US2596619A - Railroad rail unsymmetrical sides - Google Patents

Description

S. G- THOMSON RAILROAD RAIL UNSYMMETRICAL SIDES May 13, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1945 INVENTOR Sggv/ 6. Thomson ATTORNEY May 13, 1952 s. s. THOMSON RAILROAD RAIL UNSYMMETRICAL SIDES 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1945 INVENTOR Samue/ 6. Thomson Patented May 13, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILROAD RAIL UNSYMMETRICAL sums Samuel G. Thomson, Flushing, N. Y.

Application December 6, 1945, Serial No. 633,210

12 Claims. 1

This invention relates to railroad rails and particularly to transverse sections for such rails.

More es ecially the invention relates to certain improvements in rail sections shown and described in my prior application for patent on Railway Rail, Unsymmetrical Type, filed December 30, 1942, and bearing the Serial Number 470,608, now abandoned.

By what now follows the various objects of the present invention, the manner in which these objects are attained and the advantages derived therefrom will be generally set forth.

The opposite sides of a railroad rail are subjected to different service conditions, and therefore should be constructed diiierently. One important example of this is, that it is only the guiding or gage-side of the rail head that is subjected to wheel-flange wear along its upright side and at its upper wheel-guiding corner.

In this new rail section with Unsymmetrical Sides (hereinafter termed U-S), the metal is distributed in such a way that each vital portion of the section is formed or specialized for meeting the particular function which these vital portions must fulfill from the time the rail is first laid until it is removed for use in secondary track, or until it is turned end-ior-end in the same track in order to present an unworn side to the wheel flanges.

A number of utility and physical advantages result from the use of a rail having its opposite sides shaped differently between horizontal planes at a point slightly below the gage-point on the sides of the head and at the lower limits of the upright web sides.

An important feature of the U-S rail section is, that it has the same symmetrical contour as the Standard rail in its base below said lower horizontal plane and in its head above said upper plane. This makes easy the end-for-end turning of the rail when one of the sides of the head hecomes badly worn. Thus, it is possible to realize the advantages of the specialized unsymmetrical construction without sacrificing the usual and essential reversibility feature of the Standard symmetrical section. Just as mubh additional life is obtained from the U-S rail after removal for side wear as with the Standard rail, and there is no metal placed in the new unsymmetrica1 section merely to maintain the symmetry of the head.

The section of the U-S rail is attained by removing the least useful metal from the symmetrical Standard section. The metal is taken in different amounts from the opposite under corners of the head of the usual T-head section.

Additional metal can be removed from the new section by deepening a recess in one side of the head above its undermost corner. The removed metal then is used to increase the height of the U-S section over the height of a Standard section having the same area. When the recess on one side of the head is deepened as stated above so that the groove is extended into the central portion of the head, as shown dotted in the several figures of the drawings, the added height of the U-S section over the Standard section is slightly increased over that shown in the figures.

Two important characteristics of most forms of the U-S section are: first, the head has a shallow side and a deep side, and second, the juncture of the web with the head is shifted laterally from the usual symmetrical central position toward said shallow side of the head. When the rail is laid in straight and in slightly curved track, which probably includes ninety-five rails of every hundred laid, the shallow side of the head toward which the head-web juncture is shifted is placed toward the gage or inside of the track. This places said juncture close to a position directly under the usual eccentric wheel load which is indicated by plane e-e in Fig. 3. The result is that bending stresses are reduced in the web, as well as in the fillet where the stresses are concentrated in symmetrical sections by the tendency of the head to rotate under the eccentric loading.

When the U-S rail is laid on the high side of a sharp curve where it is usual for the wheel flanges to cut rapidly and deeply into the upright side of the head, the rail is turned end-for-end from the prevailing position mentioned above. This reversed position presents to the laterally grinding wheel-flanges the deep side of the head which is specially constructed to afford extra wheel-flange clearance and to absorb and distribute the stresses resulting from the lateral and vertical wheel load forces found in the high outer rail of a curve. This deep side of the head also is deep enough to allow the above mentioned longitudinal groove G to be extended into the centrally located head metal, which results in improved mechanical treatment of the steel in. addition to the providing of ample clearance for the tip of the wheel-flange until the rail is nearly worn out or is removed for further use in secondary track. The US rail therefore, provides an extra-clearance groove for the wheel flanges in track locations where it is needed and where it is safe. It has been found undesirable and dangerous to have a reentrant groove in the side of the head against which a switch-point fits. The danger is in the tendency of the groove to hold ice, flying stone ballast or other rigid material between the switch point and the side of the head. The 'U-S rail eliminates this danger, since the deeply grooved side of the head is only laid to the gage side of the track on sharp curves where switches are not located.

