US16579A - Shoe for truss-frames - Google Patents

Description

UNITED sTATEs PATENT orme n. ooMINs, or TROY, New YORK.

SHOE FOR TRUSS-FRAMES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 16,579, dated February 10, 1857; Ressued February 28, 1865, No. 1,884.

To all whom it' may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN COMINS, of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Metal Shoes for Truss- Frames of Bridges, &c.; and I do hereby declare that-the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of a truss frame having my improved shoes applied to it. Fig. 2, is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the same. Fig. 3, is a transverse vertical section of the same. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on an enlarged scale of my improved shoe in the line a: in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 5 is a similar section Vof the socket, used with old style of block, instead of the shoe.

Similar letters of reference in each of the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates particularly to that description of shoe which at the part where the braces rest is of an inverted T, or angular, or curved form,-which shoe with my improvement, is far preferable to the old block with socket.

The nature of my invention consists in furnishing said shoe with two projecting plates on its underside which in their horizontal section are of T, form, said plates passing through the stringers on each side of the vertical rods and thus forming an opening or jaws for the vertical rods to pass between; and extending down from the surface of the shoe, which rests upon the stringers, to the nuts and washers upon the underside of the stringers.

This shoe as may be evident diers from all others in use by not having its projecting plates surround the rods-and is therefore better for the purpose employed, as'it takes up less room in passing through the stringere and affords equal if not greater strength wit-h less weight of metal which advantages are very essential in a very heavy bridge as will be presently shown.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invent-ion I will proceed'to describe its construct-ion and operation.

A, A, representthe stringers of the truss frame. B, B, the diagonal braces, and C, C,

the vertical screw rods-all of the usual construction.

D, is a metal shoe; it is similar in construction at the part where the angular ends of the braces B, B, rest, to shoes in use, but differs from the same as follows: E, E, are two metal plates projecting down from the bottom of the shoe to the bottom of the stringers. These plat-es are of T, form and form an opening or jaws for the vertical rod C to pass between them as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The ends of the plates E, E, rest against a washer F, which is confined in place by a nut on the end of the screw rod C. The object in having the projecting plates thus on the shoes is that of removing the crushing weight of the diagonal braces from the stringers and having it come directly upon the shoe and rod, which object as may be evident is perfectly secured and all liability of the stringers being crushed or broken at that point where the thrust and strain are the greatest avoided. Thus removing the strain from the stringers however I do not consider my invention except when the projection plates are formed on shoes which are of inverted T, or angular, or curved form and used in connection with the vertical screw rods, as shown in Figs. 2 and 6 of the drawing, but what I do consider my invention7 and of importance is having the projecting plates of T, form and arranged so as to form jaws for the screw rods C, C, to pass between, instead of using a socket of the description shown in Fig. 5.

By having the plates thus form jaws for the bolt, instead of using a socket the necessity of cutting away so much of the wood to apply them to the stringers is avoided, also the stringere can be brought closer together, as will be seen by comparing Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing, which is quite essential in constructing a bridge; and likewise is avoided the great disadvantage and eXA pense of having the devices which intervene to prevent the crushing of the stringers, so.

heavy-and if desirable the eXtra metal which is uselessly employed in forming the socket, thrown into the metal projecting plates in a manner to increase their strength.

It may be obvious to anyone well skilled in the building of bridges that -in a large bridge the weight of metal in the sockets becomes a matter of serious consideration. l form, said plates passing through the string- And further that by cutting away the timber to apply the sockets the stringers are weakened at the point where they should be the strongest and thus .the durability of the truss frame impaired.

/Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Furnishing that description of shoe which at the part where the braces rest is of an in Verted T, or annular, or curved form, with two projecting plates on its underside which, in their horizontal section, are of T,

ers on each side of the vertical rods and thus forming an opening or jaws for the Vertical rods to pass between, and extending down from the surface of the shoe, which rests upon the stringers, to the nuts and washers upon the underside of the stringers,-sub stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

REUBEN COMINS.

Witnesses R. W. FENWICK, J. M. MAY.

[FIRST PRINTED 1912.]

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