US1838784A - Tie spacer for railroad and like bridges - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 29, 1931. J. N. OSTROM 1,838,784

TI E SPACER FOR RAILROAD AND LIKE BRIDGES Filed July 27, 1931 20 19 fl j% jkn 1 Osirom Patented Dec. 29, 1931 JOHN n. os'rnoivr, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TIE SPACER FOR RAILROAD 'AND LIKE BRIDGES Application filed July 27,

to It is also an object of the invention to provide a tie spacer for the purpose above mentioned which may be easily and economically manufactured and which will not add materially to the cost of the bridge structure.

Other objects and advantages will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which I have illustrated certain details of a bridge structure embodying a tie spacer according to a selected embodiment of myinvention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4; is a perspective showing a portion of a tie spacer embodying a preferred form of my invention.

Referring now to the drawings, I have indicated a bridge structure which embodies a girder or stringer 5 which is seated at its ends on suitable supports, one of which is shown, in this instance, as consisting of a concrete structure 6 of any suitable form. The girder or stringer 5 includes a web portion 7 and top and bottom flange portions 8 and 8, respectively. The details of construction of the girder may be in accordance with ordinary practice; for instance, such as indicated in Figure 3, wherein the top flange is shown as being formed of a pair of oppositely facing, angle iron members disposed on opposite sides of the top marginal portion of the web 7, these angle iron members being riveted or otherwise secured to the web.

In more or less common practice in railroad bridge construction, wooden ties 9 are seated on the top flanges of a pair of relatively 1931. Serial no. 553,334.

spaced girders such as 5, and suitably secured thereto, for instance, by bolts, lag screws or spikes, and rails such as indicated at 10 are positioned on the ties, tie plates such as indicated at 11 being usually interposed between the rail and the tie. Variousforms and arrangements of guard rails have also been used, and in this instance a guard rail 12 is shown disposed inside of the rail.

' In a bridge structure embodying my improvement, the general details of construction may be substantially in accordance with any one of many forms of 'more or less standard practice, but to prevent tie bunching, which has occurred many times on bridges with serious results, I interpose a tie spacer 14 between the top flange of the girder or stringer and the ties seated thereon.

The improved tie spacer herein disclosed consists of an elongated steel plate or fiat bar 20 15 which is provided on its top surface with a plurality of transversely extending ribs 16 formed integrally with the plate or bar. The ribs 16 are arranged in pairs, one suchpair being indicated at 17 in Figure It will be observed that each pair of ribs forms, with the intermediate portion of the plate, a seat for receiving and positioning a tie.

Steel spacer plates or bars, such as the one just described, can be economically rolled with integral transverse ribs of suficient height, about one-fourth of an inch, to maintain the ties in position and prevent them from bunching. Such plates may be rolled in any desiredlengths to suit individual re- $5 quirements. Such a plate may be made the full length of a bridge, or it may be made in such lengths that a plurality of spacers will be required tocover the full length of the bridge.

My improved spacer may conveniently be seated on the top flange 8 of the girder or stringer and welded or otherwise secured thereto. Ties may then be positioned in the spaced seats formed by the pairs of ribs and anchored in place by bolts, lag screws or spikes. In this instance, I'have shown lag screws 18 extending through the top flange of the girder, through the tie spacer 14 and into each tie 9 for anchoring the tie in place. 100

The fastenings 18 serve to hold the ties to the plate 15 and the ribs 16 then serve to prevent tie bunching.

It will be observed that my improved spacer may be made at a comparatively low cost and that it will not add materially to the weight or cost of the bridge structure, while, at the same time, affording a very desirable safety factor. It will also be observed that my improved tie spacer serves to strengthen the top flange of the girder and constitutes, in effect, a part of the top flange of the girder, so that the tie-engaging ribs may be said to extend upwardly from said top flange.

I am aware that changes may be made in the embodiment of my invention thus described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tie spacer comprising an elongated metallic plate having a plurality of relatively spaced, transversely extending ribs projecting upwardly therefrom for co-acting with ties seated on the plate, to prevent bnnehing of the ties.

A. railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer having a top flange portion, a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said top flange portion, tie-spacing means comprising a plurality of relatively spaced tie-engaging ribs extending upwardly from said top flange portion to prevent bunching of the ties.

3. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer having a top flange portion, a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said top flange portion, tie-spacing means comprising a plurality of pairs of relatively spaced ribs forming, with the respective intermediate portions of the top flange, seats for receiving and positioning a tie on said flange, said pairs of ribs being arranged in spaced relation longitudinally of the supporting girder or stringer and serving to prevent tie bunching.

4:. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer, a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer, and a tie spacer interposed between said stringer and said ties, said spacer comprising an elongated plate having in its top surface a plurality of upwardly facing tie-receiving seats disposed in predetermined relation longitudinally of the plate for receiving and positioning said ties in said predetermined relation.

5. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer, a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer, and a tie spacer interposed between said top flange and said ties, said spacer comprising a rolled, elongated steel plate having its top surface formed with a plurality of upwardly facing tie-receiving seats disposed in specified relation longitudinally of the plate for receiving and positioning said ties in specified relation, and means for anchoring .said spacer and ties to said girder or stringer.

6. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer having a web portion and a laterally extending top flange portion, a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer, and a tie spacer interposed between said top flange and said ties, said spacer comprising an elongated plate having in its top surface a plurality of upwardly facing tie-receiving receptacles disposed in specified relation longitudinally of the plate for receiving and positioning said ties in specified relation, and fastening means extending through said flange and spacer and into said ties for securing said parts in relatively fixed relation.

7. A railroad or like bridge structure comprising a girder or stringer having a web portion and a laterally extending top flange portion, a plurality of ties overlying and supported by said girder or stringer, and a tie spacer interposed between said top flange and said ties, said spacer comprising an elongated plate seated on and welded to said top flange and having in its top surface a plurality of upwardly facing, tie-receiving receptacles disposed in specified relation longitudinally of the plate for receiving and positioning said ties in specified relation, and means for anchoring said ties to said spacer.

8. A safety device for railroad bridge structures comprising a rolled, elongated steel plate or flat bar having formed integrally therewith, on its upper face, transversely extending, tie-engaging ribs for preventing tie bunching.

JOHN N. OSTROM.

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