US1480487A - Lightened construction for rail joints - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 8, 1924. 1,480,487

v.c.A TR NG ET AL LIGHTENED CONSTRUCTION FOR RAIL JOINTS Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR C. ARMSTRONG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND EMORY L. GROFF, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LIGHTENED CONSTRUCTION FOR RAIL JOINTS.

Application filed June 28, 1923. Serial No. 648,315.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, VICTOR C. ARM- STRONG and EMORY L. GROFF, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, and W'ashington, District'of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lightened Constructions for Rail Joints, of which the 1 following is a specification.

This invention relates to a modified web construction for rail joints to effect substantial economy in the use of the metal employed While retaining the requisite structural strength for resisting the load and lateral forces imposed thereon.

In the fabrication of rail joints, particularly by the rolling method, the limitations and problems involved in that method of making rail joints have made it very difiicult for the engineer to design a joint bar having the ideal requisites of strength and economical use of metal. Accordingly, only a comparatively few types of rail joint bars have gone into practical use which have a desirable and effective distribution of metal providing for increased head strength and ments and which will adapt itself to rolling mill practice while at the same time involving a modified web construction which per mits a substantial lightening of the web particularly throughout that portion where the compression and tension forces tend to neutralize at the horizontal neutral axis thereby materially reducing the bulk or quantity of metal in the web while Providing a construction which will compensate for the material decrease in the bulk or amount of metal by adequate stiffening or reinforcement of the web. The effect of such a modified web construction, involving a substantial decreaseor reducement of bulk of metal serves to increase the output of the joint mill from a given quantity of billets while at the same time providing individual joint bars which effect a substantial saving in metal without diminishing or reducing the strength of the bar.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel web construction for a rail joint bar which lends itself quite elastically to balancing the metal in the bar above and below the horizontal neutral axis and improving the section modulus of-the bar above the horizontal neutral axis, and yet obtaining a valuable decrease in the bulk of the metal employed in the bar. Accordingly, it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a relatively thin web and consequently a lightened bar, nevertheless it possesses adequate strength for properly connecting the head and foot portions of the bar, and as a matter of fact gives added stiffness to the web thereby making it possible to maintain the high standard of efiiciency of the bar both as to economy of material and load carrying capacity.

While the invention is applicable to all types of joint bars, it has special utility in connection with bars made to fit high rails and wherein the depth of the web must be materially increased. If a Web of increased depth is made of uniform thickness throu hout considerable weight is added to the ar due to the extra metal employed, and since all of this metal is not necessary to the full strength of the bar it is desirable to make provision for a distribution of the metal so as to eliminate metal where it is unnecessary and use it to a better and more practical advanta e.

With the a ove and other objects in View which will more readilyappear as the nature of the invention is better understood the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts. hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The invention is necessarily susceptible of application to various shapes and types of joint bars, and also susceptible of modification as to the specific form and character of the stiffening elements and lightening cavities, but for illustrative purposes there 100 are shown in the accompanying drawings certain preferred forms, to w1t:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a joint bar showing one form of lightened web.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 2 is a detail view of a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view illustrating a modification of the form of web shown in Figure 3.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures. of the drawings.

The invention in its primary aspect consists in so modifying the structural formation in the web of a rail joint bar as to provide for a materially lightened web without interfering with the head and foot formation of the bar, nor with a proper distribution of the metal above and below the horizontal neutral axis of the bar to obtain the requisite head strength and foot strength therefor. Also this modified or altered web construction maintains an adc quate stiffness of web, though providing a web which is sufficiently flexible to properly care for the rail wave motion through the track. In its specific aspect the novel web construction referred to is provided with a multiplicity ofcavities or depressions representing the removal or elimination of metal at those locations to thereby materially reduce or diminish the bulk of metal in the web, the eliminated metal preferably being caused to flow or distribute itself throughout the length of the blank or bar so as not to enter into the head and foot construction thereof except to the extent desired according to the strength of bar required. In addition to the cavities or depressions which are herein termed lightening cavities or depressions the web is formed with a plurality of offset ribs or projections extending from the foot to the head of the bar and serving to maintain a proper stifl'ening or trussing of the web to compensate for the lightening thereof at the locations of the cavities or depressions.

