US1223227A - Rail-joint. - Google Patents

Description

,C. W. WHITCOMB.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED SEPLGI 191 6- Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

' ZSHEETS-SHEET C. W. WHITCOMB.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-6,1916.

Patented Apr. 17', 1917i 2 $HEETS-$HEET 2 ammo a G. W T'Wa'ioozn Mm CHARLES W. WHITCO-MB, 0F POTLATGH, IDAHO.

RAIL-JOINT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. WVH'IT- COMB, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Potlatch, in the county of Latah and State of Idaho, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for connecting the meeting ends of' railway rails, and the primary object of the invention is to so cut or otherwise form the ends of the rails as to permit of a lapping engagement one with the other, fish plates or angle bars being arranged to the opposite sides of the rails and the connecting bolts for the fish plates passing only through the webs of the respective rails and not through the lapping portions of the said webs whereby the stress or strain upon the bolts incident to one of the rails pulling away from the other when expanding or contracting will be relieved and a rigid and effective joint provided. A

With the above and other objects in view the improvement residesin the construction, combination and arrangement, of parts set forth in the followingspecification and falling withinthe scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of two rails con- 7 nected in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevation, parts being broken away,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. v Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View proximately on the line 4-4; of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the rail ends.

As illustrated by the drawings the rails 1 and 2 are cut angularly at their ends as indicated by the numerals 3. This cut extends through the head of each of the rails and through a portion of the web thereof as indicated by the numeral 4. .The base flanges, at the terminal of the angular cut of the web which also extends through the said flanges, provide straight shoulders, as indicated by the numerals 5 and 6, the said shoulders be ing arranged at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal plane of the rails.

Each of the rails, inward of the angular cut 3 has its Web enlarged or thickened, as

Specification of Letters Patent. P te ted Apr. 17, 1917. Application filed September 6, 1916. Serial No. 118,689.

indicated the numeral 11, thus providing The angular inner faces of the out heads, I

webs and base flanges are adapted to contact when the rails are associated, so that the shoulder 5 of one of the rails will abut with the shoulder 6 of the adjacent rail, and the webs of the rails between the shoulders provided by the enlargement or thickened webs 11 and the shoulders 6 of the base flange of the said rails are provided with trans: verse openings through which are adapted to pass securing elements, such as bolts 7, the said'bolts also passing through openings in the vertical members of the angle bars 8 and 9, and the ends of the angle bars are adapted to abut the shoulders provided by the widened portions of the webs of the rails. Nuts 10 are provided-for the bolts 7, as disclosed by the drawings.

I am aware of the fact that rail joints have been provided wherein the ends of the rails have been cut angularly and one of said angular portions lapping or contacting with the angular end of the other rail, but in each instance with which I am acquainted, lapping portions of the rails have securing elements passing therethrough. This not only tends to weaken the rails at what is really the weakest portions thereof but exerts a pressure upon the securing bolts in opposite directions when one ofthe rails has a tendency to move away from the other rail and so the lapping portions of the rails. are rendered defective andthe bolts are cut or bent so that the jointis not stable and therefore I make no broad claim to this particular construction. The arrangement of the shoulders 11, whereby a pocket is arranged in the sides of the rails for the reception of the angle bars 8 and 9 is a particular feature of this construction inasmuch as the angle bars effectively prevent the rails from creeping toward each other and also tend to effectively support the rails at the joint thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: 1

The herein described means for connecting rails, including the meeting ends of two rails each having its end cut angularly from one of the sides of its head to the opposite side thereof, said cut extending through the Web and base flange of the rails, said rails having their base flanges terminating in angular shoulders at the commencement and at the end of the angular cuts in the Webs, the Webs of the rails beyond the angular cuts therein being provided with a plurality of bolt openings and the said Webs, inward of the bolt openings being. enlarged to pro- CHARLES W. WHITCOMB.

Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

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