US1382511A - Rail-joint - Google Patents

Description

J. KATCHER.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED MAfLZh I921. 1,382,51 1 at nted une 1921. 3 QHEETS- T 1.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY ,1. KATCHER. RAIL 101m. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21.1921.

Patented June 21, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- JQ JQ. 2

J lam: 07 2. e7

INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESS:

J. KATCHER.

RAIL JOlNT.

PPPPP cmou FILED mmzp. 1921. I 1,3825 1 1 Patented June 21, 1921.

' a SHEETSSHEET s.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH KATCHER, OF MADEIRA, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

' Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d Ju 21 1921 Application filed March 21,1921. Serial No. 454,140.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH KATOHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Madera, in the county of Clearfield and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is aspecification.

'My present invention has reference to an improved means for connecting the confronting ends of railway rails.

A primary object is to produce a rail oint in which the rails are connected in a manner to hold the same against lateral, tilting or vertical movement and to permit only such longitudinal movement as required in the expansion and contraction of the rails,- without the employment of bolts and nuts or similar devices that are liable to disassocia tion by the pounding of the rolling stockon the rails.

Another important object is to produce a rail joint that will establish an electric bond,

and wherein the means holding the rails con nected may bearranged thereon after the rails have been brought into confrontingengagement, and likewise removed therefrom without necessitating themovement of the rails away from each other.

. bolt openings in the webs of therails, said plates having their outer faces provided with longitudinal wedge ribs, While arranged on the bottom of the rails and having its base in contacting engagement with the con fronting ends of the rails, is a yoke, the arms of the yoke having hooks one of which being designed to overlie and. contact with the rib on one of the, plates, the other hook being engaged by a wedge keyreceived in a suitable depression in the second plate, the said wedge'key overlying and in contacting engagement with the rib on the said second plate, while means is provided for locking the: wedge key and yoke associated to hold the latter against movement in any direction.v

The foregoing, and other objects which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, may be accomplished by a construction,combination and operative association of parts, such as is disclosed by the drawings which accompany'and which form part of this application. I 1

In the drawings 2- Figure 1 is a side elevation of two rails connected in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view but looking toward the opposite side of the rails.

Fig. 3 is a top plan View.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

. Fig. 6 is a similar sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view approximately on the line 77 of Fig. 4, but showing the yoke moved off of the ribs of the fish plates and the manner in which the same may be canted on the rail to arrange the yoke for engage- 'ment with the fish plates, or topermit of the removal of the said yoke.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view looking toward the outer face of one of the fish plates.

Fig. 9 is a similar view looking toward the inner face of one of the fish plates.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view looking toward the outer face of the second fish plate.

Fig. 11 is a similar view looking toward the inner'face of the saidfish plate.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the wedge ke V a I lieferring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral 1 designates the confronting ends of two railway rails. The rails have their webs. provided with the usual bolt openings.

My improved joint contemplates the provision of two fish plates which are indicated by the numerals2 and 3 respectively. Each fish plate has its inner face provided with projecting lugs 4 and round openings providing pockets 5 between the lugs. The lugs 4 of the fish plates aredesigned to be passed through the bolt openings in the webs of the rails, and the lugs on one of the fish platesv are designed to'be received in the openings or pockets 5 of the adjacent fish plates. The bolt openings in the rails are elongated to permit of the proper expansion and contraction of the rails without influencing the joint provided 'by the fish'plates. Two of the lugs, on the fish plate 2 are surrounded by copper sleeves 6, and embedded in a suitterfered with by -spective rails 1.

gagement thereof withthe webs of there-' Thus an electric bond is established between the rails Which is not inthe expansion and contraction ofthe rails. 3 Both fish plates have their body portions of a thickness approximately equaling the distance between the sides of the heads of the rails and the webs thereof. The fish plates have on their outer straight faces, at

the center thereof, longitudinally extending ribs 8 and 9 respectively. These ribs project outwardly from the lower angle edges of thefis'h plates. The-outer face of each of ther-lbs 41s arranged at an upward incliuation, as indicated by )the numeral 10,

and each. ribis-wedge shaped. that is the same is gradually decreased inthickness ,from one to its opposite end. "The upper or top surface of each of the ribs 8 and 9 is flat,-as at 11', and the outer face of the fish plate 2, inv a line with the said upper surface .11 of the riblO thereon is provided with a longitudinal'groove' 12. The inner wall of this groove 1s1ncl1ned,'as at 13, and

the said groove is gradually decreased in depth from one end thereof to the other end, the inclination being arranged opposite to the inclined or beveled outer surface of the ribs, 1

The numeral 14 designates a yoke member. The yoke has its" base 15 provided with a flat upper surface 16, and the arms 17- and 18Iof'the yoke have their inner surfaces arranged at an upward inclinatiom'as at 19 respectively and are beveled from one of their sides. to their opposite sides, to conform to the beveled or-wedge surfaces .9 and 10 of the ribsS on the respective fish plates with which the arms of the yokefengage. Each arm, 1.7 and 18 has at its upper portion aninwardly directed projection providin a jaw.

