US1174478A - Insulated rail-joint. - Google Patents

Description

F. B. com-1v. INSULATED RAIL JOINT. AP-P LICATIO I FILED JAN. 18, 1916- Patented Mar. 7,1916.

1 FRED B. COREY, OF EDGEIVOQD PARK, PENNSYLVANIA.

INSULATED BAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

"Patented Mar. 7, 1916.

' t Application filed January 18, 1916. Serial No. 72,678.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRED B. Conny, a citizen of the, United States, residing at EdgewoodPark, in the. county of Allegheny and State'of Pennsylvania, have invented cerilELlIL new and useful Improvements in Insulated Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to insulated rail joints, used in connection with railway Sig-- nal apparatus, to interrupt the electrical 1 continuity of the track rails, as required in track circuit signaling.

The ob ects of my invention are to secure the maximum strength and durability of the railrjoint with a minimum amount of insulating material, andto guard against the natural tendency of the insulating ma terial to move out of position when subjected to the excessive vibration and strains due to heavy traffic over the rails that are joined by such insulated joints. i

. My invention consists ina novel method of forming the strips of insulating material metal splice-bars and incorporating such strips of insulating material into a rail joint ing strips are of proper construction. The said insulatformed with fiat parallel sides witha thickened edge which prevents the strips from being forced out of the joint.

In the drawings which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a cross-sectionalview ofan insulated rail joint embodying my invention. Fig. 2 15 a cross-sectional view of a strip of insulation, drawn to an enlarged scale, showing-the method of. its construction. Fig. 3 is a side view ofan insulatedjoint, drawn to areduced scale, indicating the way in which the joint is applied to the track rails of'a railway.

In the drawings 1 and 2 are two contiguous track rails that are connected by the 1 insulated joint. 3 and 4 are theste'el splice bars'that'hold the track rails joined and impro er alinement.

i 5 yand'fi are/strips ofinsulating material separating the splice bars 3 and 4:- from the heads of the rails 1 and 2, while 7 and 8 are similar strips of insulating material soparating the saidsplicebars 3 and 4 from the flanges of the said rails 1 and 2. These 1 strips of insulating material may be con' tinuous fromend to end 'of thejoints, as

' be divided at the center,

shown, or may between the rails and the 6, 7 and 8 that constitute the essential features of my invention.

9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 1a are six bolts by" means of which the splice bars 3 and 4: are

secured in place. The construction surrounding each of these bolts is clearly shown fin Fig. 1, in which 15 and 16 are short tubes or sleeves of insulating material surrounding. the bolt 10, and 17 and 18 are washers of similar insulating material. In contact? with these insulating washers 17 and 18 are'the steel washers 19 and 20 which serve to protect the said insulating washers 17 and 18. The bolt 10 is held in place and the Whole structure securely clamped by the {hut 21. It is to be understood that the structure just described in connection with the bolt 10 is repeated for each of the, bolts 9, 11; 12, 13 and 14. The contiguous ends of the rails 1. and 2 are separated by a piece of insulating material 22 (see Fig. 3) commonly called the end post.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the construction of the insulating strips 5, 6, 7 and 8 is more fully shown. A. strip of insulation 23 is built up of superimposed layers of canvas or similar fabric and thoroughly saturated with bakelite or similar insulating substance. This strip 23 is of one half the thickness and approximately double the width required for the finished insulation. At the center of the strip 23 is placed a narrow piece 243 of absorbent material which is also thoroughly saturated with the insulating substance, and the strip 23 is then folded on itselfso that a strip is formed having a thickness of doublethe original thickness throughout the greater portion of the strip and an increased thickness along =.=ne edge due to the insertion' of the part 24. -This folded strip is then placed in a suitable mold andsubjected to the combined action of heat and pressure. This process converts the whole piece into a hard compact mass of uniform structure, as great strength and high insulation resistance. The finish-ed strip iso-f uniform thickness except near the edge 25 where the thickness is considerably greater. The

canvas, cordage or other 7 form of the mold is such that the finished insulation will conform to the shape of the rails. and splice bars with which the insula tion is to be used. It edge. that prevents improper displacement this thickened inner iio the insulation When the joint isin service With my improved insulation it is unnecessary to make any modification of the usual form'of splice bars and other parts of the joint, as these improvedinsulating strips can be used in place of thev ordinary vulcanized fiber or bakelized canvas heretofore used. "In those cases Where the space hetweeuj thel splice bar; and the eb of the rail [is not sufiicient to accommodate the thickened edge, it is necessary only to increase I as the thickness ofithe main portion of the insul'ation so as to prevent the'splice bars from being drawn too close to the Web of the rail.

' I do not desire to limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement of parts here shown, but aim in the appended claims to cover all modifications that are Within the scope-of my invention;

What I claim as new and desire to secure 1 by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. In an insulated rail joint, an insulating strip formed offabrie folded upon itself 2. In an insulated rail joint, a folded strip of insulating material and a second strip of material inclosed in the said folded strip. T a

In an insulated rail joint, a folded strip of insulating material and-Ya second strip of material inclosed in the said folded strip, the Whole being formed into a compact mass by the combined action of heat and pressure. 4. The process of producing a strip of insulating material. consisting of folding a flexible strip ofinsulating material about a second strip of material and forming the Whole into a. compact mass by pressure Within a heated mold.

5. In an insulated rail joint, a. strip of insulating material formed of layers of fabric impregnated with insulating compound,

the, number of layers of fabric in the edge portion Of th'said strip being greater than the number of layers in the main port1on.;'

"In' Witness whereof I have set my handthis 14th day of January 1916.

FRED B. COREY.

Witnesses:

SIMON F. Lone, D. iX'lWELLa

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