US2160344A - Tie plate and rail clip combination - Google Patents

Description

May 30, 1939.- T. RYAN TIE PLATE AND RAIL CLIP COMBINATION Filed March 5, 1938 3 v vu uwvlk b Thom lgyajz,

Patented May 30, 1939 PATENT OFFICE TIE PLATE AND RAIL CLIP COMBINATION Thomas Ryan, Joliet, 111., assignor to Poor & Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 5, 1938, Serial No. 194,186

2 Claims.

This invention relates to means for holding railway rails against upward movement and against creeping longitudinally, and has particular reference to an improved tie plate, rail 5 clip and spike combination for this purpose.

One special object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive tie plate, rail clip and spike combination according to which driving of the spike in the ordinary manner; i. e.,

to while the same is held vertically, or substantially vertically, effectively secures the rail clip in interlocked engagement with the tie, plate and operatively positioned relative to the rail.

Another special object of the invention is to 5 provide a tie plate, rail clip and spike; combination according to which driving of the spike exerts pressure against the rail clip to store energy therein so that the clip bears resiliently against the rail to resiliently hold the latter against upward movement and against creeping longitudinally.

Another special object of the invention is to provide a tie plate, rail clip and spike combination according to which the tie plate embodies stop means to prevent driving of .the spike beyond the point in which it secures! the rail clip operatively positioned relative to the rail, thus to eliminate the possibility of driving the spike so far as possibly to damage the rail clip or :0 to impair its rail holding effectiveness.

Another special object of the invention is to provide a tie plate having, in addition to stop means as aforementioned, a formation for interlocking cooperation with the rail clip, and fur- ;5 ther having said formation and stop means located relative to a spike hole in the plate that said formation, stop means and spike hole may be produced by a single tool in a single punch-- ing operation, practically without distortion of o the tie plate.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel features of construc- [5 tion, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the different views:

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a tie plate, rail clip and spike combination embodying the features of the invention and showing the 5 initial and final positions of the spike and the rail clip in dotted and full lines, respectively; and

Figure 2'is a top plan view of the combination shown in Fig. 1. v I

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates a portion of a cross tie, B designates a tie plate formed inaccorda'nce with the invention and seated on said cross tie, C designates a rail seated on said tie plate, D designates an ordinary spike fastening the tie plate B to the cross tie A, and E designates a rail clip formed in accordance with the invention and secured by the spike D in interlocked engagement with the tie plate B and operatively positioned relative I to the rail 0.

According to the invention the tie plate B has punched therein a spike hole In which may be of any suitable width and which is of a length suitably greater than the cross sectional dimension of the shank ll of the spike D between it also deflects the metal of the tie plate upwardly adjacent to both ends of the spike hole in a mannerto provide in the tie plate, adjacent to the inner end of the spike hole, a recess I! which opens through the bottom of the tie plate and into said spike hole, and, adjacent to the outer end of the spike hole, a. lug IS the top of which is disposed above the upper face of the tie plate so as to provide a shoulder or point of reaction on a plane with the point of engagement of the spike with the bight of the clip E so that the wedge action of the tapered spike or tip will be in a horizontal plane, and this relative positioning of parts in turn will allow the spike to be driven vertically into the tie. Furthermore, the top edge of the lug I3 constitutes a stop engageable by the head of the spike to limit the driving thereof to a predetermined point so as to effectually maintain the operative position and relation of parts as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. '50

It will be seen, from the foregoing, that since the metal of the tie plate is deflected upwardly at opposite ends of the spike hole simultaneously, the pressures exerted by the tool on the tie plate at opposite ends of the spike hole are balanced, v

distort under the punching operation, or the punch to be forced out of line by an eccentric pressure. From a manufacturing standpoint this is important, as serious difllculties have heretofore been encountered due to tie plate distortion when punching a spike hole therein and simultaneously producing a recess or equivalent rail clip engaging formation adjacent to only one end of the hole.

The rail clip E is formed from spring steel or equivalent material, preferably from fiat bar stock of suitable thickness and width, and is of approximately c-shape or inverted c-shape in side elevation, depending upon whether the same is viewed from the right or the left side. In other words, said clip comprises a relatively long upper arm I5, a relatively short lower arm l6, and a medial portion ll of substantially semicircular shape connecting said arms.

