Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BOLT ON CONTINUOUS RAIL JOINT
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
100011 This application is a continuation-in-part application claiming
priority to United States
Patent Application No. 11/504,229 entitled "Wrap-Around Joint Bar Sleeve
Insulator," filed
August 15, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety,
claiming priority to
United States Provisional Application No. 60/708,255 entitled "Wrap-Around
Joint Bar Sleeve
Insulator," filed on August 15, 2005.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
100021 The present invention relates to rail joints for joining two railroad
rails together and,
more particularly, to a wrap-around rail joint insulator sleeve for
electrically isolating parts of a
rail system from each other.
Description of Related Art
[00031 The rail system, which permits more than one train to travel on one
stretch of track of
rail, is generally divided into sections or blocks. The purpose of dividing
railroad rails of a rail
system into sections is to detect the presence of a train on a section of rail
at any given time.
Each. rail section is electrically isolated from all other sections so that a
high electrical resistance
can be measured over the rail section when no train is ' present in that
section. When a train
enters a rail section, the train will short circuit adjacent railroad rails in
which the electrical
resistance in the rail section drops thereby indicating the presence of a
train.
100041 Railroad rails are generally welded to each other or attached to each
other by a steel
joint. Referring to Figs. I and 2, a typical railroad rail 10 having a first
side 12 and a second side
14 includes a body 16 having a head 18, a web 20, and a base 22 having an
upper surface 24 and
a lower surface 26. The head 18 is connected to the web 20, which is connected
to the base 22.
A web recess 30 is defined between the head 18 and the base 22 on each side
12, 14 of the body
16 of the railroad rail 10.
[0005] There are many different types and shapes of rail joints. Fig. I shows
two typical prior
art rail joints 32, 34 that can be used to attach railroad rails to each
other. The second side 14 of
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the railroad rail 10 has the prior art rail joint 32 received within the web
recess 30 of the railroad
rail 10, wherein a bottom surface of the rail joint 32 is adapted to abut
against the upper surface
24 of the base 22 of the railroad rail 10. The first side 12 of the railroad
rail 10 has the prior art
rail joint 34 (oftentimes referred to as a wrap-around rail joint) received
within the web recess 30
of the railroad rail 10, wherein the base 22 of the railroad rail 10 coacts
with a base section 46 of
the rail joint 34. The prior art rail joint 34 generally includes a body 36
having a front side 38
and a back side 40 and defining a head section 42, a web section 44 and a base
section 46. The
head section 42 depends from the web section 44, which depends from the base
section 46. The
web section 44 defines a plurality of holes 48 for receiving fasteners (one
hole 48 shown in Fig.
12). The base section 46 has an upper portion 50, an intermediate portion 52
and a lower portion
54, wherein the upper portion 50 depends from the intermediate portion 52
which depends from
the lower portion 54. A base recess 56 is defined between the upper portion 50
and the lower
portion 54 of the base section 46 of the body 36 of rail joint 34. The base 22
of the railroad rail
is received within the base recess 56 of the base section 46 of the rail joint
34. The prior art
wrap-around rail joint 34 may have many different shapes, for example, such as
shown in Figs.
11 and 12.
[00061 In order to electrically isolate adjacent rail sections of a rail
system, high-performance,
non-metallic joints are typically used. However, these non-metallic joints are
very expensive
due to the special high-performance materials needed to endure the high
tensile and flexural
forces exerted on the rail joint. An alternative to a non-metallic rail joint
is a steel joint having
electrically-insulating material, such as epoxy and insulation material,
bonded to a surface of the
rail joint for electrically isolating rail sections. These epoxies are well
known in the art.
100071 Fig. 2 shows rail joint 34 having material, such as plastic P in
contact, but not bonded
with portions of its surface for electrically isolate adjacent rail sections
of a rail system. The
plastic P may be, for example, two plastic sleeve sections, one section
positioned adjacent the
back side 40 of the head section 42 and a portion of the web section 44, and
another section
positioned adjacent the back side 40 of the base section 46 and a portion of
the web section 44 of
the rail joint 34.
[00081 It is, therefore, desirable to provide a single insulating sleeve
positioned between a
wrap-around rail joint and two adjoining railroad rails for electrically
isolating the adjoining
railroad rails.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In one embodiment, a rail joint includes a top section and a bottom
section. The top
section has an upper end and a lower end. The bottom section has an upper
portion, an
intermediate portion, and a lower portion. The intermediate portion is
positioned between the
upper portion and the lower portion. The lower end of the top section is
secured to the bottom
section via at least one of a fastener, a welded joint, and a tongue and
groove joint.
