US1134237A - Rail-joint. - Google Patents

Description

A. F. SMITH.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1914.

1,1 34,237, Patented Apr. 6,1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Ui/h wwe/a A. F. SMITH.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18. 1914.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ARTHUR F. SMITH, OF ZEBRA, MISSOURI.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Application filed March 18, 1914... Serial No. 825,489.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR F. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Zebra, in the county of Camden and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in rail joints, especially in interlocking rail joints formed by means of a longitudinal splice, and has for its principal object to provide means of expeditiously forming rail joints in the field.

A further object of this invention is to providevmeans of laterally stiffening rail joints, thereby attaining the effect of continuity of rail section for preserving the rigidity of parallel relation of rails.

Another object of this invention is to provide means of ,securing rail joints to cross ties. struction formed of splice plates and a plurality of bolts, it is. not an infrequency that due to the dynamic eflect of heavy engines, the bolts of said joints work loose unobserved, thereby impairing the efiiciency and durability of the joint, putting into imminent peril of derailment trains moving at high rates of speed and thereby jeopardizing the lives of many. This is one of the casualties sought to be obviated by means of this novel interlocking rail joint and therefore one of the principal objects of this invention.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination, and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter. more fully described and claimed For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the rail joint showing parts broken away to clearly illustrate hidden details, Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the joint bed,

.Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the end of one of the interlocking rails, and Fig. 5 is a In rail joints of the usual conperspective rail.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the numerals l and 2 designate as entireties, rails of the usual construction having formed at their terminals the enlarged portions 3 and 4 which shall hereinafter be more fully described.

The numeral 5 designates generally the joint bed comprising a bed plate 6 having formed integral with its lateral extremities the longitudinally extending, upstanding flanges 7 which are cut away near their ends as at 7. The bed plate 6 is preferably provided with the chamfered edge 8 extending longitudinally throughout its entire length. The groove 9 is formed intermediate the raised portion 10 on the flanges 7, and the bed plate 6, as will be clearly seen upon referring to Fig. 3.

A rail brace designated generally by the numeral 11 is formed of the body portion 11 having the flanges 12 formed integral therewith. Formed integral with the flanges 12 is provided the outwardly projecting portion 13 which is adapted to fit beneath the bed plate 6 and said projecting portion is provided with apertures which are arranged to receive the usual spikes or bolts for holding the rail in place. A shoulder 14 and groove 15 extend across the body portion 11 and are adapted to fit snugly over the flanges 7 and longitudinal chamfered' edge 8 respectively of the bed 5. The face 16 is slightly inclined inwardly and is adapted to fit flush against View of the end of the other the head of the rail to form a brace therefor. The enlarged portion 3 of the rail 1 as illustrated in Fig. 4, is formed integral with the lower flanges of the rail 1 and the shoulders 16' are adapted to engage the grooves 9 of the bed 5. The shoulders 16 with inclined sides 17 form grooves which are interrupted at the terminal of the'enlarged portion 3 by lugs 18 which are formed integral with said rail and adapted to form stops to hold the rail 1 in its proper position in the bed 5. A V-shaped groove 19 is formed in the top of the enlarged end 3 and is arranged to receive the enlarged portion of the coeperating rail. The flat surfaces 20 are formed at the sides of the groove 19 and extend in a longitudinal direction to form the shoulders 21. The V-shaped groove and shoulders form a suitable splice with which the enlarged portion 4: of the rail 2 is adapted to snugly interlock. A reduced cylindrical extension 22 is formed at the end of the enlarged portion 3 and is arranged to enter the recess 25 formed in the enlarged portion 4 of the abutting rail. The reduced cylindrical portion 24: which is formed integral with the enlarged portion of the abutting rail is adapted to enter the recess 23 of the rail 2 and securely hold the rails in their proper position.

Formed coincident with the head of the rail 2 is the enlarged portion 4: having its lateral surfaces inclined outwardly from its head. Said outwardly inclined surfaces terminate at the points 28 and 29, and the walls of the enlarged portion are inclined inwardly from said points 28' and 29 to form the tongue 30, which is adapted to slide in the groove 19 of the rail 1. A shoulder 31 is formed on the exterior surface of the lower enlarged portion of the rail 2, and is adapted to fit under the shoulder 14 of the rail brace.

It will be evident from the foregoing that in use the bed 5 is placed in its proper relation with the rail brace 11 bringing the flanges 7 and portions 14 snugly under the shoulder 14: and into groove 15, and the whole is then secured to cross ties by means of spikes extending through the apertures in the extension 13 and passing into the ties. The rail 1 is then slid into the grooves 9 of the bed 5 until the lugs 18 are brought into contact .with the projecting shoulder 10 of said bed. The enlarged upper terminal of the rail 2 is then placed into the groove 19 of the. rail 1 and is slid longitudinally until the ends are brought into contact with each other, thereby completing the required interlocking joint of this invention and assuming the relation of parts as shown in Vhile in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodi ment of this invention, it is to be understood that such changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of partsas will fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: p

' The combinationwith the abutting ends of a pair of rails, enlargements formed on inclined, a joint-chair arranged to surround the enlargement, inwardly extending projections formed onthe joint-chair and arranged to lie in the spaces formed by the inclined walls of the first named enlargement, of a rail brace, said rail brace belng arranged to underlie the joint chair and also arranged to engage the extension on the second mentioned rail to revent twisting.

In testimony whereo I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR F. SMITH. Witnesses H. A. HENDERSON, JOHN D. Smrn.

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