US1952590A

US1952590A - Heating device for railroad rails and switches

Info

Publication number: US1952590A
Application number: US471736A
Authority: US
Inventors: Guenst William
Original assignee: ERNST L RUBY
Current assignee: ERNST L RUBY
Priority date: 1930-07-30
Filing date: 1930-07-30
Publication date: 1934-03-27
Anticipated expiration: 1951-03-27

Description

March 27, 1934. w, uENsT 1,952,590

HEATING DEVICE FOR RAILROAD RAILS AND SWITCHES Filed July 50, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

March 27, 1934. w. GUENST 1,952,590

HEATING DEVICE FOR RAILROAD RAILS AND SWITCHES Filed July 30, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR;

Patented Mar. 27, 1934 snnn rrnq pny oiiron RAILROAD nAn s a William Guenst. Philadelphia; Pa,, assignoroi' nez alft opEr stL, R baJenkMtwmIa;

APB Q-MiQR-LJQX 9 e al ma s.

2 .Claims. (CL. 219-19) :Thiss n ent on. ate o. m r em n s. eate s ri a lroacl .mi sl od nitenes- An object of the invention is to provide aheater with an electrically heated heat conqluctirlg pa tsn athand nl on st wi hu hd t qm fla ai -r y Amt er i g s omz v ea at c n uctin art' en ath: and in on ac it a rack; a .v edefiiten i h r from o .a tion en ath.

Q a; w tc ai whic mo abl suppor ed diaeentath' ac r ils n ther Q i c is o, r y dea theater. cat d en atha a fl nd h v n a ho sin xt nd ng;

downwardly therefrom andcontgtiningan elec- I itr g eatingfilemfint;

noth r. ob ect i o n 9vide.... 9 iln$ r q si. nathe..frame heeheat r. nd.,- a o et eri n ther. b e t. to provide. a, eat g:

9" 1.6 1?! Q ovel nstr c ion nd a nave means QIZJ P-PPQIHHEIhG element. n ath he il-1 he. inven n con is s, itheelements.and. t e. mbinati n ef them h re naitendQs ribed and, aimed-1 n the. acpompant/ling.v drawings, llu tratin the invention,

i ile.1.1.1is aside-view of a railroad track rail adjacent to a switch rail, showing my improved heater applied to the base of the track rail.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the track rail and the adjacent switch rail, showing the heater applied to the track rail and extending beneath the switch rail.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through the rails ,;-and the heater, on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of rails and the heater, 2. part of the heater being broken away.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates a fixed main or track rail and 4 a switch rail which is gg movable toward and from the main rail.

My improved heater is secured to the main rail 2 and the frame 5 of the heater is formed of a metal casting and comprises a top wall or plate 6 and a housing 7 extending downwardly 45 therefrom and having an open bottom.

One side of the top wall 6 is fitted against the bottom surface of the track rail 2 in contact therewith, and the opposite side of the wall extends beneath the movable switch rail 4. and

ollcibeneath the space between the rails 2 and 4.

The wall 6 is provided with upwardly extending

lugs

8 and 9 adjacent to the respective sides of the base 10 of the track rail 2 for the purpose of engaging the same and preventing displace- -ment of the frame 5 transversely of the rail;

l llj hg eil 2 and. l ra re s halt. sstherg tmran of e nr ng.. Qr m iasesnst ge. f he.iail; ?l; Q n 31.9; the wa l. mi lamns than eesthslz The; nll is n ov cl da ith an a m-. 2 wliidkfip s im heto fth ai base. qa daan. a m. 3 .wh qh. nsasesc eh et om.ot he wane; nd he ts ndlorthe. arm 3 is. pr vid d w th a projecting lug 14 which enters a slot 15 inthe; Wall. Land... s... adapt d. arnsase. a hlluls r QnnedbyQnes de. Wal he let .ani g s iha clip,iILlJlBLCQ.v 1

Be rei the...springclin ll is, pp ied ta e Wall; finand the. rail base. 10,. hesnacebetween. the arms 12 andj13 ,of .the clip is somewhat lessj 7 han. that. shown; in. Fi 3,, so. that wh n. the. clipli's applied the .arms I2..and \13 v llbestrung apart and; thereafter. ,firmlyl'clamp. the. wallllfl or. heaterjrame. andthe rail. 2';together as the; cliputend's tores'iime thenormal condition, from: 5 which it.wasfspr.ung.j

Theislotldeiitends parallelv with the rail .2 vand t: the length of .the slot. is much greater than the width of: the clip 11, thereby permitting the clip to' be" adjusted .or applied .to the rail .2uandiZframe Q L 5 in' di'fierentjpositions o'f .adjustment:longitudinally of :the rail Iwith respectfto'the frame 5-1:0 avoidtany'obstructioris whiclif might be present? and which might otherwise interfere with placing the heater in a desired position with respect 2 to the rail.