100101 The upper portion and the lower portion may define a recess
therebetween. The
fastener may secure the lower end of the top section to the upper portion of
the bottom section.
The upper portion of the bottom section and the lower end of the top section
may each define an
opening with the fastener extending through the respective openings of the
upper portion of the
bottom section and the lower end of the top section. The opening in the lower
end of the top
section may include a threaded portion and the fastener may comprise a screw.
The top section
may define an opening between the upper end and the lower end. Further, the
top section and the
bottom section may each include an inner side and an outer side with a rail
joint insulator sleeve
positioned adjacent the inner sides of the top section and the bottom section.
100111 In another embodiment, a rail joint assembly includes first and second
railroad rails
and a rail joint secured to the first and second rails. The first rail abuts
the second rail and each
rail has a head portion, a web portion, and a base portion. The rail joint
includes a top section
and a bottom section. The top section has an upper end and a lower end. The
bottom section has
an upper portion, an intermediate portion, a lower portion. The upper portion
and the lower
portion define a recess therebetween. The recess receives part of the base
portion of each rail.
The top section is secured to the lower section via at least one of a
fastener, a welded joint, and a
tongue and groove joint.
10012] The fastener may be secured the lower end of the top section to the
upper portion of the
bottom section. The upper portion of the bottom section and the lower end of
the top section
may each define an opening with the fastener extending through the respective
openings of the
upper portion of the bottom section and the lower end of the top section.
Further, the opening of
the lower end of the top section may include a threaded portion and the
fastener may comprise a
screw. The top section may define an opening between the upper end and the
lower end with the
web portion of each of the rails defining an opening corresponding to the
opening in the top
section between the upper end and the lower end. The top section and the
bottom section may
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each include an inner side and an outer side with the inner side of the top
section having a shape
corresponding to a portion of the first and second rails that extends from the
head portion to the
base portion of the respective rails. The inner side of the bottom section may
have a shape
corresponding to a portion of the base portion of the first and second rails.
A rail joint insulator
sleeve may be positioned between the inner sides of the top section and the
bottom section and
the first and second railroad rails. A recess may be defined between the inner
side of the top
section and the web portions of the first and second railroad rails.
[0013] In a further embodiment, a method of forming a continuous rail joint
includes securing
a top section of a continuous rail joint to a bottom section of the continuous
rail joint via at least
one of a fastener, a welded joint, and a tongue and groove joint. The top
section has an upper
end and a lower end and the bottom section has an upper portion, an
intermediate portion, and a
lower portion. The lower end of the top section is secured to the bottom
section.
[0014] The upper portion and the lower portion may define a recess
therebetween. The upper
portion of the bottom section and the lower end of the top section may each
define an opening
with the fastener extending through the respective openings of the upper
portion of the bottom
section and the lower end of the top section. The opening of the lower end of
the top section
may include a threaded portion, where securing the top section to the bottom
section includes
inserting the fastener through the opening of the upper portion of the bottom
section and
engaging the threaded portion of the opening of the lower end of the top
section.
[0015] In yet another embodiment, a wrap-around rail joint insulator sleeve
for a wrap-around
rail joint includes a body having a head portion, a web portion, and a base
portion. The head
portion depends from the web portion which depends from the base portion. The
head portion
and the base portion are bent in the same direction thereby defining a recess
area therebetween.
The base portion includes a first section, a spacer section and a second
section. The first section
depends from the second section via the spacer section, and the first section
and the second
section define a base portion recess therebetween, which is adapted to receive
a base of a railroad
rail.
[0016] The web portion of the body may define a plurality of slots adapted to
receive
fasteners. An end of the head portion may be bent toward the base portion
thereby defining a
first lip that is adapted to fit the contour of a wrap-around rail joint. An
end of the second
section may be bent away from the first section of the base portion thereby
defining a second lip
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that is adapted to fit the contour of a wrap-around rail joint. The sleeve may
comprise an
electrically-insulating material, a thermally activated adhesive material,
fiberglass, or
polyurethane. The sleeve may be capable of supporting a load of at least
100,000 psi tensile
strength and a compression strength of at least 70,000 psi. Each side of the
sleeve may be
impregnated with a thermally activated adhesive material.
