Improvements in Railway Rails relating to the Joints of the same.
Year: 1887

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Railway Rails relating to the Joints of the same.
I, FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT of Philadelphia, in the County of Philadelphia, State of
Pennsylvania and United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the
nature of my said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The invention herein relates to a class of rail joints known as the "continuous tread,"
wherein the adjoining ends of two rails overlap each other, and the invention has for
its object as well, such a construction of the joint as will effect the locking together
of the overlapping ends so as to prevent independent movement of the members in a
vertical direction as to effect continuity of tread, and to this end the invention con-
sists in the construction and combination of parts, substantially as hereinafter more
fully described and claimed.
Figures 1, 2 and 3, are views in side elevation of the two members of my improved
rail joint showing different forms of construction.
Fig. 4, is a transverse sectional view of one of the joints formed by rail ends
constructed in accordance with my invention.
Fig. 5, is a longitudinal section of a rail joint formed in accordance with my
invention.
In Letters Patent No. 3,979 granted me February 26, 1884, I have described and
claimed a rail joint formed by overlapping rail ends, which have been suitably shaped
by swaging or pressing aside the ends of the rails and at the same time thickening
them in the web and elongating the swaged portion, the thickened and elongated ends
of adjoining rails being adapted to lap by each other, and thereby form a continuous
tread equal in width to that of the rail.
Provision was made in that joint for locking the two members as against independent
vertical movement, by a projection and recess at the ends of the joint, or by a rib

page_text: along the face of one member and a corresponding recess in the face of the other
member. While each form of lock is effective to a certain extent, the projection and
recess at the ends of the joints, did not form a support for the portions of the joints
between them and hence the bolts which are located along such middle portion are
subjected to a shearing action when a load is placed on that portion of the joint. In
the construction having the rib and recess along the entire length of the overlapping
faces this shearing action is prevented, but the recess in that position tends to weaken
the joint at the point of junction of the body of the rail and the portion pressed aside
as above stated.
In the practice of my invention, the ends of the rails are swaged or pressed over to
one side of the vertical longitudinal central plane of the rail, so that the head of the
end of the rail is reduced about one-half in width and at the same time the part
pressed over is elongated. While being pressed over and elongated, the web of the
rail is made thicker than originally by the addition of the metal displaced from the
head and flange as above stated.
The dies by which the above swaging operation is effected, are so constructed as to
form a rib or ribs 3, at or near the point of junction of the body 1, of the rail and
the tongue 2, formed by the swaging operation. These ribs extend along the inner
face of the tongue to a point a little beyond the first bolt hole 4, as shown in Figs. 1
and 2, or may extend to a point midway of the length of the tongue as shown in
Fig. 3. Simultaneous with the formation of the ribs 3, grooves 5, corresponding in
depth to the projection of the ribs, are formed in the inner face of the tongues at or
near the outer ends thereof, said grooves being of a length about half an inch longer
than that of the ribs. In lieu of forming both ribs at or near the inner end of the
tongue, a rib and groove may be formed at or near the inner end and a rib and groove
at the outer end of the tongue, said parts being oppositely disposed as shown in Fig. 2.
Or if desired, a single central rib may be formed at or near the inner end and a groove
at the outer end, as shown in Fig. 3.
In order that the joints may be made by slipping the rails longitudinally, the
inner faces of the tongues sliding over each other, the grooves are extended to the
ends of the tongues as shown in Fig. 1, but such construction is not essential, as
the grooves may be formed as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, in which case the ribs do
not extend to the wall formed by the body of the rail at the inner end of the
tongue.
In order to provide a good bearing for the heads and nuts of the clamping bolts,
when the latter have been shifted out of perpendicularity with the web of the rail by
the longitudinal movement thereof either in contracting or expanding, I form a
longitudinally convexed seat 6, around the bolt holes, the apices of the seats coinciding
with the vertical diameters of the holes as shown in Fig. 5. This construction will
permit of a bearing at extreme contraction stages of the heads or nuts approximately
equal to half the area of the whole bearing surface of heads and nuts.
The principal characteristic of my invention herein is the formation of a lock
extending practically the entire length of the joint without at all impairing the strength
of the tongues at their point of junction with the body of the rail, and in the con-
struction shown in Fig. 1, the junction of the tongue and body of the rail is reinforced
by the ribs.
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. A railroad rail having its end swaged or pressed aside, thereby forming a tongue
at one side of the longitudinal axis of the rail, said tongue having one or more
horizontally projecting ribs formed on its inner face at or adjacent to the point of
junction of the body of the rail and the tongue and extending to or nearly to the
middle thereof, and having one or more grooves or recesses at or near the outer end
of the tongue in combination with an adjoining rail having a similarly formed end,
substantially as set forth.

page_text: 2. A railroad rail having its end swaged or pressed aside, thereby forming a ton gu
at one side of the longitudinal axis of each end of the rail, the inner face of sai
tongue being provided with horizontally projecting ribs extending from the inner en
of the tongue to or approximately to a point midway of the length thereof, an
grooves extending from a point at or near the end of the rib to the end of the ton gue
in combination with an adjoining rail having a similarly constructed end, substantially
as set forth.
3. A railroad rail joint formed by two overlapping rail ends, in combination with
clamping bolts passing through holes in the webs of the rail ends, the portions of
the web around the bolt holes being longitudinally curved, substantially as set
forth.
Dated this Twenty fifth day of October A.D. 1887.
Witnesses,
GEORGE E. DATESMAN.
SYD. W. ARNOLD.
FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT.