US1975816A - Rail joint - Google Patents

Description

I. WOLFF Get 9, 1934.

RAIL JOINT Filed Nov. 11, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheeu INVENTOR Ivan W I Tol v I Patented Oct. 9, 1934 RAIL JOINT Ivan Wolff, New York, N. Y. Application November 11, 1932, Serial No. 642,134

19 Claims.

This invention relates to rail joints; the'general object of the present invention being to provide an improved form of rail joint over that disclosed in my copending application Ser. No.

586,137 U. s. Patent No. 1,911,595, issued May 20, 1933. v

In said copending application, I have proposed a rail joint, that is, a combination of elements comprising a device for joining a pair of abutting rail ends, adapted to defeat diiferential distor-.

tions as between the head or base of a rail and the web joining head and base, while at the same time to insure that any bodily movement of arail portion ahead of the joint'will be ac- 5 companied by a similar and equivalent motion of a'rail portion beyond the joint, responsive to track load, as a rolling-stock wheel approaches and passes a joint by rolling over the joint-adjacent end of one rail and as such Wheel passes beyond the joint and rolls over the joint-adjacent end of the succeeding rail. Said copending application provides interlocking means for the joined end portions of two abutting rails so acting that while a rail head is restrained against sidesway relative to an abutting rail end, each of the abutting rails is held not onlyagainst side-swing in either direction, but also against up-swingior down-swing, at its joint-adjacent portion, in response to rolling stock pressure, without an accompanying and equivalent side-swing or upswing or down-swing of the other rail at its jointadjacent portion. According to said copending application, the abutting rail ends are interlocked in'part by inserts among which are an upper insert comprising a substantially horizontal transverse plate set in a recess formed in the bottoms of the rail heads by suitable and suitably removed portions of the rail-head bottoms on opposite sides of the joint, and a lowerinsert 40 comprising. substantially a vertical block set in a recess formed in the rail webs by suitable andsuitably removed portions of such webs on opposite sides of the joint; with said plate substantially as wide as the rail-head bottom, with said block substantially as thick as the rail web, and with the block immediately below the plate and shorter than the plate in the direction of rail extension, whereby these two inserts combine to form substantially a'T-shaped structure viewed vyond the joint and said inserts, for suitable attachment, as by bolts, to portions of the-webs of the two rails beyond the inserts. These side bars were shown as plane vertical members filling the spaces on opposite sides of the webs of the 6 abutting rails and lying closely adjacent to such webs between the rail-head bottoms and the railbase tops, whereby, incidental to their trapping of the plate and block inserts above-mentioned in their appointed recesses, such compressive strains as were absorbed by said sidebars were transmitted vertically and in planes closely alongside the rail webs. Also, as the structure now being described is shown insaid copending application, a form of the invention is illustrated wherein said plate and block inserts both are carried by one of said bars.

The present invention provides a rail joint structure along the general lines and retaining all the advantages of the rail joint structure of said copending application, but improved thereover because characterized by important difier- 'entiations as follows:

First, said bars are transversely curved or otherwise suitably shaped out of the-flat, so that each is positionable between rail-head and railbase with its transverse convexity or the like facing the rail-web; whereby when the joint is completed there is a vertically resilient action contributed by each side bar, for partially absorbing, and partially assisting in the distribution of, various stresses and strains as a track load moves toward, over and beyond the joint. As the invention is preferably carried out in this connection, these side bars as cast or otherwise formed are shaped and constituted to be required to be and to be capacitated to be somewhat deformed to reduce the vertical distance between their upper and lower edges and to increase their aforesaid convexity or the like, when the two side bars are forcibly drawn together and toward the rail-web; such side bars being intended thus to be forcibly drawn together, say by bolts, to complete the joint,

Second, and incidentallythereby to facilitate the utilization of side bars of the curved or anala gous cross-section above-mentioned without losing an important advantage of the rail joint disclosed in said copending application, such ad-' vantage being the ability to apply the joint after. 1055 the abutting rails are secured to the ties or fixed in place on the roadbed, the plate and block in: serts aforesaid are provided other than as a 'plu rality of components both carried-by one of the side bars.

