US1182865A - Rail-stay. - Google Patents

Description

J. M. VAIL.

RAIL STAY.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. II 1915.

1,182,865, Patented May 9,1916. I

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- [NI/ENTER J. M. VAIL.

RAIL STAY.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, ms.

Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'INI/ENTUR.

JOSEPH M. VAIL, OF BRYAN, OHIO.

RAIL-STAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916..

Application filed November 1, 1915. Serial No. 59,010.

To all to ham it may concern Be it known that I, Josnrrr M. VAIL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bryan, in the county of Nilliams and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Rail-Stay; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form .a part of this specification.

This invention relates to means for preventing the creeping of rails relative to the supporting ties, and has for its object the provision of a simple and improved stay for such purpose, which is capable of being easily and quickly applied to a rail, and which, when applied, permits a limited relative movement of the rail clamp and tie abutting part, such as would be occasioned by a freezing and thawing of the'ballast, without releasing the engagement of the parts with the rail.

The invention is fully described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, a preferred and one modified embodiment thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a rail and supporting tie with a embodying my invention in operative engagement therewith. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the diflerent members of the F ig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a modified form of the invention. Fig. 5 is a reduced cross-section thereof on the line :v-rc in Fig.4, and Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of the different members of the stay with a portion of the latter broken away.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a railway tie, and 2 a rail supported thereby.

The rail stay embodying my invention comprises a bar 3, which is intended to eX- tend beneath a rail from one side to the other thereof, preferably in flat contact with its base, and is provided at one end with a hook or rail flange engaging jaw 4: and at its other end .with a hook or rail flange engaging jaw 5, each of which is adapted to receive the respective edge of the rail base and to have opposed gripping or clamping engagement therewith. The jaws a and 5 are suitably spaced to permit the bar 3 to be removed from engagement with the rail base when it is disposed at substantially a right angle to the rail, the jaws being placed in gripping engagement with the rail by imparting a twisting movement to the bar 3 lengthwise of the rail so as to place the jaws in staggered gripping relation, as shown in Fig. 1, the rail flange receiving recesses of the jaws being suitably formed for such purpose.

The jaw 5 of the bar, which, in the present instance, is the jaw disposed farthest from the tie 1 when the bar is applied to the rail, has a finger 6 projecting from the side thereof adjacent to the tie and in spaced outwardly inclined relation to the rail edge when the bar is disposed in position for its jaws to have gripping engagement with the rail. The finger 6 is of bendable material, such, for instance, as malleable iron, to permit a bending thereof as hereinafter described, and is shown as having its free end provided with an inwardly projecting lug or spur 6.

The tie abutting member of the stay is designated 7 and has one side thereof grooved or recessed, as at 8, to slidingly embrace a rail flange and has its outer end provided with a flat tie abutting surface 9, which, in the present instance, is in the nature of a flange formed on the outer end of the member. The body of the member 7 is of suitablesize to adapt it, when applied to a rail flange, to fit between the finger 6 and adjacent rail flange, and the outer surface of such body is preferably, but not necessarily, inclined as shown at 10, or provided with a reentrant portion, to permit a bending of the finger 6 therearound, as indicated in Fig. 1. The inner end of the surface 10 terminates at or adjacent to the inner side of the tie abutting flange 9, and the inner edge portion of such flange is preferably tapered, as at 11, to cause the end of the finger 6, when bent inward in contact with saidtapered surface, to effect a forcing of the jaw end 5 of the bar and the member 7 apart. The original position of the finger 6 before being bent inward is indicated by the dotted lines of such finger in Fig. 1, and the bent or member engaging position of the finger is shown in full lines in said figure.

' In applying my improved stay to a rail the bar 3 is first engaged with a rail by inserting it under the same with its jaws in register with the respective edges of the rail base, the bar being then turned in the plane of the rail to place the jaws in staggered rail gripping relation, with the jaw 5, from which the finger 6 projects, more remotely disposed with respect to the adjacent tie 1. The member 7 is now placed in engagement with the rail and with its flange 9 in abutment with the tie, after which the bar 3 is moved longitudinally of the rail toward the tie to place the finger 6 at the outer side of the member 7 and in abutment, if possible, with the tapered surface 11 of the flange 9. Or, if desired, the member 7 may be applied to the rail before the bar 3 is placed in engagement therewith.

The parts having been assembled on. a rail as above described the end of the bar 3, which is closest to the tie, is struck with a hammer or other tool to drive it toward the tie and more firmly engage the bar with the rail base, and the finger 6 is then bent inward to place the lug 6 in engagement with the surface 10 of the tie abutting member 7 and with its end in wedging contact with the tapered surface 11, thereby effecting a further tightening of the bar in engagement with the rail. Should the rail creep backward with respect to the tie, as is sometimes the case, the bar 3 and member 7 will move backward therewith retaining their original set position with respect to each other. Should, however, the member 7 become anchored in the ballast when such backward creeping occurs, the bar 3 and finger 6 will be permitted to have limited sliding movements with respect to said member without permitting a disengaging of either the bar or member from the rail, due to the part of the surface 10 with which the lug 6 coacts being made parallel with the rail for a short distance, as shown at 10. Such relative movement of the stay parts often occurs by reason of the ballast freezing and then thawing, considerable diificulty having been experienced, in the use of rail stays having separable parts, to retain such parts in assembled relation to the rail when such relative movement occurs.