When the U-S rail is laid on the low side of a curve with the head-web juncture shifted inward approximately under the average vertical wheel load, the deep side of the head on the out side increases the rail strength for carrying and distributing the extra vertical load on this low side; and the deep side of the head also supplies extra supporting metal for the wearing-off" and It has the depth and strength of head needed to meet the requirements of the excessive grades and curvature of heavy-tonnage railroads where rail sections cfvarious sizes with deep heads are 7 standard and in general use. The U-S rail also has the resiliency and usual top wearing surface 3 to meet the demands of'the engineers who insist upon having as their standards several sizes of a different series of rail sections with wide and comp'aratively'shallow heads for use on railroads where high speed straight track with slight grades and lightcurvature is predominant.

The use of the U-S rail in this high-speed light curvature track is as follows: Both rails are laidwith the recessed deep side of the head disposed outwardly' A reentrant longitudinal groove i may or may not be used to extend said recess further into the central portion of the head. The usual full-width top tread surface is provided to resisttop wear, and the light resilient upper tread member is lesssubjected to top batter by high speedwheel blows than is the top surface of usual rails. This batter is the most serious and costly element in track maintenance, and is substantially lessened by including in the construction of the U-S- section the side groove which the deep side of the head makes it possible to extend into the central portion of the head, as shown dotted in the drawings. In this way, batter is reduced on account of the greater elasticity and resilience and the less solidity of the mass of head metal lying directly'under the blow. Thus, the batter is less than as is a blow on a solid anvil. At meeting ends of the rails, the stiffness of the steel structureofthe track is only the combined stiffness ofthe two opposite joint-bars, which in the best designs have a combined moment of inertia for both bars scarcely reaching 40% of the moment of inertia of the rail section. Moment of inertia is directly proportional to stiffness and may be used to show the deflection at the joined rail ends relative to the deflection at midlength where the rail is continuous. It therefore is at the point where the deflection is the greatest, at the joints, that the solid mass of metalin the Standard rail head acts as an anvilto cause rail batter. It also is at this maximum deflection point that the metal of the joint-bars immediately underlying the rail head increases still further the inertia of the steel superstructure and adds solidity and weight to the anvil, resulting in increased battering effect of the high-speed blow on the top surface of the rail head as well as on the top bearing surface of the joint-bars. The resiliency of the recessed and grooved U-S head section substantially diminishesthis tendency to batter.

The use of the U-S rail for heavy tonnage track with excessive grades and curvature, is as follows: Through sections of mountainous country where the track has almost continuous curvature and with many sharp curves in alternate di-' rections, the deep side of the rail head is disposed inwardly in both rails of the track continuously; but if there is only an occasional sharp curve in this heavy service or in the aforementioned light high-speed service, then both rails are laid with the deep side of the head disposed outwardly and only the few rail lengths extending around'the high side of the occasional sharp curve are turned end-for-end and laid with the specially adapteddeep side of the head disposed toward the gage or inside of the track to take the severe side-wear and to provide extra wheel-flange clearance.

In addition to the aforementioned utility and service advantages, the new unsymmetrical construction affords a better section for rolling and cooling, which in turn improves thequality, texture, and mechanical treatment of the steel. The extra height added to the Standardsection with a given amount of metal also results in added stiffness and maintenance economy.

' In modern rails of heavy Standard section, it is well known by metallurgists that great difficulty is encountered in the working, rolling and cooling of the mass of metal in the central portion of these large heads. The granular structure in the oval central area N, shown dotted in Figs. 1 and 3, cannot be thoroughly refined,

as is the steel around the outside of the head and in the Web and base of the rail. Then, in the slower cooling of this centrally located mass of head metal, its texture and crystalline. characteristics undergo a still further change to become coarser-grained, as well as softer and weaker, and with some of the elements transformed and segregated. This well. known Fisher-nucleus area N thus harbors the beginning or origin of distinctplanes of inter-granular weakness, faults and scams which in track service develop into incipient and open cracks and fissures, which in turn soon become serious transverse and longitudinal fractures, An important characteristic of the U-S construction is that the deep side of the head hassuificient vertical extent above its outer undermost corner to, make it practicable to extend a longitudinal groove inward into the trouble "area N and toward the enlarged concave outer surface F on the opposite side of the head. This.