Third, just as the side bars pursuant to the present invention provide, in combination with the plate and block inserts, substantially an H- shaped rather than a T-shaped cross-section as a distinguishing characteristic over the disclosure of said copending application, this diiference giving an improved stress and strain distribution and hence an improved stress and strain absorption in all directions in any plane perpendicular or at an angle to the line of rail extension, similarly improved stress and strain distribution and absorption are attained longitudinally of either rail at and in the vicinity of the joint, by shaping the block insert to present side elevationally of the rail substantially an H lying horizontally on one of its sides while also preferably so shaping said block insert that as the same is viewed side-elevationally of the rail the. top and bottom sides of the H are shaped like a rail bottom and the cross-bar of the H is shaped like a rail web somewhat thickened; and, desirably, by shaping the plate insert and so locating the latter above the block insert that side elevationally of the rail these two inserts together present a composite structure also having the shape last described rather than a T-shaped one as in said copending application.

Fourth, an auxiliary keying means for the abutting rail ends, so incorporated as ,to function to prevent lateral or horizontal misalignment of said rail ends even where there is considerable sidesway from rolling stock as where the joint is in a curved line of track, is preferably employed, as in said copending application; but the keying means of the present invention is a very much simplified one.

Fifth, while the important characteristic of the joint of said copending application in allowing adequately for heat expansion is retained, this in certain particulars being accomplished by providing plane or flat surfaces on diiferent contacting parts in such manner that one of such surfaces may slide on another longitudinally ofa, rail, the joint of the present invention has these parts provided also with rounded surfaces, concave and convex, as continuations of such flat surfaces, to eliminate or minimize all such sharp corners and edges as might otherwise act as initiating agents for cracks to relieve stress and strain absorption and distribution.

The present invention will be more clearly understood, and the various objects and advantages thereof will be more fully appreciated, from the following description of an illustrative embodi- '3 ment as now preferred and as shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. lis a partially broken away and partially sectional but mainly a side elevational view of said embodiment looking toward the right in Fig. 2, and showing the rail joint assembly as the same finally exists inclusive of a pair of abutting rail ends; v 7

Fig.2 is a transverse vertical section, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view, taken on the line 3-3 ofv Fig. 1 (the broken-line showings in Fig. 3 being unnaturally exaggerated) Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the abutting rail end at the left in Fig.1;

, Fig. 5 is a similar view of the other rail end, thatshown to the right in Fig. 1;

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the side bar on the near side in .Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a similar view of a rail-head key shown also in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the side bar shown to the left in Figs. 2 and 3; and

Fig. 9 is a similar view of the side bar last mentioned, but showing the side thereof opposite to that seen in Fig. 8.

By way of preliminary reference to the drawings as disclosing a rail joint pursuant to the present invention, it is pointed out that certain aspects of such rail joint are also claimed in my aforesaid copending application Ser. No. 586,137.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to these drawings in detail, and to a pair of abutting rail ends as shown at 15 and 16, the heads, webs and bases whereof are marked it, w and b respectively, these rail ends have portions of the head-bottoms and portions of the webs cut away as shown, to provide an upper recess 17 and a lower recess 18; each such recess partially carried by each rail end. As shown, the two rail ends are precisely similarly and symmetrically cut away to provide the two recesses.

In the present case, as shown clearly in Fig. 1, the upper recess 17 merges at front and rear ends downwardly smoothly into the upper limits of the front and rear ends of the lower recess 18.

The upper recess 17 is for the accommodation of a plate insert 19, in the present case carried by one of a pair of side bars, to wit, a side-bar '20, and the lower recess is for the accommodation of a block insert 21, in the present case carried by the other of said side bars, marked 22.

