US2266295A - Railroad rail supporting and securing means - Google Patents

Description

Dec '16, 941- l.. B. ARMSTRONG I 2,256,295

RAILROAD RAIL SUPPORTINGl AND SECURING MEANS Filed oct. A22, 1940 s shetsfsheet 2 INVENTOR. Ma/1y A T TORNEYS.

Dec. 16, 1941. B ,zgirqfvgTRQlu(3,v 2,266,295

RAILROAD RAIL SUPPORTING AND SECURING MEANS f Filed OCT.. 22, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. l

Patented Dec. 16, 1941 RAILROAD RAIL sUProRfrrNGAND SECURING MEANS 'v -l Levi Borden Armstrong, Greatl Neck, NQY'.,`as` signor to The Lundie Engineering.Corporation' l New York, N. Y., a. corporation of :llewrYolr'kVv Application October 22, 1940, Serial No. 36251203 `7 claims. (ci. zs'sfsie) The present invention relates to railroad rail supporting and securing means characterized by a new and improved form and arrangement oi cooperating tie-plate and clip by which a rail may be suitably secured in position on railroad ties.

A general object'ofY the invention is to provide a tie-plate and cooperating clips which may be used for the securing of rails having bases of different widths, thereby reducing/the number of sizes of tie-plates which it is necessary to manufacture and necessary for the railroads to carry in stock.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a tie-plate whichI is simple and economical to manufacture'by reason of the omission of the ribs often provided onA the top of tie-plates for engagement with one or both edges of the base of the rail. 'I'l'ie omission of such ribs is made possibleby the present invention by the p-rovision of a clip having a downwardly extending lug which projects into an opening in theYtie-plate and engages the edge of the rail base. 'I'hese clips are secured to the tie-plate in any suitable manner but preferably by a screw bolt which passes through a hole in the clip and a hole in the tie-plate and into the railroad tie. The hole in the clip through which' the screw bolt passes may be of elliptical form so that the `clip may be set at different positions on the tie-plate in` `cooperation with diierent widths of rail base;

andif; desired a crescent-shaped plug may be used to iill in a portion of said elliptical opening so as to provide for an abutting connection between the clip and the -screw bolt when the clip is engaging the edge of a rail base which is narrower than the maximum widthV of base with which the trie-,plate is intended to cooperate.

Inthe drawings there isv shown a tie-plate which. will afford good gripping engagement with the tie and withthe rail base, will be as light asis consistent with proper strength, and will cooperate properly with the rail base eith'er with or without the provision of a layer or pad of yielding material between the rail base and the tie-plate. Tothese ends the tie-plate shown is not only provided on its bottom surface with the usual stepped projections, but also with reenforcing portions spaced apart from one another and arranged beneath those portions oi the tieplate which lie under the edges of the rail base. Also', the top of the tie-plate, throughout the area which is to beA covered by the rail base, is provided with cup-shaped depressions which not operate Ladvauitageously with, the rail base and with any cushion or' pad used between the rail base and the tielpl'ate.

The invention offers many advantages, among which theV following may be mentioned: The elimination. of opstanding ribs ony the top of the tie-plate reduces the' cost of the plateby saving steel, by reducing the Vco'st of rolling-mill rolls, by eliminatingxtherfreduent checking offtolere ances between ribs, by reducing the cost of punch-A ing. which in tie-plates of the prior art often has to 4be accomplished through the opstanding ribs" of the tie-plate, 'and in other ways. Elimination of upstanding ribs on the top. ofthe tie-plate also has the advantage'of permitting the. use of the same size of plate' with rails having different base widths," asa'bove mentioned, and also provides the advantage that in makingV rail renewals the tieplate may be left undisturbed on the tie.

The tie-plate 'of the present invention is particul'arly adapted and intended to be used withY the unique spring clips hereinafter shown and described. These clips-not only hold the rail in place onk the tie-plate, but also bear firmly onthe base of the rail and tend to' prevent creeping of the latter. These clips may be punched outof a ribbon of heavy sheet' steel; and they can be economically manufactured by a punch and die operation, or'they maybe Aeast or forged; One ofthe advantages ofthis Vspring clip is due to the-fact that itmay "be secured to the tie by'a single spikeor screw bolt,` although a second spike l may be driven through the hole adjacent,V the downwardly extending lug,.if that is thought desirable inrsome places as at railroad curves.

Other novel features and advantages of the in- Y art.

only result in economy of material but also cooo' The invention rwillloe understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated a preferred form of the invention, and in' which Fig.y l is a top '-view of a tie-plate embodyingthe invention; 2 is a bottom view thereof; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the tie plate and clips, secured to a railway tie and cooperatingwith the base of a railway rail; Fig. 4 is a top View of the spring clip forming part of the invention; Fig. 5 isa sectional elevation on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 vis a top lview of a crescent-shaped plug which may be used in the elliptical hole in the clip; Fig. 7 is a side view of said plug; Fig. 8 is a top vie-w of a modified form of springrclip; .and Fig. 9 is an edge elevation thereof. Like parts are referred to throughout the drawings by the same reference characters.

