US557174A - Rail bond or connection - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

RAIL BDND CONNECTION. No. 557,174. Patented Mai". 31, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVARD A. TURNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

R AlL BOND OR CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,174, dated March 31, 1896.

Application filed September 7, 1895- Serial No. 561,762. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD A. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bail Bonds or Connections, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rail-bonds, and has for its object to provide a new and improved rail bond or connector.

The following is a description of a form of my connector with the various angles and inclinations enlarged for convenience in illustration. The various features could be considerably varied at will.

Figure 1 is a View of the rail-bond in position connecting the ends of the rails. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of one end of the bond. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view through the opening in the web of the rail when the sides of such opening are inclined. Fig. 4c is an enlarged end View of the sleeve surrounding the end of the connecting-conductor. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line 5 5, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows the various parts of the bond in position in the web of the rail ready for the final process of securing them. Fig. '7 is a view of the same after the connection has been completed.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

In bonding rails together the conductor connecting the rails is usually of a much higher con duct-ivity than the rails themselves, and hence to obtain the best results the area of the surface of contact between the conductor and the rail should be much greater than the cross-sectional area of the conductor. The difference between the cross-sectional area of the conductor and the surface of contact between the conductor and the rail will of course depend upon the difference between the conductivity of the two materials used. Under the usualconditions it is as seven to on e. Since the web of the rail to which this conductor is generally connected is very thin, a large surface of contact can only be obtained by enlarging the end of the conductor. Heretofore it has been attempted to obtain this large contact area by upsetting the end of the conductor and by various other devices. When a conductor which varies greatly in conductivity from the rail (such as copper under the usual conditions) is used, itis very difficult to obtain the desired amount of contact-surface by this method. One object of my invention is to assist in obtaining this large contact-surface in a simple and convenient manner.

I first enlarge each end of the conductorA, so as to form a portion more or less like the part B. This may be done by upsetting the end or in any other desirable manner. I then provide a thimble or sleeve more or less like the part C, preferably of the same material as the conductor, and having a more or less cone-shaped opening C therethrough. This sleeve is preferably made from a sheet of copper or the like, having a triangular or a trapezoidal cross-section, as shown in Fig. 5. This sheet is then cut into the required lengths and rolled up so as to form a sleeve, as shown in Fig. 4:. This sleeve is of such size as to make the desired area of contact with the web of the rail, and its ends may or may not be tightly secured together. The sleeve is in the shape of the frustum of a cone, and the opening D in the web D of the rail may also be cone-shaped, if desired or required, so that when the sleeve is driven therein a good contact between the rail and sleeve will be secured.

After the sleeve C is driven in the hole in the web of the rail the enlarged end of the conductor is inserted in the opening in said sleeve, somewhat as shown in Fig. 6. The end of the conductor is then driven tightly into the opening in the sleeve until the desired electrical contact between the conductor and the sleeve is secured and its outer end batted or riveted, as shown in Fig. 7. This may easily be accomplished by simple tools, so that the several contacting surfaces will be very closely and firmly brought together. The forcing of these parts toward each other within the web, they presenting to each other inclined surfaces, results in a more or less directly outward pressure, so that an exceedingly firm setting of the surface of the metal sleeve against the metal of the web of the rail is obtained. The upsetting of the ends of the enlarged portion and of the sleeve on opposite sides of the rail-web results in looking the completed fastening against motion in either direction. The proportions of the several parts and the angles of inclination of the several parts are, as above suggested, greatly exaggerated for the purpose of illustrating the idea. The upset or enlarged portion of the rail-bond, the connector proper, need only be of such size as will be necessary to furnish a bearing for the tool on the back of such enlarged portion, so as to permit it to be driven in, and its end being upset such an enlargement can easily be made on the end of the bond. The sleeve may then be of any desired size, but of course of sufficient size to serve the purposes above referred to. It will be seen that by this construction I can easily obtain any desired area of contact. The connection between the conductor and each of the rails which it connects is of course similar to that described above. I have described these several parts in detail; but it is evident that they may be varied in form and construction without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the construction herein shown and described.

I have described my invention as a raih bond; but of course the method of effecting the union between the parts to make contact is applicable to any case Where such conductor or connection is to be used, and therefore the term rail-bond as employed by me is to be taken in such broad significance. The sleeve may be made otherwise than as here suggested-for example, by the use of short sec tions of brazed tube, which sections may be forced into shape in the press.

It will be observed that in the application of this device the sleeves are first seated in their holes. This is done by a separate gang of men and with tools proper for the purpose. Another gang then comes with the bond proper and inserts the end in the sleeve and sets the parts as above indicated.

I claim 1. A rail-bond comprising aconduetorrelatively small in cross-sectional area, an enlarged head at each end, said head tapered toward the extremity of the bond, sleeves correspondingly tapered inside and adapted to be driven into holes in the rail in one direction and to receive the enlarged ends of the bond when inserted from the opposite direction.

2. A rail-bond comprising a conductor relatively small in cross-sectional area, an enlarged head at each end, said head tapered toward the extremity of the bond, sleeves correspondingly tapered inside and adapted to be driven into holes in the rail in one direc tion and to receive the enlarged ends of the bond when inserted from the opposite direction, said sleeves tapered outside and the hole in the rail correspondingly tapered to receive them.

EDWARD A. TURNER. \Vitnesses:

FRANCIS W. PARKER, DONALD M. CARTER.

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