US1186737A - Rail-joint. - Google Patents

Description

R. S. BOHANNAN. v

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED on. 8. 1915.

Patented une 13, 1916.

Tm: cnumnm PLANOGRAPH (10-. WASHINGTON. D. c.

ROBERT S. BOHANNAN, OIE

RAIL-J BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

OINT.

Application filed October 8,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT S. BOHANNAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have in. vented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the follow ing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail joints adapted to prevent the pounding caused by the wheels in passing from the approach rails onto the rails on track scales, draw bridges, turn tables and the like.

More particularly my invention relates to what I term easer joints and has for its particular object to improve and perfect the type of easer joint which forms the subject matter of Letters Patents Nos. 988,542,

, and 1,077,253, and which operates to gradually transfer the weight of the cars from the approach to the scale or bridge rails and vice versa, thus avoiding shocks, pounding and possible derailment at the joint.

According to my present invention the easer bar provides a continuous tread at the joint and is designed to be supported at its ends only upon bearings which are made adjustable so as to raise or lower the easer tread bar to give it the desired adjustment in height for different sized rails. The easer bar itself is preferably designed with rounded bosses at its ends and its bearings are formed by one or more brackets which i are suitably connected to the rail ends or to their supports so as to be held rigidly in position.

A further novel feature of my invention relates to the design of the brackets which serve as the adjustable supports for the easer bars. These brackets are shaped to fit into the web of the rail and are provided at their ends toward the-bar with side guards between which and the rail is formed a pocket for the reception of the easer bar which rests on a smooth tapered supporting surface forming the bottom of" each pocket. Moreover, these brackets are shaped to overlie with a flush fit the-base of the rail and may have lateral extensions by means of which they can be securely bolted to the rail plate or ties. To counteract more positively the tendency of these adjustable brackets to creep under the driving action of the wheels transmitted through the easer bar to the tapered bracket support therefor, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

1915. Serial No. 54,787.

outer face of the bracket through which elongated bolt holes pass for adjustably tying it to the rail web, is vertically corrugated and similarly corrugated washers are provided for the bolts. By this means the brackets are positively locked to the rail webs and may also be securely tied to the rail plates or track supports.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts which in their preferred embodiment only are illustrated and hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a top plan view of a rail joint provided in accordance with my invention, with a continuous tread easer bar. Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view from the inside of the brackets showing the manner in which the easer bar is housed and supported thereby. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 showing the corrugated portion of the bracket and the corrugated washer before it is clamped tight against the bracket.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings. 8

According to my invention, as illustrated in the drawings, 1 and 2 represent the meeting ends of the approach and scale rails, but obviously 2 may represent a rail movable with a bridge, turn table, draw bridge or mine tipple. The sides of the rail treads are cut away vertically almost tothe web of the rail to provide a seat for the reception of the easer tread bar 3, which bar has the extreme ends of its top or tread edge beveled at a and gradually raised from the beveled portion to an apex at or near the center of the bar opposite the joint between the rail ends. The bar is adapted to gradually take on the weight of a wheel rolling over it and to support the weight after the fashion of an arch upon the two rounded bosses 5 and 6 at the ends of its bottom edge. A. bolt hole 7 is provided above the boss 6 and disposed concentric with the center from which the roundedbearing face of the boss is struck. The rail 1 is provided with a bolt hole 8 adapted to receive a bolt. 9 by means of which the easer bar is pivotally connected at one end to the approach rail 1. At its outer end this bolt is passed through a slot 10 formed in a vertical web I tween the tread and base of a rail and to i tion of bolts 16 which pass therethrough and abut, against the web thereof. The web is provided with two bolt holes for the recepthrough'the elongated holes 15 and receive on then" outer ends nuts 27 and washers 17, which latter have their inner faces vertlcally corrugated and adapted to interlock with corrugations 18 on the outer'face of the shank. By this means the bracket.

is held rigidly interlocked and prevented from creeping or slipping on its'rail connection. The inner end of the bracket is provided 'with a bottom face 19, which slopes to the side of the rail in conformity with the slope of the rail base so that it will fit snugly and bear fully upon the rail base. Along itsout'er side edge, the bracket may carry a laterally extending flange 20 which rests upon the rail support 21 or tie and is secured thereto by bolts 22. The rail on the other side is madefast to its support by a clamp plate 23, a bolt21 and a lug 25, or

, it may bemade fast in any other desired manner.

The side web 11 is braced to the flange 20 by end inclined webs 26 and is pro vided with clean out slots 28. The taper bearing face 13 is flat so as to afford a firm nd Wide bearing for the bosses 5 and 6 of the easer bar.

A bracket similar to that already described is usually provided for each end of the easer bar, but partially satisfactory results may be obtained from a P single bracket for the free end of the tread bar which is not generally bolted to the scale or bridge rail 2.

In operation, the brackets are first attached to the rails and the easer bar bolted to the approach rail. The bracket to which the bar is pivotally connected is then ad justed forward until its taper face 13 takes the full support ofthat end of the easer bar, whereupon the nuts 27 are tightened I and the corrugated washers 17 firmly clamped against the bracket to lock it in position. The bracket at the other end is then adjusted toward the easer rail until its taper face 13 brings the tread of the bar to the desired level, whereupon it is clamped into position and the apparatus is ready for service. In the case of turn tables or swing ing draw bridges, suflicient clearance should,

be left at the pivoted end ofthe easer bar to permit its free end to be swung high enough to clear the rail 2, and for other uses itis only necessary for sufficient play to be left for the free end of the bar to fol I low down with the bracket on the movable tread bar to the desired operating position, .but the most important function of the tread bar adjustment however is to adapt one size of easer bar for use with rails of varying section, so that only a few sizes of easer bars are required to be stocked to fit any standard size of rails.

