US2130546A

US2130546A - Floor construction

Info

Publication number: US2130546A
Application number: US193106A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence E Hovey
Original assignee: Gustin Bacon Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Gustin Bacon Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1938-02-28
Filing date: 1938-02-28
Publication date: 1938-09-20
Anticipated expiration: 1955-09-20

Description

Sept. 20, 1938. c. HOVEY FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 28, 1958 BY ATToR isYS Patented Sept. 20, 1938 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFIQE FLOOR CONSTRUCTION Mo., a corporation Application February 28, 1938, Serial No. 193,106

Claims.

This invention relates to floor construction and particular means for maintaining the floor boards of railway cars in place upon the car sills, and the primary object is to provide a specially con- 5 structed clip for securing the floor boards in place.

One of the important aims of the instant invention is to provide a clip for floor construction of the aforementioned character, which clip is made of resilient sheet metal and formed in a special fashion so as to present a longitudinally arched body one end of which'has an arcuate bearing face thereon for engaging the undersurface of the floor board along a line extending transversely across the floor clip, which line of contact changes as the nut on the retaining bolt of the structure is tightened.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a resilient floor clip of the nature specified, which clip engages the floor board and sill of the floor structure in such fashion as to hold the intermediate portion thereof an appreciable distance away from the underlying portions of the floor board and sill so that as normal expansion and contraction of the parts with which the clip is employed, takes place, its resilient capacity will be sufficient to compensate for the change, yet strong enough to maintain the floor board and sill in place.

A yet further aim of the invention is to provide a clip for floor construction which has a specially longitudinally arched body, the intermediate portion whereof, is perforated to receive an anchoring bolt and which portion arches inwardly as the nut of the anchoring bolt is tightenedall to the end that the straight edges of the nut have line contact with the outer surface of the clip body when the said straight edges of the nut are moved to transverse positions on either side of the anchoring bolt.

Heretofore, clips for car floor constructions have been provided with means for penetrating the floor board so that as the board shrinks or expands, due to climatic conditions, the clip will become loosened to a condition where it will jar out of the operative position. Such aforesaid types of clips therefore, have a destructive effect upon the floor boards and when the common practice of reversing the same is brought into play,

the surface of the board originally engaged by the clip is objectionably torn and marred.

It has been found that a floor clip which has been so treated so as to be resilient or in the nature of-anexceptionally strong,short, arcuate as spring, need not beprovided with means for objectionably piercing the floor board and further need not be equipped with separate units for precluding the accidental rotation of the securing nut which is carried by the anchoring bolt.

The preferred form of floor construction where- 5 in is included the specially made clip is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional View through a portion of a railway car floor showing a clip made in accordance with the present in- 10 vention. I

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line IIII of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentary detailed sectional View taken on line III-III of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3; and,

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the clip member per se showing the same entirely removed from association with the remaining parts of the floor 20 structure.

It is customary in floor constructions of the nature with which the specially created clip is to be used, to rest the floor boards 8 upon the horizontally extending flange H] of sill I2 and to 25 secure said boards 8 in such position through the medium of clip 14 which spans or bridges the joint between board and flange 8 and I0 respectively, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

A threaded bolt it passes through board 8 so '30 that a length thereof depends therebelow and so that the longitudinal axis thereof is spaced outwardly from the edge of flange Ill approximately one inch.

Clip I4 is longitudinally arched so that in its '35 original form it appears substantially as illustrated in Fig. 5. Clip 14 is provided with a perforation l8 which has its axis on the longitudinal axis-of clip Hi. This perforation i8 is through the intermediate portion of clip 14 and midway 0 between the ends. Perforation l8 iselongated and its major axis is on .the longitudinal axis of clip l4 so that as the intermediate :portion of the clip is arched inwardly, the sides of perforation I8 will not grip bolt 16. 45

Theend of clip M which engages the underside of board 8 is formed. to present an arcuate bearing face 20. The undersurface of board 8 is always at a tangent to the said arcuate face and therefore, a line contact between this end of 50 clip 14 and board 8 extends transversely across the clip at different points, as the body of clip [4 is flexed during the tightening 'of nut ,22. The other end of clip Hi bears directly against the underside of flange l0 formed on sill l2 and when 5 the ends of clip 14 are positioned as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the intermediate portion thereof is an appreciable distance from the underlying parts of board 8 and flange Ii] respectively.

When nut 22 is tightened, the straight edges 24 thereof come into line contact with the outer face of clip I 4 on transverse lines between bolt 16 and the ends of clip l4. These straight edges 24 therefore, with the concave outer face of inwardly arched portion 26 of clip 14, create a relation of parts which tend to lock nut 22 .against rotation. It is necessary to exert a force upon nut 22 that is great enough to further flex the resilient body of clip l4 before nut 22 can be turned upon bolt I 5. Obviously, it is desirable to use a square nut 22, which presents opposite straight edges 24 so that the diagonal distance across the inner face of nut 22 will be great enough to prove a substantial barrier to the accidental turning of nut 22.