According to this arrangement, that is, with L the two recesses 17 and 18. merged to a common length, the two inserts are desirably, and as shown, also of a common length; and as will be seen clearly from Fig. 9, the lower insert 21 is substantially shaped side elevationally of the rail as hereinabove described, as is the lower recess 18, and the upper and lower inserts 19 and 21 taken together are similarly side elevationally of the rail, as are-the upper and lower recesses taken together. In other words, said insert 21 taken alone, or the two inserts l9 and 21 taken together, are so shaped and located as to absorb and distribute stresses and strains in the plane of rail extension and imposed vertically or at an angle to the vertical in such plane, in the manner characteristic of the well-known behavior of a standard railroad rail in response to stresses and strains imposed thereon in planesv at various angles to the direction of rail extension, and at various angles to the vertical in such planes.

Due to the shapings of the recesses 17 and 18 and of the inserts 19 and 21, the plate insert 19 has a flat top laid against the fiat roof of the upper recess 18 and a flat bottom laid against the flat top of the block insert 21, and the block insert 21 has a flat bottom laid against the flat floor of the lower recess and also has flat surfaces 21a.intermediate its top and bottom laid against matching flat surfaces intermediate the top and bottom of the lower recess. In combination with all these preferred flat surfaces, curved surfaces are provided within the recesses 17 and 18 and on the two inserts 19 and 21; these curved surfaces being so present that they and the flat surfaces me-n tioned intermerge smoothly to avoid corners and other angles at all points slightly above the bottom of the lower insert or the approximate level its of "railextension, the curved surfaces are so arranged that there is a space between a curved surface on an insert and an oppositely located curved surface in a recess. Thereby, while relative sliding movement is permitted between the inserts and their recesses in the direction of rail extension, to provide for expansions and contrac tions at different temperatures, the inserts are securely interlocked with their recesses at a plurality; of upward and downward thrust points at different levels on both sides of the joint. By this arrangement, a downward or upward displacement of one rail end 15 or 16, due to rolling-stock load approaching or moving away from the joint, must always be accompanied by a co-lateral and similar. and equivalent displacement of the other rail'end.

As shown, a single fairly massive key 23, is utilized as a means for preventing lateral or horizontally transverse nus-alignment of the head of one rail end with the head of the abutted rail end because of sidesway of a rolling-stock load approaching or moving away from the joint.

Such key is set in a keyway 24 formed partially in one rail end and partially in the other, undercut in the rail-heads above the recess 1"]. Key 23 has -aflat bottom surface laid against the flat top surface of plate insert 19. As shown in Fig. 2, the key 23 has rounded side edges at its top,

while as shown in Fig. 7, the key has rounded end edges at its top, and as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 said key way is also similarly rounded. The keyway end roundings last mentioned are spaced from the key roundings, as shown, in such manner as to permit'relative slidings between'the key and its keyway in the direction of rail extension.

to allow for expansions and contractions at different temperatures.

Referring now to the bars 20 and 22, each of these is shown as including longitudinal median portions closer to the vertical than its terminal longitudinal portions above and below such median portions. Referring respectively to the side bars 20 and .22, these median portions are marked 20a. and 22a, in Fig. 2, and the upper terminal portions are marked 20b and 220, and the lower terminal portions are marked 20c and 220, in Fig. 3. These side bars may be secured in place in any suitable way, as by means of bolts passed through holes cut in the webs of the two rail ends and in. the median portions of the side bars; in the present case two such bolts being shown, both marked 25, one on each side of the joint. The terminal portions 2% and 200, and 22b and 22c .'of the two side bars, are made so relatively massive as compared with those parts 20c and 20 and 22c and 22f, which curve outwardly away from the rail webs to join the median portions 20a and 220. with said terminal portions, that thereis a certain amount of spring or resiliency in the parts 20c, 20 22c and 22,". Desirably, the side bars 20 and 22 are so shaped when made that the curvature or arching or angular deviation of a part 20c, 20 22c or 22; is less accentuated, and