The form of the tie-plate which is part of the present invention will be understood from Figs. 1, 2 and 3. As will be apparent from the drawings, the tie-plate is ribless, that is, it does not have on its top side the rib or ribs usually provided for engagement with one or both edges of the base of the rail to be supported. The tieplate of the invention is provided with a central portion 8 having a width between the shoulders 9 and I0 substantially equal to the width of the widest rail base to be accommodated thereon. This central portion or rail-bearing area 8 of the tie-plate is provided with cup-shaped indentations I2 preferably arranged as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The side portions of the tie-plate, outside the shoulders 9 and IIJ, are provided with four pairs of openings I3 and I4, the preferred form and arrangement of which are shown in Fig. 1, from which it is apparent that the outer openings I4 are circular and the inner openings are rectangular. The rectangular openings I3 are so arranged that the inside wall thereof is substantially on the lines where the edges of the narrowest rail base to be supported by the tieplate will be. As will hereinafter appear, this permits the clips (hereinafter described) to engage'with the edge of rail bases'having different widths.

The form of the bottom of the tie-plate will be apparent from Figs. 2 and 3.A As will be obvious, the bottom of the tie-plate is provided with stepped projections I6, and a plurality of reenforcing portions I I (which may be of the form shown or any other suitable form) the surfaces of which meet in ridges lying in the plane of the edges of the'projections I5 and are spaced apart from one another. Moreover, since the reenforcing portions I'I are arranged in those portions of the tie-plate which will lie under the edges of the base of the rail to be accommodated by the tie-plate, a strengthening of the tie-plate is provided at those portions where the tie-plate is subjected in use to the greatest strains. Y

The form and construction of the unique clips which are adapted to cooperate with the tieplate hereinbefore described, will be apparent from Figs. 3, 4 and 5. As shown, theclipcomprises a substantially straight body portion having therein an opening 2l which is preferably elongatedv as shown in Fig. 4. Extending from the body portion 2D of the clip is an offset toe portion 22 provided with an end 23 adapted to cooperate with the top of a rail base. As will be apparent from Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the offset toe portion of the clip is provided with a lug 25 which is cut and bent out of said toe portion so as to provide a spike-receiving opening b-ehind it and so as to extend substantially at right angles to the-body portion of the clip and across the plane of the latter, as will be obvious from Fig. 5. As shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the body portion of the clip at theregion of the opening 2| is preferably provided with an upward bulge.

The manner in. which the clips are secured to and. cooperate with the tie-plate is shown in Fig. 3. While any suitable fastener maybe employed, either one of the forms shown in Fig. 3 is believed to be preferable. The form of fastener shown at the left of Fig. 3 consists of a screw bolt having a threaded end 33 adapted to screw into a hole drilled in the railroad tie 3l; and a rectangular head 32 adapted to receive a wrench, a collar 33 below said head being provided for engagement with the top of the bulged portion of the clip. Thus the substantially straight body portion of the clip lies parallel to and against the top of the tie-plate, the end 23 of the toe portion of the clip is held in cooperative engagement with the top of a rail base 34; and the lug 25, which projects into one of the inner openings I3 in the tie-plate, extends vertically across and against the edge of the rail base and prevents the clip from skewing. As will be apparent from Fig. 3, the rail base there shown is of the maximum width for which the tie-plate is intended; that is, the base of the rail extends from the shoulder 9 to the shoulder I0 of the tie plate. It will be obvious that when the clips are used with a rail having such maximum width, the side thrust of the rail which is taken by the lug 25 of the clip is transmitted directly to the securing screw bolt with which the wall of the elongated opening 2| which is nearest to the rail is in direct contact. If, however, the tie-plate and clips are used with a rail having a base of less width, for example the minimum width, the clips are then set at positions which leave a crescent-shaped opening between the screw bolt and the end of the elliptical opening 2l nearest the rail. If desired, such crescent-shaped space may be filled with a crescent-shaped plug 35 of the form sho-wn in Figs. 6 and '7.

The bolt shown at the right side of Fig. 3 is shown as also provided with a threaded end 33 adapted to screw into a drilled hole in the tie 3|, and with a square head 32 adapted to receive a wrench; but of coursethis bolt may be of a type adapted to be driven into the tie. As will be obvious from the drawing, the middle portion of said bolt is provided with threads carrying a nut 38 which may either directly engage with the top of the bulged body portion of the clip or may engage with a helical spring 39 interposed between the nut and said clip. The bolt arrangement shown at the right side of Fig. 3 holds the clip in proper position in engagement with the rail as in the case of the bolt shown at the left side of Fig. 3. While in most cases a rail will be securely held on the tie-plate by means of the clips and bolts shown in Fig. 3, it is of course possible to augment the fastening means by driving a spike into the tie through the opening behind the lug 25; but such additional securing means is not generally necessary.

