Improvements in Bonds for Electric Tramways and Railways.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1899
Complete Specification Left, 21st Feb., 1900-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bonds for Electric Tramways and Railways.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY, of Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birming
ham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to what are technically called "bonds" whereby an
electrical connection is established between the slightly separated ends of the
contiguous rails of electric tramways and railways in which the return of the
electrical current is effected through the rails; and my invention consists of the
improvements hereinafter described in the said bonds by which improvements
the efficiency of the electrical connection referred to is increased.
In constructing electrical bonds according to my invention I take two slightly
flexible bars of copper or other metallic good electrical conductor, one of which
may be placed on each side of the web of the rail or both may be placed on the
same side of the web of the rail and I form at each end of each bar and on one
side only of the said bars short tubular bosses, the tubular boss at one end being
cylindrical externally but slightly conical internally, the boss at the other end
of the bar being slightly conical externally but preferably cylindrical internally.
The externally conical bosses correspond in size and taper to the internally
conical holes of the externally cylindrical bosses.
I make holes near the ends of the webs of the rails to be electrically con-
nected of a size proper to receive the externally cylindrical bosses of the bond
and I apply the bars of the bond to the rails so that the cylindrical boss of one
bar of the bond takes in the hole in the web of one rail while the cylindrical
boss of the other bar takes in the hole in the web of the adjacent rail, the conical
bosses of the two bars at the same time passing into the internally conical holes
in the cylindrical bosses occupying the holes in the rails.
By percussion or pressure or by the introduction and-driving of an expanding
tool into the cylindrical holes of the conical bosses, the bosses of the two bars
are forced on one another and compressed together and the ends so spread out.
or rivetted that the connection is made practically solid and the accidental sepa-
ration of the two bars from one another and from the rail rendered practically
impossible.
The flexibility of the bars may be increased where thought necessary or
desirable by making the bars of laminated material or by longitudinally slitting
them or by forming them of wires or by corrugating them or by curving them
to such a degree that they will easily yield to any longitudinal pressure that
may be brought upon them by the expansion or contraction of the rails.
Dated this First day of July 1899.
W. T. WHITEMAN,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Bonds for Electric Tramways and Railways.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD KENWAY, of Burlington Chambers, New Street, Birming-
ham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of my invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to what are technically called "bonds" whereby an
electrical connection is established between the slightly separated ends of the
contiguous rails of electric tramways and railways in which the return of the
electrical current is effected through the rails; and my invention consists of the
improvements hereinafter described in the said bonds by which improvements
the efficiency of the electrical connection referred to is increased.
In constructing electrical bonds according to my invention I take two slightly
flexible bars of copper or other metallic good electrical conductor, one of which
may be placed on each side of the web of the rail or both may be placed on the
same side of the web of the rail, and I form at each end of each bar and on one
side only of the said bars short tubular bosses, the tubular boss at one end being
cylindrical externally but slightly conical internally, the boss at the other end
of the bar being slightly conical externally but preferably cylindrical internally.
The externally conical bosses correspond in size and taper to the internally
conical holes of the externally cylindrical bosses.
I make holes near the ends of the webs of the rails to be electrically con-
nected of a size proper to receive the externally cylindrical bosses of the bond
and I apply the bars of the bond to the rails so that the cylindrical boss of one
bar of the bond takes in the hole in the web of one rail while the cylindrical
boss of the other bar takes in the hole in the web of the adjacent rail, the conical
bosses of the two bars at the same time passing into the internally conical holes
in the cylindrical bosses occupying the holes in the rails.
By percussion or pressure or by the introduction and driving of an expanding
tool, of the kind commonly called a "drift," into the cylindrical holes of the
conical bosses the bosses of the two bars are forced on one another and com-
pressed together and the ends so spread out or rivetted that the connection is
made practically solid and the accidental separation of the two bars from one
another and from the rail rendered practically impossible.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing represents an elevation of the inner
side of one of the bars of a bond made according to my invention.
Figure 2 represents in horizontal section the two bars of the bond before use.
