Improvements in the Bonding of Rails used for Electrical Railways or Tramways.
Year: 1896

page_text: Coulda Omanif
Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1896
4 ALL
1007
2007
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Bonding of Rails used for Electrical Railways
or Tramways.
I, ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON, Engineer, of Mansion House Buildings,
London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the "bonding" of rails used for electrical railways or
tramways.
A great many devices have been proposed and used for increasing as much as
possible the conductivity of the rails at the points where they are jointed on to
one another. Most of these improvements take the form of wire strips or plates
of copper attached to the ends of the two rails that are thus jointed in such
a manner as to ensure that the electrical conductivity of the rail will be only
slightly reduced at each joint. Most of these devices have for their object
establishing as perfect a metallic connection as possible between the copper bond
and the two ends of the rails themselves. In my improvements I so design the
fish plates as to leave a space underneath one of the fish plates and the web of
the rails themselves and I put my copper bond into the space thus provided.
The bond consists of a sheet of copper of a form that will lie in the web between
the upper and lower members of the rail and in the space above described
between the rail and its fish plate. 1 force this copper bond into intimate contact
with the rail itself by providing annular projections on the copper bond which
enter into the two end fish bolt holes i.e. one in each rail or in some cases I pro-
vide that it should enter into two or even three such holes in each rail.
corrugate the copper bond in the space between the two end bolt holes in such a
manner that it can accommodate itself to the expansion of the rails due to change
of temperature without fear of fracture at this point. The copper bond is
applied as follows:-
I
The bolt holes into which the projecting annular pieces are to fit are rimered
out with a suitable tool which at the same time cleans off or faces off an annular
space immediately surrounding each of these bolt holes; the copper bond is then
placed with its two annular projections in these clean bolt holes and each of the
projections must then be expanded into these bolt holes by a boiler tuve expand-
ing tool or drift or similar device so that the copper is forced into intimate
contact with the clean steel inner surface of the hole in the rail. In some cases
I afterwards drive a ferrule info each of the holes in the copper bond so as to
hold the copper more firmly in contact with the steel rail. When the fish plates
are put into position and the bolts are inserted I ensure that the flat surface of
the copper bond shall be duly held up into contact with the clean flat surface of
the steel which immediately surrounds the bolt holes by interposing a short
length of spiral spring which may take the form of a spring washer such as one
well known in the trade as the Thackeray washer between the back of the copper
bond and the inner surface of the fish plate. By this device I ensure that when
the nuts on the fish bolts are screwed home and the fish plates are in their final

page_text: position they also hold the copper bond plate firmly into contact with the steel
rail. The corrugated portion of the bond should be so formed and arranged that
the convexities of the corrugations should touch on the one side the surface of
the fish plates and on the other side the surface of the web of the rail.
In some cases I may interpose between the flat surface of the copper bond and
the flat surface of the web of the rail a conducting cement or amalgam of a
nature to make better contact than the two metals would make anless they are
very carefully cleaned.
This arrangement of copper bond gives very large surfaces of contact between
the copper and the steel and insures that these surfaces are firmly held together
not only on the inner cylindrical surfaces of the bolt holes but also on the flat
surfaces through the action of the spring washers above mentioned. It is also
an advantage that the copper bond itself should be protected from mechanical
injury or from theft by being placed as it is within the fish plates and therefore
concealed from view.
Dated the 14th dow of Denumber 180C
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Bonding of Rails used for Electrical Railways
or Tramways...
I, ROOKES EVELYN BELL CROMPTON, Engineer, of Mansion House Buildings,
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:-
-
My invention relates to the "bonding" of rails used for electrical railways, or
tramways.
A great many devices have been proposed and used for increasing as much as
possible the conductivity of the rails at the points where they..are jointed.on to
one another. Most of these improvements take the form of wire strips or plates
of copper attached to the ends of the two rails that are thus jointed in such
a manner as to ensure that the electrical conductivity of the rail will be only
slightly reduced at each joint. Most of these devices have for their object
establishing as perfect a metallic connection as possible between the copper bond
and the two ends of the rails themselves. In my improvements I so design the
fish plates as to leave spaces underneath the fish plates and the web of the
rails themselves and I put my copper bond into the space thus provided.
The bond consists of a sheet of copper of a form that will lie in the web between
the upper and lower members of the rail and in the space above described
between the rail and its fish plate. I force this copper bond into intimate contact
with the rail itself by providing annular projections on the copper bond which
enter into the two end fish bolt holes i.e. one in each rail or in some cases I pro-
vide that it. should enter into two or even three such. holes in each rail.
corrugate the copper bond in the space between the two end bolt holes in such a
manner that it can accommodate itself to the expansion of the rails due to change
of temperature without fear of fracture at this point.
The copper bond is applied as follows:-
I
The bolt holes into which the projecting. annular pieces are to fit are rimered
out with a suitable tool which at the same time cleans off or faces off an annular
space immediately surrounding each of. these,bolt holes; the copper bond is then

