US3067947A

US3067947A - Fastener of a rail on a support by means of a resilient clamp

Info

Publication number: US3067947A
Application number: US41510A
Authority: US
Inventors: Johan F Deenik; Jacob A Eisses
Original assignee: Everts & Van Der Weyden N V
Current assignee: Everts & Van Der Weyden N V
Priority date: 1959-07-17
Filing date: 1960-07-08
Publication date: 1962-12-11
Anticipated expiration: 1979-12-11

Description

Dec. 11, 1962 J. F. DEENIK ETAL FASTENER OF A RAIL ON A SUPPORT BY MEANS OF A RESILIENT CLAMP Filed July 8, 1960 INVENT R JOHAN F. DEE NIK JACOB A si 55 ES United States Patent Office 3,667,947 Patented Dec. 11, 1962 3,067,947 FASTENER F A RAIL ON A SUPPORT BY MEANS OF A RESILIENT CLAMP Johan F. Deenik and Jacob A. Eisses, Bilthoven, Netherlands, assignors to Everts & Van Der Weyden N.V.,

Helmond, Netherlands, a company of the Netherlands Filed July 8, 1960, Ser. No. 41,510 Claims priority, application Republic of South Africa July 17, 1959 8 Claims. (Cl. 238--315) This invention relates to the fastener of a rail on a support by means of a resilient clamp.

The invention has for its object to provide such a fastener which can be applied universally to sleepers formed of all types of materials and portions of which may be premounted on the sleepers before delivery to the right of way.

In accordance with the invention, a locking plate with a raised border flange around three sides lies on either side against the rail foot, and this plate is locked against horizontal displacement by a U-shaped strap, the plane of which is parallel to the direction of the rail and the legs engage each in a gap on both sides of the plate and which are fastened in the material of the support, while the horizontal body of the U-shaped strap is spaced above the upper side of the plate by the side flanges, and the loop of a U-shaped bent resilient clamp lies on the plate under the body of the strap and with its legs bent towards the rail and then backward more than 90 toward the loop, which legs press on the rail foot with the free ends abutting the flange whereby, in an unstrained condition, the distance between the loop and the free ends of the clamp legs is greater than the thickness of the body of the strap in the direction perpendicular to the rail.

Such a fastener can be applied to railway sleepers of all kinds of material. In the case of a railway sleeper of soft Wood, a supporting plate is applied, whereby the plate is elastically pressed on the Wood by the reaction force of the resilient clamp. The railway sleepers or blocks are conveyed to the right of way with premounted straps and locking plates. The resilient clamp is mounted from above and around the body of the strap and is then pressed in the direction of the'railfoot, whereby the ends of the legs rest on the rail foot and abut the side of the flange adjacent the rail. The rail is fixed between two locking plates by which the rigidity of the frame of the track is considerably increased. Moreover these locking plates facilitate exact placement of the rail when constructing a railway track.

The raised border of the locking plate, in a very practical embodiment, is provided with a central transverse groove the bottom of which merges with a bevel rising from the upper surface of the plate and is substantially level with the upper surface of the rail foot, and the width of this groove is smaller than the distance between the outer sides of the free ends of the unstrained clamp. When the clamp is displaced horizontally the free ends of the clamp legs are carried upwardly by the bevel and by pressing them together they can pass through the groove after which the free ends spring apart behind the flange and lock the clamp against retraction.

Moreover, in accordance with the invention, the side flanges of the locking plate are upwardly inclined to the strap supporting portions the heights of which are greater than the thickness of the loop of the clamp. Thus, the strap cannot be pressed too 'far in the support which would leave insuflicient space for the clamp.

Furthermore, in accordance with the invention, the distance between the inner surfaces of these cams can be substantially equal to the width of the loop of the clamp. The clamp is then locked against rotary movement about a vertical axis, which results in a better fastening of the rail.

In accordance with the invention it is advantageous if the outer side of the raised border flange adjacent the rail is in contact with the top portion of the strap. This construction offers the advantage that in the case of a soft base, which may permit twisting of the locking plate from the rail foot, the upper rim of the strap exerts a restraining force on the locking plate through the flange.

In accordance with the invention such a force can also be supplied when each leg of the strap has a collar or shoulder of which the upper surface underlies the plate and is coplanar with the upper surface of the support. The locking plate finds then a certain support on this collar or shoulder.

Finally the strap can be fastened in the support by means of an adhesive which also may provide insulation against electric current. In the case of a metal railway sleeper, the strap can be fastened to the railway sleeper by means of welding.

The invention will be further described hereinafter with specific reference to the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a fastener according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view in perspective fied strap;

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of another modification of the strap;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken perpendicularly of the rail through the fastener shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 4 and showing a modification of the fastener, and

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 and showing still another embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the fastening of one side of the rail foot 1 of a rail is shown. A locking plate 2 having a raised border flange 3 is positioned with said flange against the side of the rail foot 1. The locking plate 2 has gaps 4 in its ends through which pass the

legs

5 and 6 of a U-shaped fastening strap. The lower ends of the

legs

5, 6 of the strap are fastened in the material of the railway sleeper on which the rail rests. The strap has a of a modi- .horizontal bight portion or body 7 which bears on the upper surfaces of the cams or flanges 8 at the ends of plate 2, providing a space between the body 7 and the plate 2.

