Year: 1888

page_text: I, JOHN WARD ARMSTRONG of Aylestone Hill Hereford in the County of Hereford
Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
:-
In the Fish Jointing of rails for railways, where the metal of the fishplates is in
direct contact, with the metal of the rails, the vibration causes a wear of the surfaces
that are in contact and this in time causes such a loosening of the bolts and nuts which
bind the fishplates to the rails that the nuts tend to become unscrewed still farther
loosening the jointings and so endangering the permanent way. My invention has
for its object to prevent this wearing of the bearing surfaces and thus to provide a
joint practically unwearing which when screwed up by bolts with lock nuts, render the
fish joint secure for a very long period.
For this purpose I interpose between each fish plate and the rails to which it
is applied a packing such as compressed paper or mill board or other material which
will yield sufficiently to take the impression of the metal surfaces between which it is
clamped. As on these metal surfaces there are protuberances and hollows the packing
material when subjected to the squeeze resulting from screwing up the nuts of the
fish bolts, yields so as to allow the protuberances to become imbedded in it or becomes
bulged so as to fill up the hollows and there is no rubbing action of metal upon metal
to cause the objectionable wear and consequent looseness.

page_text: 1, JOHN WARD ARMSTRONG of Aylestone Hill, Hereford in the County of Hereford,
Civil Engineer 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 :-
In the fish jointing of rails for railways, where the metal of the fish plates is in
direct contact with-the-metal-of-the-rails, -the-vibration causes a wear of the surfaces.
that are in contact and this in time causes such a loosening of the bolts and nuts which
bind the fish plates to the rails that the nuts tend to become unscrewed, still farther
loosening the jointings and so endangering the permanent way.
My invention has for its object to prevent this wearing of the bearing surfaces, and
thus to provide a joint practically unwearing, which-when-screwed-up-by bolts with
lock nuts renders the fish joints secure for a very long period.
For this purpose, I interpose between each fish plate and the rails to which it. 3
applied a packing such as compressed paper or mill board or other material which will
yield sufficiently to take the impression of the metal surfaces between which it is
clamped. As on these metal surfaces, there are protuberances and hollows, the packing
material, when subjected to the squeeze resulting from screwing up the nuts of the
fish bolts, yields so as to allow the protuberances to become imbedded in it, or tho
packing material becomes bulged so as to fill up the hollows, and there is no rubbing
action of metal upon metal to cause the objectionable wear and consequent
looseness.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
In fish joints for rails, the interposition of a somewhat yielding packing between
the fish plates and the rails, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 28th day of February 1889.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.