Railway car suspension

Claim 2

A suspension for vehicles, particularly for axle and cradle suspensions for rail vehicles, having an undercarriage spring support bracket for the wheel axle bearing, comprising linkage means connected between the axle bearing and the undercarriage spring support bracket including a spring element having a pluralIty of concentrically and alternatingly arranged metal and intermediate rubber sleeves including at least one outer and one inner metal sleeve, said sleeves being jointed to each other through said intermediate rubber sleeves, a housing being nonrotatably connected to one of said outer and inner metal sleeves, and a swivel arm being connected to the other of said outer and inner sleeves for articulatively supporting said wheel axle bearing, said metal sleeves and said intermediate rubber sleeves having circumferentially extending cutout portions, a cam fixed to said housing and extending into the cutout portions of said metal sleeves and said rubber sleeves, said cam and the cutout portions being dimensioned to permit selective amounts of relative movement when said spring element is stressed between each sleeve and said cam before each sleeve engages against said cam.

Claim 3

A suspension according to claim 1, wherein said inner sleeve is rigidly connected to said housing, means mounting said housing on said spring support bracket, said housing having a detachable end face, and wherein said cam is defined at said end face connected to said inner metal sleeve.

Claim 4

A suspension according to claim 1, wherein said housing is concentrically arranged in respect to said wheel axle bearing, said spring element being split lengthwise, said swivel arm being connected to said inner sleeve and having a portion extending outwardly through each part of said split spring element, said housing embracing said spring comprising angle flanges connected to said outer sleeve.

Claim 5

An axle suspension according to claim 1 wherein said inner sleeve carries said swivel arm, said swivel arm defining said cam, said sleeves being dimensioned to have increasing clearance with said cam from the inner sleeve to the outer sleeve.

Claim 6

A suspension according to claim 1, including a friction sleeve connected non-rotatably to one of said sleeves between the outer and inner sleeves, and the inner wall of said housing.

Claim 7

A suspension according to claim 1, wherein said housing cooperating with said friction sleeve is cylindrical on at least one side and including a pendulum link attachment connected from said swivel arm to said axle bearing housing.

Claim 8

A suspension according to claim 1, wherein said housing and said axle bearing housing have cooperable surfaces with a friction surface thereon and are of spherical construction, and including a swivel arm having a pendulum attachment connected thereto and to said axle bearing housing.

Claim 9

An suspension according to claim 1, including a yoke mounted on said axle bearing housing, and a link pendulum attachment connected between said yoke and said swivel arm.

Claim 10

A suspension according to claim 1, wherein said spring support bracket includes a flat base portion, said spring housing having a base mounted on said flat base portion and being detachably connected thereto.

Claim 11

A suspension according to claim 1, wherein said spring element housing comprises the wheel axle bearing housing and being formed on each side of said bearing housing such as by casting, forging, pressing or welding.

Claim 12

A suspension for vehicles, particularly for axle and cradle suspensions for rail vehicles, having an undercarriage spring support bracket for the wheel axle bearing, comprising linkage means connected between the axle bearing and the undercarriage spring support bracket including a spring element having a plurality of concentrically and alternatingly arranged metal and intermediate rubber sleeves including at least one outer and one inner metal sleeve, said sleeves being jointed to each other through said intermediate rubber sleeves, a housing being non-rotatably connected to one of said outer and inner metal sleeves, and a swivel arm being connected to the other of said outer and inner sleeves for articulatively supporting said wheel axle bearing, said housing carrying a cam on an end wall connected to said inner sleeve, the sleeves extending outwardly from said inner Sleeve having a cutout end portion into which said cam engages, said cutouts of the cams being progressively larger from the inner sleeve to said outer sleeve so that the sleeves progressively bear against the cam upon being turned by torsion on the load in a progression from the innermost sleeve toward the outermost sleeve to permit the innermost sleeve layers to become exhausted by torsion and bear against the cam while the others have not yet engaged the cam.

Claim 13

A suspension for vehicles, particularly for axle and cradle suspensions for rail vehicles, having an undercarriage spring support bracket for the wheel axle bearing, comprising linkage means connected between the axle bearing and the undercarriage spring support bracket including a spring element having a plurality of concentrically and alternatingly arranged metal and intermediate rubber sleeves including at least one outer and one inner metal sleeve, said sleeves being jointed to each other through said intermediate rubber sleeves, a housing being non-rotatably connected to one of said outer and inner metal sleeves, and a swivel arm being connected to the other of said outer and inner sleeves for articulatively supporting said wheel axle bearing, said housing carrying a cam on an end wall connected to said inner sleeve, the sleeves extending outwardly from said inner Sleeve having a cutout end portion into which said cam engages, said cutouts of the cams being progressively larger from the inner sleeve to said outer sleeve so that the sleeves progressively bear against the cam upon being turned by torsion on the load in a progression from the innermost sleeve toward the outermost sleeve to permit the innermost sleeve layers to become exhausted by torsion and bear against the cam while the others have not yet engaged the cam.