groove is shown dotted in all of the figures, and is a feature of a type of rail to which thisinvention may be applied. The dottedgrooveis a qualities and utility advantages in mind, the

structural characteristics for attaining these advantages may be clearly understood by noting the novel details of the several sections shown in the drawings, including the various ways in which the new construction is altered from the usual symmetry of the opposite sides of the rail section, in order to attain the aforementioned results. A present Standard R. E. section with the same head area as the ll-S section is shown dotted in each figure, in order to indicate clearly the novel and improved redistribution of metal in the new construction.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawing, and

Fig. l is a view of one form of the improved rail section having the lower portion of the deep side of the rail head offset inwardly.

Fig. 2 is a view of one modification of the rail section having the lower portion of the deep side of the rail head bevelled inwardly.

Fig. 3 is a view of a second modification of the rail section having the lower portion of the deep side of the rail head formed with an inwardly inclined concave surface.

Fig. 4 is a view of a third modification of the rail section having the lower portion of the deep side of the rail head offset inwardly and bevelled inwardly.

Fig. 5 is a view of a fourth modification of the rail section wherein the lower portions of both sides of the rail head are offset inwardly.

Fi 6 is a view of a fifth modification similar to the section shown in Fig. 3 but with the shallow side of the rail head deeper than that shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. '7 is a view of a sixth modification of the rail section but with both sides of the rail head of substantially equal depth.

Fig. 8 is a seventh modification of the rail section similar to Fig. 1 but having the web of the rail symmetrical.

In the various views: vo' indicates a vertical centre-plane equidistant from the outermost faces of the arcs defining the upper corners of the head and also equidistant from the lower limits of the upright faces of the web. Above the horizontal line hh the cross-sectional area of the U-S rail and the dotted Standard R. E. rail X are the same. This line is located at the intersection of the fishing surfaces of the under side of the Standard rail head, shown dotted. This line, at this location, is used by rail engineers as the division between the areas of the head and web in constructing and calculating rail cross-sections and in determining desired relative areas, mass, weight and section modulus of the head and web. F and A indicate arcs forming the upper bearing surfaces of the joint-bars on opposite sides of the improved rail, said arcs having radii r and r respectively. G indicates by dotted lines a portion of one side of the head which may be grooved out to give additional wheel-flange clearance when the side of the head becomes worn deeply on the high side of sharp curves. A further purpose of this extra recessing or grooving of the side of the head is to reduce the sectional thickness or distance thru the central portion of the head, thereby improving the mechanical treatment of the steel, as well as reducing the batter of the top surface by increasing the resilience of the overlying tread portion. B indicates the arc of the web-base fillet. f and a indicate the lower limits of the arcs F and A respectively, and f and a the upper limits of said arcs. The gage points on opposite sides of the head are inthe description of the several figures.

dicated by g. The upright sides of the rail web are designated by C indicating a surface converging upward with vertical plane vv', and by P indicating a surface substantially parallel to v-v'. These sides may be plane surfaces, or they may be slightly curved. A completely curved web-side similar to the two-arc sides, in general use on Standard sections is indicated by S in Fig. 3.

The different contours on opposite sides of the U-S section are constructed by making unequal on said opposite sides one or more of four controlling dimensions, all four of which have to do with the enlarged joint-bar bearings F and A. These vital dimensions are: First, the distance of the lower limits and a of these arcs F and A from plane v-v' second, the distance of these same lower limits f and a from a horizontal plane at the top of the head; third, the distance of the upper limits and a of these arcs from said horizontal plane; fourth, the length of the radii r and r. The unequality or equality on opposite sides of the section of each of these controlling dimensions is indicated in each figure of the drawings by symbols U and E respec tively which make up a group of code letters. Each of the four positions in which the letters appear in this code group refers to one of the above mentioned dimensions, and the four positions are in the order of the dimensions enumerated above; that is, the first position is the lower left letter, the second position is the lower middle letter, the third position is the upper middle letter, and the fourth position is the lower right letter. For example: lhe first position indicates that the distances of the lower limits f and a from 0-17 are either unequal or equal. This novel method of attaching a code indication to each figure of the drawings shows at a glance the U or E relationship of all four of the controlling dimensions in that figure. This obviates the necessity of much repetition in The reatest deviation of the U-S section from the symmetry of the Standard rail is illustrated in the forms having an unequal relationship on opposite sides in all four of these vital controlling dimensions. This means that, in the code indication, the symbol U appears in all four positions, as in Figs. 1 and 4. In Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8, there is one ofthese four dimensions that is the same, or equal (E), on opposite sides of the section. In Fig. 7 there is only one of the dimensions that is unequal.