[0017] In yet a further embodiment, a rail joint assembly includes a pair of
abutting railroad
rails, a wrap-around rail joint attached to the abutting railroad rails, and a
wrap-around rail joint
insulator sleeve. The rail joint bar includes a body having a front side and a
back side and
defines a head section, a web section depending from the head section and a
base section
depending from the web section. The base section includes an upper portion, an
intermediate
portion and a lower portion. The upper portion depends from the lower portion
via the
intermediate portion, and the upper portion and the lower portion define a
base portion recess
therebetween, which is adapted to receive a base of a railroad rail. The web
section has a
plurality of holes defined in the body. The holes are adapted to receive
fasteners. The wrap-
around rail joint insulator sleeve is positioned between the back side of the
body of the rail joint
and the pair of abutting railroad rails. The insulator sleeve electrically
isolates the rail joint from
the pair of abutting railroad rails.
[001.8] The sleeve may include a body having a head portion, a web portion,
and a base
portion. The head portion depends from the web portion which depends from the
base portion.
The head portion and the base portion are bent in the same direction thereby
defining a recess
area therebetween. The base portion includes a first section, a spacer section
and a second
section. The first section depends from the second section via the spacer
section. The first
section and the second section define a base portion recess therebetween,
which is adapted to
receive a base of a railroad rail. The web portion of the body defines a
plurality of slots adapted
to receive fasteners and the rail joint is attached to the pair of abutting
railroad rails via a fastener
passing through the hole in the rail joint, the slot in the sleeve and secured
to the pair of abutting
railroad rails.
[0019] In another embodiment, a method for electrically isolating two abutting
railroad rails
includes providing two railroad rails end to end; positioning an electrically-
insulated spacer
between the ends of the two railroad rails positioned end to end; placing an
electrically-insulated
sleeve impregnated with thermally activated adhesive material onto one side of
the railroad rails;
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attaching a rail joint to the one side of the railroad rails via a fastener
with the sleeve being
positioned between the railroad rails and the rail joint; and heating the
sleeve to melt the
thermally activated adhesive material whereby the rail joint bonds to the
railroad rails. The
method may further include tightening the fastener after the thermally
activated adhesive
material has melted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] Fig. I is a side elevational view of typical prior art rail joints co-
acting with a railroad
rail;
[00211 Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the prior art wrap-around rail
joint shown in
Fig. I having plastic sleeves in contact, but not bonded to portions of the
rail joint;
[0022] Fig. 3 is a front perspective view of a wrap-around rail joint
insulator sleeve made in
accordance with the present invention;
[00231 Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the sleeve shown in Fig. 3;
[0024] Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of the sleeve shown in Fig. 3;
[0025] Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of a wrap-around rail joint
insulator sleeve made in
accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the sleeve shown in Fig, 6;
[0027] Fig. 8 is a front elevational view of the sleeve shown in Fig. 6;
[0028] Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of a rail joint assembly made in
accordance with the
present invention;
[0029] Fig. 10 is a top plan view of the rail joint assembly shown in Fig. 9;
[0030] Fig. I I is a sectional view of the rail joint assembly taken along
lines XI-XI shown in
Fig. 9;
[0031] Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the rail joint assembly shown in Fig. 11
having adhesive
material bonded thereto;
[0032] Fig. 13 is a sectional view of a wrap-around rail joint according to
one embodiment of
the present invention, showing the wrap-around rail joint secured to a rail;
[0033] Fig. 14 is a front view of a top section of the wrap-around rail joint
of Fig. 13;
[0034] Fig. 15 is a detail view and partial cutaway view of area "A" shown in
Fig. 14;
[0035] Fig. 16 is a side view of a top section of the wrap-around rail joint
of Fig. 13;
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100361 Fig. 17 is a front view of a bottom section of the wrap-around rail
joint of Fig. 13;
100371 Fig. 18 is a detail view and partial cutaway view of area "B" shown in
Fig. 17;
100381 Fig. 19 is a side view of a lower portion of the wrap-around rail joint
of Fig. 13;
[00391 Fig. 20 is a side elevational view of the wrap-around rail joint of
Fig. 13, showing the
rail joint being supported;
100401 Fig. 21 is a side elevational view of the wrap-around rail joint of
Fig. 13, showing the
rail joint being suspended;
[00411 Fig. 22 is a partial sectional view of a wrap-around rail joint
according to another
embodiment of the present invention, showing the wrap-around rail joint
secured to a rail; and
100421 Fig. 23 is a side elevational view of the wrap-around rail joint of
Fig. 22.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
100431 Referring to Figs. 3-5, the present invention provides for a wrap-
around rail joint
insulator sleeve 60 for use with prior art wrap-around rail joints 34 (shown
in Figs. I and 2) for
electrically isolating adjacent rail sections. The sleeve 60 extends partially
around the rail joint
34 as shown in Figs. 11 and 12 to insulate the rail joint 34 from the railroad
rails 10, 10'. The
sleeve 60, which has an end profile similar to the back side 40 of the prior
art rail joint 34
includes a body 62 having a first surface 64 and a second surface 66 and
defining a head portion
68, a web portion 70 and a base portion 72. The head portion 68 depends from
the web portion
70, which depends from the base portion 72 of the body 62 of the sleeve 60.
