US2168554A

US2168554A - Supporting clamp for track lubricators

Info

Publication number: US2168554A
Application number: US85348A
Authority: US
Inventors: Sidney E Bates
Original assignee: Poor and Co
Current assignee: Poor and Co
Priority date: 1936-06-15
Filing date: 1936-06-15
Publication date: 1939-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 1956-08-08

Description

Aug. 8, 1939. s. E. BATES SUPPORTING CLAMP FOR TRACK LUBRICATORS w I OTTLEyS Imf n15] 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed June 15, 1936 g- 1939. I s. E. BATES 2,168,554

SUPPORTING CLAMP FOR TRACK LUBRIGATORS Fi'led June 15, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Imfeni r Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES SUPPORTING CLAIHI" FOR TRACK LUBRIOATORS Sidney E. Bates, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Poor & Company, a corporation oi Delaware Application June 15, 1936, Serial No. 85,348

8 Claims. (o1. mas-s) This'invention relates to rail and wheel flange lubricators and-particularly to improvements in devices for rigidly securing such lubricators to railroad rails.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a simplified clamp structure whichcan be readily applied to rail base flanges of dii.-, ferent widths and-thicknesses and which, when applied to the rail, provide a rigid support for the lubricant distributor and/or the-wheel actuated mechanism of a rail and wheel flange lubricator.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a supporting clamp comprising a jaw member formed to engage one edge of a rail base and having a wedge engagement with one end of the bolt member, and a plurality of jaw members adapted to be interchangeably fitted on the other end of the bolt for engagement with the rail base flange at the other side of the rail, whereby the supporting clamp structure can be readily varied to fit rail bases of different sizes and to provide suitable supports for different devices or mechanism of a track lubricator.

Other objects and advantages will be readily apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments of the invention shown in the abcompanying .drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig; l is a side view in elevation of two lubricant distributing units clamped on a railroad rail by means of the improved clamp structures of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view of one form of pump operating mechanism for track lubricators secured in its operative position on the rail by means of clamp structures made in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line 3-3 01' Fig. 1 illustrating the position of the lubricant distributor and'the pump operating mechanism on the rail and showing also the manner in which said lubricator elements are supported in their position on the rail by means of the improved clamps.

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of one oithe'iaw Fig. 6'is a view in perspective of a bolt which forms part of the clamp shown in Fig. 5

and wheel flange lubricaton Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the 'jaw member shown at the right of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of the jaw member shown at the left of Fig. 3 for supporting and clamping the wheel actuated mechanism to the 5 rail.

For convenience in illustration, the improved supporting clamp structures of the present invention are illustrated in connection with the lubricant distributors and the wheel actuated l0 pump operating mechanism, of a well known rail The said clamp structures have been, therefore, constructed with reference to the particular requirements oi the lubricating mechanism shown. It should be un- 15 derstood, however, that the clamp structures herein shown can be used as attaching devices for various other forms of track lubricators and in fact might be used in other situations where similar conditions prevail. v

In the drawings, two lubricant distributing units designated by reference numerals Iii-40 are arranged in close relation to each other at one side of a railroad rail ii. Each unit comprises a wiping or lubricant supplying member 25 i2 from which lubricant is discharged or other- .wise caused to be applied to the rail head i3 and/or the-wheel flanges ll of passing car wheels.

In order to properly position the distributing units relative to the top of the rail head i3 or 30 relative to the wheel flanges l4, and to also facilitate ready application to rails of diiierent sizes,

the said units are provided with adjusting screws 1 5 which extend through suitable lugs formed on the units and bear upon the top surfaces of the 35 rail base flange l5. v

Lubricant is supplied to the above units by means of a suitable pump (not shown-) adapted to be operated by wheel actuated mechanism ii.

The said mechanism I! may be of any suitable 40 construction. For the purpose of illustration it is shown herein as comprising a pivoted lever i8 -mounted on a bar iii to extend above the rail adjusting screws 22--22 which seat on the topgo surfaces of the rail base flange. Preferably the said wheel actuated mechanism is so positionedon the side of the rail opposite the adjacent ends 23-23 of the distributingunits, that the said wheel actuating mechanism and the adjacent ends of the distributors may be secured to the rail by means of the clamp structures designated 2424. The outer ends of the distributing units are secured to the rail by means of clamp structures 25-25.

