Improvements in Rail Joints and Method of Forming the same.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Sept., 1894-Accepted, 27th Oct., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rail Joints and Method of Forming the same.
We, ALBERT HOFFMANN, residing at 1210, 22nd Street in the City of
Milwaukee, in the County of Milwaukee, in the State of Wisconsin, United States
of America, Electrician, and HERMAN WAHL FALK residing at 1100 National
Avenue, in said City of Milwaukee, Manufacturer, 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 new and useful improvements in rail joints and the
method of forming the same.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectional view of a rail joint constructed in
accordance with our invention, said section being taken on line 1-1 of Figure 2.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same showing portions broken away to better
illustrate the construction.
Referring by letter to said drawings, A. A designate the heads, a a the webs,
and A' A' the bases of a pair of railway rails.
The rails may be of any of the ordinary forms of construction, the particular
form shown in the drawings being one of the well known T rail constructions,
commonly in use on street railway tracks.
It has been common, heretofore, in joining the ends of the railway rails, to bolt
fish-plates upon opposite sides of the webs of the rail ends, where the rails form a
part of a straight track, or where the rails come together at an angle, as in crossings
and switches, correspondingly shaped plates are fitted to the ends of the rails, and
secured by bolts.
In forming rail joints in this manner, especially in the case of switches and
crossings, the plates which are secured to the rail ends, must necessarily be made
specially to fit the particular joint, and in so constructing said plates, they must be
fitted with extreme nicety to the rail ends. This necessitates a great deal of work
and renders the construction of the joints necessarily expensive.
It is the object of our present invention to provide a rail joint formed by casting
metal around the abutting ends of the rails to be joined, the metal being rendered
adherent to the surfaces of the rail ends, and forming an enclosing casing for the
same.
To this end, we form the joint in substantially the manner shown in the drawings,
by casting a layer or sheath B of metal, of suitable thickness, around the bases and
the webs of the rail ends. This may be accomplished in any desired or convenient
manner, as by forming a mold around the adjacent ends of the rails, in the sand,
into which mold the metal is poured, or by using a suitably constructed portable
mold, which may be clamped upon the adjacent ends of the rails to be joined.
Previous to uniting the rails by my improved method, the ends of the rails are
preferably cleaned or brightened upon an emery wheel or in any convenient manner,
and when the metal is poured around the rail ends it will adhere strongly to the
surfaces thereof.
We find it an advantage to warm or heat the rail ends just before the metal is
cast around them, so as to prevent the molten metal from being too suddenly chilled
by contact with the rails.
i
We find, in practice, that the molten metal, when it comes into contact with the
rail ends, fuses or burns into the surfaces of said rail ends so as to virtually form
one niece with the rails

page_text: It is obvious that the molten metal, when poured around the ends of the rails,
will follow all the irregularities of the surfaces of the rail ends, so as to conform
perfectly to the exterior contour of the same.
In the particular form of joint shown in the drawings we have illustrated a joint
for the rails of a straight track, but it will, of course, be understood, that a joint
may be as readily formed between the ends of the rails which come together at an
angle to each other, as in the formation of side-tracks, switches, frogs or crossings,
it being only necessary to provide a mold suitably shaped to surround the parts of
the rails which are to be joined, and for this purpose, it will be understood that it
is not necessary to construct the mold so as to accurately conform to the outside of
the rail ends, but simply approximate the conformation of the exterior surfaces of
said rail ends, and to leave a sufficient space between the inside of the mold and the
surfaces of the rail ends, for the filling of molten metal.
In forming the joint, the rails are adjusted to the desired position, the mold
formed or placed around the outside of the same, and the metal poured into the
mold so as to fill the space between it and the rail ends.
As a separate and further improvement, we prefer to provide suitable
apertures CC in the webs of the rails, and apertures D D in the base flanges of
the rails, which apertures are filled by the molten metal in the process of casting
the same upon the outside of the rail ends, as shown at C¹ C and D¹ Di
respectively.
