US1781438A - Temporary rail-joint shim - Google Patents

Description

' w me/Moc Georgen loztlfelei;

Nov. l1, 1930.

Patented Nov. 11, 1930 PATENT'OFFICE GEORGE1M.AGLODFELTEEOFQYONKERS,NEwYonmnssrGNon 'roTHE nani JOINT lOOMPANY, ornnw YORK, N. Y1,

ACORPORATION OF NEW YORK TEMPORARY RAIL-Joint; `sinn:

Y plantation :ned septemberi'i, 192e. serial Np. 393,179,

As lis well known, it` is vcommon practice in .thexart of` railway track maintenance, when rails have become worn, to recondition them by supplying metal thereto to compen- 5 sate for theloss of metal `occasioned by wear. gWhilc more or less wear occursthroughout the length of the head of a rail after extensive use, usually maximum wear occurs nearthe endof the rail, due tothe `pound of wheels passing .over the end .of-the railto or from the end Ofan adjacent rail. It is, therefore, at and near the end of a worn rail,fusually withinthe distance between the end of the rail and the adjacent endof the splice bar commonly employed for joining the rail with an adjacent rail, that the need for supplying wear compensating metal to the head of the rail exists. VAccordingltogeneral practice, this supply of `wearicom ensating metalto '20 the` head of a rail is e ected by welding,

as `thereby-the rail may expeditiously and economically be reconditioned without-i removing same from the track; Supplying wear compensating metal `to a rail by weld` .25 ing,means ofcourse, that the rail mustbe heated, which manifestly results in weakening of `the rail, so that in practice Iit has been found that, without support, when the rail 'end is `heated duringthe process of welding, the head of the rail` becomes mashed or flattened if trac passes over therail before same has become sufficiently cool and hard following its reconditioning` to withstand traffic. i This is `particularly true in connection with rail joints of the `so-called headfree. type because of the clearance existing between the underside of the` headof'such a rail and the Aupper face ofthe joint bar employed therewith, the bar having loading en- 40 gag'ement solely with the head fillet of the rail and leavingthe side portionsof the rail head unsupported.` Accordingly,the general purpose of the present invention listo provide simple, inexpensive, easily manipulated means for tem porarily and reliably supporting the head of i a rail, particularlyxa rail having joints- Of the AsO-called headfree' type,- against being mashed by trallic during and following the process of supplying `wear compensating j v"Referring to the metal thereto bywelding, until the rail has sufficiently .cooled to withstand traffic. j

Preferably the presentrail head supporting 'means consists of a'wedge-shaped shim adapted temporarily to be placed between the underside of the rail head andthe upper side of the joint bar, s'o as to ll the clearance space normally existingbetween the head of the bar and the underside of the rail head, wherebythe bar is adapted to receive traio loads imposed onand transmitted through the rail head, thus to support the side portion of the rail head againstdownward movement.` The said clearancespace between :the head` of the bar and the underside of the head of the rail increases in width fromthe head iillettowards theuside of the rail, 'and since the 4shim is formed of wedge shape to fit this` space, it follows that when load is imposed On the rail the tendency: is to squeeze the 4shim outwardly from an operative po-` sition between the head of the joint barand the underside of the rail head. `Accordinglya it isa further purpose of the invention to Vso form the-shim that it may have interlocking engagement with the rail'and joint'lbar `for holding itagainst displacement from an operative position under the influence of traffic loads imposed on the rail'. JW'ith the foregoing'and other purposes in view, the inventionconsists in the novel features of construction, combination andarrangement of ,parts asywill be hereinafter more fully described,illustratedinthe accompanying drawings and defined in `the appended claims. i

L i Inthe drawings,wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views :lj 1 Figure` l` is a transverse sectional view through'a rail joint of the headfree type illustrating `the present f rail head supporting means operatively positioned between `the head Of lthe joint bar `and the underside of the headof therail; and v Figure 2 is a side elevation ofthe structure shown in Eigure 1.` l y drawings in detaiLR, R, designatagenerally, the meeting` ends of a pair of rails and, J, J, a `pair ofjoint bars of die the so-called headfree type connectingsaid rails together.

As aforesaid, and as is well understood by those familiarwith the rail joint art, a headfree rail joint is so designated because the joint bar J hasfloading engagement solely with thelie'adl fillet of the rail andrl1ead clear'- ance from the underside of the rail head.