Each of the clamp structures designated by the numeral 25 comprises a jaw member 26 for engagement with one side of the rail base, a jaw 2t for engaging the other edge of the base, a connecting bolt 28 and nut 29, the latter of which engages one end of the bolt to force the various elements of the clamp into tight gripping engagement with the base portion of the rail. The jaw member 26 is in the form of a hollow bracket recessed at 30 to receive one edge of the rail base. The vertical dimensions of the recess 30 are somewhat greater than the thickness of the rail base flange so that the jaw member can be readily applied to base flanges of different thicknesses. The top portion 3i of the jaw preferably slopes inwardly toward the rail and provides a seat to which the lubricant distributor is attached by means of a bolt 32. Suitable shims 33--34 are preferably interposed between the distributor and the seat 35 to facilitate adjustment of the distributor to any desired vertical or angular positions on the rail. A number of shims may be used. Two shims are illustrated in the drawings, the shim 33 being of uniform thickness and the shim 34 being formed at one edge with an inturned portion which may be turned to any desired position on the seat 3i to vary the slope of the lubricant distributor relative to the rail. The bolt opening 35 in the jaw 26 is preferably elongated, as shown in Fig. 7, to permit lateral adjustment of the distributing unit relative to the rail. The side walls of the jaw member 26' (Figs. 7 and 8) are provided with inwardly projecting ribs which strengthen and rigidify the said walls and at the same time minimize the area of the frictional contact between the side walls of the jaw member and the side faces of the wedge bolt 28. The bottom wall of the jaw is rounded transversely of the jaw and inclines upwardly toward the center of the rail to provide an inclined wedge surface 31 which, in the assembled relation of the parts, engages a wedge portion 38 of the bolt 28. The top portion 39 of said bolt wedge bears flat against the bottom surface of the rail base when the clamp is in its applied position, whereby movement of the bolt in one direction transversely of the rail forces the wedge portion 38 thereof between the bottom surface of the rail base and the inclined surface 31 of the jaw member 26 and thereby forces the rail engaging jaw 40 of said jaw member into tight gripping engagement with the top surface of the rail base. The extremity of the wedge shaped end of the bolt is preferably inclined outwardly and downwardly relative to the rail, as indicated at 4|, so that the bolt 32 can be readily applied or removedfrom its position between the side walls of the jaw member without disturbing the clamping bolt 28 or other ele ments of the clamp.

The jaw member 21 (Figs. 4 and is adapted to fit slidably on the other end of the bolt 28 and is preferably provided with two rail base receiving

recesses

42 and 43, which define jaw members adapted to grip the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base. The said recesses are of different dimensions so that one or the other of them will receive and tightly grip any one of the various sizes of rail base flanges now in general use. The bolt opening through said member 21 amasseseparates the portion of the member adapted to grip the bottom surface of the rail into two parts, designated 72a and We.

From the above description it will be apparent that a tightening movement of the nut 253 to draw the bolt 28 transversely of the rail will force the wedge portion 38 of the bolt into tight wedging position between the bottom surface of the rail base and the inclined surface 3'5 of the' jaw member 26 andalso force the jaw member 21 into tight gripping engagement with the rail base. The lubricant distributor Iii may be readily applied, removed or adjusted on the bracket portion of the jaw member 28 without disturbing any element of the clamp structure.

Referring now to the clamp structure desig-- nated generally by the reference numeral'fil, in Figs. 1, 2 and 3: This combination clamp structure is quite similar to the clamp structure previously described in that the jaw 25 and the bolt 28 are the same as the corresponding elements used in the said clamp 25 previously described in connection with Fig. 5. The jaw member A l at the other end of the bolt is somewhat different from the jaw member 21, in that it is provided with suitable means for attachment to the bar or frame structure IQ of the wheel actuated mechanism H. The said jaw 4? comprises a shoe member formed with a U-shaped lower jaw por tion 45 through which the threaded end portion of the bolt 28 extends. The top portions Mia-45?) of the lower jaw portion 45 bear against .the bottom surface of the rail base at spaced locations lengthwise of the rail. The top jaw G8 is preferably flat and bears against the inclined top surface of the rail base. For this purpose the under-surface of the upper jaw is inclined at approximately the same angle as the top sur" face of the rail base. An armportion 4? extends upwardly from the upper jaw 46 and is adapted to be clamped by suitable bolts 48 to the supporting bar IQ of the wheel actuated mechanism. ii. In order to permit suitable adjustment of the wheel actuated mechanism the bolt receiving opening 49 in the arm H is elongated, as shown in Figs. 2 and 9. Suitable shims 5w may be interposed between the bar I9 and the arm 41 of the clamp jaw to facilitate proper spacing of the bar l9 and the elements supported thereon relative to the rail.

