US1764010A - Rail anchor - Google Patents

Description

RAIL ANCHOR I Filed June 24, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY June 17, 1930. c. G. ERICSON 1,764,010

RAIL ANCHOR Filed June 24, 1929 3 sheets-sh y 2 1 5 23 2, r 2 Z? 29 18 1.9 16 26 301 I I J 2 2,9 m 1 16 2B 23 :I l 18 1 24/ I Q 25 W ll! |l|ll'l1|li I j )1 \l 1771:2710 3 W vE/v TO R I I BY ATToR/vl- June 17, 1930. Q G cso I 1,764,019

RAIL ANCI-IIOR I Filed June 24, 1929 3 SheetsSheet 3 //v|/ENT R- %MMW ATTORNEY Patented June 17, 1930 *rnr riot RAIL ANCHOR Application filed June 24,

The present invention relates to rail an chors for preventingvrail creepage, and more particularly to anchors of the one-piece type that are adapted to be sprung onto firm gripping engagement With-the rail base.

It is Well known to those familiar With track problems that the rails for supporting the Wheels of a train tend to creep in the direction of the traffic, and that this creeping tendency has been greatly increased by the present day practice of increasing the We1ght and speed of the rolling stock.

To meet these changed conditions the rail anchor of today should be capable of resisting a greater creeping force imparted to the rails by the heavier and faster moving rolling stool-:, and therefore should possess increased strength and rail gripping properties. It is also important that the rail anchor shall be cheap, which necessitates economy in material and labor, utilized in its production. Such anchor should also be so constructed that it is easy to apply and remove from the rail, While all danger of the anchor Working loose on the rail is avoided.

The present invention therefore relates to a one-piece rail anchor of powerful construction which is capable of being sprung into firm rail gripping position under comparatively easy spring tension invvhich state the device remains immobile When subjected to an average or normal creepage load thrust but under a load thrust of exceptional magnit e the nonoverhanging end portion may move lengthwise of the rail slightly which ac tion temporarily increases the frictional engagement and spring tension, but upon the cessation of the exceptionally heavy load thrusts the anchor, due to its peculiar structural embodiments, is adapted .to automatically return to its initial position.

Many forms of one-piece rail anchors have been proposed heretofore, both of the resilient and non-resilient type. The non-resilient or rig-id types of rail anchors proposed heretofore are open to the objection that When subjected to a load thrust of exceptional magnitude they Will either brake or slide lengthwise of the rail to a new permanent position, and in either case they will fail to automat- 1929. Serial No. 373,197.

ically return to their original position to hold the rail from creeplng.

In the resilient type of one-piece rail a11- chors difficulty has been experienced heretofore in developing a construction that Would maintain its proper Working position upon the rail under an average or normal creepage load thrust but Would temporarily increase its frictional grip and spring tension under an excessive load thrust and then spring back to its original position When relievedfrom the excessive load thrust, and one of the objects of the present invention is to provide asingle piece rail anchor that Will remain in action under all average or normal creepagethnusts and if forced temporarily by an excessive creepage thrust to increaseitshold .uponthe rail base, Will automaticallyreturn to its normal operative position as soon as the excessive thrust has passed, and then continue to function in a state of comparatively low frictional grip and spring tension .to resistand arrest the normal creepage disturbances.

One important featureof the present invention therefore resides in a one-piece rail anchor having near one :end thereof a laterally extending resilient arm that isadap'ted to be sprung into firm abutting engagement With an edge of the :rail base flange innonoverhanging relation With the rail edge to exert a constant gripping action upon the rail. As a result of this construction the move from the rail Without the necessity of permanently bending or-distorting any ,por- .tion thereof, and danger of the rail anchor Working loose on the rail is avoided.

The use of this laterally extending resilient arm is made feasible ,by-providingthe rail anchor With a shank adapted to extend across the bottom or under face of "the rail .andto be held in firm engagement therewith by one or more overhanging jaws adapted-to firmly engage the upper inclined face of therail base so that they Will hold the shank against the under face of the rail with sufficient force to maintain the resilient arm at the opposite end of the shank under tension and With its end in abutting and non-overhangin-g-engagement with the rail. As a result of this con struction the resilient arm is held by the shank in constant abutting engagement with the edge of the rail and from moving down wardly out of engagement with this edge.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the construction and arrangement of the overhanging jaws which serve to hold the shank sofirmly against the under face of the rail base that the shank will bend or bow under extremely heavy load thrusts without moving the jaws relatively to the rail. This bending or bowing action of the shank under exceptionally heavy load thrusts serves to temporarily increase the frictional grip and transverse spring action, but as the intensity of the load thrust diminishes, the resilient arm returns automatically to its initial operative position where the anchor functions free from injurious stresses under the normal creepage load. 2