page_text: placed with its two annular projections in these clean bolt holes, and each of the
projections must then be expanded into these bolt holes by a boiler tube expand-
ing tool or drift, or similar device so that the copper is forced into intimate
contact with the clean steel inner surface of the hole in the rail. In some cases
I afterwards drive a ferrule into each of the holes in the copper bond so as to
hold the copper more firmly in contact with the steel rail. When the fish plates
are put into position and the bolts are inserted I ensure that the flat surface of
the copper bond shall be duly held up into contact with the clean flat surface of
the steel which immediately surrounds the bolt holes by interposing a short
length of spiral spring which may take the form of a spring washer such as one
well known in the trade as the Thackeray washer between the back of the copper
bond and the inner surface of the fish plate. By this device I ensure that when
the nuts on the fish bolts are screwed home and the fish plates are in their final
position they also hold the copper bond plate firmly into contact with the steel
rail. The corrugated portion of the bond should be so formed and arranged that
the convexities of the corrugations should touch on the one side the surface of
the fish plates and on the other side the surface of the web of the rail.
In some cases I may interpose between the flat surface of the copper bond and
the flat surface of the web of the rail a conducting cement or amalgam of a
nature to make better contact than the two metals would make unless they are
very carefully cleaned.
This arrangement of copper bond gives very large surfaces of contact between
the copper and the steel and insures that these surfaces are firmly held together
not only on the inner cylindrical surfaces of the bolt holes but also on the flat
surfaces through the action of the spring washers above mentioned. It is also
an advantage that the copper bond itself should be protected from mechanical
injury or from theft by being placed as it is within the fish plates and therefore
concealed from view.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shews a horizontal section of a rail joint and parts adjacent on the
line AA of Fig. 2.
Figure 2 shews a cross section taken at right angles to Fig. 1 on the line B, B,
or C, C.
a, a indicate the abutting portions of the rails. b, indicate the fish plates.
c, c indicate the bolts and c, c' the nuts for tightening up the plates,
on the rails.
are ordinary washers, a indicates the web portion of rail a, a² are the bolt holes
formed therein, d is a copper sheet, or bond, formed corrugated, or equivalently
creased, or adapted to be extended, or contracted in length to compensate for
expansion, or contraction of the rails. This bond has annular projections, or
eyeletting parts which are passed into the bolt holes in advance of the bolts
and are expanded therein and swaged tight in place after the holes have been
cleaned out. e are spring washers to aid in the preservation of a tight joint and
good contact.
In the case of the left hand holt, bond end and bolt hole in Fig. 1, an additional
part is shewn i.e. a ferrule f is passed within the bond's annular part or eyelet
and tightened therein.
It may be so arranged that as the holt and nut cause the fish plates b to he
drawn together on the rail, the said ferrule may be pressed home thereby, either
with or without the addition of a spring washer applied around said bolt in rear
of the ferrule.
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:-
In Electrical Rail Bonding devices of the kind set forth,
1. The use of sheet copper bands, or strips, having annular projections expanded

page_text: into cleaned fish bolt holes, substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described.
2. The use of sheet copper bands, or strips having annular projections expanded
into cleaned fish bolt holes, in combination with corrugations thereto, sub-
stantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. The use of sheet copper bands, or strips having annular projections, expanded
into cleaned fish bolt holes, in combination with corrugations thereon and ferrules
to cooperate with the annular projections, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
4. The use of sheet copper bands, or strips having annular projections expanded
into cleaned fish bolt holes, in combination with corrugations thereto, ferrules to
cooperate with the annular projections and in some cases with the fish plates for
tightening purposes, faced surfaces, spring washers and fish plates, all sub-
stantially as and for the purpose set forth.
5. The construction and use of parts of "bonding" apparatus for electrical
railways, or tramways, whereby compensation is provided for the effects of
expansion or contraction of the rails and fish plates, said bonding parts being
located within the fish plates and protected from injury, greatly improved con-
tinuity of electrical conductivity is preserved, substantially as and for the purpose
herein before set forth and shewn by the drawings.
Dated the 14th day of September 1897.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 and 56 Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.