A brake shoe includes a backing plate, a composition friction material forming a brake pad. The brake pad has first and second opposite ends and first and second opposite lateral sides. A wear indicator is formed in at least one of the ends. The wear indicator extends outwards from at least one of the first end surface, the second end surface, the first lateral side surface, and the second lateral side surface at a set vertical position with respect to the back surface.

A vehicle brake system is provided that includes (or is formed from) a back plate configured to support a composite pad, at least one conditioning insert coupled to the back plate and configured to contact a surface of a wheel during a braking event and thereby to condition at least a portion of the surface of the wheel, and fins coupled with the at least one conditioning insert and configured to conduct heat generated by contact of the at least one conditioning insert with the at least the portion of the surface of the wheel away from the at least one conditioning insert.

A brake cylinder device having a parking spring brake mechanism, provided with a clutch mechanism configured so as to transmit or block urging force of a piston to or from a brake force transmitting unit; a latch member for restricting displacement of the brake force transmitting unit relative to the piston by engaging with the clutch mechanism, and allowing displacement of the brake force transmitting unit relative to the piston by disengaging from the clutch mechanism; a latch lock member for engaging at an inclined part with a protruding part of the latch member; and a rotation-preventing part for preventing the latch lock member from rotating.

A debris eradicating brake head for use in a side frame mounted braking system in a railway vehicle. The brake head being mounted on an end of a brake beam and including a brake shoe carrier associated with the brake head, a brake shoe secured to a face portion of the brake shoe carrier, and a brake head extension extending from a side portion of the brake shoe carrier for associating the brake head within a unit guide in a side frame of the railway vehicle. The brake head extension including at least one of a first and a second tapered surface configured for breaking up and pushing debris out of the unit guide in the side frame. Eradication of debris within the side frame increases the braking efficiency of the railway vehicle as it reduces the amount of force necessary for applying the brake shoes to the wheels.

A conditioning insert of a friction device includes a body having a conditioning surface configured to engage a wheel, opposite first and second sides intersecting the conditioning surface, and opposite third and fourth sides intersecting the conditioning surface. Each of the first and second sides extend from the third side to the fourth side. The body includes one or more of (a) a recess extending into one or more of the first side, the second side, the third side, or the fourth side and is configured to receive friction material of the friction device and/or (b) a protrusion extending out of the first side, the second side, the third side, or the fourth side and into the friction material of the friction device.

A brake shoe includes a backing plate configured to interface with a brake head of a vehicle. The backing plate includes a main body and a flange attached to the main body and configured to align the brake shoe on a wheel of the vehicle. The brake shoe also includes a composition friction material disposed on the backing plate, which defines a brake surface for engaging the wheel. The brake shoe may have one or more dimensional characteristics for facilitating alignment of the brake shoe with the wheel, e.g., a ratio of a shortest horizontal distance to a shortest vertical distance of the brake shoe may be at least 1.07 and no more than 1.25, or a ratio of a length of the main body of the brake shoe to a length of the flange may be at least 1.3 and not more than 1.7.

A friction device may include a backing plate connected with a friction material. The friction device may include a conditioning insert at least partially embedded within the friction material. The conditioning insert may include opposite first and second longitudinal sides that extend from the backing plate to the conditioning surface and opposite first and second lateral sides that extend from the backing plate to the conditioning surface. The first longitudinal side, the second longitudinal side, the first lateral side, and/or the second lateral side of the conditioning insert can include one or more protrusions extending away from the first longitudinal side, the second longitudinal side, the first lateral side, and/or the second lateral side and into the friction material.

A vehicle brake system is provided that includes (or is formed from) a back plate configured to support a composite pad, at least one conditioning insert coupled to the back plate and configured to contact a surface of a wheel during a braking event and thereby to condition at least a portion of the surface of the wheel, and fins coupled with the at least one conditioning insert and configured to conduct heat generated by contact of the at least one conditioning insert with the at least the portion of the surface of the wheel away from the at least one conditioning insert.

A block for wheel brakes comprising a friction portion, in which a friction surface is defined, which, in use, acts upon a peripheral surface of a wheel in order to carry out the braking action, a support plate, which is fixed, in an irreversible manner, to a surface of the friction portion opposite the friction surface, and a base plate, which is fixed to the support plate and comprises a coupling element to fix the block as a whole to a brake system. The block comprises at least one elastic element placed between the support plate and the base plate. The presence of the elastic element creates a ventilation air space between the support plate and the base plate.

A vehicle brake system includes a back plate that may support a composite pad, and at least one conditioning insert coupled to the back plate and that may contact a surface of a wheel during a braking event and thereby to condition at least a portion of the surface of the wheel. Optionally, the back plate can define a U-shaped coupler that is centrally located and has two ends that are distal from the coupler. The back plate can have a centerline extending from a first end of the ends to a second end of the ends while passing through a center of the back plate, and the at least one conditioning insert can be disposed off of the centerline so as to not be centrally disposed.