Still another feature of the present invention resides in a sheet metal rail anchor which may be readily cut or punched from a sheet of steel and then bent to its final shape ready for use upon a rail. 7

Other features of the invention and novel combination of parts in addition to the above will be hereinafter described in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate good practical forms of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a rail anchor, constructed in accordance with the present invention, secured to a rail in position to abut against a tie;

Fig. 2 on an enlarged scale is a vertical sectional view through a portion of the rail base flange, showing the engagement of the o-ver hanging jaws therewith;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a blank which has been cut and is ready to be bent into final shape;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the rail anchor as formed from the blank of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through a rail showing the rail anchor in position to be applied to the rail base; 7

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but shows the rail anchor in operative engagement with the rail base;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the construction shown in Fig. '6;

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 7, but shows the right-hand portion of the rail anchor as shifted lengthwise of the rail by the pressure against the tie; and

Figs. 9 and 10 are top plan views showing modifications in the construction of the resilient arm of the rail anchor.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is the wheel engaging portion of a rail of usual construction, 11 is the rail base flange which is connected to the upper portion 10 by the centrally disposed upstanding web 12, and the rail base is provided with the usual upper inclined faces 18 and with the opposite vertically disposed edges 14.

The rail anchor disclosed in the drawings is shown as formed of sheet metal, but it will be apparent that it may be forged or otherwise constructed, and the rail anchor consists of a shank 15 adapted to extend across the under face of the rail base flange 11 and the upper edge 16 of this shank is adapted to rest firmly against the under face of the base flange 11. The shank 15 is sufficiently wide to extend downwardly a substantial distance from the under face of the rail base to conlarge area and one face of this shank is adapted toabut firmly against the tie 17, as will be apparent from Figs. 1, 7 and 8 of the draw- 1Il 'S.'

b t one end of the shank 15 is provided one or more overhanging jaws, two being shown ,stitute a tie engaging element of relatively in the present construction, which are adapted to extend inwardly over the rail base flange a substantial distance froman edge 14: thereof, and to firmly grip the upper inclined face 13 of this flange so that the jaws will hold the face 16 of the shank firmly against the under face of the rail base. The overhanging jaws, in the embodiment of the invention il-i lustrated, are formed by cutting or shearing the anchor forming blank so that it has the substantially rectangular configuration best shown in Fig. 3, one entire upper corner of the blank being cut away lengthwise of the blank well towards the central portion thereof, and in the remaining upper portion of the blank is formed a deep undercut to provide a clearance space for a portion of the rail base flange and this cutaway portion it should be noted has the oppositely inclined faces 18 and 19 that constitute the flange engaging faces of the overhanging jaws, as will be apparent from Fig 4. v

The blank having the construction shown in Fig. 3 is preferably cut from a sheet of stock while hot, and may then be bent' to the configuration shown in Fig. 4: before the metal is allowed to cool, so that the finished blank may be formed by a single heating of the metal and as the blank is permitted to cool off it may be quenched in oil or water, or otherwise treated to temper the rail anchor as desired.

It will be seen by comparing the disclosure of Figs. 3 and a of the drawings that the end portion of the overhanging part of the blank shown in Fig. 3 is bent back on itself to form the jaw 21 which is laterally spaced from the jaw 20. The jaw 20, it will be noted, lies directly over the shank 15, while the jaw 21 is offset therefrom in a direction to extend over the tie 17 and is connected to the jaw 20 by the arcuate portion 22. It will be seen from the construction just described that the llG j aw 21 is supported by the j aw 20 and that the latter is connected to the shank 16 by the upstanding portion 23. It is desirable that the portion of the rail anchor provided with the overhanging aws shall at all times clear the vertical edge 1% of the rail, and the upstanding portion 23 is therefore preferably cut away as indicated by 2% to form a clearance space for the rail edge 1d.

The construction so far described is such that the overhanging jaws 20 and 21 may be forced into firm. gripping engagement with the upper face 13 of the rail base. This is done by forcing the rail anchor transversely of the rail in a direction to bring the laterally extending arm 25 provided at the opposite end of the shank 15 into position to cause its end 26 to spring upwardly into firm abutting engagement with the opposite edge 14 of the rail.

