Improvements in Rail-joints.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1894-Accepted, 28th Apr., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by WHEELER RAIL-JOINT COMPANY, a corporation
organized under the laws of the State of New York, and located in the City
and County of New York, in said State of New York, United States of
America.]
Improvements in Rail-joints.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 rail-joints hereinafter described, reference being made to
the accompanying drawings forming part of this Specification, and in which
Figure 1, represents a plan view of a rail-joint constructed in accordance with
this invention, the rail-ends which it joins being shown in section.
Figure 2, a view of the joint in side elevation.
Figure 3, an end view of the joint.
Figure 4, a detached plan view of the chair of the joint.
Figure 5, an outside edge view of the draw-clamp of the joint.
Figure 6, a detached reverse plan view of the chair of the joint.
Figure 7, a view of the joint in longitudinal section on the line a-b of Figure 1.
Figure 8, a view of the joint in transverse section on the line c-d of the same
figure.
This invention relates to an improvement in rail-joints, and more particularly to
a joint designed for use in the construction of cable-roads in which the two lines of
rails are joined together and spaced by iron ties, slightly bowed, and called girders
or yokes, the object being to produce a simple and effective joint, adapted to be
attached to the ends of the said yokes, and requiring little or no attention after
having been placed.
With these ends in view, the invention consists in certain details of construction
and combinations of parts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the
claims.
In carrying out this invention, a chair A, is constructed, which will preferably be
two or three times as long as it is wide. This chair has a solid or jointless longi-
tudinal seat B, which in part supports the rail-ends C C¹. One side of the chair is
constructed with a flange D, having the combined function of a clamp and com-
pression truss, as will be hereinafter described, extending throughout the length of
the chair, and inward over the seat thereof, so as to bear upon the bevelled
faces of the adjacent edges of the bases of the rail-ends, and also to bear against
the adjacent faces of the webs of the rail-ends. In order to secure the effect just
mentioned, the lower portion of the bearing face of the flange is inclined so as to be
nearly horizontal, while its upper portion is made to stand in a vertical plane, and
adapted in height to rise to the under face of the top of the rail.
upper
On the opposite side of the chair from the flange D it is constructed with a
groove E, arranged vertically, an abutment rib F, located between the groove and
the seat B of the chair, and a locking-rib G, located directly above the outer wall
of the said groove.
The chair is further constructed with a yoke-opening H, which
intersects its seat A, about midway the length thereof, and is adapted to receive the
end I, of the yoke.I', in such a manner that the upper face of the said end of the
yoke will be flush with the said seat, whereby the yoke will take part of the load
in carrying the rail-ends, the extremities of which rest upon it. For the purpose of
ID037

page_text: reinforcing the chair, it is constructed with a series of transverse ribs J, of which,
as herein shown, it has seven, three at each end, and one in the middle. These ribs
begin at the upper edge of the flange D of the chair, and extend down under and
around the same, terminating in the locking rib G thereof. On the side of the
chair having the flange D, the three middle ribs are joined together by a longi-
tudinal rib J', while on the opposite side of the chair the transverse ribs are joined
together by a virtually continuous longitudinal rib J. All of these ribs give
stiffness to the chair, without materially increasing it in weight, or requiring much
more stock. The middle rib is cut away upon its lower face, so as not to obstruct
the application of the chair to the end I of the yoke or girder I', the chair being
provided midway of its length and upon its lower face with a transverse flat bearing-
face K, which is intersected by the opening H. The ribs J, flanking the said
bearing-face at its ends, receive the end of the yoke between them, and prevent the
chair from lateral displacement thereupon.
With the chair above described, I employ a draw-clamp L, having a rib L'
formed upon its outer edge, and adapted to enter the groove E formed in the chair,
as set forth. The outer edge of the clamp is also constructed with a longitudinal
rabbet M, adapted to receive the locking-rib G. The said clamp is adapted to
fit over the entire bevelled faces of the adjacent edges of the rail-ends, and
constructed with a combined flange and compression truss N, corresponding to the
flange D, of the chair, and adapted to impinge against the adjacent faces of the
webs of the rail-ends. The chair and clamp are constructed and arranged so that
when the latter is applied to the former, it will be positively drawn inward, and
downward, so as to take up all play, and clamp the rail-ends rigidly in the joint.
Provision for causing the clamp to draw inward and downward as described, may
be made in various ways. As herein shown, I construct the outer edge O of the
clamp on an incline, so that a plan view of the clamp shows it to be tapered from
end to end. To co-operate with the inclined wall O of the clamp, I construct the
inner edge of the locking-rib G of the chair with a corresponding inclination,
whereby the opening formed in the upper face of the chair to receive the clamp,
appears tapering in a plan view of the chair. The co-operation of the inclined
edge O of the clamp, and the inclined rib G of the chair, causes the clamp to be
positively moved inward as it is slid or driven into place on the chair. To cause
it to be positively moved downward, the lower edge of its vertical rib L' is inclined,
as shown by Fig. 5 of the drawings. When therefore the clamp is driven home, it
will be positively moved inwardly and downwardly, so as to move the rail-ends in
the chair, and take up all play therein, whereby the rail-ends are firmly clamped in
place, and held, not only by direct pressure upon their webs, but also by down-
ward pressure upon their bases. When the clamp is driven into place, it is
prevented from being forced or rolled outward by the resistance which it meets by
the abutment of its rib L', against the abutment rib F of the chair, and also by the
co-action of the locking-rib G of the chair with the rabbet M, of the clamp, the
primary function, however, of the locking-rib G, being to prevent the clamp from
lifting up. The clamping action of the clamp, as thus constructed and arranged, is
so powerful that when the clamp has once been driven home, it will stay in place,
and require no further attention.
I have already mentioned that the rail-ends rest upon in part, the ends of the
girders or yokes, provision thereto being made by forming an opening in the
bottom of the chair, intersecting the seat formed therein for the rail-ends. It will
thus be seen that the ends of the chair projecting on either side of the end of the
yoke, form virtually suspended joints for the rail-ends, being adapted thereto by
being so amply reinforced by ribs as described.
The flanges of the chair and of the draw-clamp not only act as clamps to grip the
rail-ends by their webs, but also as compression-trusses for being located above
the bottom of the chair, they take and resist downward pressure tending to bend the
same longitudinally from above. In this way the flanges perform important service
as compression trusses.

page_text: It is obvious that in constructing rail-joints in accordance with this invention, the
details herein shown and described for the chair and clamp may be varied, and it
is therefore to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact con-
struction herein shown and described, but comprehends such changes and alterations
as fairly fall within its spirit and scope.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A cable-road rail-joint having a chair provided with a solid or jointless seat
for the rail-ends to rest upon, and constructed with an opening intersecting the
said seat from below to receive an end of a yoke or girder; in combination with a
draw-clamp adapted to be applied to the upper face of the chair, substantially as
described.
2. A cable-road rail-joint, having a chair provided with a longitudinal seat inter-
sected from below by an opening adapted to receive an end of a yoke or girder,
and constructed with a flange overhanging the said seat on one side thereof; in
combination with a draw-clamp adapted to be applied to the opposite side of
the chair, and constructed to be positively drawn inward and downward, substantially
as described.
3. A. cable-road rail-joint, having a chair provided with a solid or jointless seat
intersected from below by an opening to receive one end of a yoke or girder, and
provided with a flange overhanging the seat from one side thereof, and constructed
with transverse and longitudinal ribs for reinforcing it; in combination with a
draw-clamp adapted to be applied to the chair on the opposite side of its seat,
substantially as described.
Dated this ou
1
M
1 1004
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.