Improvements in or relating to Rail Joints.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd June, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1894-Accepted, 16th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Rail Joints.
A communication from JOHN LANG POPE, Gentleman, of Cleveland, in the
County of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, United States of America.
I, Alfred Julius Boult of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to devices employed for securing rail-joints and is designed
to produce means whereby strain brought upon the joint will tend to wedge the
connecting plates more firmly in place and automatically compensate for any
wearing of the parts. To that end it consists in the combination of fish or angle-
plates having inclined bearing faces, with taper wedge-plates, and a connecting
piece passing beneath the joint and bearing against the wedge plates and the
bevelled outer edges of the fish or angle-plates.
The parts of the rail to which the invention is herein described as applied are
severally referred to as the web, the head, and the foot; the under and upper sides
of the head and foot respectively incline in opposite directions the former downwards
as it nears the centre of the rail or web and the latter upwards as it nears the web.
The fish or connecting plates are formed angular and have each two inwardly and
downwardly inclined faces bearing, one against the underside of the head of the
rail, and the other upon or against a wedge-plate inserted between it and the rail-
foot and held in place by the chair, or as hereinafter described in regard to a
second arrangement by a key. These seating surfaces of the angle-plates are
inclined at different angles so that their planes converge inwardly. The wedge-
plates have inwardly-converging upper and lower faces to correspond with the faces
of the rail foot and angle-plates. A connecting plate or chair passes beneath the
rails at the joint. In one arrangement this connecting plate is a slight distance
away from the underside of the rail-foot and is provided with inwardly-bent flanges
extending up on each side of the rails, and at their upper ends provided with
outwardly bevelled faces bearing against corresponding inwardly bevelled faces upon
the angle-plates.
When the parts so constructed are in position, and pressure is brought upon the
joint, the angle-plates tend to move inwardly on account of their downwardly
inclined faces; but on account of the converging angles of said faces, the plates
cannot so move, and hence under these opposing faces a constant tightness of the
parts results. The chair also bears against the angle-plates and assists them in
their tendency to move inward by reason of its inwardly bevelled faces.
In the second arrangement the ends of the rails rest directly upon the connecting
plate or chair, which as in the foregoing example has inwardly-bent flanges. These
flanges however unlike those before described have no bevelled faces at their upper
ends, these faces in the present example being formed on keys inserted between the
flanges and the wedge-plates. The outer bevelled edge of each angle-plate base
bears on the upper bevelled face of the appropriate key.
The wedge-plates are preferably of about the same length as the angle-plates,
while the chair and keys are usually much shorter as they need extend only a short
distance on each side of the joint.
The inner faces of the chair flanges and outer faces of the wedge-plates converge
downwardly so that when pressure is brought upon the head of the rail, the
resulting force will tend to slide the wedge-plates down the sloping foot of the rail,

page_text: and at the same time press down upon the key. Both these pressures tend to force
the key against the outer edge of the fish-plate on account of the differing angles of
its face, and thus the parts are held firmly in place by a pressure which ordinarily
tends to force them apart.
It is evident that as the plates become worn by continued use, they will be
automatically forced in and tightened and hence this wear is compensated by such
adjustment.
The before described apparatus may be modified without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
D
T
1000
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Of London, Nottingham, Liverpool and Manchester,
Agents for the Applicant.
A communication from JOHN LANG POPE, Gentleman, of Cleveland, County of
Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, United States of America.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT of 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to devices employed for securing rail-joints, and is designed
to produce means whereby strain brought upon the joint will tend to wedge the
connecting plates more firmly in place and automatically compensate for any wearing
of the parts. To that end it consists in the combination of fish or angle-plates
having inclined bearing faces, with taper wedge-plates, and a connecting piece passing
beneath the joint and bearing against the wedge plates and the bevelled outer
edges of the fish or angle-plates.
The parts of the rail to which the invention is herein described as applied are
severally referred to as the web 2, the head 3, and the foot 4; the under and upper
sides of the head 3 and foot 4 respectively incline in opposite directions the former
downwards as it nears the centre of the rail or web and the latter upwards as it nears
the web. The fish or connecting plates 5 are formed angular and have each two
inwardly and downwardly inclined faces 6 and 7, bearing respectively against the
under side of the head of the rail and upon or against a wedge-plate 8 inserted
between it and the rail-foot 4 and held in place by the chair or as hereinafter
described in regard to the second arrangement shown in Figure 2 by the key 9.
These seating surfaces of the angle-plates are inclined at different angles so that
their planes converge inwardly. The wedge-plates have inwardly-converging upper
and lower faces to correspond with the faces of the rail foot and angle-plates. A
connecting plate or chair 10 passes beneath the rails at the joint. In the arrange-
ment shown in Figure 1 this connecting plate 10 is a slight distance away from the
underside of the rail-foot 4 and is provided with inwardly-bent flanges 11 extending
up on each side of the rails and at their upper ends provided with outwardly bevelled
faces 12, bearing against corresponding inwardly bevelled faces upon the angle
plates.
When the parts so constructed are in position, and pressure is brought upon the
joint, the angle-plates tend to move inwardly on account of their downwardly
inclined faces but on account of the converging angles of said faces, the plates
cannot so move, and hence under these opposing faces a constant tightness of the
parts results. The chair also bears against the angle-plates and assists them in
their tendency to move inward by reason of its inwardly bevelled faces.