As above stated it is important that the overhanging jaws 20 and 21 shall serve to hold the shank 15 firmly against the under face of the rail base 11, and to insure this the overhanging jaw 20 is so constructed that it will grip the upper inclined face 13 of the rail base at a substantial distance from the edge l l of the rail. The flange engaging face 18 of the jaw 20 is therefore so constructed that it has a slightly less taper than the flang 13; for example, if the rail base face is disposed at an angle of say 1 1 to the under face of the rail, then the lower face 18 of the jaw 20 is given an angle of say 11 to the upper face 16 of the rail anchor shank. This will not only insure a firm gripping engagement of the jaw 20 with the rail base at a point near the vertical web 12 of the rail, but will permit the jaw 20 to spring upwardly slightly to accommodate itself to the configuration of the particular rail base flange to which it may be applied. The second or laterally offset jaw 21 obviously will be less rigid than the jaw 20 and the flange engaging face 19 of this second is therefore preferably so constructed that it will normally extend downwardly a slight distance below the face 18 of the aw 20 as will be apparent from Fig. 2. This causes the jaws 20 and 21 to be sub jected to a torsional twist as the rail anchor is applied to a rail to increase the gripping action of these jaws upon the rail base flange, and this tortional twist serves also to cause the rail anchor to accommodate itself to rail base flanges of different thicknesses.

Since the auxiliary jaw 21 is disposed at one side of the plane of the shank 15 away from the on-coming traffic, it will serve to resist the tendency of the shank to be rocked scout its upper longitudinal edge 16 by the pressure of the shank against the tie.

The construction of the rail anchor is such that the shank 15 normally extends diagonally of the rail, as will be apparent from Fig. 7. The portion of the shank 15 from which the arm 25 extends abuts firmly against a side face of the tie 17, and while there is present a c rtain resiliency and flexibility in the entire rail anchor, the rigidity of the device is such, nevertheless, that when once applied to a rail engagement with a tie, as shown in F 7, it will notniove relative to the rail when subjected to the average or normal cree age .load thrust but under load thrusts of exceptional magnitude the end 26 to lier with, the integral resilient arm 25 is capable of changing from the position shown in Fig. 7 to that in which it is shown in Fig. 8, with the obvious result that the entire anchor will increase its grip on the rail base temporarily or until there occurs a cessation in the intensity of the load thrust or longitudinal creepage forces, when the anchor returns automatically to its initial position. It is contemplated that the engagement of the jaws 20 and 21 with the opposite rail flange will exert a sufliciently rigid clamping action upon the rail base to prevent the portion of the rail anchor provided with these jaws from being shifted in a direction transversely or lengthwise of the rail during the presence of the excessive pressure, and in which case the shank 15 will bow or bend, as will be a parent from Fig. 8, and, as a result, when the rail anchor is relieved from this temporary excessive pressure the parts will spring back to the original position in which they are shown in Fig. 7, and will be assisted in returning to this position by the vibrations and wave undulations imparted to the rail by the rolling stock. In other words the jaws 20 and 21 engage the rail flange 11'. so firmly that when a displacing pressure is exerted upon the opposite end portion of the shank 15 the jaws will not move but the shank will bend or bow as shown in Fig. 8.

It will be noted that the end portion 26 of the arm 25 extends upwardly a substantial distance above the upper edge 16 of the shank so that when the rail anchor is applied to the rail this face 26 will engage a substantial portion of, or the entire vertical edge l-fl of the rail base. This upstanding abutting portion 26 of the arm 25 is conveniently formed by cutting or shearing the blank to provide the same wit the inclined surface 2"? which may extend from a shoulder 28 pro vided upon the upper face of the shank 15 to the outer end of the arm 25. The shoulder 28 is normally inactive and lies in spaced relation to the rail edge, as will be apparent from Figs. 7 and 8, and it is intended that this shoulder shall engage the rail edge 1 1 only when the rail anchor is subjected to a pronounced retrograde movement such as will shift the shank lengthwise of the rail to an increased diagonal angle from that in which it is shown in Fig. 7. The shoulder 2", however, while normally inactive, helps materially in removing the rail anchor from a rail, as will presently be pointed out.

lVhen it it. desired to apply the rail anchor of the present invention to a rail this may be accomplished by placing the rail anchor by hand upon the rail base in the manner shown in Fig. 5, whereupon the jaws may be driven into firm gripping engagement with the rail base flange by striking upon the face 29 of the rail anchor with a spike maul or the'like, while at the same time a prying force may be exerted upon the opposite end portion of the rail anchor by inserting the small end of a track bar or track wrench in the loop formed the inner face of the arcuate arm 25 to thereby force the rail anchor in the direction of its length sufficiently to cause the outer end 26 of the arm 25 to spring upwardly into firm abutting engagement with the rail edge 1%, as shown in Fig. 6.

