RAILWAY FASTENING CLIP

Abstract: A railway fastening clip for securing a rail comprises an elongate member (1), formed so as to consist of a first longitudinal leg (2), and a second longitudinal leg (3), the legs being resiliently connected at one end of the member, and an ear formation (4) extending transversely beyond the first leg.

Description: RAILWAY FASTENING CLIP Technical Field This invention relates to a railway fastening clip for securing a rail to a sleeper. Background Art The use of railway fastening clips to secure rails to sleepers is well known. The sleepers used generally in underground mines, as well as those used in railways in many countries, consist of concrete castings, provided with steel eye formations to allow the securing of rails thereto using steel clips. The conventional railway fastening clips used in conjunction with such sleepers consist of a steel element formed so as to comprise a spiral including bree straight parallel sections, each disposed, in operation, co- linearly with the rail. In operation, the central straight section passes through the eye, and one of the other straight sections passes over a shoulder in the eye while the other exerts a downward force on the base of the rail, thereby securing it in position. In order to achieve the down force necessary to secure the rail to the sleeper, the clips have an arched section which protrudes substantially above the sleeper. The protrusion of the clips renders them vulnerable to impacts, and problems are thus experienced with the breakage and displacement of these clips, often caused by impact from derailed carriages. As clips break, rails become loose, and the risk of further derailments is increased. In addition, the cost of producing such clips is relatively high, both in terms of the material used and the time and labour expended in forming the clips. It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a railway fastening clip which will overcome, or at least reduce the above disadvantages. Disclosure of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a railway fastening clip for securing a rail to a support, the clip comprising an elongate member, formed so as to consist of a first longitudinal leg; and a second longitudinal leg, the legs being resiliently connected at one end of the member; and an ear formation extending transversely beyond the first leg. The member may have an upper and a lower side, and the end of the first leg proximate to the connected end may be lower than the second leg. The legs may be substantially parallel. Alternatively, the first leg may be inclined upwardly by up to 20°. The free end of each of the legs remote from the connected end of the member may be inclined upwardly. The angle of inclination may be up to 45°, and preferably 4°, and the distance from the end at which the inclination begins may be between 5 and 50 mm and preferably approximately 10 mm. The ear formation may consist of a loop section connecting the legs. The part of the loop defining the end of the member may be curved outwardly towards the upper side of the clip. The first leg may extend beyond the second leg. The member may be manufactured of steel suitable for oil quenching in production to a hardness of at least 32 Re, and preferably at least 57 Re. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a set of mirrored left and right, substantially as defined above. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided the use of a clip as defined above for securing a rail in position. Brief description of the Drawings The invention will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein: Figure 1 is a side view of a standard steel eye, set into a concrete sleeper; Figure 2 is a plan view of a prior art clip; Figure 3 is an end view of the clip shown in figure 2; Figure 4 is a plan view of a clip in accordance with the invention; Figure 5 is an end view of the clip shown in figure 4; Figure 6 is a side view of the clip shown in figure 5; Figure 7 is an end view of an alternative embodiment of the invention; Figure 8 is a side view of the clip shown in figure 7; and Figure 9 is a perspective view of a set of clips in accordance with the invention, shown here in operation securing a rail to a sleeper. Please note that the same reference numerals are used to indicate corresponding items in the drawings. Modes for Carrying out the Invention Figure 1 shows a steel eye (8), such as typically used in railways, inset into a sleeper (7). The eye (8) includes a shoulder (8.1 ). A prior art clip, such as generally used in conjunction with such sleepers is shown in figures 2 and 3 and consists of a steel element (9) formed so as to comprise a spiral including three straight parallel sections (10-12), each disposed, in operation, co-linearly with the rail. In operation, the central straight section (11 ) passes through the eye (8), and one of the other straight sections passes over the shoulder (8.1 ) while the other exerts a downward force on the base of the rail, thereby securing it in position. In order to achieve the down force necessary to secure the rail to the sleeper (7), the prior art clip has an arched section (13) which protrudes substantially above the sleeper (7). A railway fastening clip for securing a rail in accordance with the invention is shown in figures 3 to 5. The clip comprises an elongate member (1 ), formed so as to consist of a first longitudinal leg (2), and a second longitudinal leg (3), the legs being resiliently connected at one end of the member, and an ear formation (4) extending transversely beyond the first leg. The member (1 ) has an upper side (1.1 ) and a lower side (1.2), and the end of the first leg (2) proximate to the connected end is lower than the second leg (3). In one embodiment of the invention, the first leg (2) and the second leg (3) are substantially parallel. In another embodiment, as shown in figures 6 and 7, the first leg (2) is inclined upwardly by 4°, so as in operation to increase the down-force exerted on the rail. It is envisaged that the inclination could be up to 20°. In order to prevent accidental displacement of the clip, the free end of each of the first leg (2) and the second leg (3) remote from the connected end of the member is also inclined upwardly. The angle of inclination is 4° and the distance from the end from which the inclination begins is between 5 and 50 mm and preferably in the region of 10 mm. The ear formation (4) consists of an loop open (5), connecting the legs. A part of the loop (5.1 ), defining the end of the member, is slightly curved outwardly towards the upper side (1.1 ) of the clip. The length of the first leg (2) extends beyond that of the second leg (3). The member is manufactured of steel suitable for oil quenching in production to a hardness of 57 Re. It is envisaged that a hardness of at least 32 Re could suffice. A mirrored left and right set of clips, substantially as described above is provided in accordance with the invention. Figure 9 shows a pair of clips (1 ), as described above, securing a rail (6) to a sleeper (7) by passing through steel eye formations (8). It is anticipated that the use of a clip substantially as described above will overcome or at least reduce the disadvantages stated above. It will be appreciated that many embodiments of the invention could be performed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims hereunder.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A railway fastening clip suitable for securing a rail to a support, characterised in the clip comprising an elongate member, formed so as to consist of a first longitudinal leg; and a second longitudinal leg, the legs being resiliently connected at one end of the member; and an ear formation extending transversely beyond the first leg. 2. A clip as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in the member having an upper and a lower side, with the end of the first leg proximate to the connected end being lower than the second leg. 3. A clip as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 characterised in that the free end of each of the legs remote from the connected end of the member is inclined upwardly. 4. A clip as claimed in claim 3 characterised in the angle of inclination being less than 40°. 5. A clip as claimed in claim 4 characterised in the angle of inclination being 4°. 6. A clip as claimed in any of claims 3 to 5 characterised in that the distance from the end at which the inclination begins is between 5 and 50 mm. 7. A dip as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that the distance from the end at which the inclination begins is 10 mm. 8. A clip as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 characterised in the ear formation consisting of a loop section connecting the legs. 9. A clip as claimed in claim 8, characterised in that the part of the loop defining the end of the member is curved outwardly towards the upper side of the clip. 10. A clip as claimed in any of the preceding claims characterised in the length of the first leg extending beyond the second leg. 11. A clip as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the member is manufactured of steel suitable for oil quenching in production to a hardness of at least 32 Re. 12. A clip as claimed in claim 11 characterised in that the member is manufactured of steel suitable for oil quenching in production to a hardness of 57 Re. 13. A set of mirrored, left and right orientated clips, each of the left and right clips comprising an elongate member, formed so as to consist of a first longitudinal leg, and a second longitudinal leg, which are resiliently connected at one end of the member, and an ear formation extending transversely beyond the first leg. 14. The use of a clip, comprising an elongate member, formed so as to consist of a first longitudinal leg, and a second longitudinal leg, which are resiliently connected at one end of the member, and an ear formation extending transversely beyond the first leg, to secure a rail to a sleeper.

Inventors: STRYDOM MARIUS SIGFRIED, WEBER ANDRE CORNELIUS, STRYDOM, MARIUS, SIGFRIED, WEBER, ANDRE, CORNELIUS
Applicants: STRYDOM MARIUS SIGFRIED, WEBER ANDRE CORNELIUS, STRYDOM, MARIUS, SIGFRIED, WEBER, ANDRE, CORNELIUS
Application year: 2000
Main classification: E01B9
IPC codes: E01B1, E01B9