Within the upper portion of the housing 7 is an electric heating element 16 which is clamped against the bottom surface of the wall 6 by a plate 17 beneath the element 16, and a bolt 18 which extends through the plate 17 and the wall 6, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

The open bottom of the housing 7 is closed by a removable heat insulating plate 19 which is detachably secured by means of screws 20 to bosses 21 which project downwardly from the clamping plate 17. By removing the plate 19 access may be readily had to the interior of the housing.

The heating element 16 is annular in form and 192 it extends around the bolt 18 and it may be of any suitable construction. Preferably it comprises a ribbon resistance manifold 22 contained within a suitable casing 23 of insulating material and having its ends connected to terminals 1%. 24 projecting from the casing 23 and connected to electric current conductors or wires 25 which are connected to terminal portions 26 which extend through a housing member 27 projecting from the central portion of the wall 28 of the l lq heater frame 5. This housing member 27 extends outwardly from within a hole or opening in the wall 23, the inner surface of which is engaged by an outwardly extending flange 29 on the inner end of the member 27. The outer end portion of the member 27 is exteriorly screwthreaded and a clamping nut or ring 30 is screwed onto the same. Surrounding the housing member 27 between the wall 28 and the nut 30 is a series of collars 31 each of which is provided with an outwardly-extending, annular heat radiating flange 32 for a purpose presently appearing. The member 27 and the collars '31 thereon are secured together and to the heater frame 5 by the nut 30 which, when tightened,

clamps the frame wall 28 and collars 31 between the housing member flange 29 and the nut.

The outer end of the housing member 27 is closed by a wall 33 formed integral therewith and the terminal portions 26 of the electric current conductors or wires 25 extend through and outwardly beyond the wall 33. These terminal portions or members 26 are rigidly connected to the wall 33 and they are electrically insulated therefrom and from each other, and the outer end portions thereof are provided with suitable clamping nuts 34 by means of which current conducting wires 35 are detachably connected thereto.

The outer end portions of the terminal members 26 and the end portions of the wires 35 connected thereto are enclosed Within a hollow head 36, one end of which is internally threaded and screwed onto the housing 2'7. The other end of 5 the head 36 terminates in a nipple or tubular portion 37 which is surrounded by and connected to a flexible tube or conduit 38 of rubber or other suitable material. The tube 38 is held in place upon the nipple 37 by a suitable clamping collar 39 which surrounds the tube and the nipple. lhe wires 35 extend through the tube 38 and into the hollow head 36 and they lead from a suitable source of electric current protected by the tube which may be of any desired length to meet the particular conditions where the heater is installed.

It will now be understood that when electric current is supplied to the heating element 16 through the

wires

35 and 25, the element 16 will heat the wall 6 which will transmit the heat to the rail 2 by conduction.

When the heater is in operation the wall 28 of the heater frame will be heated to some extent and the object of providing the flanges 39 is to radiate and dissipate the heat for the purpose of keeping the hose or conduit 38 and the wires 35 therein cool.

My improved heating device may be employed on railroad rails in any selected place where it is desired to heat the same for any purpose. It is particularly adapted for use, however, in connection with switches for the purpose of preventing the accumulation of snow and ice in and around the same from interfering with the proper operation thereof during cold and stormy weather; and when it is so employed it not only heats the main or track rail 2 by conduction but it also heats the adjacent switch rail 4 by radiation, and the heat ascending from the heater through the space between the rails 2 and 4 serves to prevent the accumulation of ice and snow therein.

I claim as my invention,

1. In a heating device for railroad rails, a frame having a wall adapted to fit against the bottom of a rail and provided with a shoulder, a heating element supported beneath and in close proximity to said wall, and a spring clip embracing a part of said wall and adapted to embrace a part of the rail base to hold said wall in contact with the rail base, said clip having a projecting lug adapted to engage said shoulder to retain the clip in place.

2. In a heating device for railroad rails, a frame having a wall adapted to fit against the bottom of a rail and provided with a shoulder and upwardly projecting lugs adapted to engage the respective sides of the rail base, a heating element supported beneath and in close proximity to said wall, and a spring clip embracing a part of said wall and adapted to embrace a part of the rail baseto hold said wall in contact with the rail base, said clip having a projecting lug adapted to engage said shoulder to retain the clip in place.

WILLIAM GUENST.

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