US1545089A - Supplemental rail tread - Google Patents

Description

July 7, 1925 INVENTOR.

BY f

H. ETHERIDGE SUPPLEMENTAL RAIL TREAD Fileq April 2, 1925 K on. M ATTORNEYS.

Patented July E 1925.

STATES ATENT "at e HARRY ETHERIDGE, OF ZELIENOPLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

$UPPLEMENTAL RAIL BREAD.

Application filed April 2, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY Ernnnmen, a citizen of the UnitedSta-tes of Americaand a resident of the borough of Zelienople, county of Butler, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Supple mental Rail Tread, of which the following is a specification.

The passage of the wheels over a rail joint l9 causes the rail ends to flex and in a comparatively short time the tread of the rail becomes worn into a downward incline towards the end and at the end is generally deformed. This deformation is character- 1 ized by grooves, flat spots, depressions and ridges in the tread and also a squeezing of the rail end. These inclines and defornia tions in time extend for several inches from the end of the rail and when marked necessitate the shortening of the rail or its replacement by a new rail. The result of such incline is that the wheels sink as they travel over the joints, and the wear on the rail ends soon becomes very excessive. This deformity at the rail ends is very destructive to the rolling stock, and is also unpleasant to passengers.

The object which I have in View is the provision of a practical and efficient supplemental rail tread for the joint, to prevent flexing of the rails at the ends thereof, and their wear and deformation.

My improved supplemental rail tread comprises a steel plate,either a rolled bar or a steel casting, which is bolted against the outside fish plate, the bolt holes in the reinforcement being elongated to allow the rails to freely expand and contract. The lower edge of the tread member is so arranged as to be spaced about above the surface of the base of the fish plate and after being placed in position is securely welded thereto with added metal. The top edge of the tread member forms a supplemental rail tread which carries the wheels over the rail joint without permitting them to flex the rail ends or to dip downwardly.

The upper surface or tread portion of the tread member is preferably of hardened w steel to resist wear, and the same is formed by welding a narrow bar of such steel to the upper edge of the body of the member.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a broken perspective showing a rail joint with my tread member in place; Fig. 2 is a sec Serial No. 20,074.

tion taken along the line IIII in Fig. 1, showing the end of one rail and also showing in section the fish plates and tread member; and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the rail joint, the rails being dotted in to show the worn inclines, and the tread member being shown unwelded.

The following is a detailed description of the drawing.

A and B represent two alined rails which are connected together in the usual way by the fish plates C and bolts 1 which extend through the usual holes in the rail ends and through the usual horizontally elongated holes in the fish plates, in accordance with the common practice, to permit the rails to freely expand and contract. D is the cross tie or other basic support under the joint.

I have indicated the downward step or incline at the ends of the rails at a and b in Fig. 3. v

E is my supplemental rail tread member which is a steel or iron bar of suflicient length to extend beyond the worn ends of the rail. The bottom edge of the tread member does not bear upon the base of thefish plate but is spaced therefrom and the lower edge is welded to the fis'h plate with added metal as shownat F; The bolts 1 also extend through horizontally elongated holes 2 in the supplemental rail tread and serve to aid in supporting it in position.

The application of the supplemental rail tread member is as follows :-The two middle bolts of the joint are withdrawn The reinforcement is then placed in position against the outside of the outside fish plate and two slightly longer bolts are inserted and the supplemental rail tread member drawn up into approximate position. v

The upper surface of each end of the tread member is then so adjusted as to be flush with the tread surface of the rail at a point where the rail shows even wear. This may be done by tapping the member down, if too high, or prying it up, if too low.

The bolts are then securely tightened and the welding effected between the bottom edge of the tread member and the top of the base of the fish plate. When this is completed any pressure on top of the tread member will be transmitted evenly throughout the same to the fish plate, then equally through the fish plate, then evenly throughout both rail ends, thus preventing either rail from flexeither rail and'in eitherdire'ctionand with out any vibration during its flight.

The top surface of the tread member is straight and in the plane of the normal rail tread. I prefer to form the tread of the member of hardened steel, a bar of the same, as shown at G being welded to the body of the member which may be of softer or cheaper metal.

In practice the wheel is carried over the joint by the tread member and thus the rail ends are not independently flexed and new rails, cannot becomeabnormally or irregularly worn. In the case of worn rails, the tread member carries the wheels over the joint and does not permit them to dip down into the worn away portions, thus doing away with further wear of the rail ends and preventing jolting and jarring.

' The welded connection between the bottom of the tread member and the fish plate is of prime importance, for it enables the tread member to carry the wheels over the worn rail ends.

A bolted joint must be arranged to allow for the expansion and contractionjof the rails, and this necessarily involves considerable lost motion or looseness, permitting in dependent flexing of the rail ends. Thus, if the tread member were supported only by -the joint bolts, it would dip under the -wheels and failto relieve the rail ends of pressure andwear; ,B-y welding the base of the tread member to the top of the fish plate base, I obtain a rigid support for the tread 'member whichdoes notpermit the wheels to sink into the rail ends, and therefore is able to relieve-the latter of excessive wear.

This construction is not the mechanical equivalent of a fish-plate; upwardly extended so that its top edge may act as a joint bridge for the wheels. It is necessary to provide a tread member which may be adjusted vertically and at both ends before it is permanently fixedin place relative to the fish plate, because the wearof the rail ends is not uniform and thetread member-must be adjusted'to compensate for varying degrees and characters of wear and deformation, so that a proper registration between theunworn or normally worn rail treads and the tread surface of the tread member is insured and maintained.

As I have explained above, my improved tread member is first set up by means of the joint bolts which are not completely tightened. The tread member is then tapped down or pried up at both ends to bring it into proper registration, then the bolts are fully tightened and the weld is made. Such adjustment would be impossible were the tread member integral with or previously rigidly attached to the fish plate.

Vhat I desire to claim is 1. For use in connection with a rail joint provided with fish plates, a supplemental rail tread member mounted a ainst the outside fish plate-and its top edge tangential with the top of the rail, while its bottom edge is supported in spaced relation to the base of the fish plate, and a welded union between the base of the reinforcement and the fish plate.

2. For use in connection with a rail joint provided with fish plates, a supplemental carry the wheels over the rail joint comprising a supplemental rail tread member bolted against the outer side of the outside fish plate and having its top surface adjusted at its ends tangential to the normal treads of the two rail ends, and having its base welded to the base of the fish-plate,

4. For use in connection with a rail joint provided with fish-plates, means adapted to

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