US2493686A - Rail anchor - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 3,y 1950 G. L. MOORE ET Al. 2,493,686

RAIL ANCHOR Filed Dec. 18, 1945.

I /6 J7 y Syvum/WOM a GEOG'E L. MOORE JHE R. STEELE I imgmwz;

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Patented Jan. 3, 1950 George L. Moore andJames B. 'Steel, \0weg0,`

N. Y.. assignors; by mcsne assignments, tof'Poon & Company, Chicago, Ill., `a corporation" of Delaware Application December 18, 1945,SerialvN0.-635,668"

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to rail anchors and particularly to devices of this nature which are fabricated lof short lengths of steel and so shaped or fashioned that they may be assembled with the rails which are to be anchored with the least possible use of force.

It lhas heretofore been proposed that rail anchors of this general type may with advantage be so made that, after each has been positioned upon the rail with which it is permanently associated, and comes into contact with the adjacent tie when such rail tends to move longitudinally of the roadbed, tilting of the anchor from its normally vertical plane may occur, thus causing in the usual case certain edges or corners of the anchor to bite into the metal of the rail and to thus increase the strength of the grip of.

the anchor on the rail.

A rail anchor which is so constructed that tilting under certain conditions may occur, is disclosed in Patent 1,890,066, granted to us December 6, 1932. While the anchor which comprises the subject matter of that patenthas been found These transversely. extending scores orcuts, while initially relatively unimportant, vare considered to. be objectionable because they may initiate fatigue failures in the rails. Cutting or scoring of the rail surfaces toward the outer margins .of the rail flanges is particularlyobjectionable.

Again, the tilting ,of theanchor to an excessive rdegree ultimately destroys its capacity to grip, the rail sufficiently tightly to prevent creeping, the metal of' which the anchor is fabricated eventually becoming over-strained and its action as a. resilient member being thus so reducedl that the rail may slide through the anchor when a.

moderate creeping force is applied to the rail. Y. It is the primary purpose of the present invention to provide a rail anchoriof the resilient its disadvantages, the improved anchor beingso designed and constructed that the .tendency to tilt under load is very greatly reduced,.the.working I,efliciencyof the Vanchor increased, the lpossibility of '.failure. duelto over-stressing of they metalof which it. is .fabricated almost. eliminated,I

and its tendency to cut or score the rail surfaces '[45 and easilyr applied type, which Vhas alllof the. numerous advantages of the anchor disclosed in: the patent referred vto Without, however, having,

so lfar counteractedthat such cutting or scoringvery .seldom occurs. These .desirable resultsV are achievedby so designingtheanchor that itf grips.

the rail in an improved'manner without, however, being so Vmaterially changed iin construction, as

compared with the anchor previously. patented, thatany of the advantages` of that anchor are sacriced.

One importantchange .in design results in the application o'f the principal lever .gripping force of the anchor, duringthe presence uof tilting pressurethereon to and -over an area closely. adjacent' to the outerJnargin'of 'the'rail' flange, instead of to and over an area^of the fillet at`thebase1 of the rail web, asheretofore. The pointor area tov which the major downward lever pressure of the` anchoruponthe upper-surface `of the .rail ange is applied to thus loweredas far aspossible .towardithe under-surface of `the..rail.` -v The* lever arm Vfor delivering ,the last mentioneddownward pressure is thus considerablyishortened so as to` exert a' major gripping force and Aat the same time resist bending of the arm .and consequenttilting of the anchor. likewise, resistance to tilting is increased because-.of other factors, all to be hereinafter pointed Uout.

In the accompanying drawings, one embodiment of .the `invention is disclosed bywaybf example. It will be appreciated that minor `changes may be made in the-adaptationiof the improved anchor to rails which differ somewhat in size and shape.

Inthe drawings,

Figure 1 shows in transversesection thebase of a rail, with portion ofthe vweba .rail anchor of the typel above brieiiy.. described beingshown.

lines .the positionto which its several portions'V would move were. the rail'r to `cease to oier resistance to contraction Yof the anchor, and

Figure .3 shows, .in side elevation,..a..short sec.-

tion .of rail, a portion o-fa raiI-.suppOrtingtie in elevation, one rail anchor in-endA elevation, andportion y-of a. rail plate.`

The'portion .ofa standard rail which'- isill-ustrated in -the Idrawings. comprises the'web I lI-and the basedianges-` I I and I 2:

and I2 slope downwardly and outwardly from the Tha-under-surfacef of lthe .rail base, indicatedY rat I 3 ,is :substantially fiat Vwand* fthe? uppe r-sunfacesfw of: the angesf'l I v 3 web I in the usual manner, these surfaces being indicated at I4 and i5, respectively, and making relatively small angles with the plane of the rail under-surface |3, for instance, angles of fourteen degrees, respectively. The upper margins of ange surfaces M and I5 merge with fillets I6 and Il and the upper margins of these fillets merge with the lateral faces I8 and I9 of'the web I0. vSurfaces and 2| may be designated rail flange edge surfaces. Y

The anchor is generally indicated at A and comprises a length of steel which is so fashioned in manufacture that it has` the shape shown in the drawings. In cross section it may be rectangular as shown, and preferably is rectangular, with the longer cross-sectional dimension extending longitudinally of the rail to which it is applied, the disposition of the metal of the anchor in this manner, so that it is relatively wide, decreasing the possibility-of tilting under load.

