lading. In the embodiments in which multi-unit articulated freight cars are employed, such as for auto rack rail cars, the ballast is located preferentially toward the coupler end trucks. The trucks for the rail car have an increased wheel base and damping located to provide a greater moment arm and bearing face to encourage a higher threshold for rail car hunting.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The dampers may include damper wedges having primary and secondary wedge angles. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: A rail road car truck has side frames mounted to rock on the wheelsets. A bolster is mounted cross-wise on the sideframes, each end of the bolster being seated on a spring group, each spring group being seated in one of the sideframe windows. The bolster has damper groups mounted at each end to work between the end of the bolster and the columns of the sideframe windows. The truck has a dynamic response to lateral perturbations that includes a first component due to the swinging of the sideframes on the sideframe pedestal rockers, and a second component that is due to lateral shear in the main spring groups. The pendulum action may tend to be softer than the lateral shear in the springs, and so therefore may tend to dominate the lateral response. This swing-dominant lateral response may be combined with a multiple damper arrangement.

Abstract: A swing motion rail road freight car truck is provided that does not have lateral underslung cross bracing in the nature of a transom, a frame brace, or lateral rods. The truck has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The side frames have spring seats for the groups of springs. The springs seats may be on rockers, or may be rigidly mounted in the side frames. Friction dampers are provided in inboard and outboard pairs. The biasing force on the dampers urges then to that act between the bolster ands and sideframes to resist parallelogram deflection of the truck.

Abstract: An improved three-piece truck system for railroad cars provides long travel side bearings for improved stability, a “wide” friction shoe design or equivalent to improve sideframe and bolster squareness, a resilient pedestal pad for improved curving performance and enhanced wear resistance, and a suspension system tuned and optimized for rail cars to have a minimum reserve capacity of less than 1.5 to improve motion control and ride quality, increase resistance to suspension bottoming, and increase hunting threshold speed. Such a motion control truck system is able to meet recent, more stringent American Association of Railroads standards, such as M-976, for railcars having a 286,000 lb. gross rail load rating.

Abstract: An autorack rail road car is provided with a truck that includes a pair of sideframes supported on wheel sets with bearing adapters positioned therebetween. The bearing adapters and the sideframes have associated parts or surfaces with curvatures configured to permit lateral swinging of the sideframes. A bolster is supported by the sideframes, and sets of laterally arranged dampers are provided therebetween to control the relationship between the sideframes and the bolster.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has a relatively soft suspension and an empty vertical bounce natural frequency of less than 2.0 Hz. The car also has additional ballast to increase the dead sprung weight of the car relative to the weight of the lading. In the embodiments in which multi-unit articulated freight cars are employed, such as for auto rack rail cars, the ballast is located preferentially toward the coupler end trucks. The trucks for the railcar have an increased wheel base and damping located to provide a greater moment arm and bearing face to encourage a higher threshold for rail car hunting.

Abstract: An auto rack rail road freight car is provided for carrying low density, relatively high value, relatively fragile lading. The car has trucks that have multiple dampers in a four corner arrangement in the sideframes. The spring groups in the side frames are relatively soft, giving a low vertical bounce natural frequency. In an articulated embodiment, differentially placed ballast is mounted in a biased arrangement to load the coupler end trucks to encourage a dynamic response similar to the dynamic response of the internal trucks.

Abstract: A friction wedge for a railroad car truck including a body and a wear member. The body includes a front face having a pocket adapted to removably receive the wear member. The pocket includes a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall extending outwardly from the bottom wall. The wear member includes a wear pad having a first wall and a connector member such as an adhesive layer attached to the first wall. The connector member removably attaches the first wall of the wear pad to the body. The peripheral side wall of the pocket extends around a side wall of the wear pad and prevents lateral sliding movement of the pad member with respect to the bottom wall of the pocket. The wear pad includes a second wall that is adapted to slidably engage the side frame of a railroad car truck to provide dampened movement of the bolster of the truck. The wear pad may be easily removed from the pocket when worn and replaced with a new wear pad while the body may be reused.

Abstract: A damping system for a rail car truck utilizes friction wedges supported on side springs to damp relative movement between the rail car truck bolster and the side frames supporting it. Each friction wedge has a generally triangular shape with an angle &thgr; defined between a vertical friction surface which bears against a side frame and a sloping friction surface which moves relative to the bolster. The angle &thgr; and the force P of each side spring are defined by Fw W .

Abstract: In a safe method of controlling the tilt of a rail vehicle traveling on a track, different sections of the track are allocated authorized tilt limit values representative of a safety gauge within which the train can tilt without risk of colliding with infrastructures near the tracks or a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. All tilting of the vehicle is prohibited beyond authorized tilt limit values allocated to the track section on which the vehicle is located.

Abstract: A friction shoe is provided for use in a railway freight car truck. A freight car truck comprises two laterally spaced sideframes with a bolster extending transversely between said sideframes. The bolster has two ends each of which extends into an opening in each sideframe and is supported by a spring group in each sideframe opening. A friction shoe is provided in a sloped pocket between each bolster end and a vertical face of the sideframe. The friction shoes are themselves comprised of a sloped wall, a vertical rear wall extending from a lower part of the rear wall to a lower part of the sloped wall, and side support walls. The friction shoe provides damping for the bolster supported on each spring group. The friction shoe of the present invention also includes generally circular openings in the side support walls.

Abstract: A damping system for a rail car truck utilizes friction wedges supported on side springs to damp relative movement between the rail car truck bolster and the side frames supporting it. Each friction wedge has a generally triangular shape with an angle &thgr; defined between a vertical friction surface which bears against a side frame and a sloping friction surface which moves relative to the bolster. The angle &thgr; and the force P of each side spring are defined by 1 Fw W . E = - P 2 · ( cos ⁢   ⁢ ( θ ) + ⁣ μ 2 ⁢ w · sin ⁡ ( θ ) ) ( μ 1 ⁢ w · cos ⁢   ⁢ ( θ ) + μ 1 ⁢ w · μ 2 ⁢ w · sin ⁡ ( θ ) + μ 2 ⁢ w · cos ⁢   ⁢ ( θ ) - sin ⁡ ( θ ) ) · 2 ⁣ · a · w w [ b · ( a · w w ) ] V c . W .

Abstract: A damping system for a rail car truck utilizes friction wedges supported on side springs to damp relative movement between the rail car truck bolster and the side frames supporting it. Each friction wedge has a generally triangular shape with an angle &thgr; defined between a vertical friction surface which bears against a side frame and a sloping friction surface which moves relative to the bolster. The angle &thgr; and the force P of each side spring are defined by Fw W .

Abstract: A running gear for a rail vehicle having sprung longitudinal members of plastic, connected to one another by means of a cross-member structure and at their free ends to axle-boxes for rail wheels. In order to obtain optimal stability of the wheelset guidance with reduced loading of the sprung longitudinal members, the longitudinal members each has at least two flexural springs between the ends of which in each case an axle-box is fixed in symmetrical arrangement.