Improvements in Rail Bonds.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 9th June, 1896-Accepted, 11th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail Bonds.
1, LEROY COOK, of 2 Channing Street Worcester, in the County of Worcester
and State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Mechanic, do hereby declare
the nature of my invention for improvements in rail bonds, 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 method of electrically uniting the rails of an electric
railway and particularly to the device, commonly known as a rail bond by which the
rails are connected with the ends of an electrical conducting wire.
In the following description reference is made to the figures in the accompanying
drawings, which represent the adjacent ends of two rails of a railway, electrically
connected by means of a conducting wire, the ends of the wire being attached to the
rails by means of my improved rail bond; the drawings also represent in detail
the construction and method of application of my improved rail bond.
Figure 1 represents a top view of a portion of two rails electrically connected by a
conducting wire; with a portion of the rails shown in sectional view, the crown of
the rail having been removed, in order to disclose the two rail bonds by which the
ends of the conducting wire are connected with the rails.
Figure 2 represents a portion of a rail with one of my improved rail bonds
inserted, with the rail and bond shown in sectional view, on the plane of the centre
of the rail bond.
Figure 3 represents an end view of one of my improved rail bonds previous
to its insertion in a rail and showing the end of the conducting wire inserted in the
rail bond.
Figure 4 is a central sectional view of the inner sleeve of the rail bond on
line X, X, Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a central sectional view of the outer sleeve of the rail bond on
line X, X, Figure 3.
Figure 6 represents a portion of a rail having a hole to receive the rail bond
and with one of my improved rail bonds shown in proper position to be driven
therein; with the end of the conducting wire inserted in the rail bond.
Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are indicated by
like letters of reference, A, A, denote portions of two adjacent rails of a railway, with
a portion of the crowns of the rails removed showing the waist A 1 of the rails in
sectional view. B denotes the conducting wire electrically connected with each of
the rails A, A, by means of the rail bonds C. C.
The rail bonds C, C, are duplicates of each other and each consists of an inner
cylindrical sleeve D which incloses the end B1 of the conducting wire B and
an outer cylindrical sleeve E which incloses the inner sleeve D. The inner sleeve D
is, preferably, of copper or some soft ductile metal, which is a good conductor of
electricity. It has a concentric hole D 1 to receive the end of a conducting wire B
and is provided on one side with a slot D 2 communicating with the central hole D 1.
The outer sleeve E is, preferably, of steel, or some relatively hard, non-compressible
metal, fitting the outer surface of the inner sleeve D, and it is provided on one side
with a slot, E 1 communicating with the central hole in the sleeve.

page_text: The outer surface of the sleeve E is cylindrical except at one end where it is
slightly beveled for a short distance, as at E 3. The outer diameter of the outer
sleeve E is somewhat larger than the diameter of the hole A 2 formed in the waist A 1
of the rail. The end B1, of the electrical conducting wire B, is inserted in the
concentric hole D 1 of the soft metal sleeve D; the soft metal sleeve is then inserted
in the hard metal sleeve and both are presented to the hole A 2 in the rail with the
tapered end E 3 of the outer sleeve E inserted in the hole A 2; the sleeves are then
driven into the hole A 2 with a sledge hammer, into the position represented in
Figures and 2 with the central section of the rail bond held in the waist A 1 of the
rail and with the ends of the bond projecting a short distance on each side of the rail.
As the rail bond is driven into the hole A 2 the sleeve E becomes contracted in
diameter, thereby compressing the soft metal sleeve D and closing the slots D1
and E 1, said slots having been, preferably, arranged on diametrically opposite sides
of the bond.
As the tapered end E3 of the outer sleeve emerges from the hole A 2, the force
of the blow upon the opposite end, together with the friction between the side of the
. hole A 2 and the outer surface of the sleeve E will cause the beveled end E 3 to
expand, bringing the sleeve E straight on its outer surface, as at E 4, Figure 2, and
causing the bevel to become transferred to the inner surface of the sleeve as at E5,
Figure 2. As the bond is driven into the hole A 2 the inner end of the soft metal
sleeve D becomes expanded against the inner beveled surface E 5, increasing the
diameter of the soft metal sleeve D at its inner end, as at F. The force of the blows
also slightly upsets the driven end H of the inner sleeve producing a slight expansion
of both the outer and inner sleeves at the driven end, so the rail bond will be
held from movement within the rail in either direction and prevented from being
jarred out.
The outer sleeve E prevents the abrasion of the outer surface of the soft metal
inner sleeve, and the inner sleeve can be brazed to the end of the wire or to the end
of a twisted cable of soft copper wire before it is inserted in the outer sleeve. When
the sleeve D has been previously attached to the end of the wire it is passed through
the hole A 2, the outer sleeve E is then applied to the inner sleeve and both are
driven into the rail.
Driving the rail bond into the bole A 2 causes a considerable compression of the
inner sleeve D, thereby securing an intimate contact of the opposing surfaces at
the different joints of the bond, and an efficient electrical connection between the two
united rails.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The within described rail-bond having an inner sleeve of soft metal with a
concentric opening to receive the end of an electrical conducting wire and an outer
sleeve of harder metal with a tapered or beveled end, said sleeves being slotted on
one side, as, and for the purpose set forth.
Second. The combination with the rail of an electric railway provided with a
hole A 2 and an electrical conducting wire, of a soft metal sleeve inclosing said wire,
⚫ an outer sleeve of hard metal inclosing said soft metal sleeve, said outer sleeve being
larger in diameter than the hole A 2 and having one end tapered and being slotted on
one side, as and for the purpose set forth.
Third. The combination with the rail of an electric railway provided with holes, and
an electrical conducting wire connecting said rails of rail bonds inclosing the ends
of said wire, said bonds consisting of the sleeves D and E of different degrees of
hardness, suid sleeves being slotted on one side, with the sleeves of softer metal
inclosing the wire and the sleeves of harder metal inclosing the soft metal sleeves, and
held in the holes in said rails, as for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. In a rail bond, the combination of an inner sleeve slotted on one side and

page_text: having a concentric hole to enclose an electrical conducting wire, said inner sleeve
being made of some soft or compressible metal, such as copper, and an outer sleeve of
a hard or non-compressible metal, as and for the purpose set forth.
DL: 09-1 J1800
LEROY COOK.
Wheatley & Mackenzie,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.
LEROY COOK.
Wheatley & Mackenzie,
40, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.