The invention contemplates, however, anchors which vary in transverse section, it lbeing possible to fabricate Vthe anchor of a .lengthl of metal channel shaped in cross section, or otherwise shaped, provided that the other conditions which the invention imposes are complied with.

TheV anchor comprises a number of portions, a terminal portion adapted to overlie one flange of the rail, an intermediate portion 3| adapted to' engage the under-surface of the rail approximately midway between its edges andv preferably spaced nearer that edge opposite to the flange which `is to be engaged by the terminal portion 30, a rail flange edge engaging terminal portion 32,'a connecting portion 33 which connects the rail ange edge engaging portion 32 andthe intermediate portion 3|, and a loop portion 34 connecting the rail flange overlying portion 30 and. the intermediate portion 3|, this loop portion 34|v extends downwardly below the undersurface of the rail and is adapted to engage the side surface of a tie 35, in some instances engagingthe edge of the tie plate 3B, as when the tie 35 becomes worn or Where the tie plate projects beyond the side of the tie.

The connecting portion 33 is .also preferably a loop which extends downwardly so as to be able toV engage the side of a tie or the edge of a rail plate. TheV extreme terminal end of the rail flange engaging portion 32 is preferably upset f".

so as to provide a bead or lip 31 adapted to overlie the immediately adjacent edge of the .rail flange when the anchor is in operative position and to thus also tend to minimize tilting. The bead 31 is rounded as shown in Fig. l so as to present a smooth non-cutting surface to theadjacent bottom and corner portions of the rail.

The terminal portion 3B of the anchor is so formed that, when .the anchor is in its effective position, it bears upon the upper-surface M of the underlying rail flange approximately at the location which is indicated at a in Figure 2 and l3, this location being immediately .adjacent the edge of the rail ange. The end of the terminal portion 30 is preferably curved, as shown, to provide a complementary surface to engage the llet I1. Between this curved surface, as indicatedY at b, and the location a previously referred to, a material portion` ofthe undersurface of the anchor portion 3|) is out of contact with the upwardly facing surface I4 of the rail flange when the anchor is in its operative position. As previously explained, the gripping action of the anchor on the rail is largely the result of the downward pressure of the portion 30 of the anchor at the location a and the upward pressure of the intermediate portion 3| of the anchor against the under-surface of the rail. The spacing of the portion 30 inwardly from the rail base intermediate said areas a and b permits the bearing surfaces associated with said areas to seat independently of each other on the rail and thereby makes possible the application of said major downward lever pressure at .the location a. This result is obtained by reason of the fact that the portion 35i intermediate the bearings a and b is flexed downwardly toward the rail base, when the anchor is subjected to tilting pressure, and thereby permits the bearing a to remain in contact with the rail base in close relation to the edge thereof.

In the application of the anchor to the rail base, it is first preferably positioned, as shown in Figure 1, the end of the terminal portion engaging the fillet Il of the rail at the location b, and the end of terminal portion 32 resting against the under-surface I3 of the rail. A driving force may be applied in the direction indicated by the arrow f in Figure l, as by means of a maul, thus causing the anchor to be distorted as a result of this blow to such an extent that the terminal portion 32 is projected be.

yond the ange edge surface 2|, and is thus enabled to move upwardly into the position into Which it is shown in Figure 2, the intermediate portion 3| preferably being in spaced relation to the rail, likewise advanced laterally as the loop 34 is distorted under the force of the applying blow and moving in tight engagement with the rail under-surface. In this Position the rail anchor in tending to assume its normal condition applies a strong gripping action to the rail, particularly diagonally between the terminal portion ,32 and the portion engaging the llet of the rail, also between the intermediate portion and the last mentioned portion. Thus it will be. seen that there is a strong gripping action on the rail by the anchor substantially horizontally and at the same time a well distributed As thus applied, the holding force of the anchor is very great and its tendency to tilt in service is minimized. In the event that abnormal forces are applied to move the rail longitudinally and causeY the tilting of the anchor the Vertical forces aforesaid would return the anchor to its normal position after such abnormal forces have been i' removed.

distance between the surfaces of the rails with which they respectively engage after the anchor is applied to the rail. The angle Y between the under-surface I3 and the rail flange upper-surface I4 is 14 degrees for most rails, the approxi.-

mate angle between the under-surface of the anchor portion 30 at location a and the upper-surface of the intermediate portion 3|, which is indicated at X in Figure 1, will be approximately ten degrees for an kanchor constructed substana tially as shown.

