Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Jan.; 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th Nov.; 1888
Complete Specification Accepted, 3rd: Jan., 18
EBENEZER WILLIAM HUGHES of 31 The Grove Camberwell in the County of Surrey
Civil Engineer and SAMUEL ALLEN LETTS of 139 Cannon Street in the City of.
London Financial Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to prevent the Nuts or Bolts used in Fish plates of
permanent way or the like from becoming loose from vibration or other causes &
which we accomplish as afterwards described.
The Nuts or Bolts we propose using can be square, hexagonal or otherwise, having
a sunk groove or recess round the part of the Nut or bolthead which is brought in
contact with the Fish plates when the nuts are screwed home.
This groove or recess is formed to receive the holding plates, which can be plain
or of. Tiron, angle iron, channel iron or steel with holes in them corresponding with
the position of the Nuts or boltheads on the fish plates punched out large enough at
one end to pass over the nut or bolt heads, the other end being smaller in size to
clip the nut or bolthead in the recess by pushing or driving the holding plates
to the right or left as required and afterwards stated.
The holding plates can be in two duplicate halves and when fixed meeting flush
jointed near the centre of the fish plate by pushing or driving one duplicate half to
the right and the other duplicate half to the left, the last meeting end riding over
the other end and springing flush into position against the fish plate.
As an alternative form the Boltheads or Nuts can be made with a projecting fillet
round them instead of the groove or recess before mentioned in which case the holding
plates will be used in the same manner but must be made to fit.
Dated this Sixth day of January 1888.

page_text: We EBENEZER WILLIAM HUGHES late of 31 The Grove, Camberwell in the County
of Surrey, now of 70 Camberwell New Road in the same County, Civil Engineer,
and SAMUEL ALLEN LETTS, late of 139 Cannon Street in the City of London, but
now of 146 Fenchurch Street in the same City, Financial Agent, 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:—
The object of our invention is to prevent the nuts used in connection with the bolts
for securing the fish plates of permanent way from becoming loose from the effects of
vibration or other causes.
With this object we employ locking or holding plates as hereinafter described which,
after the nuts have been screwed up are caused to engage with certain parts of the
same which are specially formed for the purpose, and thereby effectually prevent the
nuts from turning.
. We form a recess around the periphery of each nut adjoining that face which, when
the nut is screwed up comes in contact with the fish plate. In connection with nuts
thus recessed we employ locking or holding plates which have holes punched or
formed in them corresponding in position with the several bolts or nuts used for
securing the fish plate. These holes are large enough at one end to pass over the
corresponding nuts, while at their other end they are smaller or narrower so that
their edges will clip the nut in the recessed or reduced part when the plate is
pushed or driven endways. Thus, when the nuts have been screwed up on their
bolts it is only necessary to pass the locking or holding plate over the nuts until it.
comes in contact with the fisli plate, and then to move the locking plate endways, so
as to cause the smaller ends or portions of the holes to engage with, or clip, the
recessed or reduced portion of the nuts. The recessed portion of the nuts is of
the same form (hexagonal or otherwise) as the nuts, and one of the sides must be
in line or square with the holes when the locking plates are put in place.
Instead of forming a recess around the nut as above described, the nut can he
made with a fillet or rib around it at such a distance from the inner face as is
equal to or a little more than the thickness of the locking plate. The holes in the
locking plate must be large enough at one part to pass over the fillets.
In order to apply the invention to existing nuts and bolts, that is to say, nuts
and bolts of the usual form, we insert between the nut and the fish-plate a washer,
which is recessed to receive our locking and holding plates.
Although we have in the foregoing description spoken of the recess as being
made in the nuts, it is evident that the same result can be obtained by making the
recess in the bolthead, our locking or holding plates being, in this case, passed over
the boltheads and then moved endways so as to engage with the recessed parts of
the heads; in this case it will be the bolts and not the nuts that are turned in order
to secure the fish-plate.
The locking plates can be made sufficiently long to lock the four nuts usually
employed to secure a fish-plate, but we prefer to employ half, or duplicate plates,
that is to say, two short plates, each for two nuts; in this case we make the holes
in the plates, so that, in being slid into their locking positions, the plates have to
move in contrary directions, their inner ends then meeting and forming a flush or
butt joint near the centre of the fish-plate.

page_text: The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate our invention.
Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of two rails secured by ordinary fish plates
and fitted with nuts and locking or holding plates according to our invention.
Figure 2 is a section on the line 1-1 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a face view of one of the half or duplicate locking plates.
Figure 4 is a side view and Figure 5 a view of the inner face of one of our nuts.
A A are the rails, B B the fish plates, (C the bolts and D D the nuts. It will be
seen that around the nut, adjoining that face which comes in contact with the fish
plate a recess E is formed; F F are the half or duplicate locking plates. In each of
these locking plates are formed two holes G G, corresponding in position with two
nuts or bolts. The portion gl of each hole G is large enough to pass over the nut,
while the portion of each hole is smaller and narrower as shown, being, in fact, of
such width as, when the plate F has been slid into the position seen in Figure 1, to
engage with or clip the recessed or reduced portion E of the corresponding nut. It
will be seen that the two half or duplicate plates F F have their holes G G the reverse
of each other, so that while the plate seen at the left of Figure 1 will be moved
towards the left in order to lock the corresponding nuts, the plate at the right of
Figure 2 will be moved towards the right in order to lock the corresponding nuts.
It will also be seen that the plates, when in their locking position, as in Figure 1,
meet at their inner ends near the centre of the fish plate and form a flush or butt
joint.
Figure 6 is an elevation, Figure 7 a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Figure 6,
and Figure 8 a transverse section of the modification hereinbefore described in which,
instead of the recess E (Figures 1 to 5), we employ a fillet or rib on the nut.
His the fillet or rib; the other parts are marked with the same letters of reference
as in Figures 1 to 5. In these Figures the locking plate Fat the right is shown in
the locking position while that at the left has been passed over the nuts, but has not
yet been slid or pushed to the locking position.
Figure 9 is a face view of one of the half or, duplicate plates employed in connection
with, this modification. It will be noticed that the larger part g of the holes G is
circular to correspond with the form of the fillet or rib H.
Figure 10 is an elevation and Figure 11 a transverse section representing our
arrangement in which a washer is employed in connection with our locking plates
in the case of existing nuts which are not formed either with a recess E as in Figures 1
to 5, or with a fillet or rib H as in Figures 6 to 8. Figure 12 is a face view and
Figure 13 a section of the washer. I is the washer and E a recess therein corre-
sponding with the recess E in the nuts shown in Figures 1 to 5. This recess
receives the smaller parts g² of the holes of the locking plate. K is a flange on
the washer to receive the inner portion of the nut.
The locking plates can either be plain rectangular plates, such as shown in
Figure 3, or they can be cut away at those parts which are non-active (see
Figure 9).
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention, and in. what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is :-
The means substantially as hereinbefore described of locking the nuts or bolts of
fish plates.