IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,758,181

Granted Patent B2

US 9,758,181 · App. 14/562,005 · Granted Sep 12, 2017

Railcar truck roller bearing adapter pad systems

Inventors: Erik L. Gotlund (Green Oaks, IL); Jon R. Jeambey (Naperville, IL); F. Andrew Nibouar (Chicago, IL); James A. Pike (Fairview, PA); Jason C. Bryant (Erie, PA); Jonathan A. Stull (Erie, PA); William A. Kurtzhals (Erie, PA); Roshan N. Manibharathi (Des Plaines, IL)

Assignee: Nevis Industries LLC

B61F5/26 B61F5/125 B61F5/305 B61F5/32 B61F5/50 Y10T29/49622

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 9,758,181
App. No.: 14/562,005
Granted: Sep 12, 2017
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

A railcar truck and adapter pad system for placement between a roller bearing and side frame pedestal roof of a three-piece railcar truck. Many different features of the pad and/or the adapter-pad interface are configured to improve stiffness characteristics to satisfy both curving and high speed performance of the railcar truck.

Claims (79)

1. A roller bearing adapter pad system configured for use with a three-piece truck having AAR standard geometry comprising:

a roller bearing adapter configured to engage a roller bearing, the roller bearing adapter comprising:

a crowned top surface;

a bottom surface configured to engage a roller bearing;

first and second vertical shoulders that project upwardly from opposite lateral edges of the top surface, each vertical shoulder having a width of at least 0.5 inches;

first and second longitudinal stops that project upwardly from opposite longitudinal edges of the top surface;

wherein the roller bearing adapter is symmetrical about a lateral centerline and symmetrical about a longitudinal centerline

wherein the thickness of the roller bearing adapter measured between the crowned top surface and the bottom surface is less than 0.75 inches as measured at the longitudinal centerline;

wherein the roller bearing adapter has cross-sectional moment of inertia of a cross-section at the longitudinal centerline of the roller bearing adapter around a lateral axis about 5.2 inches above a center axis of an axle that is in the range of about 1.0 in 4 to about 2.0 in 4 ;

wherein the roller bearing adapter has a cross-sectional moment of inertia of a cross-section at the longitudinal centerline of the roller bearing adapter around a vertical axis at the center of the adapter that is in the range of about 50 in 4 to about 100 in 4 ;

an adapter pad engaged with the roller bearing adapter and configured to engage a side frame pedestal roof, the adapter pad comprising:

a continuous top plate having a central portion, first and second upturned regions projecting upwardly from opposite edges of the central portion, a first lateral flange projecting outwardly from the first upturned region, and a second lateral flange projecting outwardly from the second upturned region;

a continuous bottom plate having a central portion, first and second upturned regions projecting upwardly from opposite edges of the central portion, a first lateral flange projecting outwardly from the first upturned region, and a second lateral flange projecting outwardly from the second upturned region;

a first outer elastomeric member disposed between the first lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates, having a static thickness within the range of 0.15 inches to 0.30 inches;

a second outer elastomeric member disposed between the second lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates, having a static thickness within the range of 0.15 inches to 0.30 inches;

a central elastomeric member disposed between the central portion of the top and bottom plates, having uniform thickness, having a substantially uniform static thickness within the range of 0.15 inches to 0.25 inches;

a first substantially hollow portion disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate and between the central elastomeric member and the first outer elastomeric member;

a second substantially hollow portion disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate and between the central elastomeric member and the second outer elastomeric member;

a first lateral adapter grip disposed between an inside surface of the first vertical shoulder of the engaged roller bearing adapter and the first upturned region of the bottom plate;

a second lateral adapter grip disposed between an inside surface of the second vertical shoulder of the engaged roller bearing adapter and the second upturned region of the bottom plate;

a first lateral side frame grip disposed on an outer surface of the first upturned region of the top plate;

a second lateral side frame grip disposed between an outer surface of the second upturned region of the top plate;

wherein the first and second laterally projecting flanges of the top plate and the bottom plate and the first and second outer elastomeric members of each adapter pad are entirely disposed above the vertical shoulders of the roller bearing adapter.

2. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the adapter is between 0.60 and 0.75 inches as measured at the longitudinal centerline from bottom surface to the crowned top surface of the roller bearing adapter.

3. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 1 , wherein the first outer elastomeric member and the second outer elastomeric member of each of the adapter pads are precompressed between the respective first lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates and the second lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates.

4. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 1 , wherein the bottom plate of each adapter pad is fixedly engaged with the roller bearing adapter such that movement between the bottom plate and each roller bearing adapter is restricted.

