US2161149A - Rail joint shim - Google Patents

Description

June 6, 1939. F|F|ELD 2,161,149

RAIL JOINT SHIM Original Filed May 5, 1933 Enncntor Alberf .F'f/e/d By a)? +614 41 His G megs.

Patented June 6, 1939 UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFIQE The American Fork & The Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Original application May 3, 1933, Serial No.

669,218, now Patent No. 2,101,900, dated December 14, 1937. Divided and this application April 30, 1937, Serial N0. 139,996

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in rail joint constructions and particularly to improvements in two-part shims to effect compensation for wear of the elements of rail joints.

At the juncture of two rail ends of a railway track, it is customary toprovide a joint construction comprising a pair of rail clamping joint side bars, or so-called fishplates, wedgingly engaging the undersides of the rail heads and the upper sides of the rail flanges and clamped to the rails by bolts extending through aligned perforations in the vertical rail webs and the joint bars.

After continued use, due to passage of trains over the track, the engaging surfaces of the rail ends and the joint bars become worn away producing a tapered crevice intermediate the upper fishing surfaces of the joint bars and the under surfaces of the rail heads, the greatest wear of the rail heads occurring nearest the rail ends. Since the ends of the rails are usually separated, a fillet or fin is left on the joint bar at the ends of the rails which is not worn away as is the case with the more remote portions of the joint bars.

An object of my invention is to so form the two-part shim as to escape undesirable contact with the said fin of the joint bar.

Another object of my invention is to provide a joint construction comprising an improved shim which may be used between the rail heads at the ends of the rails and the joint side bar to compensate for wear which has occurred therein.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved shim of the type referred to so constructed that the above mentioned fin may not interfere with the fit of the shim between the joint bars and the rails.

Another object of my invention is'to provide an improved shim of the type referred to having means for suitably positioning it in wear compensating position and to maintain it with full operative effect in such position.

Another object of my invention is to provide a shim of the type referred to so constructed that liability to breakage thereof when subjected to the strains and shocks of use in wear compensating position in a rail joint, will be minimized.

Another object of my invention is to provide a two-piece shim construction adapted to compensate for wear occurring on the joint bar and the two rail ends and in which the two corre- 5 sponding Wear compensating portions of the shim may be prevented from shifting relative to each other in use. 4

Other objects of my invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains.

My invention is fully described in the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: i

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a two-part shim elementwhich is another embodiment of my invention with the parts in disassembled relation to illustrate certain features thereof;

Fig. 2 is a top plan View to enlarged scale of the shim of Fig. 1 with the parts in assembled relative relation;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational fragmentary view to an enlarged scale of the shim of Fig. 2, applied to a rail joint.

Fig. 4 is a view taken from the plane 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, I have illustrated my invention embodied in a shim in two parts, adapted to be disposed end to end in mutually abutting relation and when so disposed constituting in effect a one-piece shim.

The two parts indicated generally at l and 2 are each generally angular in cross-section and each has a depending lug portion 3 and 4; and each is provided with a notch 5 and 6, the lugs 3-4 and notches 56 being so disposed that when the two parts of the shim are disposed in abutting relation as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the two notches 5 and 6 compose a single notch 1 in the intermediate portion of the shim and the two lugs 3 and 4 are of such size and disposition that they will constitute a single lug 8 in the intermediate portion of the shim.

The shim illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is one which is of the so-called two-part or halfshim type and the special means later described comprising the off-set projections 9 and [0 are provided to prevent the overlapping of the two aligned half shims in track after use. The two half shims of a related pair are susceptible to use alone or together depending upon the condition of the joint and the nature of the traffic on the track comprising such a joint. For instance, in strictly one-way trafiic, the wear will be principally occasioned under one only of the rail heads. Commonly, however, the second shim of the pair will also be used although this may often be a much thinner shim. In such a case, however, the means later more particularly described are employed to prevent the overlapping of the two half shims.

InFig. 3 it will be seen that the manner of application of the half shim is like that commonly employed, the shim being shown applied. to the rail joint ends I], the joint bar and bolts being omitted to expose the inner parts.

The generally vertical flanges II and E2 of the two parts may, if desired, be of uniform thickness and the wear compensating flanges l3 and I4 may be of tapering thickness toward the outer ends thereof. If desired, both flanges may be of tapering thickness and of relatively great length.

When the shim constructed as just-described is placed against the rail ends'and between the rails and the bars, the composite notch 1 provides a stem space into which the stem may project. When the bolts have been put in place and the nuts thereof drawn up tight, the flanges of the shim will fit in the worn away portions of the rails and the worn bar and rails may thus be continuous in use.

The longitudinal extent of the composite lug 8 forming in a sense a portion of the flanges H and I2 is such as to substantially fit between the two innermost adjacent bolts and thus position the two-part shim longitudinally when installing it thereafter preventing its displacement longitudinally if it should tend tocreep in use. In Fig. 3 the shim parts I and 2 are shown with the flanges l3 and I4 disposed in abutting relation to the underside of the rail heads H.