As the anchor is driven into position by a blow which develops the force F, the terminal end of portion 30 is further separated from the intermediate portion 3|, these portions being sprung apart by the rail ange, and the anchor, particularly the loop portion 34, being placed under stress. As thus distorted, the anchor will remain in position indefinitely, constantly gripping the rail base and preventing movement of the rail relative to the tie to which the anchor is associated, all without the occurrence of any substantial tilting.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A rail anchor comprising a bar of resilient metal bent to provide a terminal portion for overlying one base flange of a railroad rail, a portion providing a bottom bearing for engaging the bottom surface of the rail, a rail flange edge engaging terminal portion, a portion connecting the last mentioned portion with the portion for bearing against said bottom surface of the rail base, and a portion connecting the bottom bearing portion with said flange overlying terminal portion and forming a depending tie abutting loop, the said rail flange overlying terminal portion formed with spaced bearing surfaces located at different distances above said bottom bearing, one of said bearing surfaces for engaging an area on the inclined upper-surf ace of the rail ange immediately adjacent the outer edge of the flange and the other of said spaced bearing surfaces formed to exert resilient gripping pressure transversely of the rail against an area of the fillet at the base of the rail web and the said terminal portion being out of contact with the rail throughout the spacing between these areas, whereby a portion of said terminal intermediate the spaced bearing surfaces is flexed downwardly toward the inclined top surface of the rail base during tilting of the anchor about said bottom bearing as an axis extending transversely of the rail and the said spaced bearing surfaces maintain their seating contacts independently of each other on said fillet and on the inclined top face of the underlying base flange immediately adjacent the edge thereof during said tilting of the anchor about said bottom bearing.

2. A rail anchor comprising a resilient metal strip of rectangular cross section which, includes a terminal portion for overlying one base flange of a rail, an intermediate portion providing a bottom bearing for engaging the undersurface of a rail base, approximately midway between the edges thereof, a rail flange edge engaging terminal portion having a lip rounded on its upper surface to fit over the upper corner portion of a rail base flange, a portion connecting the intermediate portion to the rail flange edge engaging porl tion, and a curved portion connecting the said intermediate portion and said rail flange overlying terminal portion and forming a depending tie engaging loop to be forcibly distorted by a rail flange when the anchor is driven onto a rail base and to thus cause the said terminal portion and intermediate portion to strongly gripbetween them the rail base and to cause the rail flange edge engaging portion to engage the edge of the opposite rail flange, the said rail flange overlying terminal portion formed with spaced bearing surfaces located at different distances above said bottom bearing, one of said spaced bearing surfaces engaging an area on the inclined upper surface of the rail flange immediately adjacent the outer edge of the 7 flange and the other of said spaced bearing surfaces formed to exert resilient gripping pressure transversely of the rail against an area of the fillet at the base of the rail web and the said terminal portion being out of contact with the rail throughout the spacing between these areas, whereby a portion of said terminal intermediate the spaced bearing surfaces is flexed downwardly toward the inclined top surface of the rail base during tilting of the anchor about said bottom bearing as an axis extending transversely of the rail and the said spaced bearing surfaces maintain their seating contacts independently of each other on said fillet and on the inclined top face of the underlying base flange immediately adjacent the edge thereof during said tilting of the anchor about said bottom bearing.

3. A rail anchor comprising a resilient metal strip which, includes a terminal portion for overlying one base flange of a rail, an intermediate portion providing a bottom bearing for engaging the undersurface of a rail base, approximately midway between the edges thereof, but only at a location beyond the inner end of said terminal portion, a rail flange edge engaging terminal portion, a portion connecting the intermediate portion to the rail flange edge engaging portion, and a curved portion connecting the said intermediate portion and said rail flange overlying terminal portion and forming a depending tie engaging loop to be forcibly distorted by a rail flange when the anchor is driven onto a rail base and to thus cause the said terminal portion and intermediate portion to strongly grip between them the rail base and to cause the rail flange edge engaging portion to engage the edge of the opposite rail flange, the said rail flange overlying terminal portion being formed with spaced bearing surfaces located at different distances above the bottom bearing and exerting lever grips of different tenacity on the rail during the exertion of said lever grips, one of said spaced bearing surfaces for engaging an area of the rail flange upper-surface immediately adjacent the outer edge of the flange and the other of said spaced bearing surfaces formed to engage an area of the fillet at the base of the rail web and the said terminal portion being out of contact with the rail throughout the spacing between these areas, whereby a portion of said terminal intermediate the spaced bearing surfaces is flexed downwardly toward the inclined top surface of the rail base during tilting of the anchor about said bottom bearing as an axis extending transversely of the rail and the said spaced bearing surfaces maintain their seating contacts independently of each other on said fillet and on the inclined top face of the underlying base flange immediately adjacent the edge thereof during said tilting of the anchor about said bottom bearing.

GEORGE L. MOO-RE. JAMES R. STEELE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,314 Gillmor June 4, 1929 1,292,554 Wolhaupter Jan. 28, 1919 1,890,066 Moore et al Dec. 6. 1932

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