US2597444A

US2597444A - Rail bond terminal

Info

Publication number: US2597444A
Application number: US3513A
Authority: US
Inventors: Harold J Brown; Frederick C Lavarack
Original assignee: RAILROAD ACCESSORIES CORP
Current assignee: RAILROAD ACCESSORIES CORP
Priority date: 1948-01-21
Filing date: 1948-01-21
Publication date: 1952-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 1969-05-20

Description

y 20, 1952 H. J. BROWN ET AL 2,597,444

RAIL BOND TERMINAL Filed Jan. 21, 1948 CD 3 6 Q f I lgJNVENTORS BY 9" LOW Patented May 20, 1952 RAIL BOND TERMINAL Harold J. Brown, Johnstown, Pa., and Frederick C. Lavarack, Montclair, N. J said Lavarack assignor to Railroad Accessories Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 21, 1948, Serial No. 3,513 1 Claim. (01. 2s7-20.3

This invention relates to electrical connectors,

ing continuity between the ends of railway rails which are commonly known as rail bonds.

A principal object of this invention is the production of a rail bond terminal adapted to be secured in a cavity in the side of a rail head which will be effectively and tightly compressed against the surface of the cavity in the rail head right at the juncture of that surface with the outside surface of the side of the rail head.

Another object of the invention is to produce a terminal of the type specified which is independent of depth of the cavity formed in the rail head, provided that cavity is at least a minimum depth.

Another object of the invention is to produce a bond terminal of the type specified which will present visible evidence of the completion of the driving effort used in securing the bond in the rail head cavity.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the particular physical emfor insertion in cavities in the several rail heads and an electrically conducting cable, such as 3, connecting the parts secured in the cavities.

Rail head bonds are in common use, of the type having terminals secured in cavities formed in the side face of the rail head. The cavities are formed in the side face of the rail head by drilling. The drill is supposed to penetrate into the rail a predetermined distance forming what might be called a blind hole. Due to, perhaps, lack of proper adjustment or carelessness, the hole may well depart from standard depth. It

may either be deeper or shallower. In spite of all bodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail and the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings and the several views thereon, in which like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the sev eral views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the adjacent ends of two railway track rails with a bond of our invention in place thereon; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device as shown by Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the device as shown by Fig. 1 on the plane indicated by the line IIIIII viewed in the direction of the arrows at the ends of the line; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the starting of an expanding pin used with our invention; Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 but showing a further advance of an expanding pin used with our invention.

In Fig. 1, l designates one rail and 2 designates the other rail of two abutting railway rails such as are commonly used as the track upon which railway cars travel.

3 designates, as a whole, what is known as a head of rail railway bond. This device is used to electrically connect the end of one abutting rail with the end of the other abutting rail, and generally includes solid or hollow studs the care taken, the hole may also be out of round and not always the same diameter; The result is that the cavity is not always proper in depth, roundness and diameter in which to properly aiiix the terminal where the bottom of the hole or cavity is used as what might be called an anvil to assist in securing the terminal in the cavity. In case the bottom of the hole is used as an anvil, and the hole is shallow, a poor electrical and mechanical connection is made with the terminal and the terminal protrudes from the side face of the rail more than it should so that there is added danger that dragging rolling stock equipment may contact with and shear off the terminal. If the hole is of too great depth, there is danger that when the terminal is afilxed in the rail, the head thereof may be considerably weakened and perhaps sheared off by contacting with the side face of the rail before the end of the terminal contacts with the bottom of the cavity. The difficulties pointed out arise mainly from the fact that the bottom wall of the cavity is used as an anvil in securing the terminal in the cavity.

.We propose to obviate the difiiculties hereinbefore mentioned and occurring by reason of the use of the bottom or end wall of the cavity in the rail head as an anvil by producing a bond which may be properly secured in a blind hole or cavity without utilizing the bottom or end wall thereof.

Our type of bond terminal is secured in a cavity in the side of the rail head, as d, which is preferably made of standard diameter and standard depth in accordance with the specifications of the American Railway Association.

Our type of bond includes a stud 5 which is cylindrical and ha an outside diameter perhaps just slightly less than that of the diameter of the standard cavity 4 so that it may be slipped into place. The stud 5 is integrally attached to a body 6. The body 6 is formed with an annular groove 1, one side of which is formed by the outside surface of the stud 5. This construction provides a stud 5 which, in effect, extends for a slight distance outside of the cavity 4.

In order to properly position the stud 5 endwise in the cavity 4, we provide a surface 8 on the body 6 which just contacts the side faceof a rail, as 2, when the stud 5 has beenintroduced the proper distance into the cavity 4. This proper distance of introduction positions the stud 5 so that its inner end is free from contact with the bottom or end wall 9 of the cavity 4.

The stud 5 and the body 6 are formed with axially aligned through bores, as ID, in the stud 5, and II in the body 6. are not of the same diameter. The bore in body 6 is of a larger diameter than the bore in stud ID.

The bore in body -8 is preferably of an internal diameter just slightly less than the external diameter of the expanding pin l2 so that the expanding pin may be inserted in the body 6 and pushed to the positions as shown in Fig. 5 by a slight force. This would serve to maintain the pin in place while being shipped. This construction obviates any substantial expansion of the body 6 by the insertion of expanding pin I2 therein.

The bore 10 is made of such diameter relative to the outside diameter of expanding pin l2, that when expanding pin I2 is driven therein it will properly expand the walls left around the bore l0 against the inside surface of the cavity 4 so asto securely and properly maintain the terminal in place.

