US3745336A

US3745336A - Tongue device with pivotal connecting rails

Info

Publication number: US3745336A
Application number: US00189605A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Dohse; C Edeling; J Eisenmann
Original assignee: Elektro Thermit GmbH
Current assignee: ELEKTRO-THERMIT WEICHENBAU GmbH
Priority date: 1970-10-22
Filing date: 1971-10-15
Publication date: 1973-07-10
Anticipated expiration: 1990-07-10
Also published as: DE2051882A1; JPS5134170B1; DE2051882B2; GB1345063A; DE2051882C2; FR2111572A5

Abstract

This invention relates to a tongue device with pivotal connecting rails for switch points which can be negotiated at high speeds free from vibrations and jolts in the branching track comprising base means, connecting rails of a main track and a branching-off track hingedly connected with each other and pivotally mounted on said base, means for pivoting said connecting rails, and wedge means adapted to be inserted in corresponding recesses in mutually adjoining tracks for closing the gaps in the two extensions of the inner rail edges.

Description

[Jnited States Patent [1 1 Dohse et al.

[ TONGUE DEVICE WITH PIVOTAL CONNECTING RAILS [75] Inventors: Ruthard Dohse, Essen-Bredeney;

Curt Edeling, Essen-Reillinghausen; Josef Eisenmann, Munich, all of Germany [73] Assignee: Elektro-Thermit GmbH, Berlin,

Germany [22] Filed: Oct. 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 189,605

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 22, 1970 Germany ..P 20 51 882.5

[52] US. Cl 246/442, 246/379, 246/430 [51] Int. Cl. t. E0lb 7/00 [58] Field of Search 246/379, 430, 435,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Jones 246/430 11 3,745,336 [451 July 10,1973

1,797,933 3/1931 Tuzzo 246/379 Primary Examiner-Drayton E. Hoffman Assistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney-James E. Bryan [5 7] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a tongue device with pivotal connecting rails for switch points which can be negotiated at high speeds free from vibrations and jolts in the branching track comprising base means, connecting rails of a main track and a branching-off track hingedly connected with each other and pivotally mounted on said base, means for pivoting said connecting rails, and wedge means adapted to be insertedtin corresponding recesses in mutually adjoining tracks for closing the gaps in the two extensions of the inner rail edges.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented July 10, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented July 10, 1973 3,745,336

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS RUTHARD DOHSE CURT EDELlNG J OSEF EISENMANN TONGUE DEVICE WITH PIVOTAL CONNECTING RAILS The present invention relates to a tongue device with pivotal connecting rails for switch points which can be traveled on or negotiated at the highest'speeds and under great traffic loads in the branching-off track without vibrations and jolts.

The prior art tongue devices in which the spring point is positioned in the direction of or toward the frog point can be traveled on or negotiated only up to a specific velocity in the branching-off track. If it is intended to increase the velocity, difficulties will arise in connection with the construction of tongue devices of this type since, for reasons pertaining to traveling or operational safety, the radius must be very large. This in turn makes it necessary to provide for a long thin tongue tip. A tongue tip of this kind having a length of more than ap proximately meters is expensive to manufacture and shows great wear and tear due to the high speeds, the great axle loads, and the guide forces. Only at considerable cost is it possibleto so change or convert such a long tongue with the heretofore known devices that the desired large radius is produced. Both of these disadvantages, i.e., the great wear and tear and the unevenly bent tongue, can lead to operational hazards at the highest speeds and under great axial loads.

In connection with tongue devices it is known to provide the two tracks of the main or primary rail as tongues in the area of the entrance. Conversely, it is also possible to provide the connecting rails as spring tongues and to change or switch them in accordance with the desired direction of traveLThe disadvantage of this particular tongue device isthat one gap each will be produced, depending upon the tongue position, between the main or primary rail and the connecting rail provided as a tongue. These gaps will result in an unsteady running of the vehicle, particularly at high speeds and great axle loads, and result in high maintenance costs. l

The present invention is based on the goal and object of changing or switching the connecting rails provided as tongues in a manner such that, after the changing or switching operations, they will be either uniformly bent or straight, and of assuring that after the completed change-over or switching operation the ends of the tongues and of the continuing tracks of the main or primary rail cannot move relative to each other under the traffic load, and that continuous running rail edges will be produced in the gap area.

This object is obtained, in accordance with the present invention, in that the connecting rails of the main or primary rail and of the branching rail are hingedly connected with each other in the front area or portion thereof and are pivotally positioned by means of control members on glide chairs with respect to the tongue device entrance of the main or primary rail, in that they are mounted on a continuous base plate and adapted to be locked in a respective end position thereof, and in that the gaps between the ends of the connecting rails and the main or primary rail tracks are closable in the two extensions of the inner or running edge of the rail by means of wedges which may be inserted in corresponding recesses of the mutually adjacent rails.

The ends of the connecting rails being provided as tongues, after having assumed the respective end positions thereof, are braced on the base plate relative to the ends of the main or primary rail, preferably with the aid of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatically-driven clamping devices, so as to prevent relative movement of the rail ends on both sides of the gap under a traffic load.

