US796299A

US796299A - Railway-spike.

Info

Publication number: US796299A
Application number: US22860604A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert O Day
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1904-10-15
Filing date: 1904-10-15
Publication date: 1905-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 1922-08-01

Description

ROBERT o. DAY, or GAITEER, MARYLAND.

RAILWAY-SPIKE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

rammed Aug. 1,1905.'

Application filed October 15, 1904. Serial No. 228,606.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT O. DAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gaither, in the county of Carroll and State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway-Spikes, of which the following is .a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-spikes; and the object of the same is to provide a spike having means which facilitates the driving thereof into a tie and its extraction therefrom when occasion requires, as well as means which prevents it from accidentally working out or becoming loosened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction and arrangement of parts which secures these advantages and in addition provides an extended surface increasing the area of the head or driving portion of the spike which receives the impact of the driving sledge or hammer.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of the features of construction, combination, and arrangement of .parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a railway-spike embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the spike, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

The body or shank 1 of the spike ispreferably of rectangular form in cross-section and provided with a pointed `lower end 2 and a driving-head 3. The head 3 is provided with the usual forwardly-projectingrail-engaging lip or iiange 4, which is coextensive in width therewith and increases the driving or impact portion of the head to enable the blows of the hammer or driving-tool to be applied thereto with greater force and accuracy. In accordance with my invention the head 3 is further enlarged by providing it with laterally-projecting ears or extensions 5, the under surfaces-of which form shoulders 6, adapted to serve as bearing portions, which may be engaged by the claws of -an extracting-tool to enable the spike to be withdrawn from a tie when occasion requires. These ears project laterally beyond the side edges of the lip 4 to form shoulders 42 on opposite sides Hush with the top of the head, the front portion of 1 the spike being cut away, as shown at 4', on opposite sides of the lip to separate the ears therefrom inorder that the ears may be independently subjected to blows from a Sledge or hammer with a minimum transmission of the shock of impact to the head proper and the lip. By this means the spike when improperly driven or when canted from a true line by a glancing blow may be righted or restored to erect position by a blow or blows upon one or the other of the ears 5. `The shoulders 42 serve to loosen the spike when the same is driven into the rail-tie, the loosening being accomplished by alternate blows with a suitable instrument first on one shoulder and then upon the other. As shown, each ear 5 diminishes in width toward its outer or free end, being provided with laterally-projecting wings 7 7, ex-

tending outwardly from the sides of the shank 1, adjacent to the front side thereof. These wings are in the nature of fiat plates substantially triangular in form and constitute webs connecting the front portions of the extensions 5' with the sides of the flange 4, thus reinforcing the head and providing an extended surface of such a character as to enable the blows or impact from the hammer or other drivingtool to be better sustained and transmitted more directly to the body or shank 1. The outer edges of the triangular wings 7 converge downwardly from the extensions 5 of the sides of the shank 1, into which they merge or vanish at their lower ends, and by this arrangement the said outer edges of the wings extend approximately at an Oblique angle to the shank and gradually cause `a diminishment of the metal of which the upper portion of the spike is made to lighten the same as well as diminish resistance to its penetration into the tie. The front face of the inclined edge of each wing 7 is beveled, as shown at 8, to form an edge or cutting-surface which facilitates the driving of a spike into a tie. These beveled or inclined surfaces lie at an \angle to the body of the tie and to the wingsl shape of the wings 7 tend to prevent the spike from accidentally working loose or pulling out of the tie. The upper ends of the wings are widest or expand laterally to a greater extent where they join the flange 4 and lateral eX- tensions 5 of the head, so that they reinforce the said portions of the head to a maximum degree to prevent the same from breaking when sustaining the shock from indirect or improperly delivered blows of a driving sledge or hammer.

`From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and mode of operation of the invention will be understood without a further extended description.

Changes in the form, proportions,and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the invention without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A spike comprising a shank and a head, the said head consisting of a main or body portion provided with a forwardly-projecting lip and laterally-projecting ears, the ears having a slight outward and downward curvature and projecting at their forward edges beyond and being free from connection with the side edges of the lip, the lip itself being eoextensive in width with the body portion o the head and of less width than the combined widt-h of said body portion and ears, said lip being cut away iiush with the top ot' the head on opposite sides to form shoulders and wings constructed of flat plates of substantially triangular form joining the head, shoulders of the lip and ears at their upper ends, and having their side edges convergingdownward toward the shank with their terminal ends arranged in line with the side laeesol said shank, said wings being provided with beveled ontward edges, substantially as specilied.

1n testimony whereof IV aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBER'l O. DAY. lVitnesses:

WM. MnLvILLn, R. MoCnow.