US2009849A - Railroad track spike - Google Patents

Description

July 30, 1935. E, KEOUGH 2,009,849

RAILROAD TRACK SPIKE Original Filed May 16, 1931 'INVENTOR ROBERT EMMET KEOUGH AT T YS Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATES RAILROAD TRACK SPIKE Robert Emmet Keough, La Grange, Ill., assignor of one-half to Charles W. Breed, Western Springs, Ill.

Application May 16, 1931, Serial No. 537,814

Renewed December 26, 1934 3 Claims. (QL'85-28) This invention relates to track spikes of the type designed particularly for use in railroad work, and employed principally for holding the track or running rails to the ties. One object of the invention is to provide a reversible form of track spike having a head which overhangs or projects equally at both sides. Another objectis to provide a spike having a head with less overhang than the present standard'spike whereby it is less likely to be bent if driven too forcibly after the head has made contact with the rail flange. And a further'object is to provide a spike formed with a head so designed as to minimize the likelihood of bending the spike in withdrawing it with a claw 'or similar tool. The invention consists in certain features of construction herein shown and described, and more particularly indicated in the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of a track spike embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a top plan view showing the outline of the head and its relation to the shank.

Figure 4 is a side elevation showing a standard type of track spike as bent by over-driving.

Figure 5 is a side elevation indicating the tendency for a standard type of track spike to be bent during withdrawal by a claw bar.

Figure 6 is a side elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 6 on Figure 2.

For many years the standard form of railway track spike has been made with a shank of substantially square cross section and with a head whose projection or overhang laterally from the shank was substantially greater than the thickness of the shank. Such spikes are shown in Figures 4 and 5, and also in dotted outline in Figure 1. However, experience indicates that this overhang is considerably greater than necessary, especially since adoption of present tieplate constructions, and that in some cases it is a real detriment because when the extreme edge, A, of the head of such a spike, S, engages the surface of the rail flange, B, and is struck an excessively heavy blow or an additional blow with a maul or hammer, the resistance of the flange, B, acting upwardly against the spike head at A, tends to distort the hook or head, as indicated with some exaggeration in Figure 4, and thus leaves the spike head somewhat bent in such shape that it is unfit to be used over. For when the edge of the head has been thus bent up at A, as shown in Figure 4, and the workman attempts to drive such a spike, his hammer is more than likely to encounter this turned-up edge, A, throwing a severe bending moment into the spike and tending to spring the shank and cause the spike to snap out of position. And when the head is bent in this form it is impossible for 5 the workman in the field to straighten it cold. Also following a derailment the track spikes of the standard type are frequently found in the condition illustrated in Figure 4, because the hammer blows of the car wheels as they slip oil 10 the rails, having the same sheet on the spikes as over-driving. The present invention reduces the overhang of the edge, A, of the head from the'shank, thus reducing the leverage through which pressure against the under side of the head can operate in the event of over-driving, and very much reducing the tendencyfor the head to be distorted in this way In the standard form of spike the lateral overhang'of the head, marked at C in Figure 5, is in the nature of a straight but somewhat inclined flange which may be engaged initially at any point in its length by the toe of a claw, such as thatv indicated at G, when the spike is to be withdrawn. If the point of engagement is not I directly in the median plane of the spike shank the force exerted by the claw will have a tendency to bend the shank and usually does so.

The present invention overcomes these objectionable features by providing a spike which is illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, and in which the square shank, l, is formed with the usual chisel point, 2, but is surmounted by a specially formed head, 3. The spike is normally inserted with the blade or edge, 4, of the chisel point positioned parallel to the track and with one of the faces,

5, against or adjacent the edge of the rail flange. The head, 3, has overhanging portions, 6, 6, extending respectively beyond the planes of the faces, 5, 5, and exactly equal in extent, so that either of these faces, 5, 5, may be used against the edge of the rail flange and either overhang, 6, Will serve to engage the top of the flange or a splice bar associated with it, as indicated in dotted outline in Figure I. The extent of the overhang, 6, is marked at W and is substantially less than the thickness of the shank, being shown as equal to about half the thickness, D, of the shank, I, so that as it comes into contact with the top of the rail flange the bending strain which it is capable of transferring to the shank of the spike is much less than that which occurs when a standard spike is used. The under surface, 6, of each of the overhanging portions, 6, slopes upwardly and outwardly at substantially the same inclination 5 to the horizontal as in the standard spike so as to properly seat on the correspondingly inclined upper surface of a rail flange. This inclination is commonly in the ratio of four to one.

Another advantage of the present construction is indicated in Figure 1, which shows in dotted outline not only a portion of a track rail, J, but also a joint or splice bar, K, having a lower flange which overlies the base flange, J of the rail, so that at the joint the spikes must engage this lower flange of the splice bar, K, instead of engaging the rail flange directly. The upperflange, K of the joint bar projects outwardly to such an extent as to render it impossible to start and drive a standard spike, S (shown in dotted outline) without tilting it slightly from a correct vertical position, whereas with the reduced overhang, 6, of the present improved spike it can be set vertically adjacent the edge of the rail flange, J in the position shown in the dot-dash outline in Figure l, and may thus be driven straight home to the position indicated in full lines. As shown in the plan view in Figure 3, the overhanging portions, 5, of the head terminate in straight edges or lips, 6 the remaining outline of the head, however, consists of arcuate edges, l which define the laterally overhanging portions, 1, cf the head flange. The under surface of each of the flanges, l, slopes downwardly from both edges, 6*, substantially to the median plane of the shank, I, where the two slopes merge in a ridge or apex, T which is downwardly convex in a vertical plane transverse to the chisel edge of the spike and the track rail, as seen in Figure 6. This under side of each flange, l, is also inclined upwardly and outwardly from the shank of the spike to afford initial clearance for the insertion of a claw or like tool when the spike is to be withdrawn. It will be evident that by reason of the oppositely inclined surfaces merging in the apex, l the initial contact of the claw will be almost certainly with this apex .portion, 1*, which is in the plane of the center line or axis of the spike shank, l. Therefore the upward pressure on the under side of the head will be in line with this axis and will have no tendency to bend the spike as does the pressure of the claw, G, shown in Figure 5, as applied against the straight under surface, H, of the standard spike, S, therein illustrated.

I claim:

1. A track spike having a head comprising a portion'projecting'at one side for overhanging and engaging the foot flange of a track rail, said head comprising portions projecting at opposite sides of the spike transversely of the track-railengaging portion and symmetrically with respect to the medial vertical plane of the spike body transversely of the track rail, said opposite head portions having their under sides curved convexly downward about a horizontal axis in the medial vertical plane of the spike parallel to the track rail.

2. A track spike having a head comprising symmetrically projecting portions at opposite sides of a medial vertical plane of the spike body parallel to the track rail for alternatively overhanging and engaging the foot flange of the track rail, said head comprising portions projecting at opposite sides of the spike transversely of the track-rail-engaging portion and symmetrically with respect to the medial vertical plane of the spike body transversely of the track rail, said opposite head portions having their under sides curved convexly downward about a horizontal axis in the medial vertical plane of the spike parallel to the track rail.

3. A track spike having a head comprising a portion projecting at one side for overhanging and engaging the foot flange of a track rail, said head comprising portions projecting at opposite sides of the spike transversely of the rail-engaging portion and with their under sides formed convex downwardly, the lowest points of said convex portions lying in the medial vertical plane of the spike body parallel to the track rail.

ROBERT EMMET KEOUGH.

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