US1173882A

US1173882A - Railroad-spike.

Info

Publication number: US1173882A
Application number: US4029915A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence O Smith
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1915-07-16
Filing date: 1915-07-16
Publication date: 1916-02-29
Anticipated expiration: 1933-02-28

Description

in s in CLARENCE 0. SMITH, OF FBYEBURG, MINE.

BAILROAD-SPIKE.

Application filed J' uly 16, 1915.

To all whom it may conce'rn Be it known that I, CLARENCE O. SMITH,

v a citizen of the United States, residing at F ryeburg, in the County of Oxford and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Spikes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the 1nvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use thesame.

This invention relates to spikes especially designed for securing railway rails to t es, and has for its principal object to provide an improved railroad spike including essentially a main spike element, a locking element movable into a longitudinal bore etending through a portion of the main shank and simple and eflicient means for on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 represents a side elevation of the locking element removed. i

Referring to the drawing in detal, wherein similar referencenumerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 indicates the shank of a spike of the usual or any pregterred construction having a laterally pro ectng rall base-engaging head 6 at one end and a cutting edge 7 at the opposite end. From the headed e xtremity of the spike shank 5 the latter is formcd with a longitudnal bore 8 terminating at a point adjacent the opposite` extremity of the spike shank in a pair of dlvergent or oppositely curved passages 9, defining deflecting surfa'ces 10 for deflectng the prongs of the locking element to be hereinafter described. The locking element designated generally by the numeral 11 includes an elongated body or shank portion 12 having a head 13 at one end defining an Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb., 29, 1916.

Serial No. 40,299.

annular shoulder 14: and a longitudinal slit 15 extending a distance inwardly of the opposite end defining a pair of prongs or locking'tongues 16, the adjacent surfaces of the free ends of which are oppositely beveled, as indicated at 17, to define cutting edges. bore 8 in the spike shank 5 is preferably rectangular in cross section, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, and the body 12 of the locking element is correspondingly shaped so as to lock the same against rotational movement in the shank subsequent to being properl inserted therein.

A gasket 18 formed of lead or other similar soft metal is slidably positioned upon the body 12 of the locking element and is adapted to be engaged by the annular shoulder 14 so as to force the gasket into the upper extremity of the bore 8 between the body 12 and the upper extremity of the spike shank 5 In use, the spike 5 is driven into the tie or other object in the usual manner and the locking element 12 is driven into the bore 8 until the head 13 thereof forces the gasket 18 into the space between the body of the locking element and' the wall of the bore 8, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 thus' efiectively scaling the upper extremity of the bore and preventing leakage of mosture therein.

It is further evident that in -addition to excluding moisture from the bore of the spike, the. gasket 18 in its wedged position provides an eiiicient and eiiective means for,

preventing removal of the locking element and also insures against relative vibratory movement of the locking element and spike incident to the travel of trains over the track.

During the longitudinal movement of the locking element, the beveled surfaces 17 of the prongs 16 engage the deflecting surfaces 10 of the curved passages 9 and are curved laterally, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1, and engage in the fibers of the tie or other object laterally of the spike shank 5, thus reliably locking the latter against removal What I claim is:

A spike including a shank having a longitudinal bore extending from one end to a point adjacent the opposite end thereof and terminating in a pair of curved or divergent passages, a locking element havinga pair of prongs at one end adapted to engage in said divergent passages, a head at the opposite The e end of said locking element, and a malleable metal gasket positioned upon said looking element adapted to be moved into said bore by said head during driving of the looking element to exclude moistire from the bore of the shank and to prevent relative movement of the locking element and shank.

In testiinony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE O. SMITH.

witnesses:

BURT C. WEBB, JAMES FLINT.