In this space is fitted the loop 9 of a U-shaped bent clamp 10, the legs of which are bent upwardly and over towards the rail and the

free ends

11 and 12 of the legs are bent under more than toward the loop 9. The

ends

11 and 12 abut the raised border flange 3 and press on the rail foot 1. The

free ends

11 and 12 are spaced from the loop 9 so that the clamp 10 can be mounted around the strap from above, after which the clamp can be pushed toward the rail foot 1 with loop 9 underlying the body 7 of the strap.

The flange 3 has a transverse groove 13, as best shown in FIG. 4, the bottom of which is connected by a bevel 14 with the upper surface of the plate 2 and which forms a ramp between the upper surface of the plate 2 and the rail foot 1. When mounting the clamp, the

ends

11 and 12 are pressed together so that they can be pushed into the groove. Then, as the clamp 10 is forced toward the rail its

ends

11 and 12 rise along the bevel 14 and subsequently rest on the rail foot 1, after which the ends spring apart and the clamp is locked against retraction by the flange 3.

The height and length of the flange 3 is greater than that of the side flanges 8 and is engaged by the rail side of the

strap portions

5, 6, 7. Should the plate sink into the material of the railway sleeper and tend to twist relative to the rail, it is restrained by the engagement of the outer side of the flange 3 with the adjacent side of the strap.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment in which the legs 5 are provided with a shoulder 15. The plate 2 then rests on both the railway sleeper and the shoulder 15.

In FIG. 3 the body 7 of the strap has a bend 16 directed away from the rail. As a result the loop 9 is more quickly engaged under the body 7 of the strap when mounting the clamp 10.

The embodiment according to FIG. 4 shows how the clamp 10 presses on the rail foot and is held by the body 7 of the strap. Here, the bottom of plate 2 is provided with downwardly projecting points 17 for fixing the plate against displacement on the railway sleeper, which consists in this case of hardwood.

In FIG. 5 a fastener for a railway sleeper of softwood is shown. In this case a base plate 18 of hard wood is placed between the locking plate 2 and the rail foot on the one hand and the railway sleeper on the other hand FIG. 6 finally shows a concrete railway sleeper in which the strap is fastened by means of an adhesive 19. A layer of adhesive also may be applied between the base plate 2 and the railway sleeper. In this manner a good insulation of the rail against electric currents can be obtained. Under the rail itself an insulating layer, such as rubber, can be laid.

What we claim is:

l. A rail fastener comprising a locking plate including a raised border flange at one side and both ends and having a gap at each end, said plate being adapted to seat said one side against one edge of a rail foot, means for locking said plate against horizontal displacement on a support, said means including an inverted U-shaped strap the plane of which is parallel to the direction of the rail and whose legs engage in said gaps in both ends of the locking plate and extend downwardly for fastening in the material of the support, the horizontal body of the U-shaped strap when fastened bearing on the end border flanges and thereby being spaced a predetermined distance above the upper side of the plate and lying adjacent said one side of the border flange and opposite the rail, and a U-shaped bent resilient clamp having a loop adapted to lie on the plate in the space under the body of the strap, the legs of said clamp being bent towards the rail and then bent downwardly and rearwardly more than 90 in the direction of the loop, said clamp legs being adapted to press on the rail foot and find support with their free ends against the rail side of said border flange of the locking plate, the loop and the free ends of said clamp when in an unstrained condition being spaced a distance greater than the thickness of the body of the strap in the direction perpendicular to the rail, whereby a prefabricated support and locking plate secured thereto by said strap may be assembled by merely positioning a rail and inserting the clamp loop downwardly over the strap and then moving the clamp loop under the strap.

2. A fastener in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said border flange at said one side has a transverse groove in its upper surface extending completely through the flange, and of a width smaller than the distance between the outer sides of the free ends of the unstrained clamp, whereby the resilient clamp upon assembly is inserted under the strap with the free ends of the clamp legs in said groove, the clamp when moved toward the rail freeing the clamp legs from the groove.

3. A fastener in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the flanges at the ends of the locking plate are provided with cam upper surfaces raised in the direction of said side flange and having a height somewhat larger than the thickness of the loop of the clamp.

4. A fastener in accordance with claim 3, characterized in that the distance between said flange sides having cam surfaces is substantially equal to the width of the loop of the clamp.

5. A fastener in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the raised border flange at the side adjacent to the rail is in contact with the top portion of the strap.

6. A fastener in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that each leg of the strap is formed with a shoulder whose upper surface underlies said plate and is dis posed at the level of the upper surface of the support when the fastener is applied thereto.

7. A fastener in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that said strap is fastened in the support by means of an adhesive.

8. A fastener according to claim 2 wherein the inner edge of the bottom of said groove is spaced from the body of said strap a distance greater than the thickness of the clamp legs to permit passage of the legs therebetween for mounting the clamp on the plate, said groove bottom being connected to the top surface of the plate by a bevel to cam the clamp legs upwardly to the level of the rail foot as the clamp is moved toward the rail to seat the clamp loop under the strap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,257,077 Scholes Sept. 23, 1941 2,690,879 Snyder Oct. 5, 1954 2,980,336 Doll Apr. 18, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES Deenik, German Application 1,003,248 printed Feb. 28, 1957, (K1. 19a8).

Werke, German application 1,020,046 printed Nov. 28, 1957 (K1. 19a10).

l wrap. a