10044] Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, the head portion 68 and the base portion 72
are bent in a
direction toward the first surface 64 of the web portion 70, thus defining a
recess area 74
therebetween. The head portion 68 having a forward end 69 is bent toward the
base portion 72
thus forming an arcuate-shaped first lip 71 adapted to fit the contour of the
head section 42 of the
body 36 of the rail joint 34 as shown in Fig. 11. The web portion 70 of the
body 62 also defines
a plurality of slots 76 for receiving fasteners. The base portion 72 of the
body 62 includes a first
section 78, a spacer section 80 and a second section 82, wherein the first
section 78 is connected
to the second section 82 via the spacer section 80. The first section 78
extends away from the
web portion 70 in the same direction as the head portion 68, and the second
section 82 of the
base portion 72 extends in a direction opposite that of the first section 78,
thereby defining a base
portion recess 84 therebetween. The second section 82 having a rearward end 86
is bent thus
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forming an arcuate-shaped second lip 88 that is adapted to fit the contour of
the lower portion 54
of the base section 46 of the body 36 of the rail joint 34 when the base 22 of
the railroad rail 10
is received within the base portion recess 84 of the base portion 72 of the
body 62 of the sleeve
60 as shown in Fig. 11.
100451 The sleeve 60 can be made of an electrically-insulating material such
as a thermally
activated adhesive material, fiberglass or polyurethane. A sleeve 60 made of
thermally activated
adhesive material is preferably capable of creating a bond with the rail joint
34 and the abutting
railroad rails 10, 10'. The thermally activated adhesive material can be an
adhesive such as sold
under 3MTM Thermo-Bond material from 3M available from CYTEC Engineered
Materials of
501 West Third Street, Winona, Minnesota. For example, a sleeve 60 having a
thickness of
about 0.060 inches can generally create a bond that preferably has a strength
of about 4000 psi.
The thickness and the length of the sleeve 60 can vary, however, the length of
the sleeve 60
should be greater than or equal to the length of the rail joint 34 in order to
electrically isolate the
rail joint 34 from the railroad rails 10, 10'.
100461 A sleeve 60 made of fiberglass or polyurethane can also provide
additional support to
the rail joint 34 thus resulting in a longer lasting rail joint assembly. For
example, a fiberglass
sleeve 60 (e.g., having multiple plies, for example, five plies where adjacent
plies strands are
arranged transverse to each other) can generally support a load of at least
100,000 psi tensile
strength and have a compression strength of at least 70,000 psi. A
polyurethane sleeve 60 having
a thickness of about 0.060 inches may, for example, preferably have a strength
of about 4000 psi.
A fiberglass or polyurethane sleeve 60 may also be impregnated with a
thermally activated
adhesive material, thus providing both bond strength and load support to the
rail joint 34.
Impregnating a fiberglass or polyurethane sleeve 60 may be accomplished by
applying a
thermally activated adhesive material onto the first surface 64 and the second
surface 66 of the
sleeve 60.
[00471 Figs. 6-8 show another embodiment of a wrap-around rail joint insulator
sleeve 90 that
is similar to sleeve 60, except for the differences noted below. Like
reference numerals are used
for like parts. In sleeve 90, the forward end 69 of the head portion 68 and
the rearward end 86 of
the second section 82 of the base portion 72 are not bent and, therefore, the
ends 69, 86 do not
have lips 71, 88, respectively, as in sleeve 60.