In the particular form of section shown in Fig. 1 the lower part of the one side of the head is offset inwardly of the upper part in a vertical plane I0. 7

In the form shown in Fig. 2 the one side of the head has its lower part bevelled inwardly as at H, and the other side bevelled inwardly as at I2, the upper limits of both bevels being substantially at equal distances from a horizontal plane tangent to the upper surface of the head.

In Fig. 3 the one side of the head has the lower part of its surface in the form of a concave groove l3, the lower end of which is offset inwardly of the head to intersect the curvature of the seat A at its outer extremity thus bringing the seat A well below the seat F.

Fig. 4 shows a form wherein the lower part of the one side of the head is formed by an inwardly offset plane surface [4 inclined in the same manner as the surface H of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 has not only the offset surface H) of Fig.

1' but also has an inwardly offset vertical surface I5 on the opposite side of the head to the same distance as seat. A from upper horizontal plane. This lowers the seat F, but it will. be seen that the lower limit of the curve F is stillabove the lower limit of the seat A.

Fig. 6 clearly resembles Fig; 3, but the upper face (6 is of considerably greater depth. than in Fig. 3, so that the lower limits of the seats are 'nearly opposite. The upper limit of seat]? is,

however, well above that of seat A..

The form in Fig. '7 closely resembles. that: in Fig. 5, but the lower limits of the seats A and F are opposite, with the radius 1" equal to the radius r instead of being unequal as in Figure 5. This keeps the one side of the head of the same depth as the other side.

Fig. 8 is nearly the same as Fig. 1, but here the web sides are symmetrical in inclination with respect to the center line 'vv instead of being unsymmetrical as in the first seven forms.

The drawings illustrate some of the more. important combinations of these unequal and equal'pairs of. dimensions thatmayv be used. All

.of these formations are practical rail sections thatattain the several important objects of the invention. Some of the unsymmetrical contours have certain advantages over others in improving physical. properties which result from the novel distribution of metal, while other advanfirst position, the distances of the lower limits of the joint-bar bearing arfcs from the vertical centre-plane are unequal. Constructions. embodying these characteristics have the several distinct advantages resulting from the' lateral shift of the juncture of. theheadwith' the web, one important advantage being the placing of the head-web juncture more directly under the point of eccentric wheel loading; The appearance of U in the middle-lower position of the code group, indicates the unequal relationship on the opposite sides of the head of these lower limits of said bearing arcsrelative to a horizon.- tal plane at: the top of the head. This isa'very, important structural feature, one advantage being the use of a higher joint bar on one side of the rail then on the other. The higher bar is made possible by the removal of an extra amount of metal from one of the under sides or corners of the head. Additional advantages are obtained by redistributing this removed metal across both sides of the top of the head,.thus givingadded stifiness and strength to the rail and to the rail-joint. The appearance of U in the middle-upper position of the code letter;

group, indicates the unequal relationship of'the upper outer limits of said bearing arcs relative to said horizontal plane at the top of the head. This also is a most important structural feature involving the regulation of the entire head area. It is important in keeping this head area in balance with the'area of the base in-connection with the construction of different weights and sizes of rail. It is likewise a vitaldimension head. The appearance of U in the last position of the code group indicates a longer radiusof the. curved bearing arcs on one side of. the head than on the other side. This is. one of the most important features of the entire: invention, it being a vital factor in. combination with. one or more of the other three unsymmetrical dimensions. It is the relative location of the lower and upper. limits of the arcs: struck on opposite sides of the head by these radii that determines whether the aforementioned controlling dimensions are unequal or equal, and it isobviousthat said relative locations may be altered either by variations in the location of the radius centre or in the'radius length.

