US1922105A

US1922105A - Combination rail bond and connecting plate

Info

Publication number: US1922105A
Application number: US592119A
Authority: US
Inventors: Verner L Martin
Original assignee: EDWARD J MCCOOL
Current assignee: EDWARD J MCCOOL
Priority date: 1932-02-10
Filing date: 1932-02-10
Publication date: 1933-08-15
Anticipated expiration: 1950-08-15

Description

Aug. 15, 1933. v R N 1,922,105

COMBINATION RAIL BOND AND CONNECTING PLATE Filed Feb. 10, 1932 INVENTOR VEIT'LEF L. Mal Tin ATTORNE Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION RAIL BOND AND CONNECT- ING PLATE Verner L. Martin, Mount Hope, W. Va., as-

signor of one-half to Edward J. McCool,

MacDonald, W. Va.

This invention relates to combination rail bonds and splice plates for attachment to rails, which rails function in part as conductors of electricity.

In bonding rails which are intended to act as conductors as well as provide trackage, the attachment of ordinary rail bonds is a slow procedure, and frequently some joints are accidently left unbonded or the bond, after a time, becomes loosened and may drop off. It has been found, especially in mines, where only a limited number of men are equipped to perform this bonding, that it is often impossible to keep the rails bonded up to the working face where mining machines are in operation and locomotives are starting their loaded cars and in consequence the electrical energy requirements are greater.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device which, as a unit, embodies a rail bond and splice plate and is easily and quickly attachable to the ends of two adjacent rails, bridging the joint, as is an ordinary splice plate.

Another object is to provide a combination device of this kind which requires no special preliminary treatment of the rail before bonding and only the tools ordinarily used in attaching splice plates are required to affix the combination device.

Another object is to provide a device of this kind which aids in retaining the nuts of the associate track bolts in place, and thus prevents the device from becoming loosened.

Still another object is to provide a combina tion rail bond and splice plate which is economical to manufacture and use.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and in which drawing:--

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved combination railbond and splice plate, a part being broken away to better illustrate a portion of the construction. 7

Figure 2 is a plan view of the improved device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the improved device applied to the joint at the ends of two adjacent rails.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 3.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodi- 'ment of the invention, the letters A and A designate two adjacent rails, secured together and bonded by the improved device'B, with a conventional splice plate C and securing means D for securing the portions A, A, B and C together.

The rails A and A are of conventional railway track construction and include side flanges 10, web portions 11 and heads 12, the web portions being provided with a suitable number of punchings or holes 13. As is well known, in laying tracks, the ends of the rails are aligned and spaced apart as shown at 14 in Figure 3. The improved combined rail bond and splice plate includes an elongate body portion 20 which may have the shape of the ordinary splice or fish plate and provided with the conventional punchings or holes 21. This body portion may be of any approved length and include any number of punchings corresponding to the number of the same in the web portions 11 of the two adjacent ends of railsA and A. 1

This body portion may be beveled at top and bottom as at 22 and 23 so'as to be wedged between the heads 12 and side flanges 10 of adjacent rails A and A. To the inner or narrower face 24 of the body portion 20 is secured by any approved means, as by welding, a contact terminal 25 which preferably includes an elongate strip of copper or similar metal with the ends folded or doubled over forming a pair of wings 26 of substantially U-shaped cross section, the longer fold or leg 27 of each wing being bent outwardly from the face 24 of the body portion as at 28, where it contacts with the body portion, while the opposite or shorter leg 29 confronts the face 24 with its free end 30 preferably in contact with the face as shown in Figure 2. Thus the free end or bight end 31 of each wing is normally spaced from the face 24 with the wing forming with the face an acute angle. The intermediate portion 32 of the strip of copper is fiat against the face 24 and it is this portion which is welded or otherwise secured to the plate. Each leg 29 preferably close to its axial center is provided with one or

more lugs

33 and 34 which may be formed by slitting the metal forming the legs 29 and turning the slitted metal inwardly towards the confronting longer legs 27. It is preferred that the lug 33 be longer than the lug 34 so that the extremity of the free end of the longer lug may bite into the leg 27 when the two legs are drawn towards each other.

