US760947A - Electric bond for railway-rails or other conductors. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 24,1904. J. S. ALEXANDER. 4 ELECTRIC BOND FOR RAILWAY RAILS OR OTHER GONDUGTORS.

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No. 760,947. PATENTED MAY 24, 1904.

J. S. ALEXANDER. I

ELECTRIC BOND FOR RAILWAY RAILS 0R OTHER OONDUGTORS. APPLIU AT iON PILEID FEB. 25, 1903. no MODEL. Y z SHEETSSHEET 2 E [mush/Zonfl/fiwsgd" v $75105: QZcwmwZeP, 1W8 m M m/ UNITED STATES Patented May 24, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. ALEXANDER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N0. 760,94 7, dated May 24, 1904. Application filed February 25,1903. Serial No. 144,938. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. ALEXANDER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Electric Bonds for Railway-Rails or other Conductors, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an efiicient form of electric bond for the adjoining or abutting ends of railway-rails or other electric conductors, said bond when in place being practically inaccessible without taking the conductors apart, so that it cannot be stolen or tampered with in any way which will impair its efficiency.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view of parts of the abutting ends of two rails provided with an electric bond in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the method of inserting the bond between the rails. Fig. 3 is an end view of one of the rails, showing the bond-receiving recess therein; and Figs. 4: to 7 inclusive,'are views illustrating other forms of rail-bond embodying my invention.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings the abutting end portions of a pair of rails are represented at 1 and 2, each of these rails having in the end a vertical recess or slot 3 with segmental bottom, these recesses registering with each other, so as to form between the abutting ends of the two rails a chamber of oval shape which is completely inclosed with the exception of an opening of limited area at the top.

Before the rails are finally brought together a spreader-block 4 is introduced into the recesses 3, which block conforms in general shape to the chamber formed by said recesses, but is of lesser dimensions than the same both vertically and longitudinally, although it may fill the chamber laterally, the block being preferably formed with opposite springfingers 5, which can be compressed until they meet, as shown in Fig. 1, but which have a constant tendency to expand or separate from each other. The rails being properly secured together with their ends abutting, as shown in Fig. 2, and the spreader-block 4 contained in the chamber formed by the recesses in the ends of the rails, a split bar 6, of copper or other metal or alloy constituting a good electrical conductor, is driven into the chamber so that it will be expanded into the same by the wedge-shaped block 4 and when fully driven home will completely fill all of the space in said chamber between the block and the opposed Walls of the recesses, thereby constituting an efiicient electrical bond between the two rails.

In case there is any separation of the railjoint due to the contraction of the rails or other cause, the spring-fingers 5 willspread to the extent permitted by said opening, so as to maintain the intimate contact between the walls of the chamber formed by the recesses in the endsof the rails and the bodies 6 of conducting material. Hence an eflicient bond will be maintained under all circumstances.

If desired, the spreader-block may be employed in a position the reverse of that shown in Fig. 1- that is to say, with its free ends at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 4, and this may in many cases be considered the preferable construction, or a solid spreader-block may be employed instead of the elastic expansionblock, if desired, although the latter is preferred for the reasons above set forth.

The location of the recesses may be varied. Thus in Fig. 5 I have shown an inclined recess 3 partly in the web and partly in the base-flange of the rail, the bond in this case being inserted before the application of-the fish-plate, which closes the mouth of the recess and prevents access to the bond.

While I prefer to use the segmental recess, because it can be formed by a single cut of a saw or rotary milling-tool and because its outer end or mouth is shallower than the inner portion, and therefore prevents withdrawal of the bond, straight recesses may be used when the wedge is employed for spreading the bond, and the recess may be formed in but one of the rails instead of in both, such modifications being illustrated in Figsx6 and 7.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Thecombination of the adjoining ends of a pair of electric conductors, with an elec-' tric bond therefor consisting of a body of conducting material confined in a chamber formed by a segmental endrecess having its outer end or mouth shallower than the inner portion, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the adjoining ends of a pair of electric conductors havingachamber formed by a recess extending to the outer face of said conductors, a wedge shaped spreaderblock contained in said chamber, and an electric bond for the conductors consisting of a body of conducting material driven into the recess from the outside of the conductors and forced by said spreader-block into intimate contact with the opposed walls of the conductors, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the adjoining ends of a pair of electric conductors, a spreaderto compensate for any opening of the joint between the conductors, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the adjoining ends of a pair of electric conductors, each having a segmental recess therein, a wedge-shaped spreader block contained in the chamber formed by said recesses, and an electric bond consisting of a body of conducting material filling the space between said spreader-block and the opposed walls of the recesses, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the adjoining ends of a pair of electric conductors, each having a segmental recess therein, a wedge-shaped spreader block contained in the chamber formed by said recesses and having opposite spring-fingers with a tendency to spread apart, and an electric bond consisting of a body of conducting material filling the space between said spreader-block and the opposed walls of the recesses, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN S. ALEXANDERV Witnesses:

WARREN L. SAWYER, HUGH J. G. CLINE.

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