5. A roller bearing adapter pad system configured for use with a three-piece truck having AAR standard geometry comprising:

a roller bearing adapter configured to engage a roller bearing, the roller bearing adapter comprising:

a top surface;

a bottom surface configured to engage a roller bearing;

first and second vertical shoulders that project upwardly from opposite lateral edges of the top surface, each vertical shoulder having a width of at least 0.5 inches and a height in the range of 0.75 inches to 1.5 inches;

an adapter pad engaged with the roller bearing adapter and configured to engage a side frame pedestal roof, the adapter pad comprising:

a first outer elastomeric member disposed between the first lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates, defining a first outer edge;

a second outer elastomeric member disposed between the second lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates, defining a second outer edge;

a central elastomeric member disposed between the central portion of the top and bottom plates, defining a third outer edge;

a first substantially hollow portion disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate and between the central elastomeric member and the first outer elastomeric member;

a second substantially hollow portion disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate and between the central elastomeric member and the second outer elastomeric member;

wherein the combined surface area of the first and second outer elastomeric members at cross-sectional planes through the first and second outer elastomeric members in planes centered between the inner surfaces of the top and bottom plates is at least 10 percent of the surface area of the central elastomeric member at a cross-section plane through the center of the central elastomeric member in a centered between the inner surfaces of the top and bottom plates; and

wherein the combined top plate, bottom plate, and elastomeric members provide a longitudinal stiffness of at least 45,000 pounds per inch through a longitudinal displacement of the top plate relative to the bottom plate of up to 0.139 inches from a central position, a lateral stiffness of at least 45,000 pounds per inch through a lateral displacement of the top plate relative to the bottom plate of up to 0.234 inches from the central position, and a rotational stiffness of at least 250,000 pound *inches per radian of rotation through a rotational displacement of the top plate relative to the bottom plate of up to 41 milliradians from the central position when a vertical load of 35,000 pounds is applied to the central portions of the adapter pad.

6. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 5 , wherein a first outer elastomeric member, the second outer elastomeric member, and the central elastomeric member are comprised of natural rubber.

7. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 5 , wherein a first outer elastomeric member, the second outer elastomeric member, and the central elastomeric member have a hardness between 65-80 Shore A durometer.

8. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 5 , wherein the first and second outer elastomeric members have a static thickness that is greater than a static thickness of the central elastomeric member.

9. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 5 , the surface area of the first outer elastomeric member at a cross-sectional plane through the first outer elastomeric member centered between the inner surfaces the top and bottom plates is greater than 2.5 square inches; and the surface area of the second outer elastomeric member at a cross-sectional plane through second outer elastomeric member in a plane centered between the inner surfaces of the top and bottom plates is greater than 2.5 square inches.

10. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 5 , wherein the combined surface area of the first and second outer elastomeric members at cross-sectional planes through the first and second outer elastomeric members in planes centered between the inner surfaces of the top and bottom plates is greater than 5 square inches.

11. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 5 , wherein the first and second outer edges include a continuous radius measured from a center point of the central portion of the top plate.

12. A roller bearing adapter pad system configured for use with a three-piece truck having AAR standard geometry comprising:

a roller bearing adapter configured to engage a roller bearing, the roller bearing adapter comprising:

a crowned top surface;

a bottom surface configured to engage a roller bearing;

an adapter pad engaged with the roller bearing adapter and configured to engage a side frame pedestal roof, the adapter pad comprising:

a continuous top plate;

a continuous bottom plate;

an elastomeric member disposed between the top and bottom plates, having a static thickness within the range of 0.15 inches to 0.30 inches;

wherein the surface area of the elastomeric member at a cross-sectional plane centered between the inner surfaces of the top and bottom plates is greater than about 50 square inches;

13. A roller bearing adapter pad system configured for use with a three-piece truck having AAR standard geometry comprising:

a roller bearing adapter configured to engage a roller bearing, the roller bearing adapter comprising:

a crowned top surface;

a bottom surface configured to engage a roller bearing; and

an adapter pad engaged with the roller bearing adapter and configured to engage a side frame pedestal roof, the adapter pad comprising:

a first outer elastomeric member disposed between the first lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates;

a second outer elastomeric member disposed between the second lateral flanges of the top and bottom plates;

a central elastomeric member disposed between the central portion of the top and bottom plates;

a first substantially hollow portion disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate and between the central elastomeric member and the first outer elastomeric member;

a second substantially hollow portion disposed between the top plate and the bottom plate and between the central elastomeric member and the second outer elastomeric member;

14. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 13 , wherein the top plate, bottom plate, and elastomeric member of the adapter pad provide a vertical stiffness of at least 5,000,000 pounds per inch through a vertical displacement of the top plate relative to the bottom plate up to 0.05 inches.

15. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 13 , wherein the top plate has a uniform thickness, and the bottom plate has a non-uniform thickness.

16. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 13 , wherein the combined top plate, bottom plate, and elastomeric members of the adapter pad provide a shear strain that does not exceed 120% under maximum displacement.

17. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 13 , wherein the longitudinal hysteresis is less than about 1500 lbs.

18. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 13 , wherein the lateral displacement hysteresis is less than about 6,000 lbs.

19. The roller bearing adapter pad system of claim 13 , wherein the twist hysteresis is less than about 16,000 lbs*in.

Assignments (1)

ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 8, 2016

From: JEAMBEY, JON R.; GOTLUND, ERIK L.; NIBOUAR, F. ANDREW; PIKE, JAMES A.; BRYANT, JASON C.; STULL, JONATHAN A.; KURTZHALS, WILLIAM A.; MANIBHARATHI, ROSHAN N.

To: NEVIS INDUSTRIES LLC

Reel/Frame 037924/0137 →

Continuity (3)

Provisional Application 62065438 · Oct 17, 2014

Provisional Application 61921961 · Dec 30, 2013

Related Publication 20150183444A1 · Jul 2, 2015