Between each confronting pair of

legs

27 and 29 is carried a resilient member such as a spring steel washer 40 of conventional construction. These washers are prevented from dropping out of the pockets or spaces 41 formed between the confronting legs since the

lugs

33 and 34 project into the holes within the washers and against the bodies of the washers as shown Figure 3. The washers, of course, urge the two arms apart until the end 30 of the arm 29 comes into contact with the face 24 of the body portion 20.

The splice plate C is of conventional construction and includes the body portion .50 provided with the necessary holes or punchings 51 and beveled at top and bottom as at 52 and 53.

The securing means D may be standard track bolts 60 provided with screw threaded shanks 61 and screw threaded nuts 62. V

Since the rail bond and splice plate comprises a single unit, each time a pair of rails A and A are secured together, a good electrical contact is established between them. and without any specialv treatment of the rails or adjustment of the contact, neither is the contact such that it will be broken by expansion or contraction of the rails.

, The improved device B is applied by ordinary tools, with the face 24 confronting the web portion 11 of the two adjacent rails A and A and when the punchings in the device B are in alignment with the punchings in the rails A, A and splice plate C, the bolts are inserted and ti htened, drawing the device B towards the web portions 11 of the rails until the arms 29 are tight against the faces of the web portions, the

" arms 2'7 tight against the face 2% of the body portion 20 and at which time the spring washers will have assumed a flattened or nearly flattened shape. Because the washers will be urging the body portion 20 away from the web portions of the rails, the nuts 62 will be more securely held in place by the pressure exerted and will not be apt to become 1oosened. However, the device may be quickly removed.

It will be observed from Figure 4 that the contact cannot drop or work out of-contact even if it should become detached from the body portions 20 since the shanks 61 of the bolts 60 prevent any perceptible longitudinal movement and the flanges 10 and heads 12 of the rails prevent any great movement laterally.

The improved device comprises but four parts,the body portion 20 and the contact terminal 25 carrying the pair of spring washers 40, and its manufacture cost is consequently low.

Various changes may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a combination rail bond and splice plate, an elongate body portion, and a'substantially U- shaped member of electrical energy conducting metal securedat substantially the end of one of its legs-to a face of said body portion at substantially the lateral medial line of said body portion, with the bight portion of said member,

normally extending away from said body portion and with the free leg of said member extending toward said body portion.

2. In a combination rail bond and splice plate,

an elongate body portion, and a substantially U-shaped member of electrical energy conductmetal secured at substantially the end of one of its legs to a face of said body portion at substantially the lateral medial line of said body portion, with the bight portion of said member normally extending away from said body portion and with the free leg of said member extending toward and in contact with said body portion.

3. In a combination rail bond and splice plate, an elongate body portion, a wing of substantial LJ-shaped cross section and of electrical conducting material secured at an end of one leg to crime of said body portion with the end of the other leg in contact with said body portion, said first named leg being longer than the last named leg, and the bight portion of said wing spaced from said body portion, and a resilient member carried between said legs urging them apart. T e

a. In a combination rail bond and splice plate, an elongate body portion, a wing of electrical energy conducting material formed of a strip of material foldedto'provide substantially parallel legs unequal length, said wing secured to a face said body portion at the end of the longer leg, and a member of resilient material carried between said legs urging them apart and J tially parallel legs of unequal length, said wing secured to the face of said body portion at the end of the longer'leg and projecting outwardly from said face, said face and longer leg form ing 'an acute angle, and a member of resilient material carried betweensaid legs urging them apart and the shorter leg towards said body portion.

6. In a combination rail bond and splice plate, an elongate body portion, a wing of electrical energy conducting material formed of a strip of material folded to provide a pair of substan-. tially flat legs, paralleling each other and ofunequal length, said wing secured to a face of said body portion atthe. end of the longer leg and projecting outwardly from said face, said face and longer leg forming an acute angle, and .a member of resilient material carried between said legs urging them apart and the shorter leg towards said body portion,

7. In a combination rail bond and splice plate, an elongate body portion, a wing of electrical energy conducting material formed of a strip of material folded to provide a pair of substantially flat legs, paralleling each. other and of unequal length, said wing secured to a face of said body portion at the end of the longer leg and projecting outwardly from said face, said face and longer leg forming an acute angle and one of said legs provided with 2. lug projecting towards the other leg, and a metallic spring washer encircling said lug and supported there by between said legs, urging them apart.

VERNER L. MARTIN.