US1373598A - Rail-joint-adjusting device - Google Patents

Description

F. V. CARMAN.

RAIL JOINT ADJUSTING DEV'ICE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY'G, 1920.

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APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. 1920.

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

' 2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. v I 2 1 41;. Z X I M u ATTORNEYS.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK V. CARMAN, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

BAIL-JOINT-ADJUSTING DEVICE.

Application filed July 6, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I FRANK V. CARMAN, a citizen of the United k tates, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint-Adjusting Devices, of which the following 1s a specification.

My invention relates to a device for adjusting railway rail points by moving the rails in a lengthwise direction in order to vary the space between their meeting ends.

The object of the invention is to provide a portable device which can be easily applied to a pair of alined rails, and by meanspf which a rail, or a series of connected rails, may be conveniently and effectively moved lengthwise, to open or close the joints, or spaces between their meeting ends.

It is frequently necessary, in rallway maintenance, to adjust the joints between alined consecutive rails. The rails have a tendency to creep, in use, partly from the effects of linear expansion and contraction, due to changes in temperature, and partly from the jarring of passing trains, particularly on grades. Such creeping results 1n the closing of some joints and the opening of others, both of which are objectionable, for when the oints become too close, further expansion or creeping results in buckling and spreading of the rails, and when the joints are too wide,- the adjacent ends of the rails on either side of the joints are dam aged by the pounding of passing wheels. By 7 means'of my device, however, a rail, or a series of connected rails, may be easily moved lengthwise, to adjust the joint to the proper width. In fact, it has been found by experiment, that as many as five connected rails of standard length may be moved at one time.

My device may be used either to push adjacent rails apart, to open the joint, or to pull them together to close the joint. The former operation is preferable, however, for an ac-' count of the construct1on of the device, as

will be more fully described hereinafter, it

is capable of exerting greater force when pushing.

My invention will now be fullydescribed Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 394,099.

. one of the clamps. l In the drawings, the reference numerals 1 designate two adjacent alined rails, separated by a oint 2. 3, in Fig. 1, are the ties Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

on which the rails rest, and 4 is one of the usual fish-plates joining the ends of the rails 1, and secured thereto by bolts 5 and nuts 6 in the usual manner.

The device embodying my invention comprises a pair of similar clamps, adapted to be fitted to the heads of-the rails 1, one on each side of the joint 2. Each clamp, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is formed of' two symmetrical and oppositely disposed members 7, diverging in both directions from a loosely fitting transverse bolt 8 which holds said members together. The upper end portions of the members 7 are formed as handles 9, and the lower portions as jaws 10 adapted to engage the head of the rail 1. A slip band 11, loosely fitted around the shanks of the members '7, is adapted to hold the lower ends thereoftogether, to cause the V corresponding clamps by links 14. These links are preferably formed with bifurcated ends, as shown, the outer ends being piv-:

otally connected with the clamp members 7 by the bolts 8, and the inner ends being pivotally connected with the heads 13 by bolts 15. The clamp members 7 are formed with seats 16, Fig. 2, against which the center portions of the bifurcated ends of the links 14 may bear, and saidlinks have similar bearings against the heads 13, as shown at 17, so that when said links are subjected to compression, the strain is taken upon said abutting surfaces, and the bolts 8 and 15 are relieved from shearing strains.

The heads 13 are preferably provided with spaced downwardly extending guide lugs 18, Figs. 1 and 2, adapted to straddle the rail head and thereby hold the head 13 in position thereon. Said heads are further provided with integrally formed nuts 19, one of which has a right-hand thread and the other a left-hand thread. A turn-buckle screw 20, having right and left-hand threaded ends, engages said nuts, so that turning said screw in one direction draws the heads together, and turning it in the other direction forces them apart. The screw 20 is provided with a central socketed head 21, into which a bar 22 may be inserted for turning. I

.In using the device, the slip bands 11 on the clamp members 7 are first raised, and

said clamps are opened, by drawing the handles 9 together. Then the jaws 10 are slipped over the heads of the rails 1. The shims 12 may be used or not, as desired.

The slip bands 11 are then forced down over the shanks of the clamp members 7, drawing the jaws 10 together to grip the rail heads. The heads 13 are allowed to rest upon the rails, and the screw 20 is then operated to draw said heads together or force themapart. On account 01'? the length of the shanks of the clamp members 7, a sufiicient leverageis exerted upon the jaws 10 to cause them to firmly grip the rails without slipping.

If the device is to be used to open the rail joint, it will assume the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the heads 13 being held in contact with the rails by the toggle effect exerted by the links 14 when under compression. But if it is used to close the joint, 2'. c. for applying tension instead of compression, the heads 13 will be lifted off the rails, said heads and the links 14: assuming a straight line. This position being obvious need not be shown'in the drawings.

On account of the before-mentioned shoul-- dered bearings between the ends of the links 14 and the heads 13, and between said ends and the clamp members 7 whereby the bolts 8 and 15 are relieved of shearing strains, the device is capable ofexerting a considerably greater amount of force when under compression than when under tension, be-

cause when under tension the entire strain fallsupon said bolts 8 and 15.

I claim 1. A rail-joint adjusting device comprising a pair of oppositely disposed clamps for engaging the alined rails, one on each sideof the joint; a pair of oppositely disposed heads lying between the clamps; a

heads lying between the clamps; a right hand threaded nut associated with one head and a left-hand threaded nut associated with the other head; a "link connecting each head with its corresponding clamp; and a right and left hand threaded screw fitted in said nuts for forcing the heads apart and drawing them together whereby the rails are moved to adjust their joint. 7

3. A rail-joint adjusting device compris ing a pair of oppositely'disposed clamps for engaging the alined rails, one on each side or the joint; a pair of oppositely disposed heads lying between the clamps, said heads having guide lugs laterally fitting the rail head and a neck portion internally threaded, the threads of one neck portion being right hand and those of the other lefthand; a right and left hand threaded screw fitted in said'threaded neck portions respectively; and a link connecting each head with its corresponding clamp.

4. A rail-joint adjusting device comprising a pair of oppositely disposed clamps, having jaws adapted to laterally embrace the heads of the rails and to cramp thereon under strain in the line of the rail length, pivotally conected shanks and aicontrolling slip band seated on saidshanks; a pair of oppositely disposed heads lying between the clamps, said heads having guide lugs laterally fitting the rail head; a link connecting each head with the upper portion of the shanks of the corresponding clamps; and means associated with the heads to force them apart and to draw them together.

5. A rail-joint adjusting device comprising a pair of oppositely disposed clamps,

having jaws adapted to laterally embrace the heads of the rails and to cramp thereon under strain in the line of the rail length,

pivotally connected shanks, and a conof the shanks of its corresponding clamp;

and a right and left-hand screw fitted in the nuts of said heads to force them apart and to draw them together.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. I

FRANK V. CARMAN.

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