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[00481 Referring to Figs, 9-12, the present invention provides for a rail
joint assembly 100 that
includes a first railroad rail 10 and a second railroad rail 10' joined end to
end and having an
electrically-insulated spacer 102 therebetween. The rail joint assembly 100
further includes two
prior art wrap-around rail joints 34, 34' wherein rail joint 34 is fastened to
a first side 12 of the
railroad rails 10, 10', and rail joint 34', which is identical to rail joint
34, is fastened to a second
side 14 of the railroad rails 10, 10' as shown in Fig. 10. Referring to Figs.
I 1 and 12, a sleeve 60
as previously described is interposed between the first side 12 of railroad
rails 10, 10' and rail
joint 34, and a second sleeve 60', which is identical to sleeve 60, is
interposed between the
second side 14 of railroad rails 10, 10' and rail joint 34'. The holes 48 in
rail joint 34 and the
slots 76 in sleeve 60 are aligned with the corresponding holes 48' in rail
joint 34' and the slots 76'
in sleeve 60'. A fastener F, such as a bolt, then passes through each
corresponding hole 48, 48' of
rail joints 34, 34', each corresponding slot 76, 76' of sleeves 60, 60', and
the respective railroad
rail 10, 10. A nut N may then be threaded at an end of the fastener F. An
adhesive A such as
silicone or rubber cement may be used in order to prevent shortening of the
sleeves 60, 60' due to
moisture as shown in Fig. 12. The sleeves 60, 60', which have greater strength
than typical
epoxies, provides for a stronger and more durable electrically-insulated rail
joint assembly 100.
[00491 The surfaces defining the holes 48, 48' in rail joints 34, 34' can be
at least partially
surrounded by an electrically insulated bushing 28 (shown in phantom in Figs.
11-12) to prevent
the fasteners F from conducting electrical current between railroad rails 10,
10' and rail joints 34,
34', thereby ensuring electrical isolation of the rail joint assembly 100.
Also, in lieu of the two
bushings 28, a single bushing (not shown) may also be used.
[00501 The present invention provides for a method of securing two abutting
railroad rails 10,
10' using prior art wrap-around rail joints 34, 34', wherein the abutting
railroad rails 10, 10' are
electrically isolated from one another. First, an end of the first railroad
rail 10 is joined to an end
of the second railroad rail 10' and an electrically-insulated spacer 102 is
positioned therebetween.
Second, a first sleeve 60 impregnated with thermally activated adhesive
material is placed on a
first side 12 and a second sleeve 60' impregnated with thermally activated
adhesive material is
placed on a second side 14 of the railroad rails 10, 10'. Rail joints 34, 34'
are placed over the
respective sleeves 60, 60', wherein the slots 76, 76' in sleeves 60, 60' are
aligned with the holes
48, 48' in rail joints 34, 34', respectively. Next, the rail joints 34, 34'
are attached to the railroad
rails 10, 10' via a fastener F passing through each corresponding hole 48, 48'
of rail joints 34, 34',
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each corresponding slot 76, 76' of sleeves 60, 60', and the respective
railroad rail 10, 10'. A nut
N is placed at an end of the fastener F and tightened. The sleeves 60, 60' are
then heated (such as
with a torch) to melt the thermally activated adhesive material thereby
bonding the rail joints 34,
34' to the railroad rails 10, 10'. The fastener F can optionally be tightened
further before the
adhesive material hardens after being melted.
100511 Referring to Figs. 13-19, one embodiment of a wrap-around or continuous
rail joint
125 is disclosed. The wrap-around rail joint 125 includes a top section 127
and a bottom section
129. The top section 127 and the bottom section 129 each include an inner side
131, 132 and an
outer side 135, 136. The top section 127 has an upper end 138 and a lower end
140. The lower
end 140 of the top section 127 defines a plurality of openings 142 that extend
in a substantially
transverse direction into the lower end 140 of the top section 127. In
particular, as shown in Fig.
16, the lower end 140 of the top section 127 includes six openings 142,
although other numbers
of openings could be provided. Each of the openings 142 includes a threaded
portion 144 for
receiving a fastener, such as a screw. The top section 127 also defines a
plurality of mounting
holes 146 extending substantially transversely through the top section 127 at
a position
intermediate the upper end 138 and the lower end 140. The bottom section 129
has an upper
portion 148, an intermediate portion 150, and a lower portion 152. The
intermediate portion 150
is positioned between the upper portion 148 and the lower portion 152 with the
upper portion
148 and the lower portion 152 defining a recess 154 therebetween. The upper
portion 148 of the
bottom section 129 defines a plurality of openings 156 that extend in
substantially transverse
direction through the upper portion 148 of the bottom section 129. As shown in
Fig. 19, the
upper portion 148 of the bottom section 129 includes six openings 156,
although other numbers
of openings could be provided. The openings 156 in the upper portion 148 of
the bottom section
129 are aligned with and correspond to the openings 142 in the lower end 140
of the top section
127.
