US1498819A - Rail joint - Google Patents

Description

Patented June 24, 1924.

JOHN STRIPLING, OF REIDSVILLE, GEORGIA.

RAIL JOINT.

Application filed August 1, 1923-.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, JOHN STRirLrNG, a vcitizen of the United States, and resident of Reidsville, in the county of Tattnall and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in R-ail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail joints, my purpose, generally speaking,

1o being to eliminate screw threaded or other fasteners of alike nature fory securing together the meeting ends of railway rails, which fasteners have a tendency to work loose, often with disastrous results, and to provide a joint that embodies a minimum number of parts, which latter are cheap and easy to produce, strong, durable, and thoroughly reliable and eiicient in use.

More particularly it is my purpose to provide a rail joint including a single locking key for a plurality of securing bolts, to provide means to facilitate the application and removal of said key with respecty to such bolts, and to pro-vide means of a very simple and effective nature for lockingl said key against accidental displacement from a securing status with respect to the securing bolts.

With the foregoing and other purposes in View, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views z- 4 Figurev 1 is a side elevation of a rail joint embodying the novel and essential features of my invention;

Figure 2, a horizontal section through my improved rail joint; -Y v Figure 3,' a transverse section on the line 3 3 of Figure l;

Fifrure 4, an enlarged detail section show" ing the engagement between the locking key and one of the securing bolts; and

Figure 5, a detail perspective of a portion of the locking key.

Referring now to the vdrawings in detail, 10 and 11 designate a pair of rails, the meeting ends of which are connected by { ishplates 12, 18 and transverse bolts 14, which latter extend through the {ish-plates and the Serial No. 655,078.

webs of the rails in the ordinary well known i manner. l

The bolts 14 are headed, but instead of being screw threaded to receive clamping or 1 securing nuts, as is usual, each of them is provided, near its free end, with a trans-v verse, dove-tailed slot 15 of limited depth that opens through one side of the bolt as shown. The inclined wall of slot 15 that isnearest to the head 16 of the bolt, for approximately one-third of its length, adjacent to the base of the slot, is cut at right angles tothe axis of the bolt, as indicatedat 17, for a purpose that will presently appear.

The locking key of my invention consists of an elongated bar 18, headed at one end as indicated at 19 and at its other end profr vided with a transverse opening to receive a locking element such as a cotter pin 20y asl best shown in Figure 1l of the drawings.

Locking key 18, ,in transverse section, is`

At proper intervals throughout its lengthV each of the inclined side faces of locking key 18 is recessed as indicated at 22, thus providing along the key alternate dovetailed and narrowed portions 23,' 24, the latter of which are of such width as to be freely insertable and removable through the nar-- rowest portions of the slots 15 in bolts 14.'

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the drawings, it is believed that the manner of using my invention will be apparent. To'produce Va strong', durable, effective and lasting joint between" the adjacent ends of rails 10 vand 11, :fish plates 12 and 413) are first placed, respectively, against opposite faces of the'webs of the rails and the bolt receiving openings therein alinedv with the similar bolt receiving openings in the webs of the rails. The bolts 14 are then passed through the fishplates and theV webs of the rails, all from.the same side of the rails, until their heads abut one ofthe fish-plates and their free ends extend beyond the other fishplate, `all of said bolts being disposed with their slots 15 uppermost and relatively alined.. The locking key 18 then is engaged with the slots 15 of the bolts by alining its recessed or narrowed portions 24 with said bolts which permits the key to drop down into the slots therein as is manifest. The headed end of the key then is struck with a hammer or other instrument to slide the key longitudinally until its dove-tailed portions 23 engage the slots 15, which locks the key* against all but lengthwise movement out of said slots and locks the bolts 14 in securing relationto the fish plates and the ends of-the rails.` The head of the key engages one of the outermost bolts 111- which preventsl longitudinal movement of the key inf'one direc-tion, while theV cotter pin 20, which -ispassed through the openingl in the other. end of the key after the latter has been manipulated asjust mentioned, engages the other outermost bolt 14 and prevents longitudinal movement of the key in the reverse direction.:

In-producingthe bolts 14 the right-anguiar cuts.17 ofthe dove-tailed, slots 15 'are spaced` from-the heads of the bolts a distance equal to; the 'combined ,thicknesses of thefish-plates 12,y 13 and the web of the or Ibite linto the fish-plate` and `.thereby affect the efliciency or ease of manipulation of the ken It is preferable to' formV the locking 'key' 18 asa single element,- but if desired, itmay be formedin plural'sections, each having av head Landia/n opening for the` reception ofia cotterpin or othersecuring device, .it lbeing manifest, iii-:either event, that the key or:

keys are readily engageable and disengageable withandfrom lthebolts and that said keyj or keysaswe'll `as theboltsmay be used over and ,overA again.

It isbelievedlfrom they foregoing that the:

construction, opera-tion andV z tdvantages of myimprovements will Abe fully understood. It. is desired.I to =po-int out, however, Y that changes`r and desirable additions mayv be` made in and to the structural arrangement shown within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim 1. The combination with the meeting` ends of a pair of rails and fish plates engaged, respectively, against opposite faces of the webs ofsaid rails; of securing bolts extendingthrough said fish plates and the webs of said rails, each of said bolts having a dove-tailed slot, a single locking key engageable with a plurality of said bolts to hold said fish-plates in assembly with said rails, said locking key being'of dove-tailed shape for engagement in the dove-tailed slots of said bolts and being recessed at intervals/to` provide alternate dove-tailed and narrowed portions to facilitate engagement and disengagement of the key with and from said bolts, and means for locking said key against removal from said bolts.

2. The combination with the meetingends of a pair of rails and lish plates engaged, respectively, against opposite faces of the webs of `said rails; of securing bolts extending through said fish plates and the webs of said rails, each of said bolts having a dovetailed slot, a single locking key engageable with a' plurality of said` bolts to hold said fish-plates in assembly with said rails, said locking key being of dove-tailed shape for engagement in the doveetailed slots of said boltsand being adapted at one side to contact with one lof said fish-plates, an inclined face of Said key adjacentv to the fish-plate with-whichthe key is adapted to contact being flattened throughout portions of its length `to, provide a flat surface for engagement with said fish plate, said key being recessed at intervals to provide alternate dovetailed and narrowed portions to facilitate engagement and disengagement of the key with and vfrom said bolts, a head on' one end of' said key engageable with one of said boltsto limit longitudinal movement of the key in one direction, and an element removably engaged with the other end of the key and with another of said bolts to limit longitudinal ymovement of the key in an opposite direction.

In testimony whereof lihereunto af'lix inv signature.

JOHN STRIPLN

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