US850979A - Compound railway-rail. - Google Patents

Description

No 850,979. PATENTEU APR. 23; 1907. G. B. STEPHENS.

COMPOUND RAILWAY RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1907.

N a Q, R

Sh rum/don :ns max-ms PETER: cm, wAsm/vzrov,

GEORGE BrSTEPI-IENS, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.

COMPOUND RAILWAY-RAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed February 12, 1907. Serial No. 357,096.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sherman, in the county of Grayson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compound Railway- Rails, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rails which. form tracks for locomotives, cars, and similar wheeled vehicles; and it has particular reference to compound or built-up rails, such as are composed of detachable sections.

The advantage of this kind of rail over the solid open-jointed rail in general use is that the ends of any two longitudinal sections can always be joined or brought together at or near the middle of a third section, so that there will be throughout the whole length of the track no open joints extending across the entire rail, and consequently as the wheels bear about equally on each section of the rail the concussion or hammering caused by wheels in passing over open-jointed rails, with the attendant shock and injury to the rollingstock and especially to the superstructure in case the track is elevated, is almost entirely prevented.

A difficulty has heretofore been experienced in uniting the sections of the compound rail so that they would not spread laterally and the longitudinal joint become more or less opened. Bolts or rivets have been depended on solely for this purpose; but heavy tra'liic and lateral strains cause them to become loosened and spread apart. When this takes place, their edges will "broom up under the constant pressure of moving trains, and the rails in a short time become ruined.

The object,therefore, of'my invention is to provide a suitable locking device for the head i of the rail which, with the depending flanges of the head firmly riveted or bolted to the web of rail, will effectually overcome the spreading tendency above alluded to and enablle me to produce a practical compound rai Another object is to provide a rail which shall be free from joints that might vibrate when under strains either vertically or laterally, a rail which when laid Will be virtually continuous, so that the inevitable open joints that must be made on account of expansion and contraction of metals may be rendered less objectionable than heretofore.

A further object is to provide a rail adapted to have one-half or all of the head thereof removed when worn out and replaced by new parts, thereby avoiding the loss incident to the practice of scrapping whole wornout rails.

A still further object is to provide a laminated rail which may eliminate the danger of derailment of the cars should a break in a section of the rail occur during cold weather, as is always possible, and a still further object is to provide a rail which may have its main sustaining part composed of relatively soft metal, so that the liability to rupture may be eliminated ina great measure and the head or wearing part be composed of relatively hard metal adapted to resist the Wearing action of the loads upon it in service.

Other advantages attained might be enumerated as follows: less first cost, as large mills would not be required to make them and one-third of the number of men usually employed in track-laying would handle them.

The above-mentioned objects are attained in the construction illustrated and fully described herein, the same being simple, cheap, and durable, as well as economical and practical in use.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents a top plan, and Fig. 2 a side elevation, of a rail constructed substantially in conformity to my invention; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical sectional view of the same, showing particularly the novel features embodied in same; Fig. 4, a transverse vertical sectional view of a detached portion of the web and base-flange, and Figs. 5 and 6 transverse vertical sectional views of detached side portions of the head of the rail.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In practically carrying out my invention the rail-base and web and the rail-head with flanges may bemade in any suitable shape that may be desired or required. The rail as a whole may be designed either for a steamroad or for a street-railway, as may be desired. The invention, however, may be understood by considering its application to a well-known form of T-rail, as shown in the drawings' The rail-base A and web B are of the usual form and construction and comprise one part of the rail pro er. The head or bell, including the head-i anges, is divided at the center longitudinally in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the head, the latter being horizontal, so that the head is composed of two parts C C, formed with inner vertical faces D D, that abut in the completed rail near the transverse center thereof. The head part O has a downwardly-projecting flange, and the head part C has a like downwardly projection, the two flanges forming web side portions E and E, respectively, of the complete web of the rail. The central portion B of the web is designed to extend between the side portions E E and to a slight distance within the head C C, and the rail-head is integrally attached to the central web portion B by any suitable means, asrivets F, extending through suitable holes G G H in a manner similar to that in which angle-bars or splice-bars are attached to rail ends.

It will be understood that each rail proper as, for instance, one thirty feet in length will be composed of three principal parts, not including the rivets, the parts being equal in length when formed, but not connected together with their endsin the same planes, as will be hereinafter explained.

Considered specifically in transverse section, the parts 0 E are counterparts of the arts C E, except locking device for the ead, which will be explained hereafter. The side parts E E of the head have their inner faces in a plane parallel to the face of the web, as shown. These inner faces extend vertically to a slight distance within the head 0 C, thence outwardly and downwardly to the bottom of face D, so as to form sub stantially inverted-V-shaped grooves I, and when the faces D are in contact a V-shaped rib is thereby formed between the two side portions of the head at the top of the web portion. The top of the web portion has a corresponding V shape J, into which the V of the head fits, thus aiding in preventing spreading of the head of rail. As a further lock to the rail-head the part C is provided with a tongue K, which fits in groove L, formed in part C, and C has a tongue M, that fits groove N, formed in C, and when the faces D D are in contact the inner faces of the head-flanges E E are adjacent to the web B and in position for securing.

In laying the rails to form a track the joints of the several parts are staggered, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the joints 1, 2, 3, &c., of the head C O and web B being reinforced by the flanges E E. It will be seen, therefore, that should a fracture occur in any one of the laminations of the head there will still remain two parts that will be intact, ex cept at a joint, where there will be at least one part to depend upon until repairs could be made without inconvenience to traffic over the road.

As described above, the flanges E E contribute to the lateral strength of the head C O and also to the web B, as will be obvious.

The manner in which re airs and renewals may be made will be readi y understood from the foregoing description.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A compound railway-rail comprising a base and web portion, the web extending centrally from the base portion upwardly, terminating in a V-shaped notch, a pair of head portions, each provided with a flange that extends downwardly from the head, both of said flanges constructed and arranged to bear against the opposite sides and V at the top of the web, and connecting devices for the flanges and web portion ex tending therethrough, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A compound railway-rail including a pair of head portions provided with depending flanges, the upper inner faces of which terminate in a V shape, each of the head portions proper having a tongue and groove for locking the two portions of the head together with the web portion, and connecting devices extending through the flange sides and web central portion in a plane above the base, substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In a railway-rail, the combination of the pair of head portions each provided with an interlocking tongue and groove, and a depending flange, the base portion having a central web portion extending upwardly from said base, and terminating in a V-shaped notch, the head attached to the sides of said central web and bearing upon the top of the same, and the retaining-rivets extending through said flange portions and central web, substantially as and for the purposes shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE B. STEPHENS.

Witnesses:

CLINT M. OROOKSHANKS, J. P. DEDERIOK.

Images