VVhatI claim as new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the meeting ends of rails, one of which is movable relatively to the other, of an easer tread bar interfitted with said meeting rail ends to form a continuous joint, and movable bearing means for vertically adjusting said tread bar. i

2. The combination with the meeting ends of rails, of an easer tread bar interfitted with said meeting rail ends to form a continuous joint, and movable bearing seatsfor adjustably supporting said tread bar.

8. The'combination with the meeting ends of rails, one of which is movable and both of which have treads vertically cut away on their corresponding sides to receive a continuous joint tread bar, of a continuous tread bar, and means vertically adjustably mounting said bar in the cut away portions of said rail ends, substantially as described. 4. The combination with the meeting ends of track rails, one of which is movable relatively to the other and both of which are notched to receive a continuous tread plate seated in the notched ends of said rails and pivotally connected to the fixed rail, and means to adjustably support the free end of the tread in operative position alongside the movable rail end, substantially as described. 5. The combination with the meeting ends of rails, of a continuous tr'ead bar for'the joint of said rails, brackets connected to the rail ends and adjustable longitudinally thereof, saidbrackets having taperbear ing seats upon which the ends of the tread bar rest, means to connect the bar to one of said rail ends, and side retaining means to hold the bar in position relatively to the rails. i v 6. In a rail joint, the combination with the meeting ends of rails. which have'their treads notched to receive a continuous tread bar, ofa tread bar disposed in the notched portions of said rail ends and pivotally connected to one of them, brackets also attached to the rail ends and forming bearing seats for the tread bar, said seats having smooth taper surfaces upon which said tread bar rests, and means to adjust the brackets relatively toward and from each other to regulate the height of the tread bar, substantially as described.

7. In a rail joint, an easer oint tread bar adapted for pivotal connection at one end thereof to one of the joint rails, and a bracket adapted for adjustable connection to the other of the joint rails and having a taper bearing surface for supporting the free end of the tread bar.

8. The combination with the meeting ends of rails, of a continuous tread bar pivotally connected to one rail end, and a bracket adj ustably connected to the other rail end and adapted to form a seat and support for the free end of the tread bar, said bracket having a smooth taper bearing face for the tread bar and having a sloping base adapted to conform to and rest upon the rail base, substantially as described.

9. A bracket support for an easer joint tread bar comprising a bearing end having a taper bearing seat for the bar, anouter side holding means for the bar, a base shaped to conform to the rail base on which it rests, and a body portion shaped to fit'between the rail head and base and having horizontally elongated slots for rail bolts, substantially as described.

10. A bracket bearing for an easer joint tread bar comprising a bearing end having an upper taper bearing face, a vertical web on the outer edge of said face, there being a longitudinal slot in said Web spaced above and parallel with the taper bearing face thereof, and means to attach the bracket in position alongside a rail.

11. A bracket bearing for an easer joint tread bar comprising a body portion adapted to interfit between the head and base of a rail and having one end cut away and tapered to form a taper end bearing, a vertical web extending along theouter edge of said bearing, there being a longitudinal slot in said web parallel with said taper bearing, the underface of the bracket below said taper bearing being shaped to conform to the rail tread upon which it rests and having lateral extensions adapted to rest on the rail support and to be attached thereto, and means to adjustably connect the bracket to a rail, substantially as described.

12. A bracket for easer joint tread bars, comprising a shank portion adapted to fit against the rail web between the base and tread thereof and having its outer face transversely corrugated, means for attaching the shank to the rail web which have corrugated faces that interlock with the corrugations of the shank, and a taper bearing seat on the bracket for supporting a continuous tread bar for a rail joint.

13. In a rail joint, the combination with the meeting ends of rails which have their treads notched, of a continuous tread bar disposed in the notched portions of said rail ends, means to pivotally connect one end of the tread bar to one rail, means to adjustably support the free end of said bar comprising a bracket, said bracket having a smooth taper tread bearing and a shank, the underface of the tread bearing and shank being shaped to conform to the rail base, there being elongated bolt holes in the shank to provide for its adjustable attachment to a rail end, an outside web extending along the outer edge of the taper bearing, and a laterally extending flange opposite said bearing and adapted to rest upon the rail support and to be fastened thereto, substantially as described.

1a. The combination with the meeting ends of rails, one of which is movable relatively to the other, of a tread bar pivotally connected to one rail end,there being notches in said rail ends to receive said tread, a seat to receive and hold the other end of the tread bar in position alongside the other rail end, an adjustable bearing support for the pivoted end of the tread bar comprising a taper bearing, and a rounded bearing boss on said tread bar, substantially as described.

15. A tread bar for rail joints having rounded supporting bosses at the ends of its bottom edge and having its top or tread edge beveled at each end and gradually rising to an intermediate apex opposite the railjoint.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROBERT S. BOHANNAN.

Witness:

NOMIE WELSH.

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

' Washington, D. G.

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