By this means the opposite sides of the enclosing cover or sheath of metal are
connected together through the webs and the bases of the rails so as to prevent
any liability or possibility of said covering or sheath spreading apart while
in use.
This in connection with the burning or fusing of the molten metal to the surfaces
of the rail ends, serves to form an exceedingly strong joint, the rails being fully as
strong if not stronger, at the joint where they are reinforced by the metal covering,
than at any other point.
It will be also understood that when the metal is cast upon the outside of the
rail ends, it will, as it cools and hardens, shrink upon the outside of said rail ends
so as to embrace said ends with exceeding tightness. The formation of the
connecting pieces C₁ C¹ and D'D' which pass through the webs and the base
flanges of the rails, serve to facilitate the shrinkage of the metal onto the surfaces
of the rail ends.
By our improvement we are enabled to form an exceedingly strong and durable
joint for the rails of railway tracks, without the use of bolts or the usual fish-plates
or brace or guard-plates and fillings, the equivalents for all of these parts being
provided by the cast metal.
If desired, in forming the joints, we might employ the form of construction
indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1, in which the sheath or covering B is
arranged to terminate at the upper edges of the base flanges and does not surround
the entire bases of the rails, as in the form first described. In this form of
construction the connecting pieces C¹ C₁ serve to firmly unite the two parts of the
sheath or cover which forms the joint.
.
A great advantage obtained by our improved joint arises from the fact that the
rails, being very firmly united together, by the cast metal, are not permitted to
yield or spring at the joints, when in use, and afford a very smooth, even, and
unyielding surface for the passage of the wheels. This greatly lessens the wear
upon the rails, and upon the car wheels, and renders the track as well as the car
wheels, much more lasting and durable.
A great advantage is also gained by our improvement construction where the
same is used upon the tracks of electric railways, from the fact that it is
unnecessary to separately "bond" the rails, as the enclosing sheath, being
intimately connected with the rails, and possessing greater carrying capacity than"
the rails, themselves, does not in any way interfere with the passage of the electric
current.

page_text: By our improvement we are enabled to greatly lessen the cost of construction of
the joints, switches, crossings, frogs &c., of railway tracks, from the fact that all of
the special work of fitting is done away with.
Furthermore, our improved form of joint is cheaper than the ordinary form of
fish-plate joint, while at the same time, far exceeding the same in strength and
durability.
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 :
1. A rail joint formed by casting a suitable cover or sheath of metal upon the
surfaces of the adjacent ends of the rails to be joined.
2. A rail joint formed by casting a suitable covering or sheath of metal around
the webs and the base flanges of the adjacent ends of the rails to be joined.
3. The combination with a pair of rail ends provided with apertures or
perforations in their webs, of a covering or sheath of metal cast upon opposite sides
of said web and extending through said apertures or perforations.
4. The combination with a pair of rail ends provided with apertures or
perforations in their webs and base flanges, of a covering or sheath cast upon the
surfaces of said rail ends and extending through the perforations or apertures in
said webs and base flanges.
5. An improved method of forming rail joints consisting in casting a coating or
sheath of metal upon the surfaces of the ends of the rails to be joined.
6. An improved method of forming rail joints consisting in casting a coating or
sheath of metal upon the surfaces of the webs and the base flanges of the ends of
the rails to be joined.
7. An improved method of forming rail joints, consisting in first cleaning the
ends of the rails, then warming or heating said ends, then forming or adjusting a
mold upon the outside of said ends, and finally pouring molten metal into the space
between said rail ends and said mold.
8. The hereindescribed method of forming rail joints consisting in providing
perforations or apertures in the rail ends, cleaning or brightening said ends, and
finally pouring molten metal into the space between said rail ends and said mold.
Dated this 30th day of August 1894.
ALBERT HOFFMANN.
HERMAN WAHL FALK.