GB2214545A

GB2214545A - Rail fastening assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2214545A
Application number: GB8801458A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Clive Ernest Hereward
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-01-22
Filing date: 1988-01-22
Publication date: 1989-09-06
Also published as: GB8801458D0

Abstract

A rail 1 stands on a foundation 2 to which is fixed a device 7 which anchors a clip. A locating member 11 has a wedge part 12 which locates the rail and a holding-down part 13 projecting over the flange 5 of the rail, and formed with a row of recesses 15 any one of which can receive a pointed projection 27 on the limb 25 of the clip to prevent the locating member 11 moving. In another example a different form of clip (not shown) is secured by a bolt and a nut to the foundation. <IMAGE>

Description

HOLDING DOWN A RAIL According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly including a foundation for a rail, a rail standing on the foundation, the rail having a flange at its base, a locating member having a wedge part, beside the flange of the rail and locating the rail, and having a holding-down portion, projecting over the flange of the rail, and a resilient clip member having a part anchored to the foundation and a portion pressing downwardly on the locating member, the locating member being locked by virtue of a projection on one of said members lying in a recess in the other of said members, whereby the locating member cannot move parallel to the length of the rail in the direction from the narrower part to the wider part of the wedge portion and the rail can rise against a spring force exerted by the clip member.

Preferably, the projection is on one of said portions and the recess in the other of said portions.

In the examples described below, the projection is on the above-mentioned downwardly pressing portion of the clip and the recess is in the holding-down portion of the locating member but instead the projection could be on the holding-down portion of the locating member, in which case the recess will be in the above-mentioned downwardly pressing portion of the clip. In the examples described below, the recess in the locating member is formed in it before the locating member is brought into contact with the clip and is one of a row of such recesses, each of which is capable of receiving the projection. Instead, however, the recess could be formed by the projection biting into the locating member when the assembly is formed.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a resilient clip which is suitable for use in an assembly according to the first aspect of the invention, the clip being a P-R clip (i.e. a clip according to claim 1 of UK Patent No. 861473) or an e-clip (i.e. a P-R clip which is also in accordance with claim 1 of UK Patent No. 1510224), the clip in either case having on the part which is called the "third portion" or on the part which is called the "fifth portion" in the relevant claim, a downwardly-extending pointed projection.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a clip which is suitable for use in an assembly according to the first aspect of the invention, the clip having a first portion for anchoring to the foundation, a second portion rising from one side of the first portion, a third portion extending from the upper part of the second portion, above and beyond the first portion, a downward projection at or near the free end of the third portion for engagement with the recess in the locating member, and a fourth portion rising from the opposite side of the first portion and having the third portion passing over it without touching it.

Examples in accordance with the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a plan view of a rail-and-fastening assembly, Figure 2 shows a part-sectional view of the assembly, taken as indicated by the arrows II in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows a side view of a clip in the assembly according to Figures 1 and 2, Figure 4 shows a plan view of the clip shown in Figure 3, Figure 5 shows a plan view of a locating member in the assembly shown in Figures 1 and 2, Figures 6 and 7 show views of the locating member, taken as indicated by the arrows VI and VII, respectively, in Figure 5, Figure 8 shows a view of the locating member, taken as indicated by the arrow VIII in Figure 6, and Figure 9 shows a sectional view of a further railand-fastening assembly.

Figures 1 and 2 show a rail 1 on which the vehicles are to travel along a crane girder 2 which is not shown in Figure 1. The rail has a head 3 connected by a web 4 to a flange 5 which extends in opposite directions from the bottom of the web. Between the top of the girder 2 and the bottom of the flange 5 there is a pad 6 of rubber or other suitable material. Two similar clip-anchoring devices 7 are secured to the top of the girder 2, for example by welding, each of them having been made by bending sheet material to form an arch 8 connecting a horizontal portion 9 to a vertical portion 10.

A locating member 11 made of malleable cast iron or plastic is provided on each side of the rail flange, each member 11 having a wedge part 12, beside the flange 5 of the rail and locating the rail by virtue of the fact that it is interposed between the edge of the rail flange and the vertical portion 10 of.the anchoring member 7.

Each locating member 11 also has a holding-down portion 13 projecting over the flange 5 of the rail. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, but, for simplicity, not in Figures 1 and 2, the holding-down portion 13 and the top of the wedging part 12 of each locating member 11 are formed with a number, for example 30, of recesses in the form of straight and parallel grooves 15, for example 2mm. wide and lmm. deep, the grooves having almost vertical walls on one side (to the left, considering Figure 6) and walls inclined at about 300 to the horizontal on the other side, so that a saw-tooth arrangement is formed. The grooves are inclined by a small angle, for example about 110, to the side 16 of the upper surface of the holding-down portion 13, which side lies parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail.The opposite side 17 of the upper surface of the locating member 11 is inclined by an angle A to a line parallel to the side 16, this angle also being the angle of the wedge of the wedge portion 12. Its value is about 110.

Figures 1 to 4 also show a so-called e-clip, which is in accordance both with claim 1 of UK Patent No.

1510224 and claim 1 of UK Patent No. 861473. It has been made by bending a resilient steel bar of circular crosssection of 20mm. diameter, and of length less than 360mm., so that it has a first portion 21 in the form of a straight leg, a second portion 22 in the form of a reverse bend, a third portion 23 running beside the first portion 21, a fourth portion 24 in the form of another reverse bend and a fifth portion 25 running beside the first portion 21, the configuration being such that when the clip is viewed in plan when the portion 21 is horizontal, the third and fifth portions 23 and 25 appear to be on the opposite sides of the axis of the first portion 21. The fifth portion 25 is formed on its underneath side with a flat portion 26 which engages the portion 13 of the locating member 11 and, at the extreme end of the rod, is provided with a hard metal projection or sprag 27 which is about 16mm. long and triangular in cross-section so that it is sharp at its lower side.

