US2043320A - Tie plate and clip combination - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1936. J. G. DELFOX TIE PLATE AND CLIP COMBINATION Filed April 5, 1935 Patented June 9 1936 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE TIE PLATE AND CLIP COWHNATION James G. Delfox, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to The Rail Joint Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York This invention relates to improvements in supporting and retaining means for railroad rails, and has particular reference to a novel tie plate and rail retaining clip structure.

Tie plates are commonly interposed between rails and cross ties for a number of well-known reasons, and. for a number of equally well-known reasons it is common to retain rails upon tie plates by means which permitlimited vertical movements, and running or longitudinal movements of the rails relative to the ties. It has also been heretofore proposed to provide means in the form of spring clips engageable with tie plates to retain rails thereon for the movements mentioned. However, all prior spring clip arrangements for retaining rails upon tie plates have had various disadvantages, among which may be mentioned the difficulty and consequently the excessive cost of making many of the oddly shaped clips, and the excessive cost of making tie plates of the special designs required to permit the oddly shaped clips to be used therewith.

Thus, while the present invention contemplates a special tie plate, and a special spring clip to retain a rail thereon, important objects of the invention are to provide a tie plate which may be produced at relatively low cost, and to provide a spring clip which likewise may be produced at relatively low cost and which, besides being capable of ready and easy application to and removal from the tie plate, is thoroughly reliable and efficient in retaining a rail upon the plate.

Another object is to provide a clip having structural characteristics which permit of its being readily applied to the tie plate by a hammer or maul, or by sliding the same into position from one end of the tie plate thus enabling easy application or installation in situations where one or the other mode of application is not available.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel tie plate and clip construction and combination as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and defined in the appended claims. i

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a tie plate constructed in accordance with the invention and showing a rail retained thereon by means of a pair of the present clips.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the tie plate and clip combination illustrated in Fig. l and showing the rail in transverse section; and

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the combination illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawing in detail, A designates a portion of a cross tie, B designates, generally, a tie plate constructed in accordance with the invention and resting upon the cross tie A, C designates the base portion of a rail resting upon the tie plate B, and D, D designate a pair of spring clips constructed in accordance with the invention and operatively engaged with the tie plate B to retain the rail 0 thereon.

The tie plate B may be of any desired length, width and thickness and may be secured to the cross tie A in any suitable manner as, for example, by means of driven or screw spikes designated as iii. In accordance with the invention, however, said tie plate is specially formed to the extent that it is provided with a pair of parallel ribs t l l i which project upwardly therefrom and which define therebetween a channel to accommedate the rail base C, said ribs thus constituting abutments for cooperation with the edges of the rail base to hold the rail against sidewise movement as is understood.

The ribs H, H may extend either entirely or only partially across the tie plate 13. In either event, they are of greater height than the rail base C at the outer edges of the latter and have formed in their inner and outer faces longitudinally extending grooves l2 and I3, respectively, which are disposed suitably above the outer edges of the rail base C, preferably in a common horizontal plane. Preferably, too, the grooves l2, I3

are of inwardly tapering cross section, as shown in Fig. 2, and extend from end to end of the ribs ll. They may, however, be of rectangular or any other desired sectional shape and may extend only partially throughout the lengths of the respective ribs, in the latter event corresponding or substantially corresponding in length to the width of the clips D.

The clips D are duplicates of each other and are in the form of split rings of preferably elliptical or C-shape as shown. They may, however, be in the form of split rings of any other desired specific shape. They are formed from steel or other suitable spring material of any desired width and thickness and preferably have the free edge portions of their jaws tapered to wedgingly and therefore closely fit the preferably inwardly tapered grooves l2, it, although this is not essential. Their normal condition in any event is such that their free edge portions must be sprung apart for engagement in the grooves l2, I3. In other words, the normal distance between their free edge portions is less than the distance between the bases of the grooves I2, I 3. Therefore,

whether the clips are engaged with the ribs 1 I by being forced downwardly over the tops of said ribs until their free edge portions spring into the grooves I2, 13, or whether they are engaged with said ribs by longitudinal movement relative thereto, the result isthe same, viz, they are retained securely in engagement with the ribs due to their constant tendency to contract and grip the ribs.