' the height of the side bar is less, than when the two side bars are finally tightened up by the bolts 25 to complete the joint. Such a shaping for a side baris illustrated; in Fig. 3, in the case of the side bar 22, and as to the relative locations of the terminal portions 221) and 22.0,.in broken lines, more or less diagrammatically. With the terminal portions of both side bars thus preparatorily spaced, in first assembling the joint parts the two side bars are sidewisely. advanced toward opposite sides of the webs of the abutted rail ends only a part of the way but sufficiently to have the inserts 19 and 21 partially enter their recesses 1'7 and 18 and to insure that the upper insert will properly trap or nest in place the key 23; and then, on tightening up the bolts 25, the side bars areboth forced in toward the rail webs and increasingly bowed transversely toward each other, until, as the plate insert 19 is centered in the rail heads and the block insert 21 is centered below said plate insert, both side bars'are finally compressively wedged in between the rail heads and railbases as shown in full lines in the drawingsthis intensifying the interlock of all parts not intended ever to have any relative movement and at the same time intensifying the spring or resiliency to inhere during rail joint service in the parts 20e, 20f, 22c and 22f.

'When the rail joint is completed by securing the side bars 20 and 22 in place by drawing up the bolts 25 the rail joint is, in cross-section, from end to end, substantially H-shaped (with such H, like the H defined side elevationally of the rail by the block insert 21, rotated 90 degrees out of the. vertical). The entire rail joint, from end to end thereof, exhibits the same ideal be havior in absorbing and distributing stresses and strains imposed obliquely as well as vertically in planes at various angles to the direction of extension of the rail, as the standard rail or 16, yet with extra efliciency to compensate for the unavoidable disadvantage of a built-up structure certain components of which are entered into cut away portions of other components. The plate insert 19 is upheld atits opposite sides by the upper terminal portions of the side bars, the lower terminal portions ofsaid side bars bear on the rail bases at points considerably removed from the bottoms of the webs, and the plate insert 19 and the end lengths of both rail heads lying between the side bars are ideally supported according to standard principles of rail design, and with the resiliently operating portions of the side bars adding strength yet permitting that extra degree of elastic yield at the four points designated appropriate to and commensurate with the magnified cross-section of the entire joint structure.

Where the inserts 19 and 21 or equivalents are carried by the side bars, filletings and similar metal shapings for avoiding abrupt lines of joinder and angled convergences between a carrying part and a carried partare desirably employed, as indicated in the drawings at 229, 2271. and 227', relative to the side bar 22, and at 209 and h, relative to the side bar 20; to insure against any possibility of a crack or other damage being initiated in or relative to anypart after the joint has been finally completed and during passage of the heaviest track loads thereover.

' Referring to a bolt 25, bolts and/or nuts of the type illustrated are preferably employed as elements of. the rail joint of the present invention. As will be noted from the views of the drawings which illustrate such a nut and bolt applied to rail joint parts, such a boltincludes a shank, and