The clip E initially is engaged with the tie plate B and the rail C as illustrated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. That is'to say, prior to insertion of the spike D into the hole ID, the rail clip is positioned with the free end portion of its shorter lower arm IS in the recess l2, with the free end portion of its longer, upper arm-l5 overlying the flange l8 of the rail C, and with its curved medial portion l1 facing outwardly and disposed in part within the spike hole l2 and in part above the tie plate. In this connection it will be observed that the normal dimensions of the clip E are such that when it is initially applied as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1, with the free end of its shorter arm engaging the walls defining the top and the inner end of the recess 12 and with its longer arm engaging the upper face of the rail flange Hi, the outer face of its curved, medial portion I1 is spaced from the wall defining, the outer end of the spike hole l2, or, in other words, from the inner face of the stop lug l3, by an amount less than the cross sectional dimension of the spike shank ll between its inner and its outer faces. Moreover, it will further be observed that the clip E is dimensioned so that when it is in its initially applied position the outer face of its curved, medial portion I1 is spaced from the inner face of the stop lug It by an amount such as to permit the pointed end portion of the spike D to be inserted between said medial portion l1 and the lug l3, while the spike is held vertically, until the penetrating end of the spike is engaged with the cross tie A. This action is rendered effective by the fact that the outer face of the bend or bight ll of the spring clip which engages the spike, is directly opposite to, and at the same elevation as the upstanding lug l3.

By reason of this relative positioning of the parts the spike D may be held in a truly vertical or approximately vertical position for driving,-

and manifestly, when it is driven it serves to crowd the curved, medial portion H of the clip alinwardly, but it will of course be understood t at it might be necessary to start the spike at an angle suflicient to permit the point to penetrate the tie sufflciently inward from the lug l3 so that when the wide portion of the spike reaches l3 it will then be in, or corrected to, a vertical position. The clip cannot move downwardly because of the stop afforded by the upper face of the cross tie, and its arm I6 is held against both inward and upward movement by the walls deflning the inner end and the top of the recess l2. Consequently, when the spike is driven and the the spike with the clip,

curved, medial portion ll of the clip is crowded inwardly, the upper, longer arm ii of the clip is caused to slide inwardly over the upwardly and inwardly inclined face of the rail flange I8, with the result that the arm 15 is spread relative to the arm 16 .and spring energy is stored in the clip maintaining the arm l5 securely engaged with the rail flange and efiectively holding the rail against upward movement and against longitudinal creeping. v

The spike D is driven until its head l4 engages the stop lug la. The spike thus serves to fasten the tie plate B securely upon the tie. Moreover, the lug I3 is of a height such that it prevents driving of the spike so far that its head might engage and crush the clip. Furthermore, the lug l3 affords a backing or support for the spike in the horizontal plane of or directly opposite its bearing'against the clip, which is important not only as affording a flrm final assembly of the parts, but especially in holding the spike in a normal, vertical position during driving of the same.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a cross tie, a tie plate resting thereon, said tie plate having a spike hole and a recess adjacent to the inner end of said.

hole opening into the latter and through the bottom of the tie plate, a lip overlying the inner portion of said recess, a resilient clip including upper and lower arms and a substantially U- shaped portion connecting said arms, said arms and said connecting portion being of such thickness that the arms may readily spring toward and away from each other, the lower arm being disposed in said recess and having its inner end portion underlying said lip, the upper arm overlying the rail flange, a spike driven into the tie through said hole outwardly of said clip and having horizontal line contact with the substantially U-shaped arm connecting portion of said clip substantially medially of said connecting portion and exerting inward pressure against said clip, thereby maintaining the clip in an inwardly crowded position with its upper arm in contact with the rail flange and spread relative to the lower arm, whereby the upper arm resiliently engages the rail flange yieldably and holds the rail against upward movement, and a lug on the tie plate at the outer end of the spike hole engaging the head of the spike and limiting driving of the latter, thereby to protect the clip against being crushed, and also engaging the outer face of the spike in'the plane of the line contact of thereby to effectively hold the spike against becoming canted outwardly under the influence of the outward pressure exerted thereagainst by the clip.

2. In combination, a cross tie, a tie plate'resting thereon, said tie plate having a spike hole and a recess adjacent to the inner end of said hole opening into the latter and through the bottom of the tie plate, a lip overlying the inner portion of said recess, a resilient clip including upper and lower arms and a substantially U-shaped portion connecting said arms, said arms and said connecting portion being of such thickness that the arms "may readily spring toward and away from each other, the lower arm being disposed in said recess and having its inner end portion underlying said lip, the upper arm overlying the rail flange, a spike driven into the tiethrough said hole outwardly of said clip and having horizontal line contact with the substantially U-shaped arm connecting portion of said clip and exerting inward pressure against said clip, thereby maintaining the clip in an inwardly crowded position with its upper arm in contact with the rail flange and spread relative to the lower arm, whereby the upper arm resiliently engages the rail flange yieldably and holds the rail against upward movement, and an abutment provided at the outer end of the spike hole engaging the outer face of the spike of the shank to thereby brace the clip and spike against outward movement and to prevent outward canting of the spikeunder the influence of the outward pressure exerted thereagainst by the clip.

THOMAS RYAN.

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