US662712A - Splice-joint for railway-rails. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Nov. 27, I900.

W. B DGDDRIDGE. SPLICE JOINT FDR RAILWAY RAILS.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Modal.)

No. 662,7I2. Patented Nov. 27, [900. w. B. nunnmnee.

SPLICE JOINT FOR RAILWAY RAILS.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1898 J (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shaat 2.

STATES WILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPLICE-JOINT FOR RAILWAY RAlLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,712, dated November 27, 1900.

Application filed August 2, 1898.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LWILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing in St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and ,useful Improvements in Splice-Joints for Railway-Rails; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The improvement relates to that class of rail way-joints covered in Letters Patent of the United States issued to me on the 26th day of May, 1896, No. 560,S97viz., those which are more especially intended to be applied to the rails between the ties and form what are termed suspensionq'ointsf and the invention has for its object to improve, simplify, and strengthen the formerly-patented construction and render it more durable and efficient in operation.

The present improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side view looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, which represents the joint in top plan View as applied to the rails. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

The same reference-letters are used in all the figures to denote the same parts.

In the construction of my former patent the splice-bars were separate from the clamp or joint proper; but in the presentimprovemeut I extend or elongate the side wings of the clamp proper on the side away from the wedge, so as to make the bars on that side integral with the joint. This is clearly indicated in Fig. 2, where a indicates what corresponds to the clamp in the former arrangement, and b the strengthening-rib. The side wings c c or, as they will be called hereinafter, the splicebars, are integral with the clamp or joint proper and are practically coextensive in length with the separate bars of the patented construction, so as to span the space between the rails and suspend the joint and rail ends therebetween. These splice-bars are formed by bending the metal of the wings inwardly and downwardly, as shown at cl and e in Fig. 3, so that they fit snugly between the head and foot of the rail and clamp the latter tightly upon the bottom of the joint, where it Serial N0.687,5l8. (No model.)

extends clear around and underneath the rails and upon the ties at each end of the bars. At suitable points near their ends the vertical webs of these integral splice-bars are provided with bolt-holes f for binding together the bars located on opposite sides of the rails with the rails between them, and the bolts pass through both splice-bars and the web of the rail. Spike-holes g are also'furnished in the foot port-ion of the splice-bars for securing them fixedly to and upon the ties. It will be understood from Fig. 2 that the splice-bars c c are formed by extending the side wings only of the clamp a or what I call the joint proper. The floor or bottom of the joint is not necessarily widened, but is of substantially the width of the whole clamp in the patented construction and is indicated by dotted lines h h in Fig.2 and in full lines in Fig. 1. The present improvement is not restricted, however, to any particular width of the floor or bottom of the joint proper.

On the opposite side of the joint from the parts just described the construction is similar to that of my former patent,this wall of the joint being formed with the seat 0; for the reception of the split key j,which wedges the independent splice-bar between the head and foot of the rail in a manner well understood since the introduction of my formerlypatented construction.

The splice-bar 7.: is constructed somewhat differently from the corresponding one in the before-meutioned patent and improved result obtained as follows: Instead of bending the bar so that its lower edge only rests upon the floor of the joint and upon the ties, I elongate the inclined horizontal part and provide it along the outer edge with a fiat foot Z, thus giving it a greater bearing-surface upon the bottom of the joint as well as underneath the overhanging portion a of its vertical wall, as indicated in Fig. 3. This modification of the splice-bar k is rendered possible by a construction of the joint that is characteristic of the present improve1nent-viz., its wide fiat base, as compared with similar joints heretofore known or used, a feature which adds strength and initial stability to the structure.

It will be seen from the above description, taken in connection with the drawings, that the clamp part of the joint being integral with the splice-bars c c and the latter being bolted through the Web of the rails the clamp cannotbecomedisplacedlaterally. In former arrangements this clamp Was liable to creep sidewise owing to the constant hammering and jarring of the wheels on the rails, and another cause of displacement of the clamp was the necessity for occasionally tightening up the joint by driving the split Wedge further in. All this liability to creeping and displacement of the joint is entirely obviated by the present improvement, for the splicebars a 0 being integral with the clamp and being themselves bolted to the rails and the ties there can be no movement of any of the parts and the split key may be tightened up as often as required without danger of displacing the joint.

What I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

A suspension splice-joint for railway-rails,

consisting of the clamp or joint at having side walls on opposite sides of the rails, and an integrally-formed floor on which the rails rest between the ties, the joint having the walls on one side extended laterally to form integral splice-bars, the independent splice-bar 70 on the opposite side of the rails; having an enlarged fiat foot engaging the floor and side wall and the split Wedgej for jamming said bar between the rails and the opposite side WILLIAM B. DODDRIDGE.

Witnesses:

F. W. IRLAND, W. E. OSBORNE.

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