US2999641A - Rail anchors - Google Patents

Description

P 1951 J. R. STEELE ET AL 2,999,641

RAIL ANCHORS Filed Sept. 5, 1957 INVENTORJ Wdiwz nite This invention relates to railway rail anchors, sometimes known as anti-creeper devices, adapted to grip a rail and to bear against a side face of a cross tie in order to restrain longitudinal movements of the rail.

Many different designs of rail anchor have been proposed in the past, among the most satisfactory of which have been those anchors adapted to be formed, simply and economically, by bending a length of bar stock of conventional section. Rail anchors fabricated by bending T-section stock are disclosed in US. Patents 2,161,- 484 and 2,244,755. The general object of the present invention is the provision of a rail anchor which is an improvement upon the rail anchors disclosed in the said patents.

A rail anchor made from a rolled steel T-section has certain disadvantages. For example, the step or upwardly extending projection at the free end of the under-rail portion of the rail anchor, which is intended to engage the edge of the rail base flange opposite the edge which is gripped in the jaw portion of the rail anchor, is very limited in height. This is due partly to the difficulty involved in lateral displacement of a short length of T-section stock, but regardless of this factor, the height of the step, in such rail anchors, must be rigidly limited because the anchor, made from T-section material, is relatively stiff and unyielding; thus, it the step were higher, driving the anchor onto the rail could only be accomplished by spreading the upper and lower jaws excessively as the anchor is driven. This over-stressing of the jaw section might give rise to a permanent set, thus destroying the grip of the jaw section upon the rail base flange.

On the other hand, because the step portion of the known T-section rail anchors is of such limited height, such anchors are subject to being over-driven because the workman cannot readily perceive the slight angular movement of the rail anchor occasioned when the step springs up behind the opposite edge of the rail base flange. Moreover, since the upper inner edge of the step portion must be slightly rounded, in order to avoid shearing a sliver of steel from the rail base as it snaps into place, the actuahgripping engagement between such step and the edge of the rail base flange is relatively slight, the anchor thus being liable to accidental displacement. This disadvantage is enhanced by the fact that the bottom edge of the rail base flange is also somewhat rounded.

Another disadvantage of rail anchors such as disclosed in the aforementioned patents is that the web of the T-section forms a sharp peak adjacent the free end of the jaw portion, which peak is not only valueless to the gripping power of the rail anchor, but constitutes an obstruction which may be struck by the flange of a derailed wheel, or by dragging equipment, and thus cause dislodgement of the rail anchor, or damage to the rail, or both.

A general object of the present invention is to provide a rail anchor, formed from T-section bar stock, which avoids the aforesaid disadvantages. This is accomplished by (1) excising or shearing away a portion of the web or rib of the T-section material along the under-rail portion of the anchor, thus increasing the flexibility of that portion and permitting the use of a higher step at the free end of said under-rail portion and (2) shearing off the aforesaid peak of the rib or web adjacent the free Patent end of the jaw portion of the anchor, thus removing the obstruction mentioned above and its attendant hazards. The scrap value of the web portions thus sheared away should cover the cost of the shearing operation and the improved rail anchor of the present invention, therefore, can be fabricated at no increase in cost.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rail anchor comprising a T-section member provided with a jaw portion consisting of upper and lower jaws for gripping the base flange of a rail, and having a body portion formed to extend beneath the rail base, said lower jaw and body portions being formed for abutting engagement with the side face of an adjacent cross tie and said body portion having an upturned end portion for abutting engagement with the edge of the rail base flange opposite to that edge which is gripped by the said jaws, the gripping portions of said jaws and the rail base abutting portion of said body portion comprising a continuous flange portion of said T- section member, said jaws and a part of said body portion having stiffening ribs comprising segments of a web portion of said T-section member, another part of said body portion consisting only of said flange portion of the T-section member whereby the last-mentioned part of said body portion is more easily flexed than said firstmentioned part of the body portion.

Another object is the provision of a rail anchor as described in the previous'paragraph, in which the stiffening rib or web portion of the upper jaw is continually diminished in height as it approaches the free end of said upper jaw, and thus presents less obstruction to dragging equipment or derailed Wheels.

A further object is the provision of a method of making a rail anchor by bending a length of T-section material to form a substantially U-shaped jaw portion, a straight portion, and an upturned end portion, comprising the step of excising a part of the web of the T-section along the said straight portion of the rail anchor, with or without the step of also excising a part of the stiffening rib or web portion adjacent the free end of the upper jaw.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent from the description which follows, read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of a rail anchor according to the present invention, as the same appears when the act of driving it onto the rail is nearly completed;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, showing the rail anchor completely applied;