With such a .Construtonthe head clearance space between thelhejad'of the' harA and thery underside of thehead ofthe' rail usually'increases in width or depth from the headllet lof the rail outwardly towards'the side'of-thel rail, and therefore, outwardly-of thehead-iillet of the rail, the rail head is unsupported and must of .necessity be`)selfsustalining.V

Alsoyas aforesaidit is common practice, aftervarailby long 'servicehas become appreciably 'worn ya-tits end, as indicated at 8 Q'of thefdrawings, to supplyv a'body of`;wear= compensating 'metalv 9v `to the head thereo'fjby f v"welding L without" removingt the rrail lfroimzfth'e track, 'and `this,vof course, incurs heating' of the railawithconsequent' weaken-v ing: thereof, rendering'V the 'rail' head quite susceptible :of being `mashedY or distorted downwardly ifI trat-lic loads passwth'e'reover before fthe operation of5supplyingfwar com;Y pensatingf,metalfthereto has been completed, or'l before the rail has cooled: following .such

j Accbrdin'g tothe present"invention,v order tohover'comejthe foregoing' d1sadvan-y tage,- ashimfrl() Lof' metal'gor other suitable material-is providedytapering in cross section 'f-roinone side thereof-tov the other, so

as edectively to fillf the'I correspondingly shaped head'cleararice space-between' the fhead 112 of thej oint #bar *J and' the underside of 'the head 14' of thje" rail- R. This. shim is aflapt'edtdbeplaced,insaid spacejalnd to be retained' therein' any` suitable? manner, y

prior to instituting welding of the wear com'.-

vpensating metal Qupon f the rail head, and j to 'bevremoved followingrcompletion ,off the 'welding' operation andsl after the V'rail'A has cooled'. Said'shim may 'belformed in a single `length approximatinglthe length yof the joint bar, or itmay beformed two .or more sepa;A`

'rate,sections,` twlosections for eXample,-one individual to each rail.V

the rail', `all that is necessary` is toV lloesen the usual joint bolts, slidegthejshimendwise betweenfitheliyfjoint bar-and the rail"t`o"the positi'oijij"v shown? liii the drawings, 'and-1 then I to tighten' the` joint j bolts.` `llVhen the ywelding operation is completed'andl thefrailhas Y cooled, removal of they may readily 'beV effected by again`loose'niifigI 'thejoint bolt/'s "and sliding theshiin 'fromltween tllijoint d bar and the rail,` after which'tliejointbolts may be tightened to restore the joint toits j original *conditionl In this"conneetion it will f vbe understood, ofcourse, thatthe'" wear vcom- *Y In'eit'lierevent, to` position the shimbetween'the'joint bar and pensating metall) may-be ground by an emery wheel or otherwise dressedto desired finished formeitherbefore or after removalv of theshim 10.V In its applied positionsaid shim serves, asis manifest, as a filler for the space between the-head of the: joint'fbar *and the ainderside of the headof the' railgso that i ,duringk all of the time that said shim is operatlvely. positioned 4loett/eer.1the joint, har

traffic imposed 'loads on the:rail tending to f mashQlV distort .the head thereof downwardly f are effectively resisted by the joint barfiThus,

by, plagingesaid shigin-.fhetween .the joint bar and the rail'prior to instituting the welding. operatill'," and fby allowing said shim veto A remain!y in such positionuntil `after the rail has" cooled fo'llowing'the welding operation, traf:-V ic loads aref rendered? incapable @of-:mashing o'ri 'otherwise distortingithejrail'which Visheat-r weakenedduringiandinimediatelyffollowing the-f welding operation; i f e f While any:preferredv means-may played muoia the Shim operatively'- Vpesi-1 soY Serves'effeuveiyte'Held the enne operatively positioned Vbetween thejointbarfand the'rail sklled'fntheifart, and it will ojegurse'fbe undrstopdi tnat'changes in the form-prei pfortion, "and"-minrldetails;/ off construction may be" resorted to; without'dep'arting from the" s pjirgiti,of thefinventidn scope ofl the plelddiclams- Y L" ldll':

aff-related ieint bearer- 1d a tongue formation von saidffhimcurvedto fltfbetween'thehead y fillet kof the'irail-i-.andf the; upperrnner cornei- :of ltheffjein-tdearto'retainsaid,shirnin an operatiyef'pbsition, the y:lower yedge of? said tonguefteminatinglabovetheliefoflthe:joint l bolts wefeby snimiis mserliiible iemand Ai-"emovatble *from-the space-'between the rail `the underside of therail hdfandjrghgtpgf Y head and the joint bar Without removing thev joint bolts.

2. Means for temporarily supporting the head ofa headfree rail during reconditioning of the rail head,` comprising a shim shaped to `t and to substantially fill the space between the underside of the rail head and the top of a related joint bar, and means to retain said shim in ari-operative position, said m shim being formed for insertion into and removal from the space between the rail head `and the joint bar Without removing the usual `joint bolts.

- In testimony whereof I hereunto aHX my L5 signature.

GEORGE M. CLODFELTER.

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