Improvements in Fastening Devices for Railway Rails.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Fastening Devices for Railway Rails.
We, BARON EMERICH INKEY, Estate Owner, of Palais Royal; FRITZ FRISCH,
Mechanician, of Akadémia, U. 7, and IGNATZ SCHWARZ, Coalmine Owner, of
Erzsébet, Körut 18, all in Budapest, in the Kingdom of Hungary, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
This invention relates to rail fastenings on concrete sleepers which, owing
to its great simplicity, reduction in the number parts, and the facility with
which it can be mounted together, enables concrete sleepers to be used for
surface or level permanent ways without danger to the railway service or traffic.
The reasons which have led to the substitution of wooden rail sleepers by iron
sleepers, are well known. It is not intended to dwell upon these reasons, but it
may be stated that the principal reason is the comparatively greater price of
the wooden sleepers together with the circumstance that in large countries the
sleepers cannot all be made of the same raw material. Even in the case of iron
sleepers, certain conditions are required, viz. an excellent bedding material
which cannot always be obtained, but which is essential for the profitable use
of such iron sleepers. These latter are not suitable for very cold countries, as
it is well known that metals are good heat conductors and thus conduct the
lowest temperature of the air to the water which always collects in large quantity
under the sleeper, causing the water to freeze and expand and thereby lift the
rail and render the permanent way unsafe.
'
In cold countries where wood and also good bedding materials are rarely
found it is of great importance to employ concrete sleepers as has been proposed
many years ago for level permanent ways.
The practical difficulty against the general introduction of concrete sleepers,
which by being made at the place where used, and by their strength increasing
with time, and their resisting power against the influences of the elements (snow.
and ice), are most suitable, has always been that. it was too difficult to provide
means for fastening the rails owing to the peculiar nature of the material of whichi
the sleepers are made and which neither admits of nails or screws being used.
Now this objection is overcome according to the present invention by the
insertion into the material of the hollow sleeper of two iron plates, the one, on
the top, to correspond to the rail base and the other on the inner side of the
sleeper to serve as counter plate to the top plate which latter retains the hook.
formed end of the fastening means such as a bolt or the like.
By the use of these two plates one on the outside and one on the inner side of
the rail-sleeper the latter is in effect the same as an iron sleeper; or. in other-
words the present invention enables any means of fastening used for iron sleepers.
to be used for the above mentioned sleepers taking into account the inaccessibility.
of the hollow portion of the sleepers,

page_text: on
The invention further comprises a rail fastening device for use with concrete
sleepers which is provided with retaining claws arranged on the underside of the
rail supporting plate with the object of keeping the rail down, and
which are of square section rounded
in such
the opposite corners
a manner as to enable the bolt heads to pass through longitudinal slots arranged
parallel with the longitudinal direction of the rail both in the plates and in the
concrète sleeper. The bolts, after being introduced are turned round through
an angle of 90° so that the upper portion of the bolt rests like a wedge on the
inclined surface of the rail base and so presses the rail firmly onto the supporting
plate.
In all arrangements constructed in accordance with this invention it is neces-
sary to provide longitudinal slots for the introduction of the bolt heads, such slots
being afterwards blocked up with wedges or better still filled in with concrete.
The invention will be clearly understood with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a cross section of a rail and fastening constructed according to
the present invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified form of the rail fastening device.
Figure 3 is a like view of a further modified form.
Figure 4 is a plan of Figure 3 and
Figures 4 and 4" show details hereinafter referred to.
The arrangement shown in Figure 1 comprises a top or supporting plate 1
having a hook 3 adapted to retain the outer edge of the base of the rail 6-whose
opposite edge is secured by means of a clamping piece 4 which by means of bolt 5
is tightened partly upon the rail base and partly upon the supporting plate 1.
The bolts 5 are provided with hook shaped heads 7 adapted to be inserted through
longitudinal slots 9 in the upper plate 1, in the sleeper head 8, and in the inner
or lower plate 2 and then turned through an angle of 90°.
This arrangement as will be seen is similar to well known fastening means
for rails for use in conjunction with hook plates, with the exception however that
here the supporting plate, instead of being loose, is built into the material of
the sleeper.
When the supporting plate 1 is merely in form of a wedge shaped plate it is
necessary to have clamping pieces 4 on each side of the rail base 6 which are
secured in position by bolts.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 2 the complicated fittings heretofore
required are avoided by embedding the supporting plate 1.
Figures 3 and 4 show a, very simple form of fastener. It depends as before
on bolts 5 provided at top with a hook shaped head 4 and at bottom with a head 7
while the cross section of the shanks of the bolts is not circular but of a form to
allow the turning round thereof through 90° as may be clearly seen from
Figures 4 and 4. The cross-section here adopted, a square with two opposite
corners rounded, has the advantage, as compared with the circular section, of
preventing the heads of the bolts 5 turning round after the slots 9 have been
duly filled in with concrete or blocked by wedges. The turning round of the
bolts on their being introduced causes, the heads 4 thereof to travel up the incline
of the rail base 6 and so press the rail tightly upon the supporting plate 1.
'
In order to compensate for differences in the thickness of the plates 1 and 2
or in the sleeper head 8, or for a different length of bolt 5 washers may be placed
over the head 4 and under the cross head 7 so as to rest below the plate 2. Such
washers may be made of various thicknesses or a number of them may be employed
to insure a good fit.
The invention however, does not as already stated consist in the use of the
means for securing the rails and such means may be modified or altered to suit
various conditions and requirements.. Thus for example the plate 1 Figure 1.
may be used in conjunction with the fastening bolts 5 shown in Figures 3 to 5,
and again this latter may be used with any other fastening means,

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that
what we claim is:-
1. Fastening devices for railway rails for concrete sleepers, characterized by
outer and inner plates 1 and 2 fitted to the sleeper head 8 underneath the rails,
the first plate serving as supporting plate for the rail base, and the latter as
counter or binding plate to the fastening bolts 5.
2. A form of rail fastening device as claimed in Claim 1, characterized by a
top plate 1 being formed with an overlapping catch adapted to retain the outer
edge of the rail base while the inner edge of the same is firmly secured and
pressed onto the said plate by a clamping piece 4 (Figure 1).
3. A form of rail fastening device as claimed in Claim 1, characterized by
bolts 5 having an oblong head 7 and furnished with clamping pieces 4 and screw
nuts, such bolts being adapted to be introduced through longitudinal slots in
the plates 1 and 2 and in the concrete sleeper head 8 and then turned through 90°
so as to cause the head 7 to bear against the lower plate 2 so allowing the clamp-
ing piece 4 to be firmly pressed against the plate 1 by means of the screw nut as
shown in Figure 2:
4. A form of rail fastening device as claimed in Claim 1, characterized by
bolts 5 provided at the top with a. clamping head 4 and at bottom with an oblong
head and having a shank of square cross section the two diametrically opposite
corners of which are rounded off in such a manner as to enable the same to be
turned in the oblong slot 9 through an angle of 90° and so cause the clamping
head 4 thereof to travel up the inclined surface of the rail base and press it
firmly on to the plate 1 or on to a bearer plate connected to such plate (Figures 3,
4, 4 and 4).
May 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.