A- difliculty which has been met with many bonds of the prior art is that the stud of the bond did not so securely and tightly compress against the inside surface of the cavity 4 about the corner l3 as to properly exclude moisture from working therein between the stud and the surface of the cavity. In our form of bond we, in effect, extend the stud outside of the cavity. We do this by formin the groove I in the :body 6. When the pin [2 is driven into the stud 5, expansion starts about in the plane of the line [4, so that at the plane of the face of the rail full expansion is obtained so as to force the outside surface of the stud 5 into firm and moisture excluding contact with the inside surface of the cavity 4, especially adjacent the edge or corner [3 where moisture is most likely to secure an entrance. In our construction as soon as the expansion pin reaches the position as shown in Fig. 5 and the driving is started, expansion of the stud starts. This expansion of the stud is of that part which is really outside of the cavity so that as the expansion pin is driven further in it is certain that expansion is started right at the juncture between the inside surface of the cavity and the outside surface of the face of the rail. This expansion is particularly efficient because of the presence of the annular groove I which allows expansion of the metal to take place rather than mere compression. In the absence of the annular groove 1, when the expansion pin is driven, due to the large body of material existing outside of the cavity, compression of that material rather than expansion would be the major effect. Our construction enables us to obtain substantially uniform expansion the full length of the stud, that is, that part which is within the cavity and that portion which is without the cavity.

Figure 4 illustrates the pin l 2 as being inserted in the bore ll almost to the point where it is to These bores, however, 7.

contact the walls of the reduced here. Fig. 5 shows the pin I2 in position where it must be given considerable force to be advanced toward the end wall 9 of the cavity 4. Fig. 3 shows the pin l2 completely driven to its final position.

It will be noted that when pin 12 is flush with the outside face I! of the body 6 a visible indication is afforded that the driving effort has been completed and that th best possible mechanical and electrical connection ha been made between the stud 5 and the cavity in the rail head. When the pin has thus been driven it is noted that the inner end has been driven completely through the stud andthat the pin has both expanded the stud-and compressed the metal thereby toughening and strengthening the metal and pressing it firmly against the inner surface of the cavity throughout the entire length of the stud. This visible indication of the completion of the attachment obviates the likelihood either that there will be over driving or under driving of the pin.

In the particular form of body shown we have included a cavity l5 into which the metallic cable or conductor 3 may be inserted and secured for the purpose of interconnecting terminals of adjacent rail heads.

The several figures also show the body 6 formed with a sloping surface l6 for intercepting and warding off dragging equipment which might injure the bond.

It is to be understood that the particular method and means for interconnecting one bond terminal to another and the presence or absence of means for guarding the central portion of the body 6 are merely shown for completeness, but neither one of these features in its specific form is essential to our invention.

From the hereinbefore given description it will be'apparent that our form of bond terminal is most eflicient in securing a moisture proof and strong type mechanical connection in the plane of the edge l3, that is, in the plane of the side face of the rail at the juncture thereof with the inside surface of the cavity. It will also be noted that variations in the depth of the cavity 4 are immaterial to the proper use of our terminal, provided that at least a minimum depth is provided. It should also be noted that in prior art structures where the bottom of the hole is used as an anvil, there is no proper indication of the necessary strength of hammer blow to be given to the terminal in order to secure a uniform tightening of all terminals in the cavity in the rail head, whereas in our type the visual indication given by the flush position of the outer end of the expanding pin to the face of the body of the bond is an assurance not only of the necessary strength of hammer blow, but of a uniformity of tightening of the stud in the cavity of the rail head. It should further be noted that with our type of rail terminal we virtually measure the depth of the hole because if the stud does not go into the cavity in the rail head so that the body rests squarely against the side face of the rail head before any blows are given to the expansion pin, the hole is not of the proper minimum depth. On the other hand if the hole is slightly too deep, no difficulty is caused, whereas in prior forms of bond which employed the bottom of the hole or cavity as an anvil, if the hole were too deep either the head or body would be injured or difficulty would be encountered in extracting the pin fter it had been secured in the hole and at a later time it was found necessary to take it out.

Although we have particularly described several particular physical embodiments of our invention and explained the operation, construction and principle thereof, nevertheless we desire to have it understood that the forms selected are merely illustrative, but do not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underlying our invention.

' What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A rail bond terminal for aflixing in a rail cavity of predetermined uniform diameter throughout and of a predetermined depth and formed with a conical end wall, said termina1 formed of one piece comprising a body and a cylindrical stud, the cylindrical stud portion for insertion in a rail cavity, said body formed with a fiat portion abuttable against a rail, said. termina1 further formed with an annular groove surrounding the stud whereby the stud is free from the body for the depth of the groove, said body and stud formed with a through aligned bore, said bore being of one diameter in the body of the terminal and of a less but uniform diameter through the stud,

an expanding pin of the same diameter as and positioned in the bore of the body ands'aid body formed with a portion for attachment of an electrical conductor.

HAROLD J. BROWN. FREDERICK C. LAVARACK.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name v Date 582,849 Daniels May 18, 1897 587,134 Mosher July 2'7, 1897 601,707 Dainton Apr. 5', 1898 666,403 Wood Jan. 22, 1901 752,034 Clifi Feb. 16, 1904 1,615,187 Bossert et al. Jan. 18, 1927 2,135,888 Febrey Nov. 8, 1938 2,232,999 Chandler Feb. 25, 1941 2,248,845 Beam July 8, 1941 2,259,368 Febrey Oct. 14, 1941 Sabol May 12, 1942