ELASTICALLY YIELDABLE INSULATING RAIL FASTENING DEVICE

• US 3,688,984 A
• Filed: 02/10/1971
• Issued: 09/05/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: N/A
• Original Assignee: N/A
• Primary Examiner(s): James B. Marbert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Richard A. Bertsch
• Application Number:
  US05/114,123
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 238/349,283,310
• US Class Current: 238/349
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 2205/00 Electrical insulation of railway track parts
• CPC Class Codes: E01B 9/306 the clip being a shaped plate

Abstract

Elastically yieldable and electrically insulating fastening device for fastening a rail on a sleeper. The device comprises a clip of insulating plastics material having a body and two branches extending from the upper part of the body. A metal strip bears on the upper face of the body and branches. A tighteningdown bolt adapted to be anchored in the sleeper extends through apertures in the strip and clip body. An improved device is also described having an additional metal strip bearing on the aforementioned strip so as to modify the performance of the device, in particular for high-speed railway tracks. This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Serial No. 802,952, filed Feb. 27, 1969, now abandoned.

Claims

1. An elastically yieldable and electrically insulating fastening device for fastening a rail having a flange to a sleeper, said device comprising a clip composed of an insulating plastics material having a body, two branches extending from the upper part of the body and an upper face extending over said body and said branches, a metal strip having a first portion bearing on said upper face and a second portion bearing on said upper face, an aperture in said strip and an aperture in said body coaxial with said aperture in said metal strip, and a screwthreaded fastening means extending through said apertures for fastening said clip body and said strip to said sleeper, a first of said branches extending from said body in a first direction and adapted to bear downwardly on said rail flange and a second of said branches extending from said body in a direction opposed to said first direction and adapted to bear against means separate from and independent of said bolt and defining a bearing face associated with said sleeper, said first portion of said strip overlying said first branch and said second portion of said strip overlying said second branch, said strip having a bottom face which defines with said upper face of said clip betwEen said first and second portions of said strip a gap of sufficient dimensions that when said device is fastened to said sleeper by a force exerted on said strip by said screwthreaded fastening means, said strip can be initially deformed and finally applied against said upper face in a region of said strip intermediate said first portion and second portion of said strip.

2. In an assembly comprising a sleeper and a rail having a flange and supported by said sleeper, an elastically yieldable and electrically insulating fastening device located on one side of said rail and fastening said rail flange on said sleeper, said device comprising a clip composed of an insulating plastic material having a body, two branches extending from the upper part of the body and an upper face extending over said body and said branches, a metal strip bearing on said upper face, means defining an aperture in said strip and an aperture in said body coaxial with said aperture in said metal strip, and screw-threaded tightening means extending through said apertures and anchored in said sleeper tightening said clip and strip onto said sleeper and onto said flange, said branches extending from said body in opposite directions, a first of said branches overlapping and bearing downwardly on said flange and a second of said branches bearing on means defining a bearing face associated with said sleeper separate from and independent of said bolt and located on a side of said screw-threaded tightening means remote from said rail, said strip having a first portion overlying said first branch of said clip and a second portion overlying said second branch of said clip, and said strip being subjected to a deflection between said first portion and said second portion of said strip exceeding any possible deflection of said clip due to the fact that before said screw-threaded tightening means tightens said strip and clip down said strip initially defined with said upper face of said clip a gap between said first portion and said second portion of said strip.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means defining a bearing face comprise an upper face on said sleeper, said sleeper having an upstanding face, said body having a face in abutting relation to the edge of said flange of said rail and an opposite face supported by said upstanding face of said sleeper, said metal strip having a length less than the overall length of said body and said branches and engaging upwardly projecting portions on the clip so as to maintain said clip and bolt in correct relative position when said bolt anchored in said sleeper is tightened.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means defining a bearing face comprise an abutment member independent of said screw-threaded tightening means and having a lug engaged in an aperture in said sleeper, said abutment member having a face against which said second branch bears and a bearing face which cooperates with a face on said body of said clip and is parallel to said rail, whereby said clip is supported by said abutment member transversely of said rail.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said body of said clip is roughly in the shape of a rectangle.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means defining a bearing face comprise a bearing face on said sleeper, said body of said clip comprising on one side of the body a boss which is in one piece with said body and has a shape which is complementary to that of a recess in said sleeper.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper face of said branches has an upwardly concave curved shape, the generatrices of said shape being parallel to said rail.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said branches comprises at its end upstanding flange means for retainingly engaging a corresponding end of the strip.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said metal strip is of spring steel and has a length a little less than the overall length of said brancHes and said body.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the width of said body of said clip, measured between said faces of said body, determines the position of said rail relative to said sleeper.

11. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said clip is of a suitable moulded, electrically insulating, plastics material.

12. An assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein said clip is of synthetic resin.

13. An elastically yieldable and electrically insulating fastening device for fastening a rail having a flange to a sleeper, said device comprising a clip of an insulating plastics material having a body portion and two branches extending away from each other in opposite directions from an upper part of said body portion, an upper first bearing face extending over said body portion and said branches, a metal strip having a bottom second bearing face and two end portions which bear on said first bearing face, an aperture in said strip and an aperture in said body coaxial with said aperture in said strip for receiving screwthreaded means adapted to bear on said strip for fastening said clip and said strip to said sleeper, said branches being adapted to be disposed on the same side of said rail, a first of said branches being adapted to exert in use of the device a downward rail retaining force on said flange and a second of said branches being adapted to be supported in use of the device by means defining a third bearing face associated with said sleeper, said first and second bearing faces having different contours in vertical section and defining therebetween a clearance which increases from said end portions to said apertures whereby when said device is fastened to said sleeper by a force exerted on said strip by said screw-threaded means, said strip is initially deformed and finally applied substantially fully against said first bearing face of said clip in the position of use of the device.

14. In an assembly comprising a sleeper and a rail having a flange and supported by said sleeper, an elastically yieldable and electrically insulating fastening devices located on one side of said rail and fastening said flange to said sleeper, said device comprising a clip of an insulating plastics material and having a body and two branches extending away from each other in opposite directions from an upper part of said body, said clip having an upper bearing face extending over said body and said branches, a metal strip bearing closely against said upper bearing face, an aperture in said strip, an aperture in said body coaxial with said strip aperture, a first of said branches exerting a downward flange-retaining force on said flange and a second of said branches being supported by means defining a support face associated with said sleeper, screw-threaded anchoring means extending through said apertures and anchored in said sleeper and exerting a holding down force on said strip, said strip being under a bending stress which is greater than the bending stress of said clip due to the fact that said strip and said upper bearing face initially defined a clearance therebetween which tapered from said apertures to outer ends of said branches.

15. In an assembly comprising a support and a rail having a web and a flange and supported by said support, an elastically yieldable and electrically insulating fastening device located on one side of said rail and fastening said rail flange on said support, said device comprising a clip composed of an insulating plastics material having a body, two branches extending from the upper part of the body and an upper face extending over said body and said branches, a first spring metal strip bearing on said upper face, a second spring metal strip bearing on said first strip, means defining coaxial apertures in said first strip, said second strip and said body, and screw-threaded means extending through said coaxial apertures and anchored in said support tightening said clip onto said support and onto said flange through said strips, saiD branches extending from said body in opposite directions, means defining an upper bearing face and a lateral abutment face associated with said support separate from and independent of said bolt and located on a side of said bolt remote from said rail, a first of said branches overlapping and bearing downwardly on said flange and a second of said branches bearing on said upper bearing face, said first strip having a first portion overlying said first branch of said clip and a second portion overlying said second branch of said clip, and said first strip being subjected to a deflection between said first portion and said second portion of said first strip exceeding any possible deflection of said clip due to the fact that before said screw-threaded means tighten said clip down said first strip initially defined with said upper face of said clip a gap between said first portion and said second portion of said first strip, said second strip having a length perpendicular to the rail which is equal to at least a distance between said edge of said flange and said lateral abutment face.

16. An assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein said first branch extends up to the vicinity of a fillet between said flange and said web of the rail.

17. An assembly as claimed in claim 15, wherein said second branch has a lower recess defining two bottom faces bearing on said upper bearing face.

18. An assembly as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a block between said body and said lateral abutment face.

19. A device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a first packing member interposed between said upper bearing face and said second branch, and a second packing member having the same thickness as said first packing member interposed between said flange and said support for correcting the level of said rail.