US1167674A - Rail-joint. - Google Patents

Description

J. M. BRATTEN, JR.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MARJ31, 1915.

Patented Jan. 11, 1916.

Elnbzntoz JOSEPH 111. BRA'ITEN, JR., OF FlARLEYS, NORTH CAROLINA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentedql'an. 11, 131%.

Application filed March 31, 1915. Serial No. 18,280.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr M. BRATTEN, J r., a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Earleys, in the county of Hertford and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailJoints, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a rail joint of such construction that while the rails are held firmly down on the ties and against relative lateral movement and relative vertical movement, they are free to slide axially to compensate for expansion and contraction and thereby eliminate all danger of the rails buckling under expan sion and contraction and eliminate all danger of the rail spikes being loosened and pulled out of the ties.

With this and other objects in view my invention consists of the parts and combination of parts as will be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the abutting ends of two rails with my improved joint. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 Fig. 1, the spike being shown in elevation.

The reference numeral 4 designates the ties. The rails shown are of standard type with the angles between the head 5 web 6, and base flanges 7 drawn with the standard degree of slope.

The base 8 of the rail joint or chair is provided with two recesses 9 whereby it has three points 10 of contact with the ties.

The base is provided with upwardly extending side marginal flanges 11 and 12. The upper portion of the side marginal flange 11 is bent inwardly throughout its length to form a retaining member or bar 13 between the underface of which and the upper face of the base member 8 is formed a pocket 14 adapted to receive and retain the base flange 7 of the rail, the bottom of this pocket being flat to correspond with the bottom face of the rail base, while the upper wall of the pocket is disposed on the same angle as the top face of the base flange 7, as shown, whereby the base flanges fit snugly within the said pocket thus preventing vertical movement of the base flange within the said pocket.

The side marginal flange 12 of the base member is disposed a greater distance from the longitudinal axis ofthe rail base than is the flange 11, as shown in Fig. 3, so that when the base flange of the rail is inserted in the chair or base member there is a space between the outer edge of the rail base flange and the side marginal flange 12. The upper portion of the flange 12 is bent inwardly on the same angle as the angle of the upper face of the base flange 7, but is spaced therefrom and parallel therewith, as shown in Fig. 3, and constitutes a retaining bar 15, which when the rail is in position in the chair extends a greater distance over the base flange 7 of the rail than does the retaining bar 13. The object of thus constructing the two retaining bars 13 and 15 and leaving the space between the edge of the base flange of the rail and'the side marginal flange 12 is to enable me to insert the rail base flange 7 within the chair vertically so that the chair may be slipped under the abutting ends of two rails and the rails dropped therein, and thus obviate the necessity of slipping the chair endwise on the rails.

In order to key the rails within the chair (by the term chair I of course include the base 8, flanges 11 and 12, and retaining bars 13 and 15) I provide a key composed of an upright member 16, an intermediate portion 17, and a base flange 18. The upright member is shaped to fit snugly against the web of the rail with its upper edge snugly under the under face of the rail, while the intermediate portion 17 fits snugly on the upper face of the base flange 7 of the rail by reason of the fact that its under face is formed on the same angle as the angle of the upper face of the base flange, while the base flange 18 of the key is disposed in a vertical plane to flt within the space between the outer edge of the rail base flange and the inner face of the vertical side marginal flange 12, all contacting faces of the several members being parallel in order that there may be no binding or wedging action between the parts and the rails so that the rails may be free to slide axially under the force of contraction and expansion.

A notch or recess 19 is cut in the side marginal flange 12 of the base 8 and a recess 20 is formed in the base flange 18 of the key for the reception of the spike 21, whereby the chair and the key are locked by said spike against relative longitudinal movement.

In order to remove the rails from the chair the key is withdrawn longitudinally from the chair whereupon the base flange of the rail may be moved into the space that was filled by the base flange of the key and tilted, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, the parts being so proportioned that the base flange of the rail has clearance by the inner edge of the retaining bar 13, so that the rail may be withdrawn from and inserted into the chair Vertically;

What I claim is: v

The combination with the abutting end portions of meeting rails having base flanges, a web and a head, of a chair for the rails comprising a base, side marginal upturned flanges, one of which is of greater height and at a greater distance from the longitudinal axis of the rail base than the other, the upper portion of said flanges being bent inwardly to constitute retaining bars throughout their length, one of said retaining bars being disposed in a longitudinal plane higher than the other, said vertical side marginal flanges being parallel throughout their length, and a straight key of substantially uniform thickness having parallel faces throughout its length constructed to fit within the space between the base marginal flange of the railand one of the side marginal flanges and the retaining bar carried thereby, said key being provided with an upright member held snugly when in position against the web of the rail with its upper edgefitting snugly under the head of the rail, and means locking the key to the chair; against relative longitudinal movement thereof whereby the rails may be inserted within said chair and withdrawn therefrom vertically; said vkey locking the rails in said chair against lateral and Ver-' tical movement but permitting them to move axially relatively to the key and chair under the force of expansion and contraction.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence oftwo witnesses. V

JOSEPH M. BRATTEN, JR. I/Vitnesses:

J. H. MITCHELL, J. D. EARLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. l

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