Rail road car truck and bearing adapter fitting therefor

Abstract

A rail road freight car truck, which may be a Barber S2HD truck or other kind of truck, has a truck bolster and a pair of side frames, the truck bolster being mounted transversely relative to the side frames. The sidefrmes are mouted on a pair of wheelsets. The bolster may be resiliently sprung and may have friction dampers. Either the friction dampers or the sideframe column wear plates may have a non-metallic wear plate, or wear surface, which may be replaceable, and which may tend to exhibit non-stick slip, or reduced stick slip behaviour in use. Bearing adapters may be mounted on the bearings of the wheelsets, and resilient pad members may be mounted on the bearing adapters. The pedestal seats may sit over the resilient pads. There may be a discontinuity in the vertical load path between the pedestal roof and the bearing. The discontinuity in the vertical load path may tend to shed a portion of the vertical load to either side of the top rollers of the bearing races to a greater extent than if the vertical load path discontinuity were not present.

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       17 . A bearing adapter for installation between a bearing of a railroad car truck wheelset and a pedestal mounting of a railroad car truck sideframe, the wheelset bearing having an axis of rotation defining an axial direction, and first and second axially spaced apart bearing races contained within a bearing casing, the bearing races extending about the axis in a circumferential direction, the pedestal mounting having a roof that, in operation, lies over the bearing, wherein said bearing adapter comprises: 
 a body having a first scat for engagement with the casing of the wheel bearing, and a second seat for orientation facing toward the pedestal mounting roof;    said first seat including first and second side portions having surfaces for mating with the bearing casing at circumferentially spaced apart locations abreast of one of the bearing races;    said first seat including a central portion located circumferentially between said side portions, at least part of said central portion including a relief; and,    said bearing adapter being mountable on the bearing in a position in which said relief of said part of said central portion is located abreast of and above one of the bearing races and said first and second portions are located circumferentially to either side of top dead center of the bearing respectively, and, when so mounted, said first and second portions defining dominant load transfer interfaces from said bearing adapter into said bearing for vertical loads from the sideframe passed into said bearing adapter at said second seat.    
   
   
       18 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said bearing adapter has a first arch and a second arch, said first and second arches being axially spaced apart, with said first, second and central portions of said first seat lying therebetween.  
   
   
       19 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said relief formed in said bearing adapter extends predominantly axially.  
   
   
       20 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said first seat is relieved at top dead center locations corresponding to both of the two bearing races.  
   
   
       21 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said relief includes an axially extending slot  
   
   
       22 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  further including a circumferentially extending groove locatable on the bearing casing axially intermediate the bearing races.  
   
   
       23 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  further including a circumferentially extending groove locatable on the bearing casing axially intermediate the bearing races and said relief includes an axially extending slot intersecting said groove.  
   
   
       24 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said first and second side portions are formed on radiused arcs of a first radius of curvature, said radius of curvature having a center of curvature, and, at the location of said relieved part, said central portion has a surface facing toward said center of curvature, said surface of said relief lying a distance greater than said first radius of curvature from said center of curvature.  
   
   
       25 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said first scat has an array of pads formed on an arcuate profile each of said first and second portions including respective first and second ones of said pads, said first and second pads being circumferentially separated by said relief of said part of said central portion of said first seat.  
   
   
       26 . The bearing adapter of  claim 25  wherein: 
 there is a first pad, and a second pad, a third pad and a fourth pad;    said first pad and said second pad are axially spaced from said third and fourth pads;    said first pad is circumferentially spaced from said second pad;    said third pad is circumferentially spaced from said fourth pad; and    said relieved part of said central portion is located circumferentially between said first pad and said second pad, and between said third pad and said fourth pad.    
   
   
       27 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said first scat defines an underside of said bearing adapter, said underside having a predominantly arched shape, the arched shape having an apex, and said relief lies at the apex of said arched shape and, when installed, extends over one of the bearing races.  
   
   
       28 . The bearing adapter of  claim 17  wherein said first seat defines an underside of said bearing adapter, said underside having a predominantly arched shape, said arched shape having an axially extending apex, and said relief of said part of said central portion runs axially along the apex of the predominantly arched shape.  
   
   
       29 . The bearing adapter of  claim 28  wherein the underside has a circumferentially formed groove, and said groove intersects said relief of said central portion.  
   
   
       30 . A combination of the bearing adapter of  claim 17 , and a resilient pad, said resilient pad being engageable in said second seat.  
   
   
       31 . The combination of  claim 30  wherein said resilient pad extends over said central portion of said bearing adapter.  
   
   
       32 . The combination of  claim 30  wherein said bearing adapter includes end walls and corner portions co-operable to seat about pedestal jaw thrust lugs, and said resilient pad includes an end portion engageable to one of said end walls of said bearing adapter between said corner portions, and, on installation, said end portion seats between the thrust lug and the end portion.  
   
   
       33 . The combination of the bearing adapter of  claim 17  and a wheel bearing, the bearing adapter being seated thereon.  
   
   
       34 . A railroad car truck having a pair of sideframes and a truck bolster mounted cross-wise therebetween, said sideframes having pedestal mounts, and said sideframes being mounted to wheelsets, the wheelsets having bearings, and bearing adapters according to  claim 17  being mounted in said pedestal mounts on said bearings.  
   
   
       35 . The railroad car truck of  claim 34  wherein resilient pads arc mounted to said bearing adapters between said second scats thereof and said pedestal mounts.  
   
   
       36 . The railroad car truck of  claim 34  wherein said truck is a Barber S2HD truck.