Figures 3 and 4 represent respectively in elevation and horizontal section the
adjacent ends of a tramway rail electrically connected by the bond Figures 1
and 2.
Figure 5 is a vertical or cross section on the line, a Figure 3 with the fish
plates applied to the rail.
Figure 6 represents in elevation a modified configuration of the bar of the
bond.
Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 are drawn to a smaller scale than Figures 1 and 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
a. a are the pair of copper bars constituting the bond. Each of the bars a has
at one end a hollow or tubular boss a cylindrical externally and slightly conical
internally and each of the said bars has at its other end a hollow or tubular
boss slightly conical externally and, preferably cylindrical internally. The
cylindrical bosses a a¹ have a length equal or approximately equal to
the thickness of the vertical webs of the rails to which the bond is
to be applied and the bosses a², a² are somewhat longer than the bosses a¹, a¹
so that when the bosses a², a² are passed through the bosses a¹, a¹ in the manner

page_text: ereinafter described the ends of the bosses a², a² project slightly on the outer
ides of the bars a, a. The bars a, a are slit longitudinally for the purpose of
mparting to them additional flexibility.
The rails b,b (Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6) to be electrically connected have holes ba
hear their ends of a size proper to receive the cylindrical bosses a¹ of the bars a, a
and the pair of bars a, a are applied to the rails so that the cylindrical boss a¹ of
one bar takes into the hole 2 of one rail while the cylindrical boss a¹ of the
other bar takes into the hole 63 of the other or adjacent rail as is best seen in
Figure 4 the conical bosses a simultaneously passing into the conical holes in.
the cylindrical bosses a¹, a¹. A polished steel drift is then driven into the
cylindrical holes in the bosses a³, a³ so as to expand the said bosses and the bosses
of the two bars are made practically solid or homogeneous the ends of the conical
bosses a being expanded over the edges of the larger holes in the outer sides of
the bars a, a as seen in Figure 4. The accidental separation of the two parts of
the bond is thereby made practically impossible.
In Figure 6 I have represented a bond in which a single longitudinal slitted
bar is employed on each side of the rail instead of a practically double slitted
bar as is represented in Figures 1 to 5 both inclusive; in other respects the two
bonds are the same and similar parts are marked with the same letters of
reference.
Although I prefer to make the bars with a cylindrical boss a¹ at one end and
a conical boss at the other yet I do not limit myself thereto as a cylindrical
boss may be made at each end of one bar and a conical boss at each end of the
other bar and where necessary or desirable the bars of the bond may be made
so that they can both be arranged on the same side of the rails, that is to say,
face to face, instead of one on each side of the rail as represented. In the case
last described, both the cylindrical bosses are on one bar and the conical bosses
on the other bar and the conical holes in the cylindrical bosses taper in an oppo-
Further the
site direction to that represented in the figures of the drawing.
conical bosses are of such a length that when rivetted the spread out ends over-
lap the ends of the cylindrical bosses and the edges of the holes in the rail.
Although I have represented the bar slit longitudinally for the purpose of
increasing the flexibility of the bars I wish it to be understood that I may obtain
the required flexibility in other ways. For example I may make the bars of
laminated material or of wires or I may corrugate them or curve them to such
a degree that they will readily yield to any longitudinal pressure that may be
brought upon them by the expansion or contraction of the rails.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as
my invention: --
The improvements in bonds for electric tramways and railways hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing the said improvements
consisting in making the bond of a pair of slightly flexible bars, preferably of
copper, each bar having two hollow or tubular bosses one at each end of the
5 flexible bars, two of the said bosses being cylindrical externally, for fitting holes
in the rails to which the bond is to be applied, the cylindrical bosses being both
on the same bar or one on one end of one bar and the other on the opposite end
of the other bar, the said cylindrical bosses being conical internally, the other
two bosses being conical externally for taking in the conical holes in the cylin-
() drical bosses, the two bars being secured together and to the rails substantially
as herein before described and illustrated.
TI
1000