The inner abutting edges 15 and N3 of the two parts of the shim are provided with offset portions 9 and I0 formed by a pressing operation on the sheet metal of the flanges H and I2 and the lug portions 3 and 4. Preferably the offset portions 9 are pressed inwardly and the offset portions it) outwardly. Preferably also, the opposing offset portions 99 are slightly offset from each other vertically as are the offset portions 53-46, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. These offset portions provide relatively thick abutting portions on the two adjacent parts of the shim and prevent one part from being overlappingly displaced upon the other part when in the position of use.

By constructing the shim in two parts, two halves having different degrees of thickness, taper, or even of different lengths, may be selected and, combined to form a single shim in c'or-' respondence with unequal amounts of wear to be compensated for on the two sides of the medial plane of the joint, but in each case, when the two-part shim is installed, it may in all respects effect the wear compensating function of a single or one-piece shim. Any weakening of the shim by the composite notch l is compensated for by the composite lug 8 and thus tendency of the shim to crystallize and crack in its intermediate portion when in use is prevented. The composite lug 8, as clearly illustrated, makes the area of the shim blank approximately the same at its middle portion where the composite notch '1 occurs, as it is in the laterally extending wings and preferably the composite lug 8 extends oppositely to the composite notch l a greater distance than the distance represented by the width of the blank at laterally remote portions of the shim, so that notwithstanding the composite notch the shim is stronger at the notch middle portion than it is in portions laterally remote from the notch. This is particularly important, since the rails and joint side bars during passage of trains over the track may be moved upwardly and'downwardly with considerable force, and it is exceedingly important that the vertically disposed portion of the shim be made much wider at the middle portion of the shim than elsewhere, so as to withstand the component of resulting stress tending to shear or break the shim into two parts.

By virtue of my present invention whereby liability to fracture of the unitary shim into two parts is prevented whenever the shim or either part of the shim is insufficiently thick in its wear compensating portions to fill a crevice in the joint occasioned by wear, a new and thicker shim can be substituted therefor and the said older shim be renewed for use in other joints where the wear is not so excessive.

The present application is a divisional of my copending application, Serial No. 669,218 filed May 3, 1933 Patent No. 2,101,900 issued December 14, 1937, for One-piece rail joint shims and reference may be had thereto for a more complete understanding of the application of my invention.

Having thus described my invention in specific embodiments, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made therefrom but without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. Awear compensating means for rail end joints of the class comprising a side bar and bolts projected through the bar and through the rail web comprising a two-part metallic shim each part of angular cross-section, thetwo parts adapted to be disposed end to end and positioned between the bar and the rail, and tapering in thickness toward their opposite ends, the adjacent ends of the vertical flanges of the two parts having means locally and vertically offset to prevent one shim part from being overlappingly displaced longitudinally relative to the other part.

2. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized by having a notch in adjacent ends of corresponding horizontal flanges of the two parts of the shim providing jointly a clearance portion for a projection on the joint side bar and having a lug on the vertical flange of each part engageable each with a lateral portion of one of a pair of adjacent bolts to prevent longitudinal displacement in the other direction.

3. A wear compensating means as described in claim. 1 characterized by one of the flange portions adapted to project between the web of the rail and the joint bar being of substantially the same thickness throughout its length.

4. A wear compensating means for rail end joints of the class comprising a side bar and bolts projected through the bar and through the rail web comprising a two-part metallic shim each part being of angular cross-section, the two parts adapted to be disposed end to end and positioned between the bar and the rail and tapering in thickness toward their opposite ends, the vertical flange of at least one part being provided with a projecting element extending perpendicular to the plane of the said flange to prevent one shim part from being overlappingly displaced longitudinally relative to the other part, the adjacent ends of the horizontal flanges having notches therein providing jointly a clearance portion for a projection on the joint side bar, and one of the vertical flanges of each part being provided with a lug engageable each with a lateral portion of one of a pair of adjacent bolts to prevent longitudinal displacement of the shims relative to each other.

5. A wear compensating means for rail end joints of the class comprising a side bar and bolts projected through the bar and through the rail web comprising a two-part metallic shim each part being of angular cross-section, the two parts adapted to be disposed end to end and positioned between the bar and the rail and tapering in thickness toward their opposite ends, and the vertical flange of each part having a projection extending perpendicular to the flange plane so as to be vertically offset from the corresponding projection on the other part substantially at the meeting plane of the joint to prevent longitudinal overlapping of the shim parts and the two parts having notches in adjacent ends of their horizontal flanges providing jointly a clearance portion for a projection on the joint side bar.

6. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized by one of the shim portions being of a different degree of thickness than the other shim portion.

'7. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized by one of the shim portions being of a difierent degree of taper than the other shim portion,

8. A wear compensating means as described in claim 1 characterized by one of the shim portions the rail and the joint bar, being thicker than the corresponding portion of the wear compensating flange portion for the other part disposed at the same distance from the meeting plane of the joint.

10. A rail compensating means for rail and joints of the class comprising a side bar and'bolt projected through the bar and through the rail web comprising a two-part metallic shim each part of angular cross-section, the two parts adapted to be disposed end to end and positioned between the bar and the rail, and tapering in thickness towards their opposite ends, and the adjacent ends of the vertical flanges of the two parts having projections extending perpendicularly to the plane of the vertical flanges to pre- 20 vent longitudinal overlapping of the shim parts.

ALBERT F. FIFIELD.

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