Improvements in Rail Joints of Railways and Tramways.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept.. 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan., 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail Joints of Railways and Tramways.
A communication from abroad by THE "WHITE" PATENT RAIL-JOINT
COMPANY LIMITED, a Company registered under the provisions of the
Companies Acts of the Province of South Australia, having its registered
office at 96, King William Street, Adelaide, in the Province of South
Australia.
I, GEORGE BELOE ELLIS of the Firm of J. C. Mewburn and Ellis Patent
Agents of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, 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 the joints of rails forming the permanent way of
railways and tramways. It has for its object the formation of such a joint as will
possess elasticity combined with stiffness, and which may at the same time be relied
upon to maintain close contact with the sides of the rail ends.
This invention consists in forming the joints wholly or partially of spring plates.
These plates are placed on both sides of the rail and may be composed of one or
more plates or leaves. I preferably make each joint plate in the shape of a
voussoir of an arch whose centre is the meeting point of the angles or inclines of
the rails, so that the joint plates will act as segmental arches on either side of the
rail and resolve the upward and downward forces into a force whose resultant is on
the centre line of the rail. The spring joint plates are placed between the lower
surfaces of the heads of the ends of the rails and the upper surfaces of the flanges
and are secured in position by any suitable means so as to maintain close contact.
In this invention I may form the joint of double spring joint plates on both
sides of the rail or I may form the joint with a single joint plate and a solid under
plate somewhat in the form of a fish plate against the head of which the single
spring joint plate takes a bearing instead of against the flange of the rail.
°
In combination with a single spring joint plate on either side of the rail I may
provide fish plates, the lower ends of which project inwards under the rail and
form a bed between which and the underneath side of the flange I may place a flat
spring so designed as to aid the rail in supporting and distributing the weight of
the passing rolling stock. These flat springs are preferably constructed with side
projections so as to engage the flanges of the rail ends and to keep the same
in line.
It will be readily perceived that this invention permits of various modifications
and alternatives without interfering with the principles set forth.
In order that the invention may be the better understood I will now proceed to
describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal elevation of rail and double spring joint plate.
Figure 2. longitudinal elevation of rail with single spring joint plate and solid
under plate.
Figure 3. longitudinal elevation of the same shewing supplementary underneath
spring by dotted lines.
Figure 4. sectional elevation of rail and double spring joint plate at centre of
joint, the radii of the segmental arches being shown by dotted lines.
Figure 5. sectional elevation of rail and double spring joint plate midway
between the joint and ends of joint plates.

page_text: Figure 6. sectional elevation of rail, single spring joint plate, and solid under
plate taken at centre of joint.
Figure 7. sectional elevation of rail, single spring joint plates, solid under plates,
and supplementary underneath spring near the end of joint plates.
Figure 8. sectional elevation of same taken at centre.
Similar letters refer to similar parts in all figures. A A ends of rail. A¹ under-
neath side of head. A2 web. A flange of rail. B B' upper and lower parts of
double spring joint plate secured to the rail by any suitable fastening and
preferably of the form shown more particularly in Figure 1, being cut away at the
centre and ends. C solid under plate forming a fish plate. D alternative form of
solid under plate forming a fish plate. D¹ base of solid under plate D. E longitudinal
underneath spring.
In forming a joint with the vertical spring plates according to this invention as
shewn more particularly in Figures 1, 4, and 5, the plates B B' are forced into
position the upper edge of the plate B engaging the underneath side of the rail A'
and the lower edge of the underneath plate B' engaging the upper edge of the
flange of the rail A³. The spring joint plates B, B₁ are then secured in position
by any suitable means, and the joint is complete.
On the weight of the rolling stock pressing upon one of the ends of the rail A
the centre of the spring B is depressed causing the centre of the lower spring B₁ to
take a bearing against the flange A³ of the rail A and the space between the
centres of B and B to be partially closed. Simultaneously the ends of the other
rail forming the joint will also be deflected and the curve of the ends of the rails
maintained. When the rolling stock has passed over and the weight on the joint
is released the elasticity of the springs will cause the rail to assume its former
position without jar or vibration.
In place of the double spring joint B B¹ I may employ a single spring joint
plate B and a special form of solid underplate such as C as shewn more particularly
in Figure 6. In this alternative method the ends of the spring plates B take a
bearing on the fish plate C leaving a space towards the centre for the working of
the spring. The solid under plates C are provided with upwardly projecting
flanges which engage the single spring joint plates B and retain them in position,
the fish plates thus being secured by bolts or other suitable means.
In the further alternative method as shewn more particularly in Figures 3, 7
and 8, the solid underplate D takes the place of the under plate, the single spring
plate joint B being retained. In this form of under plate the projecting ends D₁
are turned inwards underneath the rail, leaving an open space between the lower
edge of the flange A³ and the ends D'. These ends D¹ thus form a base upon
which is placed a longitudinal spring E which may be formed of a single cambered
spring plate having upwardly projecting wings or may be formed of several leaves,
the uppermost one having upwardly projecting wings.
By reference to Figure 3 it will be seen that the two ends of the longitudinal
spring E have a bearing on the base of the under plate D' whilst the centre has a
bearing as shewn in Figure 8 on the underneath side of the flange A³ of the rail
the wings or projections on the upper side of the spring E engaging the two ends
of the rail A and tending to keep the same in line.
I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the particular form or
forms shewn of the vertical spring plates forming the joint, but may make use of
any form which will well answer the purpose. I do not claim the solid under-
plate by itself specifically and separately, but only in combination with a spring
plate as shewn.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion as communicated to me and in what manner the same is to be performed, I
declare that what I claim is :-
--
1. In rail joints of railways and tramways a vertical spring joint on each side of
the oil and nonsisting
J
sing late noch

page_text: constructed of one or more plates or leaves, substantially as herein described and
for the purpose indicated.
2. In rail joints of railways and tramways, a spring joint arranged on each side
of the rail ends and consisting of an upper and lower spring plate constructed of
one or more plates or leaves and formed in the shape of a voussoir of an arch whose
centre is the meeting point of the angles or inclines of the rails, substantially as
herein described and as shewn in Figure 4.
3. In rail joints of railways and tramways, a spring joint on each side of the
rail ends consisting of a single spring plate (such as B) constructed of one or more
plates or leaves in combination with a solid underplate (such as C) substantially as
herein described and shewn in Figure 3.
4. In rail joints of railways and tramways a spring joint on each side of the
rail ends, consisting of a single spring plate (such as B), constructed of one or
more plates or leaves, a solid underplate (such as D), and a longitudinal under-
neath spring (such as E), substantially as herein described and shewn in Figures 3,
7 and 8.
Dated this 10th day of September 1894.
J. C. MEWBURN & ELLIS,
55 and 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.