GB2090212A

GB2090212A - An articulated I-section overhead rail connection

Info

Publication number: GB2090212A
Application number: GB8134425A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: NEUHAUSER KG
Current assignee: NEUHAUSER KG
Priority date: 1980-12-06
Filing date: 1981-11-16
Publication date: 1982-07-07
Also published as: GB2090212B; DE3046045C2; DE3046045A1

Abstract

The suspension and guide assembly (4) comprises a U-shaped lock body (6) and a suspension strap (9) pivoted in one arm (7) of the body and locking on the other arm (8) to form a closed lockable eye. The suspension strap (9) has at least one abutment (11) which, when the rail ends (1, 1a) have been mated (by connecting half-hinges (23)), embraces the guide tongue (5), which protrudes into a guide recess (10) in the lock body (6), and thus locks the guide tongue in place. The abutment (11) is formed on a locking arm (14) which has a locking claw (15) for embracing the guide tongue (5) for added security. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION An articulated rail connection This invention relates to an articulated rail connection for the joints in the I-section track rails of overhead single-rail tracks, consisting of hinge members disposed under the lower flanges of the I-section track rails and a suspension and guide assembly disposed over the upper flanges of the I-section track rails, in which the hinge members consist of two half-hinges, one of which is mounted on each rail end, the suspension and guide assembly being attached to a trailing rail end, while a guide tongue is provided on the leading end of the next rail end to bridge the gap between the two rail ends, and the half-hinge on the next rail is inserted from above into the half hinge on the preceding rail end, the suspension and guide assembly having a U-shaped lock body and a suspension strap pivoted on one arm of the body and locking on the other arm to form a closed eye, while the suspension strap has at least one abutment which embraces the guide tongue after it is engaged into a guide recess in the lock body in the assembled rail joint, to lock the guide tongue in position, and the arm of the body to which the suspension strap closes having a hole to accommodate a locking pin. This articulated rail connector has proved intrinsically sound, but it is capable of improvement in respect of the means for holding and guiding the guide tongue.

The object of the invention is to provide an articulated rail connection of the type described above with improved means for holding and guiding the guide tongue.

According to the present invention an articulated rail connection of the type described above has the abutment formed by a shoulder on a locking arm, and the locking arm has the locking pin on one side of the shoulder and a locking claw for embracing the guide tongue on the other side of the shoulder.

These features of the invention have the result that the guide tongue engaging into the guide recess and embraced by the abutment is particularly secure in its locking position, because it is now additionally embraced by a locking claw which in effect extends the abutment. In this way, the locking claw takes on the additional functions of both holding and guiding the guide tongue.

Thus, the guide tongue is prevented from moving out of place and the rail joint is secure in all circumstances. It even remains secure should the guide recess for the guide tongue be inadvertently torn under abrupt braking action, since the guide tongue will still remain in the locking position, being still embraced by the locking claw, and will be unable to move either sideways or downwards, so that the possibility of the rolling stock being derailed is positively excluded. In fact, by virtue of its locking claw the locking arm assumes an additional suspension function, at least for the rail end to which the guide tongue is secured. Thus in this connection the stability of the articulated rail connection of the invention is optimised.In this connection, the locking arm and its locking claw also relieves the load on the articulated connection and its hinge members on the lower flanges of the abutted rail ends. Therein are to be seen the significant advantages accruing from the invention.

The locking pin preferably has a journal section inserted into the bearing hole and a threaded section projecting on the further side of the arm from the side having the abutment shoulder, so that the locking arm with its locking claw is satisfactorily journalled and secured. Particularly high security is achieved by forming the locking arm as a single piece, for example by forging or casting, incorporating the locking pin, the abutment-forming shoulder and the locking claw integrally.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail connection in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a section taken on the line A-B of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a section taken on the line C-D of Figure 1.

The drawings show an articulated rail connection for adjacent obliquely cut ends 1, 1 a of I-section track rails for overhead single-rai! tracks.

This rail connection consists basically of hinge members 2, 3 welded on the undersides of the lower flanges of the I-section track rails and a suspension and guide assembly 4 welded on top of the upper flange of the trailing rail end 1 , while an arcuate guide tongue 5 is provided on the adjacent leading rail end 1 a to bridge the gap between the two rail ends 1, 1 a. The hinge member 3 on the rail end 1 a is inserted from above, vertically or obiiquely, into the hinge member 2 on the rail end 1. The suspension and guide assembly 4 has a U-shaped body 6 and a suspension strap 9 which is pivoted on one arm 7 and can be locked to the other arm 8 to form a closed eye.The suspension strap 9 has an abutment 11 which embraces the guide tongue 5 after it has been engaged into a guide recess 10 in the lock body 6 in the assembled rail joint 1, 1 a, to lock the guide tongue 5 in position. The arm 8 of the lock body has a bearing hole 12 to accommodate a locking pin 13 on the suspension strap 9. The abutment 11 is formed by a shoulder on a locking arm 14, which has the locking pin 13 on one side of the shoulder 11 and a locking claw 1 5 embracing the guide tongue 5 on the other side of the shoulder 11. The locking pin 13 has a journal section 16 inserted into the bearing hole 12 and a threaded section 1 7 projecting on the further side of the arm 8 from the side having the abutment shoulder 1 The locking pin 13, the abutment-forming shoulder 11 and the locking claw 1 5 are formed integrally into a single-piece locking arm 14, which can be made as a forging or casting for example.

Claims

1. An articulated rail connection for the joints in the I-section track rails of overhead single-rail tracks, consisting of hinge members disposed under the lower flanges of the I-section track rails and a suspension and guide assembly disposed over the upper flanges of the I-section track rails, in which the hinge members consist of two halfhinges, one of which is mounted on each rail end, the suspension and guide assembly being attached to a trailing rail end, while a guide tongue is provided on the leading end of the next rail end to bridge the gap between the two rail ends, and the half-hinge on the next rail end is inserted from above into the half-hinge on the preceding rail end, the suspension and guide assembly having a U-shaped lock body and a suspension strap pivoted on one arm of the body and locking on the other arm to form a closed eye, while the suspension strap has at least one abutment which embraces the guide tongue after it is engaged into a guide recess in the lock body in the assembled rail joint, to lock the guide tongue in position, and the arm of the body to which the suspension strap closes having a hole to accommodate a locking pin, the abutment being formed by a shoulder on a locking arm, and the locking arm having the locking pin on one side of the shoulder and a locking claw for embracing the guide tongue on the other side of the shoulder.

2. A rail connection as in Claim 1, wherein the locking pin has a journal section inserted into the bearing hole and a threaded section projecting on the further side of the arm of the body from the side having the abutment shoulder.

3. A rail connection as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the locking arm is made as a single piece incorporating the locking pin, the abutmentforming shoulder and the locking claw integrally.

4. An articulated rail connection for the joints in the I-section track rails of overhead single-rail tracks substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.