In their applied positions, the inner portions of the clips overlie and are suitably spaced above the outer edge portions of the rail base C. Thus, while the rail is held effectively upon the tie plate, desired limited vertical movements and* running or longitudinal movements of the rail relative to the tie plate are freely permitted.

The tie plate B is cheap and easy to produce because it may be formed simply by rolling and without requiring other operations except the usual forming of the spike or screw holes therein. The clips D likewise are cheap and easy to produce because they may readily be bent into shape from flat spring steel stock. At the same time, due to the contractile engagement of the free edge portions of the jaw portions of the clips with the grooves in the sides of the ribs ll, said clips are elfectively retained on said ribs and serve eifectively to retain the rail on the base plate. Moreover, and as is manifest, the clips may readily be removed without being damaged by being driven endwise relative to and off of the ribs ll. They are, therefore, capable of repeated use.

Obviously, it is not necessary to groove both the inner and the outer faces of the ribs l l, as grooving of only their inner faces is sufiicient to assure retention of the clips B thereon and to hold said clips so that they positively limit upward movement of the rail.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, 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 and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:-

1. In combination, a tie plate, a rail seated on the tie plate, an upstanding rib on the plate, clip anchoring means on the sides of the rib, and a contractile spring clip extending in part over the rail flange and having means at its ends engaging said clip anchoring means on the sides of the rib and maintained in engagement therewith by resilient contractive action of the clip.

2. In combination, a tie plate, a rail seated thereon, a rib on the tie plate cooperating with the edge of the rail base to hold the rail against sidewise movement, and a bowed spring clip extending over said rib and in part over the rail base and having its free end portions contractively engaging opposite sides of the rib, the ends of the clip and the sides of the rib having cooperating formations holding the clip against upward movement relative to the rib at each side thereof.

3. In combination, a tie plate having a rib, the rib having a groove in each side thereof, a rail seated upon the tie plate with the outer portion of its base adjacent to said rib, and a contractile spring clip of substantially C-shape extending over said rib and in part over the rail base and having its free end portions seated in said grooves and maintained therein by resilient contractive action of the clip.

4. In combination, a tie plate having a pair of spaced, parallel ribs, each rib having grooves in its inner and outer faces, a rail seated on said tie plate between said ribs, and a contractile spring clip of substantially C-shape engaged with each rib and in part overlying the adjacent portion of the rail base, each clip having its free end portions engaged in the grooves of its related rib and maintained therein by resilient contractive action of the clip.

5. In combination, a tie plate, a rail seated thereon, a rib on the tie plate adjacent to the edge of the rail base, said rib having an inwardly tapered longitudinally extending groove in its inner face, and a spring clip of substantially C- shape extending over said rib and in part over the rail base and having one free edge portion engaging the outer side of the rib and its other free edge portion engaging said groove, the last mentioned free edge portion of said clip being tapered to fit said groove and both free edge portions being maintained in engagement with the rib by resilient contractive action of the clip.

6. In combination, a tie plate having a pair of parallel ribs, each rib having an inwardly tapered longitudinally extending groove in each side face thereof, a rail seated on said tie plate between said ribs, and a spring clip of substantially C- shape engaged with each rib and in part overlying the adjacent portion of the rail, each clip having its free edge portions tapered and engaged in the grooves of its related rib and maintained therein by resilient contractive action of the clip.

7. In combination, a tie plate having an upstanding rib, a rail seated on said tie plate with the edge of its base adjacent to said rib, said rib having a groove in the side thereof adjacent to the rail, and a bowed spring clip extending over said rib and in part over the rail base and having its outer free end portion contractively engaging the outer side of said rib and its inner free end portion seated in said groove.

8. In combination, a tie plate having an upstanding rib, a rail seated on said tie plate with the edge of its base adjacent to said rib, a bowed spring clip extending over said rib and in part over the rail and having its inner and outer ends contractively engaging the innerand the outer sides of said rib, respectively, and means acting positively to prevent upward movement of the inner end of said spring clip relative to said rib.

9. In combination, a tie plate having an upstanding rib provided at both sides with clip holding elements, and a bowed spring clip arranged over the rib and resiliently contracted against the sides thereof to clamp itself in position and having its edges interlocking with said holding elements.

JAMES G. DELFOX.

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