In Fig. 5a the jaw 26 and the bolt 28 are shown secured together by a suitable bolt or rivet 5i so that these members are maintained in fixed relation to each other. By this means of assembly the said clamp members may be secured together at the factory to fit the rail or to maintain a fixed clearance between the vertical edge 52 of the rail base and the vertical edge 53 of the clamp.

While the invention is illustrated in connection with one specific embodiment of rail and wheel flange lubricators and in connection with certain preferred clamp jaw constructions it will be readily apparent from the above description that various modifications of the clamp structures might be made without departure from the principles of the invention. It should be understood, therefore, that the present invention contemplates all changes in structure coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A clamp device for securing rail and wheel flange lubricating mechanisms on a railroad rail comprising: a jaw member recessed to receive one edge of a rail base flange and having a portion surfaces of rail flanges of different sizes and for attachmentto a part of said mechanism, a jaw member formedwith portions for gripping the top and bottom surfaces of the base flange at the other side of the rail, and connecting means for forcing said jaws into tight gripping engagement with the rail comprising a bolt member formed with a tapered portion adapted to wedge between the rail base and one of said jaw members.

2. A clamp device for securing rail and wheel flange lubricating mechanisms to a railroad rail I comprising: a jaw member recessed to receive one edge of a rail base flange and having a portion for attachment to a part of said mechanism, a jaw member recessed to provide portions for gripping the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base flange at the other side of the rail, and conpart of said mechanism, a jawmember recessed to receive the edge portion of the rail base flange at the other side of the rail, and connecting means for forcing said jaws into tight gripping engagement with the rail base comprising a bolt extending across beneath the rail base and formed with a tapered portion adapted to wedge between the bottom surface of the rail base and said loose fitting jaw member to force this jaw member into tight gripping engagement with the top surface of the rail base flange engaged. j

4. A clamp bracket for supporting a separable element on a railroad rail comprising: a jaw "member adapted to engage the top and vertical mentioned jaw-member.

v 5. A clamp bracket for supporting a separable element on a railroad rail comprising: a jaw member recessedto receive railfbase flanges of different thicknesses and having a portion above the :rail base for attachment to the element being supported, a jaw member at the other side of the rail having a plurality of recesses thereinadapted to receive and grip the top and bottom means for connecting said jaw members and for forcing them into gripping engagement with said base comprising a bolt movable transversely of the rail and provided at one end with a tapered portion adapted to wedge between the bottom surface of the rail base and the flrst mentioned jaw member.

6 A clamp device for securing rail and wheel flange lubricating mechanism on a rail comprising: a hollow jaw. member for engagement with:

one flange of a rail base and including a seat por-' tion on which a part of said mechanism is supported, spaced side walls and a bottom surface.

' the latter of which inclines outwardly and downwardly transversely of the rail; a jaw member for engaging the top and bottom surfaces of the rail base flange at the other side of the rail; a wedge bolt extending through said jaw member and movable transversely of the rail to force the jaws into tight gripping engagement with the rail base, one end of said bolt being adapted to wedge between the bottom of the rail base and the inclined bottom of the first mentioned jaw; and means for moving the bolt relative to the jaws to force the jaws into clamping engagement with I the rail base.

with one flangeof a rail base and including a seat I portion'on which a part of said mechanism is supported, spaced side walls formed with inwardly projecting rigidifying ribs and a downwardly and outwardly inclined bottom surface; a'jaw member for engaging the other side of the rail base and having a plurality of jaws for accommodating rail bases of different thicknesses; a wedge bolt extending through said jaw members and movable transversely of the rail to force the jaws into tight gripping engagement with the rail base, one end of said bolt being adapted to wedge between the bottom of the rail base andthe inclined bottom of the first mentioned jaw; and means for moving the said bolt relative to said jaws to force the said jaws into-said rail clamping engagement.

8. A clamp device for securing rail and wheel flange lubricating mechanism on a railroad rail comprising: a hollow jaw member for engagement with the top and vertical edge surfaces of one flange of a rail base, a jaw member for engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of the other base flange and having an upwardly extending arm for adjustably supporting a part of said lubricator mechanism, and a wedge movable into wedging position between the bottom surface of the rail base and one of said jaw members and adapted to hold a jaw thereof in rail gripping CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION; Patent No. 2,168,551,,. August 8, 1959.

SIDNEY E. BATES I It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, sec- 0nd column, line 3, for "72a and 72b" read 279. and 27b; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correctiontherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office,

Signed and sealed this 5rd day of. October, A. D. 1959.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.