100521 Referring to Fig. 13, the top section 127 is secured to the bottom
section 129 via a
plurality of fasteners 158, such as screws, and via a welded joint W. Each of
the fasteners 158
extends through respective openings 156 in the upper portion 148 of the bottom
section 129 and
engages respective threaded portions 144 of the openings 142 in the lower end
140 of the top
section 127. As shown more clearly in Fig. 18, the openings 156 in the upper
portion 148 of the
bottom section 129 are counter-bored on the outer side 136 of the bottom
section 129 such that
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the fasteners do not protrude from the bottom section 129 when tightened. As
shown in Fig. 13,
the upper portion 148 of the bottom section 129 is welded to the lower end 140
of the top section
127 to define the welded joint W. The welded joint W may extend the full
length of the bottom
section 129 or may extend only a portion of the length of the bottom section
129. Alternatively,
the welded joint W may be provided as a plurality of spaced apart welded
sections. Furthermore,
as shown in Figs. 14-19, the upper portion 148 of the bottom section 129
defines a projection
151 and the lower end 140 of the top section 127 defines a recess 153 to form
a tongue and
groove joint therebetween. The cooperating structure 151, 153 of the upper
portion 148 of the
bottom section 129 and the lower end 140 of the top section 127 further
secures the top section
127 to the bottom section 129. The fasteners 158, welded joint W, and tongue
and groove joint
151, 153 secure the top section 127 to the bottom section 129 thereby forming
the wrap-around
rail joint 125.
[0053] Referring to Figs. 13, 20, and 21, two wrap-around rail joints 125,
125' are shown
attached to a first railroad rail 10 and a second railroad rail 10' forming a
rail joint assembly 160.
The first rail 10 abuts the second rail 10'. The wrap-around rail joints 125,
125' are secured to
opposite sides of the rails 10, 10' as discussed above with respect to rail
joint assembly 100. In
particular, fasteners F, such as bolts, pass through respective mounting holes
146, 146' in the top
sections 127, 127' of the rail joints 125, 125' and through respective holes
in the first and second
rails 10, 10'. A nut N is threaded onto an end of the fastener F. The fastener
F is also provided
with an electrically insulated bushing 162 that extends through the mounting
holes 146, 146' and
the rails 10, 10' to prevent the fasteners F from conducting electrical
current between the railroad
rails 10, 10' and the rail joints 125, 125. As shown in Figs. 11-12 and
described above, a two-
piece bushing may also be provided. The inner sides 131, 131' of the top
sections 127, 127' have
a shape that corresponds to a portion of the first and second rails 10, 10'
that extends from the
head portion 18, 18' to the base portion 22,22' of the respective rails 10,
10'.
[00541 As shown in Fig. 13, the inner sides 132, 132' of the bottom sections
129, 129' have a
shape that corresponds to a portion of the base portion 22, 22' of the first
and second rails 10, 10'.
The recesses 154, 154' of the bottom sections 129, 129' receive part of the
base portions 22, 22'
of the rails 10, 10'. Further, rail joint insulator sleeves 60, 60' are
positioned adjacent the inner
sides 131, 131', 132, 132' of the top section 127, 127' and the bottom section
129, 129' of the rail
joints 125, 125'. More specifically, the sleeves 60, 60' are positioned
between the inner sides
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131, 131', 132, 132' of the top section 127, 127' and the bottom section 129,
129' and the first and
second railroad rails 10, 10' thereby forming the bonded rail joint assembly
160. The rail joints
125, 125' may be supported (shown in Fig. 20) or the rail joints 125, 125' may
be suspended
(shown in Fig. 21). The bottom section 129 is only provided at a center
portion intermediate the
length of the top section 127 and does not extend the full length of the top
section 127. In one
embodiment, the length of the bottom section 129 is half of the length of the
top section 127.
Although not shown, the bottom section 129 may also extend the full length of
the top section
127.
