Patent Application
20210381565
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of braking. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for applying brakes to a steel wheeled vehicle. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system and method applying brakes to a steel wheeled vehicle having improved performance.
Steel wheeled vehicles come in many designs and configurations and are used for a multitude of purposes. One exemplary steel wheeled vehicle is a bogie, which is typically attached to a railway vehicle. The bogie, among other things, supports the railway vehicle, guides the railway vehicle, and improves ride performance of the railway vehicle.
A typical bogie includes a frame, one or more steel wheel sets, one or more axles, one or more suspension assemblies, a bolster, and a braking system. The braking system typically includes a brake shoe, actuators, and adjusters. Applying the brake causes the brake shoe to press against the tread of the wheels. This creates friction between the brake shoe and the tread of the wheels causing the bogie, and the railway vehicle, to slow down. The actuators and adjusters are typically positioned below the one or more axles and between the wheels.
However, there are some drawbacks associated with utilizing brake shoes that contact the tread of the wheels. One drawback includes the brake shoe wearing quickly and/or in an uneven manner due to the non-planar surface of the tread of the wheels. Another drawback includes causing wear to the tread of the wheels through direct contact between the brake shoe and the tread of the wheels. As the brake shoes and tread of the wheels become worn, they typically need to be replaced at a high cost.
Another drawback includes the positioning of the actuators and adjusters. Positioning the actuators and adjusters below the one or more axles and between the wheels causes the actuators and adjusters to be close to the railroad rails, the ground, and/or debris on the ground. If the actuators and adjusters come into contact with the railroad rails, the ground, and/or the debris on the ground, the actuators and adjusters are easily broken. Replacing the actuators and adjusters is typically an expensive endeavor.
The present disclosure addresses these and other issues by providing a system and method for applying brakes to a steel wheeled vehicle.
In one aspect, the present disclosure may provide a braking system for a steel wheeled vehicle including an actuator assembly and a brake member operably engaged with the actuator assembly. The brake member contacts a flat surface of a wheel of the steel wheeled vehicle. The braking system further includes a brake surface of the brake member. The brake surface contacts an interior surface of a wheel flange of the wheel. The braking system further includes an axle of the steel wheeled vehicle operably engaged with the wheel and a bottommost point of the axle defining a plane tangent to the bottommost point. The actuator assembly is positioned above the plane.
The braking system further includes a slack adjuster operably engaged with the brake member. The braking system further includes an exterior surface of the wheel. The exterior surface of the wheel is free of any physical contact with the braking system. The braking system further includes a brake surface of the brake member. The brake surface is substantially orthogonal to a direction of travel of the wheel. The braking system further includes a frame assembly of the steel wheeled vehicle, an end of the frame assembly, and an axle of the steel wheeled vehicle operably engaged with the wheel. The axle is positioned proximate the end of the frame assembly. The brake member contacts the flat surface of the wheel between the end of the frame assembly and the axle.
In one example, the brake member is a first brake member, the wheel is a first wheel, and the braking system further includes a second brake member operably engaged with the actuator assembly. The first brake member contacts the flat surface of the first wheel of the steel wheeled vehicle and the second brake member contacts a flat surface of a second wheel of the steel wheeled vehicle. In one example, the braking system is positioned below a top of the wheel. In one example, the steel wheeled vehicle is a bogie.
In another aspect, the present disclosure may provide a method for applying brakes to a steel wheeled vehicle. The method includes applying brake pressure, via a brake member, to a flat surface of a wheel of the steel wheeled vehicle. The method includes applying the brake pressure, via the brake member, to an interior surface of a wheel flange of the wheel. The method includes applying the brake pressure, via a flat surface of the brake member, to the flat surface of the wheel. The method includes positioning an actuator assembly above a plane that is tangent to a bottommost point of an axle of the steel wheeled vehicle.
The method includes positioning a slack adjuster above a plane that is tangent to a bottommost point of an axle of the steel wheeled vehicle. The method includes setting, via the slack adjuster, an optimal distance between a brake surface of the brake member and an interior surface of a wheel flange of the wheel. The method includes applying the brake pressure, via the brake member, to the flat surface of the wheel in a substantially orthogonal direction relative to a direction of travel of the steel wheeled vehicle. The method includes applying the brake pressure, via the brake member, to the flat surface of the wheel between an end of a frame assembly of the steel wheeled vehicle and an axle proximate the end of the frame assembly.
In one example, the brake member is a first brake member, the wheel is a first wheel, and the method further includes applying the brake pressure, via the first brake member, to the flat surface of the first wheel and applying the brake pressure, via a second brake member, to a flat surface of a second wheel of the steel wheeled vehicle. The method further includes positioning the brake member below a top of the wheel.
In another aspect, the present disclosure may provide a braking system for a steel wheeled vehicle. The braking system includes an actuator assembly and a brake member operably engaged with the actuator assembly. The brake member contacts a flat surface of a wheel of the steel wheeled vehicle. A method for applying brakes to a steel wheeled vehicle is also provided. The method includes applying brake pressure, via a brake member, to a flat surface of a wheel of the steel wheeled vehicle.