page_text: In the second arrangement shown in Figure 2 the ends of the rails rest directly
upon the connecting plate or chair 7 which has inwardly bent flanges 8. These
flanges however unlike those before described have no bevelled faces 12 at their
upper ends, these faces in the present example being formed on keys 9 inserted
between the flanges 8 and the wedge-plates 6. The outer bevelled edge of each
angle-plate base bears on the upper bevelled face of the appropriate key 9.
The wedge plates 6 are preferably of about the same length as the angle-plates,.
while the chair 7 and keys 9 are usually much shorter, as they need extend only a
short distance on each side of the joint.
The inner faces of the chair flanges and outer faces of the wedge plates 6
converge downwardly so that when pressure is brought upon the head of the rail,
the resulting force will tend to slide the wedge-plates 6 down the sloping foot of
the rail, and at the same time press down upon the key. Both these pressures tend
to force the key against the outer edge of the fish-plate on account of the differing
angles of its face, and thus the parts are held firmly in place by a pressure which
ordinarily tends to force them apart.
It is evident that as the plates become worn by continued use, they will be
automatically forced in and tightened and hence this wear is compensated by such
adjustment.
The before described apparatus may be modified without departing from the
spirit of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a rail joint the combination with the angle-plates of wedge-plates such as 8
upon which they rest and a chair passing beneath the joint and having projections
such as 11 12 in contact with the wedge-plates and angle-plates substantially as
described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In a rail joint the combination with the angle-plates and wedge-plates upon
which they rest of a connecting plate extending beneath the joint having bent-up
projections such as 11 provided with bevelled faces 12 in contact with similar faces
upon the angle-plates substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the
accompanying drawings.
3. In a rail-joint the combination with the fish or angle-plates of wedge-plates
such as 6 upon which they rest a connecting piece or plate 7 passing beneath the
joint and having projections such as 8 and keys such as 9 inserted between the
wedge-plates and said projections substantially as described and illustrated in.
Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In a rail-joint the combination with the fish or angle-plates of wedge-plates
such as 6 fitting between the same and the base flanges or foot of the rail a
connecting piece or plate 7 passing beneath the joint and having projections such
as 8 upon the outer sides of the fish or angle-plates and keys such as 9 fitting
between said projections and the wedge-plates and bearing against the fish or
angle-plates substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying
diawings.
5. In a rail-joint the combination with the fish or angle-plates having an inwardly
bevelled lower outer edge of wedge-plates such as 6 fitting between the same
and the base flanges of the rail a connecting piece 7 passing beneath the joint and
having projections such as 8 upon the outer sides of the fish or angle-plates and
keys such as 9 fitting between said projections and the wedge-plates and having
outwardly bevelled upper edges bearing against the bevelled edges of the fish or
angle-plates substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accom-
panying drawings.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete rail
joint substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying-
drawings.

page_text: 7. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete rail joint
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
London, Nottingham, Manchester and Liverpool,
Agents for the Applicant.