The placement of perforation l8 on the medial transverse line of clip 14 insures that tightening nut 22 will create an inwardly arched portion 23 as and for the purpose contemplated. In securing clip l4 in place, its form changes from that shown in dotted lines of Fig.1 to that shown in full lines in said figure. The position shown in full lines is at normal gripping position and the resilient property of the clip when in such position insures that a holding force will always be exerted within the extreme limits of expansion and contraction of either floor board 8, sill and flange l0 and E2, or bolt I6. The body of clip it when so held intermediate its ends will follow the undersurfaces of flange l0 and board 8 and the parts will thereby be held in assembled relation until bolt 22 is purposely loosened.

Clip I 4 is made of inch stock which is heat treated in the conventional type electric furnace and then quenched in the usual fashion, to establish the desired amount of resiliency. The length of clip [4 from end to end is substantially 4%, inches and its width should be about 1 /2 inches. The shorter diameter of perforation I8 is but a few thousandths greater than the diameter of the A2 inch bolt so that any danger of accidental transverse tipping during placement of the clip is overcome. The use of clips M which have been purposely made resilient and that have a greater portion intermediate their ends, spaced from the underlying surfaces of board and sill flange are found to be highly desirable and when one such clip is used to hold each floor board 8 in place against the underlying sill, there can be no accidental loosening and therefore objectionable displacement.

It has been found desirable to form detents 28 on the side of clip 14 next to nut 22. These detents are small dome-shaped, integral members disposed beside the opposed edges 24 of nut 22 so that they present a further barrier against the accidental turning of said nut 22.

Detents 28 may be formed prior to heat treating clip M by forcing small areas of the clip outwardly at points close to the edges of nut 22. The height of detents 28 is not great enough to hold nut 22 against movement when the clip is being applied as the nut is turned to loosen its hold on the underside of clip Hi.

When intermediate portion 26 of clip M is inwardly arched, these detents 28 are actually on a concave portion, the fact of which is in line contact with edges 24.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a floor construction having a flanged sill and a floor board supported thereby, the combination of a perforated, longitudinally arched clip formed of resilient sheet metal, said clip having its inner face at one end bearing against the floor board and its inner face at the other end bearing against the flange of said sill; a screw threaded bolt anchored in the floor board and extending through the perforation; and a nut threaded onto the bolt against the outer face of the clip substantially midway between the ends of said clip, that portion of the clip intermediate its ends being spaced an appreciable distance from the underlying portion of the flange and floor board when the nut is tightened to secure the latter together, the resilient property of said clip being such as to permit normal expansion and contraction of the sill, the floor board and the bolt as all of the aforesaid parts are held together with sufficient force to preclude displacement.

2. In a floor construction having a flanged sill and a floor board supported thereby, the combination of a perforated, longitudinally arched clip formed of resilient sheet metal, said clip having its inner face at one end bearing against the floor board and its inner face at the other end bearing'against the flange of said sill; a screw threaded bolt anchored in the floor board and extending through the perforation; and a nut threaded onto the bolt against the outer face of the clip substantially midway between the ends of said clip, the intermediate portion of said clip being inwardly arched by the pressure exerted thereon when said nut is tightened whereby the edges of said nut at its inner face are forced into line contact with the outer face of the clip along transverse lines between the ends of the clip and said nut.

3. In a floor construction having a flanged sill and a floor board supported thereby, the combination of a perforated, longitudinally arched clip formed of resilient sheet metal, said clip having its inner face at one end bearing against the floor board and its inner face at the other end bearing against the flange of said sill; a screw threaded bolt anchored in the floor board and extending through the perforation, substantially midway between the ends of said clip; and a nut threaded onto the bolt against the outer face of the clip, the intermediate portion of said clip opposed to said nut being inwardly arched by the pressure exerted thereon when said nut is tightened whereby when the nut is disposed with one straight edge thereof on a line extending transversely of the clip, a line contact between the outer face of the clip and the straight edge of the nut is established for the purpose specified.

l. In a floor construction having a flanged sill and a floor board supported thereby, the combination of a perforated, longitudinally arched clip formed of resilient sheet metal, said clip having its inner face at one end bearing against the floor board and its inner face at the other end bearing against the flange of said sill; a screwthreaded bolt anchored in the floor board and extending through the perforation, substantially midway between the ends of said clip; and a nut threaded onto the bolt against the outer face of the clip, the intermediate portion of said clip opposed to said nut being inwardly arched by the pressure exerted thereon when said nut is tightened whereby when the nut is disposed with one straight edge thereof on a line extending transversely of the clip, a line contact between the outer face of the clip and the straight edge of the nut is established for the purpose specified, the perforation through said clip being elongated with its major axis extending longitudinally of the clip, the transverse diameter of said perforation being substantially the same as the diameter of the said bolt.

5. In a floor construction having a flanged sill and a floor board supported thereby, the combination of a perforated, longitudinally arched clip formed of resilient sheet metal, said clip having its inner face at one end bearing against the floor board and its inner face at the other end bearing against the flange of said sill; a screw threaded bolt anchored in the floor board and extending through the perforation, substantially midway between the ends of said clip; and a nut threaded onto the bolt against the outer face of the clip, the intermediate portion of said clip opposed to said nut being inwardly arched by the pressure exerted thereon when said nut is tightened, said clip having a plurality of detents formed on the inwardly arched, intermediate portion of said clip adjacent to the edges of said nut when the latter is in the operative position.

CLARENCE E. HOVEY.