In the manufacture of a joint bar embodying the feature of invention referred to a practical form thereof is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 wherein the modification or altering of the web of the bar is at the inside thereof leaving the outer side of the bar of the conventional form with its outer vertical bolting face. Such form of bar ma readily rolled in the passes of the ro ling mill and inside configuration of the web prodnced in the final pass of the mill.

Referring to the drawings it will be observed that the joint bar A is provided with.

the top chord or head B, the foot portion C and a web member D connecting the head and the foot portions. In the process of rolling this section the less efficient metal throughout the neutral zone of the bar, that is in the region of the horizontal neutral axis and to a distance above and below such axis is redistributed, producing in the web structure sub-normally thinned wall sections and a widened top chord or head B overhanging the modified web construction, and combining therewith to provide an improved section modulus for the upper part of the bar to give adequate head strength, and substantially balancing with the metal in the lower or thickened foot partof the bar designated by the letter C. In such a construction the normal thickness as of the web of the bar is maintained at intervals as designated by the reference letter 2 and between these normal wall sections the metal is displaced producing at the inner face of the bar web the vertical cavities or depressions which form sub-normally thinned wall sections 1. Thus, in the embodiment of the invention shown the joint bar is provided at its inner face with spaced cavities or depressions 1 which represent the locations where the wall of the bar web is substantially thinned by displacement and redistribution of the metal while at the same time maintaining suflicient stiffness in the bar web and adequate head strength and balancing of the metal both above and below the horizontal neutral axis, following in a measure the plan of metal distribution observed in the production of an I-beam which possesses far greater strength than a rectangular beam of the same weight and area of metal.

As above noted adesignates the normal thickness of the bar web, that is, the thick ness of the bar web which is usually preserved in standard angle bars, and y designates subnor'mally thinned wall sections herein referred to. Figure 2 illustrates thinned wall sections of much greater extent than shown in Figure 1, showing the modification that may be resorted to.

It will of course be understood that the bars may be provided at pro erintervals.

with the bolt holes H to provi e for receiv ing the usual joint bolts for connecting the I bars in joint formation and clamping them to opposite sides of the rail.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the several embodiments shown 1n the drawings effectively carry forwardthe objects heretofore outlined and provide a.

rolled joint bar including a modified web having a face reduced lo lightening cavities and reinforced and sti ened by a plurality of relatively offset or projecting ribs.

'Without further description 1t is thought that the many features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

\Ve claim 1. A rail joint bar including a web member subnormally thinned at intervals and a rail engaging top chord overhanging such member.

2. A rail joint bar including a web member subnormally thinned at intervals and a widened rail engaging top chord overhanging such member.

3. A rail joint bar including a web member subnormally thinned at intervals, a widened rail engaging top chord capping the upper end of the web member, and a. foot member connecting with the bottom of the web member.

4. A rail joint bar consisting of a beam having an inwardly projecting rail engaging top chord and a web member adapted to stand free of the rail web and having the metal in its inner face displaced at intervals forming subnormally thinned wall larged top and bottom compression and ten-' sion chords and a Web member connecting the said chords and provided at its inner side with spaced reducements forming at such locations wall sections of subnormal thickness.

6. A rolled rail joint bar having enlarged top and bottom compression and tension chords connected by a web provided with a plain unbroken outer bolting face, and the inner face of the web having depressions at intervals formed by displacement of metal at such locations to provide web portions of sub-normal thickness.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

VICTOR C. ARMSTRONG, EMORY L. GEOFF. Witnesses:

D. P. WOLHAUPTER, ELLA N. HILDEBRAND.

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