US1096348A - Bridge costruction. - Google Patents

Description

H. P. BURDEN. BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1912. 1,096,348. Patented May 12, 1914. Fig-1 "fig; 3 3 "1* c V .m m f g g i; m A

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HENRY PERCY BURDEN, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY PERCY Bonner, a subject of the King of Great Britain, a resident of the city of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridge Construction; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates particularly to the bridge floor and is equally applicable to the floors of new and old bridges.

It has for its object to provide a floor structure, the members of which will maintain proper relative positions under strains heretofore the cause of disorganization, and,

at the same time, prevent accidents by the spreading of the rails.

Further objects of the invention are to increase the life of the bridge floors, simplify the construction thereof, facilitate repairs, and reduce the labor necessary to effective maintenance.

The invention consists, broadly speaking, of a bridge structure having transverse permanent members, permanent longitudinal members, a series of ties supported on the longitudinal members, the end ties of such series lying in tight contact with and braced against the transverse members, and a series of alined metallic devices lying upon the surface of and engaging and preventing lateral and longitudinal displacement of the said ties and maintaining the proper gage of the rails, the latter being particularly important in preventing the accidents and loss of life due to the spreading of the rails, the width of the portions of the device resting upon the ties being less than one-half the width of such ties.

The invention also consists of the construction, specific combination, and particular arrangement of parts hereinafter dc scribed and pointed out in the claims. For full comprehension, however, of my invention, reference must be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts, and wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a railway-bridge embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view thereof; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the members of the alined Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 15, 1912.

Patented May 12, 1914.

Serial No. 683,975.

series for preventing displacement of the ties in both lateral and longitudinal directions relatively to the bridge, and also the spreading of the rails; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view illustrating the manner in which the members illustrated in Fig. t prevent bunching and separation of the ties; and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view illustrating the feature disclosed in Fig. 5 independent of the rails.

in the present embodiment of the invention the permanent transverse and longitudinal bridge members consist of floor beams b ant a respectively, the top flanges of the floor beams rising a short distance above the top flanges of the stringers. Upon these stringers and between the beam flanges are supported a series of ties (Z (Z held in place by hook-bolts e piercing some of the ties, engaging the outer edges of the flanged heads of the stringers c, and tightened in place by nuts f. These ties are spaced and retained against rela. tive displacement by a series of plates of special construction and particular a1 'angement and coacting with the permanent trans verse members. These plates indicated at g are preferably rolled and of slightly oblong form in plan view with four spikeholes 70 near the corners and a longitudinal surface rib m in line with two of the spike-holes and presenting with the plate at its side toward the middle of the plate a true right angle n.

The under side of the plate has a pair of transverse ribs 0 equally spaced from its transverse center line and with their opposite sides presenting with the under surface of the plate true right angles. These ribs are so spaced, relatively, that their opposite sides will be separated by a distance equaling the predetermined standard spacing of the tics; and they are augmented in their function by a pair of knife-edge transverse ribs p rolled upon the underside of the plate at the ends thereof and serving the additional purpose of means preventing displacement of the plates longitudinally relatively to the ties, the portions of the plates resting upon the ties being less than onehalf the width of the ties.

The ribs 0 are of sulliciently greater depth than the ribs to act as abntmcnts against which the ties will come into contact when shifted to proper position for spacing purposes.

In assembling a bridge floor containingmy invention, the top flanges of thefloorbeams being, as before mentioned, above the level of the top flanges of the stringers, the required number of ties are thrown loosely upon the stringers between the beams, and starting at one end the first tie is shifted into tight contact with the beamfa pair of the plates are then placed in proper position, the second tie shifted to position gripping the flanges 0 betweenit and the first tie, the depth of these flanges 0 permitting of this, and the flanges p are driven into the ties. In this manner the complete floor is rapidly assembled with the end ties in tight bearing relation with the beams, and all the ties equally spaced in accordance with standard requirements and both ties and plates held against displacement in either longitudinal or transverse directions relatively to the bridge. After the floor has been thus assembled the rails r are placed in position, the gage being established in the usual way and the spikes are driven, the only adjustment not automatically provided by the above combination being the placing of the plate in proper position relatively to the center-line of the floor.

The height shown of the top flanges of the floor beams relatively to the ties is preferred for stability of the latter, and filler blocks 5 present an even continuity of the rail support. The plates are also used independently of the rails and located at the side edges of the floor, in which case they are reduced slightly in size, and the surface ribs m are dispensed with. This arrangement gives a pleasing finish to the floor and has all the advantages as regards maintenance referred to above. These improved plates serve the purpose of tie spacers and the usual tie plates for distributing the pressure of the rails over greater area of the ties thereby increasing the life of the tie.

If desired the invention can be applied to the ties forming the floor of a bridge, such plate having transverse tie spacing flanges upon its underside and the portions of such plate outside of the flanges and adapted to rest upon the ties being less than one half the width of the said tie; and flanges of less depth than and parallel to the transverse flanges for engaging the ties.

3. In bridge construction, an alined series of plates adapted to lie upon the t1es form; ing the bridge floor each plate having a pair I of transverse middle flanges upon the underside thereof constructed and arranged to project between the ties and act as abut ments for the latter when shifted beneath the plates, the portions of such plates outside of the flanges being less than one-half the width of the ties spaced thereby for the purpose of permitting the plates of the alined series to have one end rest upon the same tie as the contiguous end of the adjoining plate. y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses at Montreal, March 7th, 1912.

HENRY PERCY BORDEN.

l'Vitnesses GonDoN G. Coonn, E. R. PITTS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. i

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