Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
Year: 1899

page_text: Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
We, ELLSWORTH ROBINSON and JOSHUA CRAWFORD, Inventors, both of New-
ton, lowa, U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to railway joints; the object of the invention being to
provide means whereby the abutting ends of rails can be securely joined in an
expeditious manner.
By this invention we provide two fish-plates which are bent to conform to the
rau at their lower portions, and are preferably partly secured in place by having
their edges passed beneath the projecting heads of spikes driven into the sleepers.
The fish-plates have oblong apertures which coincide with an aperture in the
web of the rail. The periphery of the aperture in one plate is countersunk to
form an inclined surface surrounding the aperture.
Bolts are provided, and have their ends bent over upon themselves so that
their extremities face the outer surface of the fish-plate.
The bolts are passed through the coincident oblong apertures and are then
turned so that their inturned ends ride over the inclined surface of the fish-
plate; the plates being drawn towards the web of the rail by the wedging
action of the inclined surface.
Either depressions or ribs may be made on the inclined surface, if desired, to
prevent the bolt from rotating by vibration.
Improvements in Railway Rail Joints.
We, ELLSWORTH ROBINSON and JOSHUA CRAWFORD, Inventors both of New:
ton, Iowa, U.S.A., do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to performed to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
The object of our invention is to prevent the dangers and losses of life and
property incident to the loosening of nuts on bolts in railway rail joints and the
impairing of such joints and spreading of tracks and derailing of locomotives
and cars occasioned by the loosening of nuts.

page_text: Our invention consists in a railway-rail joint in which there is no screw-bolt
or nut and constructed as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the claims, and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a splice-bar in the form of an angle-iron
provided with elongated apertures and inclined planes surrounding the aper-
tures. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a mating splice-bar that has elongated
apertures but no inclined planes on its face. Fig. 3 shews the end portion of a
rail provided with elongated apertures in the web and inclined relative to head
and Hanges. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a key adapted to take the place of
a screw-bolt and nut for binding and locking the overlying parts of a railway-
rail joint together as required to produce an improved railway track. Fig. 5
is a perspective view of my invention and rig. 6 is an enlarged transverse
sectional view of the joint, shewing all the overlying parts securely clamped and
locked together by means of the key that engages the inclined plane on the face
of one of the splice bars.
At
The letter A designates an angle-iron or splice-bar provided with a plurality
of oblong and inclined apertures 6 and inclined planes c around the apertures,
produced by forming circular depressions in the outside face of the bar.
the circumference of each depression there are a plurality of arcs d and re-
entering points f between the arcs, adapted to engage the head of the locking
key, as hereinafter set forth.
A2 is a
mating angle-iron or splice-plate provided with elongated apertures
that extend horizontally and are angular and inclined at one end and curved at
the other end, as shewn in Fig. 2.
Elongated apertures that are curved at each end and inclined relative to the
heads and flanges of the abutting ends of the rails are formed in the webs of the
rails, as shewn in Fig. 3.
His a key adapted to serve as a screw-bolt and nut. It has an enlarged
conical extension and angular head J at one end and a lateral hooked shaped
extension K at the other end, and the end of said extension is inclined to serve
as a wedge to engage an inclined plane c on the face of the splice-bar A as
required to draw and bind together the two splice-bars that overlic the webs of
abutting ends of rails, as shewn in Figs. 5 and 6. The outer face of the hook
shaped extension is convex and adapted to enter and engage the arcs d at the
circumference of the depression and inclined plane c around the aperture b in
the splice-bar A, and m is a groove in the said convex face of the part K,
adapted to admit the points f to enter and fasten the key, so as to require
applied force to rotate the key and wedge either backward or forward on the in-
clined plane c
In the practical use of my invention the hook shaped ends K of the keys H
are first passed through the elongated apertures in the splice-bar A2 and that
bar then placed in position to allow the hook shaped end to pass through the
apertures in the web of the rails and the coinciding apertures in the splice-
bar A, that overlies the webs of the rails. The keys H are then turned by
means of a wrench placed on their heads or in any other suitable manner, so
that the inclined wedge shaped faces of the ends of the hooked extensions K
will overlie the inclined planes c, as required to draw and lock all the over-
lying parts together by advancing the wedge shaped faces of the ends of the
keys upwards on the inclined planes as far as they can be forced and as required
to lock and fasten the keys by being engaged by the re-entering points for the
ares at the circumferences of the depressions and inclined planes in the
face of the splice-bar A. To unlock a railway-joint thus constructed, the keys H
must be turned in a reverse way relative to the inclined planes.
Having thus described the construction and function of each part, the prac-
tical operation and utility of our invention will be readily understood by persons
familiar with the art to which it appertains.

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) In a railway-rail joint, a splice-bar having oblong apertures, circular
depressions and inclined planes in the outside surface and around the apertures
and adapted to engage and fasten a key and a key having a head at one end and
an elbow-shaped lateral extension at the extremity of its other end adapted to
engage the inclined planes in the circular depressions in the face of the splice-
bar in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.
(2) A splice-bar having oblong apertures, depressions and inclined planes
contiguous to the apertures and arcs and re-entering points at the circumferences
of the inclined planes, in combination with a mating splice-bar, the abutting
ends of the rails and keys having hook shaped ends adapted to engage the in-
clined planes and the arcs and re-entering points at the circumferences of the
inclined planes in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.
(3) The key for locking railway-rail joints consisting of a round central body
portion, an angular head at one end and a hook-shaped extension at the extremity
of the other end that terminates in a wedge-shaped face adapted to engage a
circular inclined plane in the face of a splice-bar in the manner set forth for the
purposes stated.
(4) A splice-bar for railway-rail joints having oblong apertures for the pass-
age of keys, inclined planes c around said apertures and arcs d and re-entering
points at the circumferences of said inclined planes, as shewn and described.
for the purposes stated.
(5) A railway-rail joint comprising two splice-bars having oblong apertures
and adapted to overlie the webs of two abutting rails, inclined planes around
the oblong apertures in one of the splice-bars and arcs and re-entering points at
the circumferences of the said inclined planes and keys having angular heads
and hooked-shaped extensions at the ends of their body portions and wedge-
shaped faces at the ends of the hooked-shaped parts and convex faces on the outer
surfaces of the hooked-shaped parts, all arranged and combined to operate
in the manner set forth for the purposes stated.
P. R. J. WILLIS,
Agent for Applicants.