Railways: surface track – Fastenings – Clamps
Patent
1997-01-06
1998-02-17
Le, Mark T.
Railways: surface track
Fastenings
Clamps
238351, E01B 900
Patent
active
057183767
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a railway rail-fastening clip and assembly.
A railway rail fastening assembly supplied by the applicants and used in parts of the U.S.A. comprises a rolled steel baseplate, secured to a wooden sleeper by screwspikes, and rail clips, known as "e-clips" and disclosed in GB-A-1510224. The rail clips concerned have a first straight centre leg portion, a bent second portion, a third heel portion, a fourth portion and a fifth toe portion. When the clip is placed in an orientation such that the longitudinal axes of the third and fifth portions lie in the same horizontal plane, the third and fifth portions appear (when the clip is viewed from above or below that horizontal plane) to lie on opposite sides respectively of the said first portion. In this orientation both the bent second portion and the bent fourth portion of the clip are arched such that they each appear to have a rising part followed by a falling part. Respective shoulders having tunnels for receiving the centre leg of such clips are provided, on either side of a rail seat area, by deforming the rolled steel plate. Load from the rail is distributed through the baseplate to the wooden sleeper.
Although the performance of such assemblies has been generally satisfactory, the applicants have found that in the locations, particularly on curves, where the assembly is used, the forces to which the assembly is subjected can break the baseplate, especially in the area of the baseplate around the tunnel. When loaded, there is also a tendency for the portions of the baseplate outboard of the tunnels to bend upwards relative to the portion under the rail, owing to the flexibility of the baseplate in the areas around the tunnels, so that the load is not well distributed across the full width of the plate. The applicants have also found that damage can occur to the rail clips and baseplates of such assemblies during train derailments, and that displacement of the rail clips can occur owing to contact with track maintenance equipment, etc. Both these problems are caused by the height of the assembly which is at its greatest at part of the clip, since the clip must have a pronounced arch in the fourth portion of the clip to allow it to clear the shoulder during installation.
With a view to strengthening the baseplate the applicants herein propose that the tunnel height is reduced, thereby allowing the thickness of material above the tunnel to be increased without increasing the overall height of the shoulder. Such a reduction in tunnel height may alternatively permit a small but significant overall reduction in the height of the shoulder. Reducing the height of the tunnel also allows the inclination of the tunnel side walls (which inclination is provided to aid manufacture) to be reduced, which in turn decreases the width of the tunnel at its foot, and thereby increases the bearing area and the strength of the baseplate around the tunnel. The plate's stiffness in bending is also increased so that the distribution of load across its width is improved.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a railway rail fastening clip made from a rod of resilient material bent so as to have, proceeding from one end of the rod to the other, a first substantially straight portion for locating the clip in a clip anchoring device when the clip is in use, then a second bent portion, then a third portion, then a fourth bent portion and finally a fifth portion, the said second portion being bent substantially along its entire length, and one of the said third and fifth portions having a first contact region which bears against an upper exterior surface portion of the clip anchoring device when the clip is in use and the other of the said third and fifth portions having a second contact region which bears against a rail adjacent to the said clip anchoring device when the clip is in use, such that, when the clip is in an unstressed condition and is placed in an orientation in which the longitudinal axes of the rod at the firs
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Conroy Brian George
Cox Stephen John
Gardner Christopher
Marshall Barry
Somerset Martin David
Holler Norbert P.
Le Mark T.
Pandrol Limited
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