When cushioning of the rail on the tie-plate is desired, for the purpose of eliminating noise and absorbing shocks, a pad 42 of resilient material, provided cn its bottom with cup-shaped projections 43 adapted and arranged to register with the cup-shaped indentations I2 in the tieplate, may be provided. When such a pad of resilient material isA used, the clips hereinbefore described, serve particularly well to hold the rail base 34 in engagement with the pad, so that the rail base, pad and tie-plate adhere to one another more or less by suction due to the exclusion of air between the adjacent surfaces.

vIn fact, even when the pad 42 is omitted, there plate hereinbefore described, and is particularly intended for use where the supported rail is subjected to great lateral forces as in the case on curves. As will be apparent from Figs. 8 and 9, the clip shown therein comprises a substantially straight body portion 50 (which if desired may be bulged as is the clip of Fig. having therein openings 5l and 52 which are elongated as shown in Fig. 8. Extending from the body portion 50 of the clip is an offset toe portion 53 provided with an end 54 adapted to cooperate with the top of a rail base. At both sides of the offset toe portion of the clip, are lugs 55 and 56 which are cut and bent out of said toe portion so as to provide spike-receiving openings behind them and so as to extend at substantially right angles to the body portion of the clip and across the plane of the latter, as will be obvious from Fig. 9. It will be understood that the clip shown in Fig. 9 is secured to the tie-plate by any suitable fasteners, such for` example as those shown in Fig. 3, with the end 54 of the toe portion of the clip in cooperative engagement with the top of the rail base, and with the lugs 55 and 56 extending vertically across and against the edge of the rail base and projecting into the inner openings I3 in the tieplate. Therefore, the clip shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is highly effective in holding the rail on the tieplate and resisting lateral movement thereof.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the advantages set forth at the beginning of this speciiication, and others, are inherent in the rail-supporting and securing means which has been described as the best known form of the invention. However, it is to be understood that the constructions of tie-plate and clip which have been described may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Cooperating rail supporting and securing means comprising in combination a tie-plate having therein a plurality of pairs of inner and outer openings; and clips each adapted to cooperate with a pair of said openings in the tieplate, each of said clips comprising a substantially straight body portion adapted to lie parallel to and against the top of the tie-plate and having an opening adapted to register with the outer opening of one of said pairs of openings in said tie-plate and to receive securing means, and a toe portion off-set from said body portion and provided with an end adapted to cooperate with the top of a rail base and having a lugcut and bent out of said toe portion thereby providing on the outer side of said lug another opening in said clip adapted to register with the inner opening of said pair of openings in said tie-plate and to receive securing means, said lug being adapted to extend vertically across and against Vthe edge of a rail base and extend into said inner opening in said tie-plate.

2. Cooperating rail supporting and securing means comprising in combination a tie-plate adapted to support rails having bases of different widths, and having therein a plurality of pairs of inner and outer openings, the inner opening of each pair having its inside wall substantially on the line where the edge of the narrowest rail base to be supported by the tie-plate will be; and clips each adapted to cooperate with a pair of openings in the tie-plate, each of said clips comprising a substantially straight body portion adapted to lie parallel to and against the top of the tie-plate and having an opening adapted to register with the outer opening of one of said pairs of openings in said tie-plate and to receive securing means, and a toe portion off-set from said body portion and provided with an end adapted to cooperate with the top of a rail base and having a lug cut and bent out of said toe portion thereby providing on the outer side of said lug another opening in said clip adapted to register with the inner opening of said pair of openings in said tie-plate and to receive securing means, said lug being adapted to extend vertically across and against the edge of a rail base and extend into said inner opening in said tie-plate.

3. A clip adapted to cooperate with a railroad tie-plate for securing a rail thereon, comprising a substantially straight body portion adapted. to lie parallel to and against the top of a vtie-plate and having ther-ein an opening adapted to receive securing means, and a toe portion off-set from said body portion and provided with an end adapted to cooperate with the top of a rail base and having a lug cut and bent out of said toe portion so as to provide another opening adapted to receive securing means and adapted to extend vertically across and against the edge of a rail base.

4. A clip as described in claim 3, in which the opening in the body portion is elongated.

5. A clip as described in claim 3, in which the body portion is bulged.

6. A clip adapted to cooperate with a railroad tie-plate for securing a rail thereon, comprising a substantially straight body portion adapted to lie parallel to and against the top of a tie-plate and having therein a plurality of openings adapted to receive securing means, a toe portion off-set from said body portion and provided with an end adapted to cooperate with the top of a rail base and a plurality of lugs cut and bent out of said toe portion so as to provide openings adapted to receive securing means and adapted to extend vertically across and against the edge of a rail base.

7. A clip as described in claim 6, in which the openingsin the body portion are elongated.

LEVI BORDEN ARMSTRONG.

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