The j aw, on the arm 17 is indicated by the numeral 20, and that on the arm 18 by'the numeral 21. The jaw 21 I is formed by cutting'the innerface of the arm v18-at an outward inclination, as indicated by the numeral 22, pr0viding the said arm witha flat shoulder 23 below the jaw 21.

'Asdisclosed in Fig.1 of the drawings the yoke is of a-size and construction to permit of the .same being canted and arranged on the base of therail outward of the fis'h plates,

so thatthe fish plates may be properly posi tioned on-the rail ends before 'theyoke'is "moved therecver. The yoke, when arranged onvthe fish plates will have the inclined and i V 'beveled'i-nner surfaces'19'of their arms 17 and 18 contacting with the'beveled-surfaces of the ribs of the respective fish plates, and when in proper position, the straight upper surface 16 .of the base w of the yokewill; be disposed centrally of the meeting ends of the rails. The jaw 21 is projected a suitable distance above the .rib' 10, and forced into the wedge slot 12 in the fish plate 2 and jaw 21' an element, suchas a cotter pin'26 is inserted through one of the openings .25.

Preferably, one of the of the co tter'pin is bent against one ofthe'sides of the arm 18, as disclosed in' F. ig.'6 otthe .cl aw gs which will assist n hold ng the yoke aga nst movement. 1

The rails are su ported on the. usual ties, the ties, adjacent to the confronting ends of the rails being positioned a suitable distancefrom the. joint. The fish plates. are applied 'to the opposite sides of the rails. The yoke is then arranged beneath thejrails, first in the canted positionillustrated in Fig.

7 of the drawings, outward of the ribs B and 9. -The y'okeis then moved iupwardly so that the surface 16 thereof is brought against the flat base of the rails, andthe yoke is moved in :the direction of the .ribs

so that the inclined inner e'dges' offits arms '17 and 1 8 will be in frictional erjgagement with the outer beveled and incline" h ribs u i he a dvqke is dispqsedapproximately centrally with respect to the inserted between ,the wall of the groove l2 eds therib'sS and 9. The yoke is moved along and the inner inclined wall of th e jaw 21,

and when wedged between these walls the cotterpin 26 .is inserted through one of; the

openings 25 in the wedge, and the rails are connected a comparatively simple but thoroughly effective manner.

- Having described he inventionlclaimk lfIn combination with the confrol iting ends" f Tails h ing bolt openingsfthrougih their webspof fish lates on of the. rails, lugs on t e fish plates passing throughv the openings in thejrailga Wedge ribon the outer face o f'eaj h pea a as having jaw portlons one of which is fi ranged over the wedge b Of 9116 R 94 wedge keyarranged over t'herib 'oif the 0nd plate and received .thefsecorid' the'yoke. I I I r .2. In combination with the conffgqgtigg 105. meeting ends of .the rails. The jaw '20 is i now arranged over lthegflat upper surface l l'of the-,rib 9 .on thefishplate 3,,and the jaw 21 is'brought opposite thegrQO Ve'12in the fish plate.2.. The wedge key 24:1 .5 new the outer face of each ends of rails having bolt openings through their webs, of fish plates on the sides of the rails, lugs on the fish plates passing through the openings in the rails, a. wedge rib on plate, a yoke having jaw portions one of which is arranged over the wedge rib of one plate, a wedge key arranged over the rib of the second plate and received in the second jaw of the yoke, and removable means sustaining the wedge key in such engagement.

3. In combination with the confronting ends of rails having bolt openings through their webs, of fish plates on the sides of the rails, lugs on the fish plates passing through the openings in the rails, a wedge rib on the outer face of each plate, a yoke having its arms arranged at an inclination and beveled from one to the opposite edge thereof and having jaws at their outer ends, said yoke designed to be moved over the plates to cause the inclined surfaces of their arms to engage with the wedge surfaces of the ribs and to arrange the base of the yoke beneath the confronting ends of the rails, one of said jaws overlying and in contacting engagement with the upper surface of the rib of one of the plates, and a wedge key disposed over the rib of the second plate, in engagement with the jaw of the second arm of the plate, and means holding said wedge key in such engagement.

4. In combination with the confronting ends of rails having bolt openings through their webs, of fish plates on the sides of the rails, lugs on the fish plates passing through the openings in the rails, a wedge rib on the outer face of each plate, one of said plates having a wedge slot in the plane of the upper wall. of the rib thereon, a yoke having inclined arms provided with angular confronting faces and jaws at the outer ends thereof, designed to be forced over the rails and fish plates to bring the under face of the yoke in a line with the confronting ends of the rails and in contact therewith, the arms of the yoke in engagement with the wedge faces of the ribs, one of the jaws in contacting engagement with the upper face of one of the ribs, and the opposite jaw above the rib on the opposite fish plate, and a wedge key inserted in the wedge slot in the last mentioned fish plate and received in the jaw of the yoke adjacent thereto, and removable means holding the wedge key in such engagement.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

' JOSEPH KATCHER.

Images