US592218A - Railway construction - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

W. G. CURTIS.

RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

No. 592,218. Patented 001.. 19,1897.

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RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,218, dated October 19, 1897.

Application filed April 1, 1897. Serial No. 630,820. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. CURTIS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at San' Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Construction; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of said invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it most nearly appertains to make, use, and practice the same.

This invention relates to improvements in railway construction, and more particularly to the splice-plates for joining the ends of the rai s.

The objects which this invention has in view are, rst, to produce a construction in which the rail is reinforced and in which the reinforcing member is held rigidly against the under side of the head of the rail and against the under side of the flange or base of the same, and, second, to provide a construction whereby the reinforcing member is maintained in its rigid position against the traffic strain. Y

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a rail-j oint, the same being formedwith splice-plates constructed inconformity with this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of' the same looking from underneath the rail. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a rail and the spliceplates, taken on the line X X in Fig. 2. 4. is a diagrammatic view of a rail-joint as constructed with the old fish-plates, the form in which the parts are shown being an exaggeration for the purpose of illustration.

Heretofore the splice-plate which has been substituted for and developed from the old fish-plate has consisted in the throwing out of a side flange from uthe bottom of the lishplate to overhang the upper part of the flange or base of' the rail. This construction was provided to avoid the bend by increasing the depth of the fish-plate; but asthis form of connection has but one upwardly-resisting bearing-surface to each plate-to wit, that under the head of the rail-it soon becomes loosened by wear and ceases to be effective. Thisl latter construction has been supplemented bya construction known as the continuous-angle plate, which consists of the Fig. A

y old fish-'plate having a continuation of the vside flange set out from the bottom thereof to extend over the topgand underV the bottom 'of the flange or base of the rails, the bottom section or continuation being thought to reinforce the resistancev tothe vertical traffic strain. This latter construction has proved to be a great advantage over both thosepreceding,` but it has b'eenrfou'ndthat the bottomV section eXtended below the "base of the rail is too eXible to enable it to assist the upper upwardly-resisting bearing-surface, and that this form of plate wears and becomes loosened in the same manner as above set forth. v

It is the purpose of' the present invention toproduce a construction which embodies the benefits derived from what has been styled the continuous-angle plate, with those of the last type wherein have been provided the vertical eXtcnsion below the flange of the rail. This construction consists in the vertical plate A, the continuous extension of the same, B, and the downset portion of the latter C. The vertical plate A is practically of the same construction as thatnow in use, having the shoulders A' and A2 adapted and shaped to bear tightly under the head and over the flange or base of the rail with a hollowedout middle portion A3. The extension B differs from the continuous style in that in its present construction these extensions are brought to a very close approximation at their meeting edges under the flange or base of the rail, with the purpose of permitting as wide t an extension of this feature of the angle-plate -under'the flange of the rails as possible, and at the same time providing thereby more material wherewith to form the downset portion C. The downset portion C is swaged or struck down from the extension B directly beneath the joint of the meeting rails.

In drawing or swaging downward the portion C the metal of the extension B is slightly stretched, and there is produced between the level part of the extension B and the vertical portion C the intermediate metal D,fwhich is caused to assume the shape shown in the drawings. This interposed metal D corrects all tendency which the vertical portion C might Aotherwise have toward lateral movement in avoiding vertical strains. By so con- IOO structing the downward-extended portion C the unsupported lower portion of this plate between the adjacent ties becomes in effect a girder and the adjacent sufaees are held irmly against the under side of the base of the rail, giving for each plate two effective upwardly-resisting bearing-surfaces-viz., at e and at ZJ--thereby greatly decreasing the rate of wear, thus prolonging the useful service of the joint.

In making the bend in the extension B, inside which the side of the iiange is to iit, it may be bent a little more acutely within the angle than the flange, so as to necessitate the forcing of the thickest part of the flange next to the web of the rail between the wings of the bent extension. It is by this means that a rigid contact may be obtained by the extension B against the under face of the iiange of the rail; but this is not essential, provided a good iit may be obtained without so bending. The means forsecurin g the ends of the rail within the grasp of these angleplates is the same as that commonly in use, consisting in the bolts E E, passed through the angle-plate and web of the rail on either side of the joint thereof.'

IIaving thus described this invention, what is claimed is- A splice for the joints of rails consisting of vertical plates adapted to bear against the under side of the head of the rail and having continuous extensions around and under the iiange or base of the rail to near the middle thereof, the said extensions having the center portion struck down and out from the inner edge to a line between the inner and the outer ledge to form a vertical reinforcement to bear against the under side of the base of the rail, and held in position by the stretched portions of the metal connecting the reinforcing with the horizontal portion, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of March, 1897.

IVILLIAM G. CURTIS.

Witnesses:

' EALDWIN VALE, NORMAN MCKELLAR.

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