The raised joint-bar bearingF above bearing A on the other side of'the head'isa characteristic feature of the preferred forms. of. the U-S rail. In this construction, another deep groove formed by raised bearing'F, is thrust upwardand inward into the central portion of the head'from' theside opposite to deep groove G. This is to be understood as meaning that the type of construction in this invention resides. in. forming: a head with a deep side and then an, opposite shallow side by raising bearing F when the said construction is applied to a type of rail havingv adeep groove in one side of the head: When bearing F is thrust upward and inward. into thecentral' portion of the headf as stated, sufiiciently to cut into theftrouble zone N,as shown: in Figures 1 and 3, then it is properly described'asxanother deep groove lying opposite to groove G" in the rail to which the new construction is applied. It will thus be seen that, with'these deep grooves in opposite sides, the metal, including that in the trouble zone, is. thoroughly worked; This greatly reduces the centralmass of metal in the head and its-sectional thickness in central zone where shatter-cracks and 'fissures. develop in the Standard rails. The reduced sectional. thickness makes it. possible, by pushing the rolls deeply into the head from opposite sides, to work this central, metal, and then,on' accountof. the reduced section, to cool it more uniformly than has heretofore been possible, so that the granular structure of the central head metal may bemade about as homogeneous and refined'asinithe base of the rail.

Another advantageous feature of' the raising,

of curved joint-bar bearing F above. A o'n'the other, side of the head, relatesto important metaldistribution that has to do particularly with producing'a stiffer andstronger railwith a given,

amount of metal. Thisisillustrated'in Figs. 1, 4 and 8 showing construction having the larger joint-bar bearing of a longer radiuson one side than on the other, and inFigs. 2 and 3:having the samelength of radius on opposite'sides. .As

hasbeen stated, all five of these figures have both the lower. and upper limits-of the bearing on one side raised above the corresponding limits on the other side.

raised above the corresponding limits on the other side, about half of the large amount of metal added to the top of: the railin these five figuresis taken from the undercorner of' the 7 compared standard section which underlies the in regulating the'desired' depth and resilience of the wide overhanging tread portion of the raised bearing, the other half being taken from the-corner underlying groove G. But when the than r as inFig'. G is quitelimit'ed, the-result It will be noted that when bothlimits of the bearinglononeside are in this way:

9? being that the portion of metal added to the top of the head from the raised-bearing corner is much less. Consequently, the total amount of metal added at the top in Figs. 6 and 7 from the under corners on both sides of the section, is much less than in the figures showing both lower and upper limits of the curved bearing on one side raised above the corresponding bearing limits on the other side. When metal is thus taken from both under corners of the standard section and added at the top, the height of the resulting U-S section of equal weight is about 7% greater. This is based on adding approximately inch to a 7%, 131-lb. Standard R. E. rail, thus giving a 131-lb. U-S rail 7 inches high. Substantially equivalent increases in moment of inertia, stiffness and strength is obvious.

The rail web has several different arrangements of its oppositely disposed upright sides. O-ne arrangement, shown in Figs. 2, 4 and 8, has the opposite sides C converging upwardly at different angles or inclinations with vertical plane v-o' for the full web height. Another arrangement shown in Figs. 1 and 5, has one side C converging with 'v-v', while the opposite side P is parallel to plane 12-1). In all of these figures, except Fig. 8, the juncture of the web sides with the curved joint-bar bearings F and A is unsymmetrical relative to plane 12-12. Fig. 8 shows the upper limits of the converging sides at the same distance from plane -12. In Figs. 6 and 7, an upper zone of the web is thickened adjoining its juncture with the head by making or changing the alinement of the inclined side of the web so that its portion above a horizontal plane :r-:r: and within said zone is parallel to plane v-v'.

Slightly curved surfaces may be used to form the web sides instead of the plane surfaces shown; and arrangements of unlike oppositely disposed sides other than the construction shown in the several figures can be used in accordance with the basic principles involved in the unsymmetrical web sides. One of these arrangements may be expressed as follows: A construction having oppositely disposed portions of the web sides converging upwardly, one of said portions lying nearer to a vertical position than the other, whereby the head-web juncture is shifted laterally from a centrally located position so as to lie more directly under the usual eccentric wheel load than the centrally located standard web. Another basic idea intended to attain the same result, may be stated thus: A construction in which the web sides have oppositely disposed portions which are unsymmetrical relative to a longitudinal vertical plane equidistant from the lower limits of the web sides.