When it is desired to remove the rail anchor from the rail, this may be done by striking downwardly upon the arm 25 in an inclined direction to cause the shank to move downwardly sufiiciently to engage the upper face of the shoulder 28 with the under face of the rail base, thus holding the rail anchor in its partially released position, whereupon an additional blow upon the upper face of the arm 25 will serve to force the outer end portion of the arm 26 downwardly sufficiently to engage the under face of the rail base, as shown in Fig. 5, to thereby permit the complete removal of the rail anchor from the rail without causing any portion thereof to be permanently distorted either during the application of the rail anchor to the rail, or its removal therefrom.

In some cases it may be desirable to provide the laterally extending arm 25 with a relatively sharp outer end which is adapted to bite more or less into the edge 14 of the rail. Modified constructions to this end are shown in Figs. 9 and 10, wherein it will be seen that the arcuate arm 25' has its outer end sheared at an angle to provide the relatively sharp rail edge engaging portion 30, this sharp edge being formed adjacent the outer curved face of the arm 2'5. The modified construction shown in Fig. 10 differs from that of Fig. 9 in that the relatively sharp rail engaging edge portion 31 is disposed adjacent the in ner'curved face of the arm 25, as will be apparent from the drawing. The modified constructions shown in Figs. 9 and 10 may be similar to the rail anchor shown in Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive except for the sharpened edge construction just mentioned.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the rail anchor of the present invention is extremely simple in construction and that it 7 may be repeatedly applied to and removed from a rail without permanently distorting any portion thereof, and it will also be seen that the construction of the laterally extending arm 25 is suchthat it. maintains a con stant strong clamping action upon the edge of the rail that prevents any possibility of the rail anchor from being accidentally disengaged from the rail, andthat when the rail anchor is subjectedto excessive load thrusts the flexible curved arm will automatically increase its frictional bite and spring action on the rail base.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end with a plurality of laterally spaced overhanging jaws formed to extend inwardly a substantial distance over the rail base and to engage the upper inclined face thereof to hold the shank firmly againstthe rail base, and provided at its opposite end with a laterally extending arm the entire endportion of which is disposed at one side of the vertical plane of the shank to bear against the rail edge in non-overhanging relation and is held in firm abutting engagement with the rail edge by the overhanging jaws.

2. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a relatively straight shank adapted to extend across the rail base and to project downwardly a substantial distance from the lower face of the rail to form a tie engaging ele- 'ment and provided at one end with a plurality of laterally spaced overhanging jaws formed to engage the inclined upper face of the rail base at a substantial distance from the rail edge and adapted to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, and provided at its opposite end with a laterally extending arm that projects in the direction of the on-coming traffic and the entire end portion of which is disposed at one side of the vertical plane of the shank and is adapted to be sprung upwardly and held in firm abutting engagement with the rail edge by the oppo-.

site overhanging jaws.

3. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to form the tie-engaging element and provided with laterally spaced overhanging jaws adapted to extend inwardly a substantial distance from the rail edge over the rail base and engage the upper inclined face thereof to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, and provided at its opposite end with a laterally extending slightly resilient arm the end portion of which abuts against the edge of the rail in non-overhanging relation with the rail base and held by said overhanging jaws from moving downwardly out of engagement with the rail edge.

4. A. one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to form the tie engaging element'and provided with spaced over-hanging jaws constructed to extend inwardly a substantial distance over the rail base and each jaw havllO ing its activeface inclined slightly to the face of the rail base to engage the latter with a strong gripping action and adapted to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, and an arm at the opposite endof the shank formed to extend in the direction of the oncoming traffic entirely out of the vertical plane of the shank and having an end portion that abuts against the edge of the rail in non overhanging relation with the rail base and adapted to be held against said edge and from moving downwardly out of engagement therewith by the over-hanging jaws.

5. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend slightly diagonally across the rail base to form the tie engaging element and provided at one end with a bent arm that extends away from the tie and the end portion of which is adapted to abut 3 against the rail base edge, and the shank being provided at its opposite end with overhanging jaws that clear the edge of the rail and engage the upper face of the rail base at a substantial distance from the rail edge and with sufficient force'to hold the shank against the lower face of the rail with a constant pressure that prevents the bent arm from moving downwardly out of engagement with the rail edge.

6. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end with a pair of laterally spaced overhanging jaws formed slightly out of transverse alignment with each other to grip the upper inclined face of the rail base with a powerful spring action and adapted to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, and the shank being provided at its opposite end with an angularly disposed arm adapted to be sprung into abutting engagement with the edge of the rail and held thereagainst and from moving downwardly by said overhanging jaws.

7. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base and provided at one end with a pair of integral overhanging jaws one of which extends towards the central upstanding rail web to engage the upper inclined face of the rail base at a substantial distance from the rail base edge and the other is bent back in spaced relation to the first jaw to extend along said inclined face away from said web, and a laterally extending arm at the opposite end of the shank adapted to be sprung into engagement with the rail edge and constructed to engage said edge only at one side of the central vertical plane of the shank.

8. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base and provided at one end with a pair of integral overhanging jaws one of which extends towards the central upstanding rail web to engage the upper inclined face of the rail base at a substantial distance from the rail base edge and the other is bent back in' spaced relation to the first jaw to extend along said inclined face away from said web, and a slightly resilient laterally extendingarm at the opposite end ofsaid shank adapted to rest against the edge of the rail base flange in:

non-overhanging relation and to be held against the rail edge by the overhanging aws.

9. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end with a pair of integral overhanging jaws one of which extend'stowardsthe central upstanding rail Web to engage the upper inclined face of the rail base at a substantial distance. from the rail edge and the'other is reversely bent to extend along said inclined face away from said web in spaced relation to the first jaw, and an arm extending from the opposite end of the shank in the direction of the oncoming traffic to engage the edge of the rail base only at one side of the vertical plane of the shank and adapted to be held by the shankand jaws in engagement with said edge.

10. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end with a pair of overhanging jaws one of which extends over said shank and the other is offset therefrom away from the on-coming traflic to lie over the anchor engaged tie and adapted to firmly engage the inclined upper face of the rail base and prevent the pressure of the shank. against the tie from tilting the shank about its upper longitudinal edge, and means at the opposite end of the shank adapted to engage the rail base flange.

11. A rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut againstv a tie and providedv at one end with overhanging jaws one of which is offset from the plane of the shank away from the on-coming. tratfic so that it will. lie over the anchor engaged tie and adapted to engage the upper face of the rail base and resist the tendency of the pressure of the shank against the tie to tilt the shank about its upper longitudinal edge, and an arm at the opposite end' of said shankextending in the direction of the on-coming trafiic and adapted to be sprung into abuttlng engagement wlth the edge of the rail base.

12. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shankadapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end the on-coming traffic and having an end portion adapted to abut against the rail base edge in non-overhanging relation and held in contact with said edge by the shank and aws.

13. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to form the tie engaging element and provided with laterally spaced overhangin jaws adapted to engage the upper incline face of the rail base to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, and provided at its opposite end with a laterally extending slightly 'with a laterally extending slightly resilient arm having a sharpened end adapted to rest against the edge of the rail base in non-overhanging relation therewith and adapted to be held against said edge by said shank and aw. V

15. A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and provided at one end with laterally spaced overhanging jaws formed to engage the upper inclined face of the rail base flange at a substantial distance from its edge to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, a normally inactive shoulder at to abut against a tie and provided at one end with r a pair of laterally spaced overhanging aws to grip the upper inclined face of the rail base with a powerful gripping action and adapted to hold the shank firmly against the rail base and the shank being provided at its opposite end with a laterally extending arm the end of which is angularly related to the pair of overhanging jaws at the opposite side of the rail base and adapted to be sprung into engagement with the edge of the rail and held thereagainst and from moving downwardly by said overhanging jaws, the construction being such that any tendency of creepage causes the end of the lateral arm to bite with increasing force against the edge of the rail base.

18. A one-piece rail anchor substantially as described comprising a shank adapted to extend across the rail base in diagonal relation to the longitudinal axis of the adjoining tie, two overhanging aws at the end of the shank which is spaced from the tie and adapted to grip the inclined face of the rail base with a powerful gripping action to hold the shank firmly against the rail base, and provided at the opposite end of the shank which bears against the tie with a laterally extending curved arm the end of which grips the edge of the rail base flange at a point diagonally of the rail from the overhanging aws.

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

CHARLES G. ERICSON.

the opposite end of said shank adapted to lie H in slightly spaced relation to the edge of the rail base, and an arm extending from the shouldered portion of the shank in the direction of the on-coming traffic and adapted to abut against the rail edge in non-overhanging relation therewith.

16. A one-piece rail anchor comprising, a shank having an arm at one end and rail engaging jaws .at its opposite end, the shank being constructed to extend across the rail base to abut against a tie and the arm being bent laterally to the shank in the direction of the on-coming traffic and constructed toengage the edge of the rail only at one side of the vertical plane of the shank and in nonoverhanging relation with the rail base and r the metalat the opposite end of the shank being cut to position'the jaws so that they will extend a substantial distance over the rail base to engage the upper inclined face, thereof and hold the shank firmly against.

7 V the under face of the rail.

17 A one-piece rail anchor consisting of a shank adapted to extend across the rail base an A.

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