Improvements in Rail Bonds for Electric Railways.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail Bonds for Electric Railways.
I, FRED HARRIS DANIELS, residing at No. 112 Salisbury Street, in the City of
Worcester, County of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to that class of rail bonds in which the adjacent ends of
the rails are connected together by a connecting member of copper, or other like
metal, that is secured to the respective ends of the rails, and my present improve-
ment has for its object to provide a rail bond consisting of two terminals or ends,
preferably made of copper, and an intermediate connector or body portion,
preferably made of flexible copper
wire rope.
In carrying out my invention, I make the two terminals or ends of the rail
bond, which are to be secured to the adjacent ends of two rails, with a cylindrical
portion or end to extend through an opening in the web of the rail, and with a
head to extend on the outside of the rail web. The head is provided with a
cylindrical opening therein, into which is inserted the end of the bond or con-
nector, which is preferably made of flexible copper wire rope. The end of the
wire rope is secured in the opening in the head of the terminal by brazing, or by
compressing and flattening the head of the terminal and the end of the wire rope.
Through the cylindrical portion of the terminal, which extends through the
opening in the rail web, a hole or opening is drilled to receive a drift pin or taper
tool, which is driven into said opening, and which expands the metal and forces
it into contact with the rail, to secure it thereto.
The opening in the terminal for the drift pin or taper tool is preferably made
with a double taper, that is, the opening is of enlarged diameter at one end, and of
reduced diameter at the other end, and the intermediate portion cylindrical or of
uniform diameter, with taper or inclined portions connecting the same with said
ends.
In case my rail bond is to be used between the rail web and the fish plate, then
the terminals or ends are flattened or compressed, and the intermediate connector
or body portion is also flattened or compressed, so that the same will extend in
the space between the rail web and the fish plate.
In case my rail bond is to be used in the ordinary way, and extend upon the
outside of the fish plate, then the connector or body portion between the terminals
or ends will be made substantially straight, and the wire rope between the
terminals will not be flattened.

page_text: Improvements in Rail Bonds for Electric Railways.
I, FRED HARRIS DANIELS, residing at No. 112 Salisbury Street, in the City of
Worcester, County of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, United States of
America, Manufacturer, 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:-
My invention relates to rail-bonds for electric railways etc.; and the object of
my invention is to improve upon the construction of rail-bonds as ordinarily made,
and more particularly to make a flexible or non-rigid. rail-bond comprising a
flexible bond or connector, preferably made of copper-wire rope or strands of
copper wire twisted together, and two terminals or ends, which are secured to the
rails and which are made separate from and independent of the wire-rope bond
or connector proper, but are secured thereto in such a manner as to make an
absolute union and be practically integral therewith.
+3
In making my improved rail bond the two terminals or ends of the bond are
secured to the flexible bond or connector proper in a heated state by pressure,
which welds the terminals to the bond to make thein substantially integral there-
with, as will be hereinafter fully described.
I have shown in the drawings my rail bond, having the "bond' or connector
proper flattened throughout its length and adapted to extend between the rails and
the fish-plate, but it will be understood that my rail-bond may be of ordinary
length to extend upon the outside of the fish-plate in which case the bond or
connector intermediate the ends would not be flattened.
Referring to the drawings:-
1.
1
I
Figure 1 is a side view of the adjacent ends of two rails having my rail-bond
applied thereto and showing a fish-plate partially broken away around the bond.
Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on line 2, 2, Fig. 1, looking in the direction
of arrow a, same figure.
Fig. 3 is a side view of one end of the bond, looking in the direction of arrow b,
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4 is an end view looking in the direction of arrow c, Fig. 3.
Fig. 5 is a central vertical section on line 5, 5, Fig. 4, looking in the direction
of arrow b, same figure.
Figs. 34, and 5 show the terminal or end of the bond and the connector before
the same are secured together.
Fig. 6 is an end view. looking in the direction of arrow d, Fig. 7.
Fig. 7 is a central vertical section on line 7, 7, Fig. 6, looking in the direction of
arrow e, same figure.
Figs. 6 and 7 show the terminal or end of the bond and the connector after the
same are secured together and the drift pin-hole is drilled therein.
In the accompanying drawings, 1 and 2 are the adjacent ends of two rails, 3
and 4 the fish-plates by which the rail ends are joined together, and 5 and 6 bolts
for securing the fish-plates to the rails.
My rail-bond consists of the two terminals or ends 7 and the intermediate flex-
ible body portion or connector 8, which is preferably made of copper wire-rope or
strands of copper wire 'twisted together.
My rail-bond is preferably made by first making the terminal or end of the
shape shown in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, having the cylindrical portion 7¹ to extend
through a hole in the rail-web and the head 711 curved in cross-section, as shown in
Fig. 3, and provided with a cylindrical hole 9, which in this instance extends

page_text: therethrough to receive the end 8¹ of the cylindrical wire rope 8. The hole 9
need not extend through the head 7", but may be closed at its outer end. After
the end 8¹ of the wire rope 8 is inserted in the opening or the cylindrical hole 9 in
the terminal or end 7, as shown in Fig. 4, then the head 711 and the end of the
rope 8 in a heated state are subject to great pressure. and at the same time a
punch makes a hole in the top of the terminal or end 7 and is forced into the wire
rope 8 to divide the strands thereof and spread them The head of the terminal
and end of the wire rope are compressed and flattened and welded together to
make them substantially integral and form an absolute union, as shown in Fig. 7,
without any joint or opening between the end of the wire rope 8 and the terminal
or end 7. Afterward a hole 10, preferably provided with a double taper, as shown
in Fig. 7, is drilled or made through the terminal or end to receive a drift-pin or
taper-tool (not shown) to secure the terminal or end in the rail.
In practice both terminals or ends may be compressed at the same time and the
connector intermediate the ends also flattened so as to extend between the rail-
web and fish-plate, as shown in Fig. 2, in case the rail-bond is to be used in this
way. If it is to be used on the outside of the fish-plates, then only the heads of
the terminals or ends and the ends of the wire rope will be flattened.
The advantages of my improved rail-bond will be readily appreciated by those
skilled in the art. It is of very simple construction, and the terminals or ends are
so compressed and welded by pressure upon the ends of the wire rope that they
are practically in one piece, and therefore the ends of the wire rope cannot work
loose or jar out and the conducitivity is perfect.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. An improved article of manufacture, a flexible rail-bond comprising a flex-
ible body portion, and two terminals or ends made separate from the flexible body
portion, and secured thereto by pressure to be substantially integral therewith,
substantially as shown and described.
2. A rail-bond for electric railways, etc., consisting of two terminals or ends,
and a flexible body portion between said terminals, which are secured or welded to
the ends of the body portion, and made substantially integral therewith by
pressure, substantially as shown and described.
3. A rail-bond for electric railways, etc., consisting of two terminals or ends,
having a hole therein for a drift-pin or taper-tool, and a fiexible or wire-rope
body portion between said terminals, which have holes therein to receive the ends
of the wire rope, and are secured or welded thereto to be substantially integral
therewith, by pressure, substantially as shown and described.
4. In a rail-bond, the combination with a flexible body portion, of two terminals
or ends made separate therefrom, and secured or welded thereto by pressure, so as
to be substantially integral therewith, substantially as shown and described.
Dated this 4th day of October. 1897.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
Chartered Patent Agents,
62 Saint Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents for the Applicant.