The amount of maximum lateral shift of the head-web juncture that is found to be practicable, is determined approximately, as in Figures 1, and 7, by extending the web side towards which the shift is made vertically upward parallel to the centre-plane 'vv from the upper limit of the usual web-base fillet-arc to join the lower limit of the underlying curved joint-bar bearing of the rail head. It is found that this construction, with an upper web thickness about the same as the minimum thickness of the 1314b. R. R. rail, makes the maximum lateral shift about to of an inch from the usual central position.

There are many in not adhering rigidly to symmetry in the construction of the oppositely disposed head and web surfaces of the modern 10 high railroad rail, despite the fact that symmetry has been the almost universal practice since the first primitive rail sections grew in height from or following the Strap and Stringer rails. The only important exception to symmetry in rail sections is the girder or tram rail with wheel-flange groove in its top surface and otherwise unsymmetrically specialized for installation in city streets. The value of the usual regularity and symmetry in the Standard railroad sections is greatly overbalanced by less appealing irregular contours embodying many advantages of manufacture, improved physical and metallurgical properties and great utility. The correct answer to the many problems involved in the construction of a nearideal Standard railroad rail which is suitable for all kinds of service, is made much easier by constructing one side of the section independ-' ently of the other, as far as symmetry is concerned, each side of the section to be best suited to meet the particular service in which the rail is used until nearly worn out. With such standardization in view, the new U-S rail section makes the several distinct departures from symmetry in order to introduce the necessary flexibility in the construction and adaptability, and without the use of any metal simply to maintain symmetry. These departures make it possible in the several modifications to adjust portions and to put together a number of new features, in order to attain the various characteristics and properties required by the different kinds of service that a standardized rail section has to meet. The most important considerations and characteristics involved in the new head section, are: the sectional thickness thru the head; the different head depth on opposite sides; the depth of. the outer end or overhanging portions of the tread member; the resilience of the tread member; the amount of clearance for the tip of the wheel-flanges; the width of the curved joint-bar bearings; the distance that the deep groove extends inward under the tread member, and also the distance that the deepened side groove extends inward over the joint-bar bearing; the amount of metal in the reduced V--shaped mid-height zone of the head; the ratios of the areas of the different portions of the head, and the ratios of these total areas to the area of the rail base.

With respect to the utility, structural and maintenance values of the U-S" section; the lateral shift of the juncture of the web with the head has been described, together with the resulting improved distribution of eccentric loading forces and the consequent reduction of bending stresses in the web. With said juncture shifted inward toward thegage side in out of every rails laid, as has been estimated, the web is slanted or directed toward the point in the width of the top surface of the head where the usual eccentric load is applied, and the under width of the head overhang on the loaded side is substantially reduced, the moment arm and bending moment thus being proportionally decreased. The other estimated 5 rails of every hundred laid are turned end-for-end and laid around the high side of sharp curves with the deep side of the head facing inward. Thus placed on curves, the deep side of the head gives extra assistance in carrying and distributing the load down the Web to a lower point and thicker section. The usual outward pressure on the sharp curve and the guiding thrusts of the whee1 flanges produce ver- 11 tical tensile stresses in the inner surface of the web, which stresses in turn'balance or neutralize in part the compression stresses in this same inner surface caused by the eccentric wheel loading. Where excessive conditions exist, and when less unit web stress is deemed desirable, a reduction of head overhang on the deep'side of the head can be attained by interposing a short vertical surface at the juncture of the inclined web side and the head, as in Figs. 6 and? above line :r-x. This also effects a very gradual change of section from web to head whencombined with the enlarged upwardly sweeping curved joint-bar bearing surfaces.

In thepreferred construction of the fU-S rail, the deep inverted apex of the irregularly shaped V-head in its several modifications is still vertically and comparatively flexible laterally. This flexibility, in the absence of any abrupt change of section as in the T-raii, does not focus the lateral bending forces into'a short upper portion of the webj 'On the other hand, said deep inverted-apex construction lengthens or widens lengthwise of the web the distribution of the load forces down into an extended longitudinal portion of the rail, and the lateral flexibility of said construction also distributes the bending stresses due to eccentric loading well up and down the full web height. A favorable contrast therefore is effected over the T-rail construction where excessive stresses always are found in the filletsand upper webdue to the abrupt change o'f'section including the proximate widely projecting head beyond the web sides.

I claim:

1. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by a web having upright sides, the lower limits of said sides being equidistant from the longitudinal vertical median plane of theupper surface of the rail head, the upper limits of said sides being at unequal distances from said plane.

2. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by a web having opposite sides converging upwardly for not less than half of their vertical extent, the lower limits of said sides being equidistant from the longitudinal vertical median plane of the upper surface of the rail head, one of said Web sides being substantially vertical, and the other web side slanting upwardly toward said opposite side to effect a web-head juncture which is eccentric from a central position under said upper surface of head.

3. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by a web having upright sides, a Web-base fillet portion having concave sides joining'said upright web sides at points equidistant from the longitudinal vertical median plane of the upper surface of the rail head, a head-web fillet portion having concave sides joining said upright Web sides at unequal distances from said vertical plane.

4. A railroad rail having a head and a base 1'2 adjoining its upper corners and at equal distances from al'ongitudinai vertical plane which is equidistant from the lower limits of said web sides,

the lower portion of said head including its outer undermost corners being unsymmetrical relative to said vertical plane and comprising concave joint-bar-bearings adjoinin said upright web sides, the upper outer limits of said bearings on opposite sides of the head being at unequal distances from a horizontal plane tangent to the tenor the head, and the lower limits of said opposite bearings also being at unequal distances from said horizontal plane.

7. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by'a web having upright sides, the upper portion of said head having opposite upright sides .at equal distances from a longitudinal vertical plane which is equidistant from the lower" limits of said web sides, the lower portion of head having its opposite sides unsymmetrical with said vertical plane and including concave joint-barbearings adjoining said upright web sides, the

upper outer limits of said bearings on opposite sides of the head being at unequal distances from a horizontal plane at the top of the head, and the radii of said bearings being of unequal lengths.

8. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by a Web having upright sides, the upper portion of said head having opposite upright sides at equal distances from a longitudinal vertical plane which is equidistant from the lower limits of said web sides, the lower portion of said head having opposite sides unsymmetrical with said vertical plane and including concave jointbar-bearings adjoining said upright web sides, the lower limits of said bearings on opposite sides of the head being at unequal distances from a horizontal plane tangent to the top of the head, and the radii of said bearings being of unequal lengths.

9. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by a web having upright sides, the upper portion of said head having opposite upright sides providing track-gaging surfaces at equal distances from alongitudinal vertical plane which is equidistant from thelower limits of said web sides, the lower portion of said head having opposite sides including concave joint-bar-bearings adjoining said upright web sides at unequal distances from said vertical plane, said bearings joining with web sides on opposite sides of the head being at unequal distances from a horizontal plane tangent to the top of the head.

10. A railroad rail having a head andabase joined by a Web having upright sides, the upper portion of said head having opposite upright sides at equal distances from a longitudinal vertical plane which is equidistant from the lower limits of said web sides, the lower portion of said head having opposite sides each including a concave jointbar-bearing joined to its respective upright web side, said junctures bein at unequal distancesfrom said vertical plane, the upper limits of said bearings on opposite sides of the head be- 13 ing at unequal distances from a horizontal plane tangent to the top of the head.

11. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by a web having upright sides, the upper portion of said head havingopposite upright sides at equal distances from a longitudinal vertical plane which is equidistant from the lower limits of said web sides, the lower portion of said head having opposite sides each including a concave joint-bar-bearing joined to its respective upright 10 web side at a different distance than the other from said vertical plane,- the radii of said bearings being of unequal length.

12. A railroad rail having a head and a base joined by a web having upright sides, the upper 15 portion of said head having upright sides to pro vide track-gaging surfaces on opposite sides of the head at equal distances from a longitudinal vertical plane which is equidistant from the lower limits of said web sides, a head-web fillet portion 20 having opposite sides each including a concave joint-bar-bearing joined to its respectiv upright web side at a different distance than the other from said vertical plane, the formation and relative positions of said bearings effecting unequal dimensions on the opposite sides of the head in the distances of the lower limits of said bearings from a horizontal plane at the top of the head, and in the distances of the upper limits of said bearings from said horizontal plane, and in the length of the radii of said bearings.

SAMUEL G. THOMSON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 182,627 Atwood Sept. 26, 1876 657,870 Hazord Sept. 11, 1900 697,522 McGintz Apr. 15, 1902 717,845 Haight Jan. 6, 1908 1,380,725 Lundie et a1 June 7, 19.21 1,692,905 Rendelman Nov. 27, 1928 2,257,027 Thomson Sept. 23, 1941 2,265,128 Cooper 1 Dec. 9, 1941

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