The ends of the connecting rails as well as the ends of the main or primary rail are made, depending upon the stress thereon, preferably from a high-strength, martensitically-hardened, ductile nickel steel and welded to the corresponding rails. In this manner, room is provided for the specifically constructed guides which maintain the wedges in the vertical and horizontal directions.

In order to achieve a vibration or jolt-free over-run of the wheels over the area of the gaps, the wedges preferably should be so constructed that in a top plan view thereof they have a trapezoidal contour, and that the apices as well as the obtuse ends of the wedges are lowered slightly as compared to the tread of the rails. The end position of the wedges is adjustable for purposes of the setting and/or for taking into account the subsequent wear and tear. The wedges are locked in the end position thereof by means of an electrically, or pneumaticallyor hydraulically-driven locking or clamping mechanism. The gliding surfaces of the wedges and/or the guides are coated with a maintenance-free, friction-reducing, elastically-acting plastic layer such as perfluoroethylene. In order to meet the safety regulations, the control relative to the movement of the wedges and relative to the bracing or clamping of the movable connecting rails in the respective end position thereof is coupled to or linked with the change-over or switching device of the connecting rails and any possibly existing movable parts of the frog, preferably electronically. I

The advantages obtained with the aid of the present invention are that a construction of the tongue device such as proposed herein renders it possible, in contrast to the prior art tongue devices, to travel on or negotiate also the branching rail at high speeds and under great axle loads free from jolts and vibrations.

One embodiment of the present. invention will be further described hereinafter, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the tongue device of the present invention, and 1 FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the left half of the tongue device taken on line A--A of FIG. 1.

The entire tongue device has been shown in FIG. 1 at a distorted scale for reasons pertaining to space. In reality, the tongue'device designed for highest speeds is considerably longer because of the required great radius of the branching rail. 7

The tongue device consists of the continuous base 1 upon which the connecting rails 2 to 5, which are constructed as tongues and are hingedly connected with each other in the front zone or portion thereof are pivotally positioned. The tracks of the main or

primary rail

6 and 7 are rigidly mounted on the base plate 1. The ends 8 to 11 of the connecting rails 2 to 5 as well as the

ends

12 and 13 of the

tracks

6 and 7 of the main or primary rail are preferably made from high-strength solid materialand are welded to the corresponding rails 2 to 7. The connecting rails 2 to 5 constructed as tongues are moved with the aid of several mechanically, electrically, hydraulically, or pneumatically-driven control members 14 to 17.

For purposes of obtaining continuous inner or running rail edges at the impact gaps 18 and 19 and for the purpose of locking the tongue ends 8 and 10, and 9 and 11 in the respective end position thereof, the wedges and 21, whose

apices

22 and 23 and obtuse ends 24 and 25 are slightly lowered as compared to the surrounding traveling'surface, are inserted in the recesses 26'and 27 and 28 and 29 respectively, preferably with theaid of pneumatic cylinders For example, the

guides

30 and 31 and 32 and 33 respectively, at the ends of the connecting

rails

8 and 9 have been illustrated in FIG. 2 for the horizontal and vertical position determination of the wedge 20.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many means for pivoting said connecting rails, and wedge means adapted to be inserted in corresponding recesses in mutually adjoining tracks for closing the gaps in the two extensions of the inner rail edges.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the ends of the rails are made from high-strength, martensitically-hardened, ductile nickel steel and are welded to the rails.

3. A device according to claim 1 in which the wedge means have a trapezoidal configuration in top plan view and the apices and obtuse ends thereof are slightly lower than the adjacent traveling surface.

4. A device according to claim 1 in which the end position of the wedge means is adjustable for setting purposes and to compensate for wear.

5. A device according to claim 1 in which the wedge means are adapted to be locked in the end position thereof.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which the sliding surfaces of the wedge means are coated with a frictionreducing, elastically-acting plastic coating.

7. A device according to claim 1 in which the plastic coating is perfluoroethylene.

F ORM PD -1050 (IO-69) UNillED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTEFEQATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,745,336 July 10, 1973 Dated Inventor(s) Ruthard Dohse et a1 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 27, "axial" should read axle Column 3, line 24, "trach" should read track Column 4, line 1 of Claim 7, "claim 1' shouldread --claim6--.

Signed and sealed this 12th day ofv March 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. c. MARSHALL DANN A ttesting Officer Commissioner of Patents USCQMM-DC 6037q-P69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1969 0-366-334

Claims

1. A tongue device with pivotal connecting rails for switch points which can be negotiated at high speeds free from vibrations and jolts in the branching track comprising base means, connecting rails of a main track and a branching-off trach hingedly connected with each other and pivotally mounted on said base, means for pivoting said connecting rails, and wedge means adapted to be inserted in corresponding recesses in mutually adjoining tracks for closing the gaps in the two extensions of the inner rail edges.

6. A device according to claim 1 in which the sliding surfaces of the wedge means are coated with a friction-reducing, elastically-acting plastic coating.