Brake unit having a slack adjuster

摘要

A brake unit for automatically adjusting slack between the brake surfaces of a railway brake has a pre-stressed spring which is released during the initial stroke of the brake piston in a braking application so as to expedite contact of the brake surfaces. After slack has been overcome, further movement of the piston in the braking direction will cause the force-transmitting components to be coupled together so that braking force is transmitted directly to the brake surfaces by subsequent movement of the piston in the braking direction. The release of the pre-stressed spring during the overcoming of slack in the brake rigging will increase the speed of the brake application with respect to the speed of the braking piston.