FIGURE 3 is a rear end elevation of the rail anchor as seen in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 are transverse sections on lines 4-4, 55 and 6-6, respectively, of FIGURE 2.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, reference is made to the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings and detailed descriptive language is employed. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the invention is thereby intended and that various changes and alterations are contemplated such as would ordinarily occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the rail anchor designated generally by the numeral 10 is seen as nearly completely applied to the rail indicated generally at 11. The rail anchor 10 comprises a jaw portion 12, a body portion or under-rail portion 13 and a step portion 14, the jaw portion 12 embodying an upper jaw 15 and a lower jaw 16. The rail anchor 10 is formed by bending a length of T-section bar stock to form a substantially U-shaped jaw portion 12 near one end, after which parts of the web or rib 17 of the T-section are excised as by shearing. The parts which are thus sheared away are indicated by dotted lines at 18 and 19. The flange of the T-section forms the rail gripping portions and 16', respectively, of the upper and lower jaws 15 and 16, and the rail abutting portion 13. of the under-rail or body portion 13. Adjacent the free end of the body portion 13, the flange of the T-section is split longitudinally at either, side of the eb 17, each lateral portion 141: and 145 being turned upwardly at right angles to the portion 13' to form the bifurcated step portion 14. The step portion 14 is considerably higher than has heretofore been practical in rail anchors formed of T- section material, and it is preferably about of an inch high.

The use of a relatively high step portion, as just described, is possible because of the flexibility of the underrail or body portion 13 due to the removal of the portion 19 of the rib or web 17. This permits the anchor to be driven onto the rail without unduly stressing the jaw portion 12, theT-section member flexing near the center of the under-rail portion as illustrated in FIG- URE 1. At the same time, when the anchor is fully home, the step 14'- will snap into engagement with the edge 20 of the rail base with a noticeable movement of the rail anchor, from which the workman will know that the latter has been driven home.

As illustrated, the T-scction material from which the rail anchor is formed, has the upper edges of the flange portion 21 bevelled as at 22, which bevel disappears due to bending, in the jaw portion 12 and in the step portion 14, the edges of the flange 21 bulging to form rounded surfaces at these points (see FIGURE 4).

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention provides a rail anchor, and a method of making it, which obviates the explained disadvantages of the rail anchors heretofore fabricated from T-section bar stock.

It might be thought that excising a portion of the rib or Web 17 from the under-rail portion of the rail anchor, as indicated at 19, would allow the under-rail portion to cut into the adjacent cross tie more readily, because the bearing area of the rib or Web 17 upon the cross tie is reduced. However, this is not the case because the edges 19a and 19b extend diagonally across the fibers of the cross-tie. The resistance of these fibers to cutting or shearing is more than enough to offset the reduction in bearing area of the web 17 so that actually an anchor made according to the invention does not cut into the tie as fast as one in which the Web 17 is continuous.

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

1. A rail anchor comprising a T-section bar steel member formed to provide a jaw portion comprising upper and lower jaws for gripping the base flange of a rail and a body portion to extend beneath the rail base, said lower jaw and said body portion being formed face of an adjacent cross-tie and said body portion having an upturned end portion of a height not substantially less than A for abutting engagement with that edge of the rail base flange which is opposite to the portion gripped by said jaws, said jaws having rail base gripping portions and said body portion having an element adjacent said rail base which gripping portions and element comprise a continuous flange portion of said T- section member, said jaws and said body portion having stiffening ribs comprising the web portion of said T- section member, a substantial intermediate segment of said body portion having the web completely removed and consisting only of said flange portion of said T- section member, the Web portions defining the removed portion comprising smooth curves so that the straight portion of the anchor is free from abrupt changes in section, whereby said segment of said body portion is more easily flexed.

2. A rail anchor as defined in claim 1, said stiffening ribs of said first-mentioned part of said body portion and said lower jaw forming said tie-engaging portions.

3. A rail anchor as defined in claim 1, said stiffening rib of said upper jaw diminishing continuously in its dimension transverse to the longitudinal rail axis as it approaches the free end of said upper jaw.

4. A rail anchor comprising a length of T-section bar steel, having flange and web portions, bent to form a substantially U-shaped jaw portion toward one end of said length, the Web of said T-section lying outermost relative to the center of curvature of said bend, a straight portion of said length joining said U-shaped jaw portion, the free.v end of said straight portion being formed to provide a step portion approximately 4 in extent, projecting at right angles to said straight portion, the web of said T-section being completely removed over a substantial length of said straight portion intermediate the ends thereof and being continuously diminished in its dimension transverse to the longitudinal rail axis over the length of'said upper jaw from said U-shaped bend to the free end thereof, the Web portions defining the removed portion comprising smooth curves so that the straight portion of the anchor is free from abrupt changes in section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 977,678 Portteus Dec. 6, 1910 1,036,518 Betts Aug. 20, 1912 1,134,567 Walker Apr. 6, 1915 1,669,245 Hyle et al. May 8, 1928 1,680,378 Hyle et al. Aug. 14, 1928 1,728,188 Natale Sept. 17, 1929 2,244,755 Warr June 10, 1941 2,511,062 Hylevet a1. June 13, 1950 2,535,739 Hyle et al. Dec. 26, 1950 2,827,240 Steele et al. Mar. 18, 1958

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