When the portion 21 of the clip is horizontal, both flanks of the projection are inclined in the same sense to a vertical plane 20, to which the axis of the portion 210is normal, the angle between these flanks being about 35 . The inclinations of the flanks approximately match those of the walls of the grooves 15. The overall height of the projection 27 may be about 5mm., for example. The flat surface 26 may be inclined to the horizontal when the axis of the straight portion 21 of the clip is horizontal, so that the flat surface extends downwardly from left to right, considering Figure 3, at an angle of about 2 1/20, for example. To the left of the flat portion the extreme end of the rod is up-turned.

The clips could be driven in the opposite directions so that their portions 23 engage the portions 13 of the locating members 11 and their portions 25 engage the portions 9 of the devices 7, in which case the projections or sprags 27 and the flat portions 26 will be on the portions 23.

In the example shown in Figure 9, in which the references 1 to 6 have the same significance as in Figures 1 and 2, there is employed a clip 30 made by bending resilient sheet steel so that it has a vertical part 38, providing an abutment against which the locating member 11 bears, extending upwardly from one extremity of a flat horizontal anchoring part 31 which rests on the top of the girder 2, the part 31 being connected by a vertical part 32, extending upwardly from the opposite extremity of the part 31, to a horizontal part 33 which extends above and beyond the part 31, i.e. further to the right than the right-hand extremity of the part 31, and above and beyond the part 38 without touching it.At the extreme right-hand end of the part 33, there is a projection or sprag 34 which extends into one of a number of pre-formed recesses 35 in the holding-down portion 36 of the locating member 11. The wedge part 12 of the locating member bears against the part 38 of the clip 30, which part 38 lies to the left of and below the projection or sprag 34. In the illustrated case the anchoring part 31 of the clip 30 is secured by a bolt 39 and a nut 40 to the girder 2 and the part 33 of it is formed with a hole 41 so that access to the nut may be had in order to tighten it. This hole 41 is unnecessary if, in accordance with another possibility, the anchoring part 31 of the clip is secured to the girder by welding instead of by a bolt and a nut.

In both the illustrated examples, the projection or sprag on the clip initially bears down on the locating member 11 when the latter is not quite in its final position and then the locating member is driven into its final direction by a force, parallel to the length of the rail, in the direction from the wider extremity to the narrower extremity of the wedge part 12. Then movement of the locating member in the opposite direction is prevented by the projection or sprag 27 or 34 engaging in one of the recesses 15 or 35 and this remains true even after considerable wear has taken place.

When the locating members on opposite sides of the rail flange have been fixed in their positions, they entirely prevent movement of the rail to the left or the right. However, by choice of the extent to which the locating members are driven, the rail can be finely adjusted to, and fixed in, a position deviating by as much as 5mm. in either direction from a position centrally between the two portions 10 or the two portions 38.

Although the examples are concerned with rails of a crane, the invention can also be used on narrow-gauge or even standard gauge railway tracks.

Claims

Claims:

1. An assembly including a foundation for a rail, a rail standing on the foundation, the rail having a flange at its base, a locating member having a wedge part, beside the flange of the rail and locating the rail, and having a holding-down part, projecting over the flange of the rail, and a further member having a part anchored to the foundation and a portion facing a portion of the locating member, said portions being resiliently held in engagement, the locating member being locked by virtue of a projection on one of said portions lying in a recess in the other of said portions, whereby the locating member cannot move parallel to the length of the rail in the direction from the narrower region to the wider region of the wedge part.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which said further member is a resilient clip and said portion of it presses downwardly on said portion of the locating member.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 in which said projection is on said portion of the clip and said recess is in the holding-down part of the locating member.

4. An assembly according to claim 3 in which said recess is one of a row of recesses in said holding-down part, each of which is capable of receiving the projection and has been formed before bringing the locating member and the clip into contact with one another.

5. An assembly according to claim 3 in which the recess has been formed by the projection biting into the holding-down part of the locating member when the assembly was formed.

6. An assembly according to claim 2 in which the projection is on the holding-down part of the locating member and the recess is in the downwardly-pressing portion of the clip.

7. A resilient clip which is suitable for use in an assembly according to any preceding claim, the clip being a P-R clip (i.e. a clip according to claim 1 of UK Patent No.861473) or an e-clip (i.e. a P-R clip which is also in accordance with claim 1 of UK Patent No.1510224), the clip in either case having on the part which is called the "third portion" or on the part which is called the "fifth portion" in the relevant claim a downwardly-extending pointed projection.

8. A clip according to claim 7 in which the pointed projection is elongate, it extends across the underside of the "third portion" or the "fifth portion" of the clip and it is of triangular cross-section.

9. A clip according to claim g in which two opposite flanks of the projection are inclined in the same sense to a vertical plane when the clip is so positioned that its centre leg is horizontal.

10. A clip which is suitable for use in an assembly according to claim 1, the clip having a first portion for anchoring to the foundation, a second portion rising from one side of the first portion, a third portion extending from the upper part of the second portion, above and beyond the first portion, a downward projection at or near the free end of the third portion for engagement with the recess in the locating member, and a fourth portion rising from the opposite side of the first portion and having the third portion passing over it without touching it.

11. A clip according to claim 10 in which when the first portion is horizontal the second and fourth portions are substantially vertical and the third portion is substantially horizontal.

12. A clip according to claim 10 or 11 in which the first portion has a hole through it so that a fixing bolt can pass through it and the third portion has a larger hole through it, directly above the hole through the first portion, to give access to a nut on the fixing bolt.

13. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

14. An assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.

16. A clip substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 9 of the accompanying drawings.