A sample embodiment of the disclosure is set forth in the following description, is shown in the drawings and is particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are fully incorporated herein and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate various examples, methods, and other example embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure. It will be appreciated that the illustrated element boundaries (e.g., boxes, groups of boxes, or other shapes) in the figures represent one example of the boundaries. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that in some examples one element may be designed as multiple elements or that multiple elements may be designed as one element. In some examples, an element shown as an internal component of another element may be implemented as an external component and vice versa. Furthermore, elements may not be drawn to scale.
Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.
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The piston rod 52 is operably engaged with a piston (not shown) within the interior chamber 58D of the cylinder barrel 58. The piston rod 52 is moveable in a transverse direction as more fully described below.
The slack adjuster 54 includes a first threaded rod 60, a second threaded rod 61, and an adjustment mechanism 62. The direction of the thread of the first threaded rod 60 is opposite to the direction of the thread of the second threaded rod 61. The adjustment mechanism 62 is generally cylindrical in shape and includes a first end 62A and a second end 62B. The adjustment mechanism 62 further includes a threaded bore (not shown) extending transversely through the first end 62A and the second end 62B along a length of the adjustment mechanism 62. The direction of the thread of the threaded bore proximate the first end 62A of the adjustment mechanism 62 is configured to threadingly receive first rod 60. The direction of the thread of the threaded bore proximate the second end 62B of the adjustment mechanism 62 is configured to threadingly receive second rod 60. The first rod 60 is fixedly connected to the piston rod 52 and the second rod 61 is fixedly connected to the second link member 56 as more fully described below. The first rod 60, the second rod 61, and the adjustment mechanism 62 are operable to move in transverse directions as more fully described below.
The second link member 56 includes first link 56A, a second link 56B, and a base 64. The base 64 is a generally rectangular member including an outer surface 64A and an inner surface 64B. The outer surface 64A and the inner surface 64B are generally parallel to the inner surface 18B of the second mount 18. The first link 56A and the second link 56B are connected to, and extend from, the outer surface 64A of the base 64 in a transverse direction substantially orthogonal relative to the outer surface 64A. The first link 56A is spaced a distance from the second link 56B. The first link 56A and the second link 56B include apertures (not shown) extending therethrough. The first link 56A and the second link 56B are connected to the connecting portion 18C of the second mount 18 via the fastener 40.
As stated above, the braking system 10 of the present disclosure is utilized with a steel wheeled vehicle. For exemplary purposes, and with primary reference to
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Having thus described the structure of the braking system 10, and its associated components, primary reference is now made to
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This is accomplished via the slack adjuster 54 by manipulating the adjustment mechanism 62 to set the distance between the front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 and the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of one wheel 78 and the distance between the front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 and the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of the other wheel 78 to the optimal distances D. More particularly, the adjustment mechanism 62 is rotatable in a first direction and a second direction. When the adjustment mechanism 62 rotates in the first direction, the first rod 60 extends away from the adjustment mechanism 62 in a transverse direction and the second rod 61 extends away from the adjustment mechanism 62 in a transverse direction opposite to the transverse direction of the first rod 60. As such, rotating the adjustment mechanism 62 in the first direction decreases the distance between the front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 and the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of one wheel 78 and the distance between the front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 and the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of the other wheel 78 to the optimal distances D.
When the adjustment mechanism 62 rotates in the second direction, the first rod 60 retracts into the adjustment mechanism 62 in a transverse direction and the second rod 61 retracts into the adjustment mechanism 62 in a transverse direction opposite to the transverse direction of the first rod 60. As such, rotating the adjustment mechanism 62 in the second direction increases the distance between the front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 and the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of one wheel 78 and the distance between the front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 and the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of the other wheel 78 to the optimal distances D or to aid in replacing worn components, such as, for example, the friction portion 34 and the friction portion 38.
In one example, the optimal distance D is approximately one millimeter, however, the optimal distance D may be any suitable distance. Further, although a manual slack adjuster 54 has been described relative to the braking system 10, it is to be understood that the slack adjuster 54 can also be configured to automatically adjust distances to the optimal distance D or to aid in replacing worn components.
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More particularly, when the operator engages the braking system 10, hydraulic fluid (not shown) enters the first port 46 causing the piston rod 52 to move in the direction indicated by arrow B. This causes the first mount 16 to pivot about the first pivot axis X1, the first pivot assembly 20 to pivot about the third pivot axis X3, and the front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 to move in the direction indicated by arrow C. The front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 contacts the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of one of the wheels 78. This also causes the second mount 18 to pivot about the second pivot axis X2, the second pivot assembly 22 to pivot about the fourth pivot axis X4, and the front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 to move in the direction indicated by arrow D. The front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 contacts the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of the other wheel 78. As such, the braking pressure applied to the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of both wheels 78 causes the bogie 66 to slow down and/or come to a complete stop.