a head 25a. The shank can be cylindrical throughout its length away from the head and up to the point where the thread commences on which a nut 26 is to be received and screwed up. This nut may be made square or otherwise polygonal for a part of its length, as usual and as shown, or otherwise shaped to facilitate tightening up by a wrench. To revert to the new bolt head 25a, thisis importantly different from the ordinary bolt head, in that it is substantially spherically rounded to have the convexity of such sphericity approach and merge with the root end of the bolt shank, to provide substantially a circumferential line around the shank root which locates and to a prevised degree limits the area of contact for the bolt head against the member or structure against which it is being tightened up. I have found. that when such a bolt is sent through a hole in such a member or structure, and said hole is of a diameter such that the rim thereof facing the bolt head is substantially of the same diameter as such circumferential line so that between said rim and line there is substantially only a line contact around the boltshank root, and the bolt is tightened up, a bolt head is present which is as strong as though it had the usual fiat bearing face against the work, and yet which is lighter in weight, and which, further, is more efficient over long periods of service than, a bolt-head having such a flat bearing surface; especially when the bolt is so much tightened up as slightly to compress said rim or, if the metal at said rim is highly incompressible, to cause said rim tobite into the bolt-head superficially,-in either case there being a slight actual or virtual increase in the width of the line of contact between rim and bolthead sufiicient to preclude vibratory or other rocking of the bolthead while all thrusts thereagainst are non-injuriously absorbed and distributed as next described. An important superiority of the new bolt-head resides in this, that all thrusts thereagainst are directed against it at points only slightly if at all radially displaced beyond the periphery of the bolt-shank, and consequently such thrusts cannot, as in the case of the usual bolt-head, result in gradually working the bolthead metal lying outwardly of the merging line of bolt-shank and bolt-head in a way to shift such metal away from the Work. In other words, the factor of leverage, as a magnifier for such thrusts, is completely or substantially completely eliminated in the new bolt of the present invention; and because of this, there is also eliminated the factor of friction as it exists between the flat working face of the usual bolt-head and the flat surface of the work. This friction, occurring as the result of vibratory movements of the bolt-head relative to the work, in time also results in a reshaping of the work engaging face of the bolthead where as in the usual bolt-head said face is fiat and flatly applied to the work; the reshaping last mentioned being similar to that reshaping of the bolt-head first above referred to due to shifting of the bolt-head metal away from the boltshank. Thus the new bolt avoids in every way that weakening and loosening in service characteristic of the usual bolt-head, said loosening and weakening resulting from a service-caused shifting of the bolt-head material and/or a similarly caused wearing away thereof thereby to set up an unintended convexity of that face of the bolthead which is applied to the work; and the bolthead of the present invention avoids this by avoiding a flat face where it is applied to the work, that is by starting out with an intended convexity at said face and consequently by maintaining such convexity at all times while the bolt is in service.

Desirably, also, the bolt-head of the present invention is provided, at one or more suitable points on its convex face aforesaid, with one or more teats, ribs or other projections, the points or edges of which are such that they will slightly dig into or otherwise securely grip the work as the bolt-head engages the rim of the bolt hole; this preventing the bolt-shank from turning during screwing up thereon of its nut. In the present case, these projections are shown as a pair of diametrically spaced teats 25a.

Beyond its work facing convexity the new bolthead may be shaped as desired; but a preferred feature of the invention involves a shaping of the bolt-head at its outer end substantially as illustrated, that is, to have a convexity opposite to that of the working face convexity, substantially immediately in rear of the latter. This gives greater strength, better absorption and dis-.

tribution of the thrusts imposed on the bolt-head, and, also, for a bolt-head the strength of which is calculated in terms of its maximum dimension in the direction of the shank axis, at least equally as great a strength as though the bolt-head were continuously cylindrical beyond the working face convexity, but with a considerable diminution of bulk and weight of metal.

As to the new nut 26, this is constructed to have a convexity approaching and contacting the work according to the principles above explained in connection with the new bolthead. A nut incorporating such a convexity has not only all the advantages hereinabove discussed in connection with the bolt-head, but a further very important advantage; which last-mentioned advantage is this: The new nut is one which, unlike the usual nut having a flat face applied to the work, avoids weakening the thread engagement between nut and bolt more and more as the same remain longer and longer in service. This thread engagement is weakened, in the usual nut, by the flat work engaging face thereof gradually in service becoming reshaped to present an unintended convexity to the work-this convexity being caused, at least partially and always largely, by

a shifting of the nut metal outwardly away from the work, particularly intensified at and adjacent to the periphery of the nut, and from the same causes referred to in describing the new bolthead. Said metal shifting is accompanied by a stretching of the nut metal radially of the nut, with a consequent increase in the diameter of the internal thread in the nut. This increase of thread diameter is greatest at the end of the nut applied to the work, and diminishingly continuous for an appreciable distance axially of the nut and away from the work, Thereby, in time, not only is the originally provided for degree of securement between bolt and nut by thread engagement considerably reduced, but the danger of loss of the nut by thread stripping often becomes serious. As will be understood, all these defects are overcome in a nut constructed pursuant to the present invention.