In the modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7, the cross-bar and finger which project from one end thereof are' substantially the same as in the form above described except that the finger is not bendable in its character but constitutes a part which projects rigidly from the bar end and remains practically fixed with respect thereto. The tie abutting member diflers somewhat from the tie abutting mem berof the form above described as it is provided with a bendable part which is adapted to be bent into wedging or outward forcing contact with the finger of the cross-bar to retain said bar in firm gripping engagement with the rail. In this modified form of the invention, 15 designates the cross-bar having the rail base engaging or gripping jaws 16 and 17 at opposite ends thereof and suitably spaced to cause them to stand in staggered relation when in clamping engagement with a rail base. Rigidly projecting from the jaw 17 is a finger 18, the free end of which is preferably provided with an inwardly projecting spur 19. The tie abutting member is designated 20 and is provided with the tie abutting part 21 and provided on the outer side of its body portion in opposition to the engaged rail edge with a bendable tongue or flange part 22, which is disposed between the finger 18 and the body portion of the member 20 when the parts are in assembled position on a rail. The tongue 22 is inclined or bent preferably upward with respect to the rail base when first applied thereto, and a bending of this tongue down into outward forcing engagement with the registering finger 18 of the cross-bar effects a tightening of the bar on the engaged rail. It is preferable but not necessary to transversely incline or taper the inner surface of the finger 18, as shown in Fig. 5, to facilitate the tightening of the cross-bar on the rail when the tongue 22 is bent into outward forcing engagement with the finger. The end of the tongue 22 which is adjacent to the tie abutting part 21 of the member 20 is spaced from said part to provide a space into which the spur 19 of the finger 18 may project. This space is preferably of greater width than the width of the spur 19 to permit the finger and tie abutting member to have limited relative sliding movements.

While I have herein shown and described two specific embodiments of my invention for illustrative purposes, and have disclosed and discussed in detail the construction and arrangement incident'to two specific appli cations thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the mere detail or relative arrangement of the parts, but that deviations from the illustrated forms or embodiments of the'invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. In a device of the class described, a bar having parts for engaging opposite edges of a rail base and having a finger projecting from one end thereof in spaced relation to an engaged rail base, and a tie abutting member for mounting on a rail base edge between said finger and the rail and being retained in engagement with the rail by said finger.

2. In a device of the class described, a bar for extending under and having jaws for engagement with opposite side edges of a rail base, a tie abutting member mounted on a rail edge intermediate said bar and an abutting tie, and a finger projecting from said bar in spaced relation to the engaged rail edge and engaging the outer side of said member to serve to hold it to the rail and to cotiperate therewith to retain the bar in engagement withthe rail.

3. In a device of the class described, a bar for extending under and having jaws at opposite ends thereof for engagement with the opposite edges of a rail base when the bar is twisted in the plane of the rail to place the jaws in staggered relation, a tie abutting member separate from said bar for mounting on a rail base edge between a supporting tie for the rail and the end of the bar which is more remote from the tie, and a bendable finger projecting fro-m the said more remote end of the bar in spaced relation to an engaged rail base and without a portion of said member and adapted to be bent into holding engagement with said member.

fl. In a device of the class described, a bar for extending under and having jaws for gripping the opposite edges of a rail base in staggered relation and having a finger projecting therefrom lengthwise of the rail, and a tie abutting member for engaging the edge of a rail base at the inner side of said finger, said finger being bendable into close engagement with the outer side of said member and said member having a tapered surface with which the outer end of the finger coacts when bent inward to effect a relative outward forcing of the member and adjacent bar end.

5. In a device of the class described, a bar for extending under and having spaced jaws for gripping the opposite edges of a rail base in staggered relation, one jaw having a bendable finger projecting therefrom substantially lengthwise of the rail, a tie abutting member separate from said bar and having a rail edge receiving groove and an outer surface which is provided with a reentrant portion adjacent to its inner end, said outer surface being disposed within said finger when the parts are applied to a rail and adapted to have the finger bent into folding engagement therewith.

6. In a device of the class described, a bar having parts for engaging opposite edges of a rail base and having a finger projecting from one end thereof in spaced relation to an engaged rail base, and a tie abutting member for mounting on a rail base edge between said finger and the rail and being retained in engagement with the rail by said finger, said finger and member having parts which coact to permit limited relative movements thereof lengthwise of an engaged rail.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

JOSEPH M. VAIL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

Images