When the operator disengages the braking system 10, hydraulic fluid enters the second port 48 causing the piston rod 52 to move in the direction indicated by arrow E. This causes the first mount 16 to pivot about the first pivot axis X1, the first pivot assembly 20 to pivot about the third pivot axis X3, and the front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 to move in the direction indicated by arrow F. The front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 releases contact with the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of one of the wheels 78. This also causes the second mount 18 to pivot about the second pivot axis X2, the second pivot assembly 22 to pivot about the fourth pivot axis X4, and the front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 to move in the direction indicated by arrow G. The front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 releases contact with the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of the other wheel 78. As such, the braking pressure applied to the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of both wheels 78 is removed and the bogie 66 is free to move as desired.
It should be noted that some of the benefits of the braking system 10 for steel wheeled vehicles of the present disclosure compared to conventional braking systems for steel wheeled vehicles are at least that: a) the braking system 10 applies braking pressure to a flat surface of the wheels 78 (i.e., the front surface 34A of the friction portion 34 and the front surface 38A of the friction portion 38 make contact with the interior surface 86A of the wheel flange 86 of the wheels 78) reducing wear of the braking system 10 components and the wheels 78; b) the braking system 10 applies pressure in a direction orthogonal to the direction of travel allowing easier replacement of the braking system 10 components and reducing wear of the braking system 10 components and wheels 78; c) the components of the actuator assembly 28 (i.e., the hydraulic cylinder 44, the first port 46, the second port 48, the first link member 50, the piston rod 52, the slack adjuster 54, and the second link member 56) are all positioned above the plane P reducing the likelihood of the braking system 10 components being broken; and d) the exterior surface 86B of the wheel flange 86 of the wheels 78 and the semi-conical portion 84 of the wheels 78 are free of any physical connections to the braking system 10, reducing the number of components of the braking system 10 and allowing easier replacement of braking system 10 components.
Although particular types of connections between various components of the braking system 10 and the steel wheeled vehicle (i.e., the bogie 66) have been described, such as for example, a bonded connection between the mount portion 32 and the friction portion 34, a bonded connection between the mount portion 36 and the friction portion 38, a mechanical connection between the mount portion 32 and the outer surface 16A, and a mechanical connection between the mount portion 36 and the outer surface 18A, it is to be understood that the connections between the various components of the braking system 10 and between the braking system 10 components and the bogie 66 can be any suitable types of connections.
Also, various inventive concepts may be embodied as one or more methods, of which an example has been provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be ordered in any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed in which acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, which may include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown as sequential acts in illustrative embodiments.
While various inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure.
All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
The articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims (if at all), should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law.
As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc.
When a feature or element is herein referred to as being “on” another feature or element, it can be directly on the other feature or element or intervening features and/or elements may also be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly on” another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. It will also be understood that, when a feature or element is referred to as being “connected”, “attached” or “coupled” to another feature or element, it can be directly connected, attached or coupled to the other feature or element or intervening features or elements may be present. In contrast, when a feature or element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly attached” or “directly coupled” to another feature or element, there are no intervening features or elements present. Although described or shown with respect to one embodiment, the features and elements so described or shown can apply to other embodiments. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.
Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “lower”, “over”, “upper”, “above”, “behind”, “in front of”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompass both an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. Similarly, the terms “upwardly”, “downwardly”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “lateral”, “transverse”, “longitudinal”, and the like are used herein for the purpose of explanation only unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various features/elements, these features/elements should not be limited by these terms, unless the context indicates otherwise. These terms may be used to distinguish one feature/element from another feature/element. Thus, a first feature/element discussed herein could be termed a second feature/element, and similarly, a second feature/element discussed herein could be termed a first feature/element without departing from the teachings of the present invention.
An embodiment is an implementation or example of the present disclosure. Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, of the invention. The various appearances “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one particular embodiment,” or “other embodiments,” or the like, are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments.
If this specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
As used herein in the specification and claims, including as used in the examples and unless otherwise expressly specified, all numbers may be read as if prefaced by the word “about” or “approximately,” even if the term does not expressly appear. The phrase “about” or “approximately” may be used when describing magnitude and/or position to indicate that the value and/or position described is within a reasonable expected range of values and/or positions. For example, a numeric value may have a value that is +/−0.1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−1% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−2% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−5% of the stated value (or range of values), +/−10% of the stated value (or range of values), etc. Any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein.
Additionally, any method of performing the present disclosure may occur in a sequence different than those described herein. Accordingly, no sequence of the method should be read as a limitation unless explicitly stated. It is recognizable that performing some of the steps of the method in a different order could achieve a similar result.
In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures.
In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.
Moreover, the description and illustration of various embodiments of the disclosure are examples and the disclosure is not limited to the exact details shown or described.