[00551 Referring to Figs. 22 and 23, a further embodiment of a wrap-around or
continuous rail
joint 170 is disclosed. The wrap-around rail joint 170, 170' is similar to the
wrap-around rail
joint 125 described above and includes a top section 172, 172' and a bottom
section 174, 174'.
The top section 172, 172' and the bottom section 174, 174' each include an
inner side 176, 176',
177, 177 and an outer side 179, 179', 180, 180'. The top section 172, 172' has
an upper end 182,
182' and a lower end 184, 184'. As shown in Fig. 22, the lower end 184' of the
top section 172'
defines a plurality of openings 186' that extend in a substantially transverse
direction into the
lower end 184' of the top section 172'. The lower end 184' of the top section
172' includes four
openings 186', although other numbers of openings could be provided. Each of
the openings
186' includes a threaded portion 188' for receiving a fastener, such as a
screw. The top section
172, 172' also defines a plurality of mounting holes 190, 190' extending
substantially
transversely through the top section 172, 172' at a position intermediate the
upper end 182, 182'
and the lower end 184, 184'. The bottom section 174, 174' has an upper portion
192, 192', an
intermediate portion 194, 194', and a lower portion 196, 196'. The
intermediate portion 194, 194'
is positioned between the upper portion 192, 192' and the lower portion 196,
196' with the upper
portion 192, 192' and the lower portion 196, 196defining a recess 198, 198'
therebetween.
100561 The upper portion 192' of the bottom section 174' defines a plurality
of openings 201'
that extend in substantially transverse direction through the upper portion
192' of the bottom
section 174'. The upper portion 192' of the bottom section 174' includes four
openings 201',
although other numbers of openings could be provided. The openings 201' in the
upper portion
192' of the bottom section 174' are aligned with and correspond to the
openings 186' in the lower
end 184' of the top section 172. The top section 172' is secured to the bottom
section 174' via a
plurality of fasteners 203', such as screws, and via a welded joint W. Each of
the fasteners 203'
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CA 02734220 2011-03-16
extends through respective openings 201' in the upper portion 192' of the
bottom section 174' and
engages respective threaded portions 188' of the openings 186 in the lower end
184' of the top
section 172'. As shown in Fig. 22, the upper portion 192, 192' of the bottom
section 174, 174' is
welded to the lower end 184, 184' of the top section 172, 172. The welded
joint W may extend
the full length of the bottom section 174, 174' or may extend only a portion
of the length of the
bottom section 174, 174'. Alternatively, the welded joint W may be provided as
a plurality of
spaced apart welded sections. Although not shown, the upper portion 192, 192'
of the bottom
section 174, 174' and the lower end 184, 184' of the top section 172, 172' may
define a tongue
and groove joint therebetween as discussed above in connection with rail joint
125.
[00571 Referring again to Figs. 22 and 23, two wrap-around rail joints 170,
170' are shown
attached to first and second abutting railroad rails 10, 10' thereby forming a
rail joint assembly
205. The wrap-around rail joints 170, 170' are secured to opposite sides of
the rails 10, 10' as
discussed above with respect to rail joint assembly 100. In particular,
fasteners F, such as bolts,
pass through respective mounting holes 190, 190' in the top sections 172, 172'
of the rail joints
170, 170' and through respective holes in the first and second rails 10, 10'.
A lock washer 207
and nut 209 are threaded onto an end of the fastener F. A recess 211 is
defined between the
inner sides 176, 176' of the top sections 172, 172' and the web portions 20,
20' of the first and
second railroad rails 10, 10'. The inner sides 177, 177' of the bottom
sections 174, 174' have a
shape that corresponds to a portion of the base portions 22, 22' of the first
and second rails 10,
10'. The recesses 198, 198' of the bottom sections 174, 174' receive part of
the base portions 22,
22' of the rails 10, 10. As shown in Fig. 23, the bottom section 174 is only
positioned at a center
portion intermediate the length of the top section 172 and does not extend the
full length of the
top section 172. In one embodiment, the length of the bottom section 174 is
half of the length of
the top section 127. Although not shown, the bottom section 174 may extend the
full length of
the top section 172.
100581 While specific embodiments of the invention have been described in
detail, it will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and
alternatives to those details
could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. The
presently preferred
embodiments described herein are meant to be illustrative only and not
limiting as to the scope of
the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and
any and all
equivalents thereof.
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