Aside from the fact that the new bolt and nut hereinabove disclosed are per so valuable in regard to any work to be secured by bolting, they are also of importance in making possible or at least facilitating the employment, in a rail joint pursuant to the invention where the side bars are secured to the abutting rail ends by bolting, of side bars like those illustrated at 20 and 22 or constructed pursuant to the principles of the invention underlying the design of said side bars 20 and 22. The convexities of the bolt-head 25a and of the nut 26 which face the work have surfaces, it will be noted, which conform conveniently with the outer transverse shapings of the side bars 20 and 22, so that, while said side bars may function as hereinabove described as valuable Working parts of the new rail joint, the

rail joint maybe secured in place, by bolt and nut securements which allow the bolt-shanks to be of adequate cross-section, and the bolt-heads and nuts to be of. adequateltype, to withstand properly all service requirements.

Referring to the claims appended, these are to be taken as the solernea'sure of the scope of protection contemplated, interpreted as broadly as is consistent with'the prior art. In other words, while I have hereinabove indulged. in great particularity in-describing present preferences as to shapes, dimensions, relative dispositions and other detailsof the now at present preferredrail joint shown inthe accompanying drawings as one of the many possible embodimentslof the rail joint invention here involved, these particularities, unless expressly included ,in said .appended claims, are to be taken merely as illustrative of the invention and not in limitation thereof.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. Ina rail j'cint for apair of rails each hav-' ing a transverse base, an upstanding web and a transverse head thereon, the combination of .a first side bar overlapping the rail ends atone side of the webs thereof, a second side bar overlapping the rail ends at the other sideof the webs thereof, each of said rail ends-having portions removed laterally therefrom at the bottoms of their heads and from the tops to substantially the bottoms oftheir Webs, said removed portions in the twoab utti'ng rail ends establishing together a recess which transversely of the rail is sub.- stantially T-shaped and which side-elevationally of the rail hasvan outline defining substantially an H lying substantially horizontally on one of its sides and presenting uppermost and lowermost horizontal faces approximately as long as the width of a rail bottom and intermediate horizontal faces of shorter length, means for securing said side bars to said rail ends at points beyond their said removed portions, and means positioned between said side bars and urging the rail ends toward co-lateral depression on either receiving a depressive load, the means last-mentioned including an auxiliary structure shaped so as side elevationally of the rail joint to agree in outline with the outline of said recess and snugly fitting therein while slidable longitudinally of the rail joint, said auxiliary structure being also substantially T-shaped transversely of the rails.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure includes an upper member in the form substantially of a horizontal plate substantially as wide as a rail-head, said recess extending upwardly into the bottoms of both rail heads and there accommodating said plate, and wherein said side bars are close against the rail webs for a considerable distance above and below the halfway point between the tops and bottoms of such webs, said side bars having upper portions which diverge upwardly outwardly of the rail webs so as to support said plate near both of its opposite sides when both side bars are secured to the rail ends to complete the joint.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure includes an upper component substantially as wide as the rail-head width and a lower component of less width, and wherein said side bars in their upper portions are of resilient material and close against the rail webs for a considerable distance above and below the halfway point between the tops and bottoms of such webs, said side bars being extended upwardly outwardly from opposite said lower component toward and beyond the outer sides of said upper component, wherebywhen the railjointis completed said side bars coact withsaid plate to pro-'- vide a resilient support near the abutted-rail ends forthe railheadsm i 4. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure includes an upper component substantially as wide as the raileheadwidth and a lower component of less width, and wherein said side bars are substantially C-shaped and in their upper portions are of resilient material and extended upwardly outwardly from opposite said lower component toward and beyond the outer sides of said upper component andssai'd sidebars in their lower portions are ofresilient material and extended. downwardly:outwardly to engage the tops ofthe rail basesvat points substantially vertically below the outer sides of said upper component. ,5 f c 5. In a. device for ,detachably' joining. the abutted ends of a pair of, rails each havinga transverse base, an upstanding web anda trans-1 verse head thereon, the combination of a first side bar overlapping the rail ends at one side of the webs thereof, a second side bar overlapping the rail ends at the other side of the webs,there-. of, each of said rail ends having portions removed laterally therefrom between the tops and bottoms thereofprincipally in their webs and so that said removed portions form arecess partiallyin one rail end and partially in the other, said re:- cess at its ,top extending into the rail heads, an auxiliary. structure; inserted in said recess and substantially filling the same said structure including two separate componentseach inte ral with a diiierentone of saidsidebarsone; such oomponent being a horizontal plate-in; there-.- cess top substantially as wide as the; rail heads, the other component being a block filling the remainder of the recess from top to bottom thereof, and means for securing said side bars at porf;

6. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said side bars are more massive adjacent to the tops of the upper portions than therebelow.

'7. A device as defined in claim 5, wherein said side bars are more massive adjacent to the bot- 1k toms of the lower portions than thereabove.

8. In a rail joint, the combination of two abutting rails, said rails at their meeting ends having portions removed therefrom at their rail head bottoms and substantially over the entire heights of their rail webs, connector means for said rails extended into the spaces resulting from the removed rail portions, and side bars one on each of the opposite sides of said webs and both extended beyond said recess and beyond the latter secured to said webs, said side bars being laterally arched with the convexities of such arches facing and contacting the rail webs, said side bars being of resilient material.

9. The rail joint defined in claim 8, wherein said side bars when secured to said webs are drawn to a greater arching than before assembly into the rail joint due to lateral compression of the side bars between the bottoms of the rail heads and the tops of the rail bases.

10. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom side of said H is substantially of the same area and shape as that defined by a crosssection of a rail bottom and the .top side of said H is about the same area and is concavely rounded at opposite ends and the cross-bar of the H is considerably thicker than the thickness of a rail web but is otherwise of about the same shape as that defined by a cross-section of such web.

11. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein the length of said recess is approximately three times the width of the cross-bar of said H.

12. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein the length of said recess is approximately three times the width of the cross bar of the H, and the average width of a side of said H is approximately one-half the width of the cross-bar of said H.

13. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure is in two separate parts, one being a substantially horizontal plate in the rail head bottoms and transversely of the rail joint conforming in shape to said rail head bottoms, and the other being a block substantially centrally below said plate and in the rail webs and transversely of the rail joint conforming in shape to said rail webs.

.14. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure is in two separate parts, one being a substantially horizontal plate in the rail head bottoms and the other being a block substantially centrally below said plate and in the rail webs, said two parts together transversely of the rail joint conforming in shape to said rail head bottoms and webs; said plate being integral with one side bar and said block being integral with the other.

15. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein above the tops of the cut away portions of the rail heads said rail heads are undercut to form a keyway, there being a key in said keyway.

16. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure is in two separate parts one above another with their line of separation running longitudinally through the side of the H which is at the top of the H.

17. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure is in two separate parts one above another with their line of separation running longitudinally through the side of the H which is at the top of the H, such line also separating the staff of such T from the cross-bar thereof.

18. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary structure is in two separate parts one above the other, one of said parts being integral with one side bar and the other being integral with the other side bar, the upper part be- 95 ing a horizontal plate in the rail head bottoms and the lower part being a vertical block in the rail webs, said plate and said block together forming the side of the H which is at the top of the H.

19. The rail joint defined in claim 1, wherein 1315, said auxiliary structure is in two separate parts one above the other, one of said parts being integral with one side bar and the other being integral with the other side bar, the upper part being a horizontal plate in the rail head bottoms and 35 the lower part being a vertical block in the rail webs, said plate and said block together forming the side of the H which is at the top of the H, this last-mentioned side of the H being wider than the other side thereof.

IVAN WOLFF.

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