Railway rail fastening clip and pad for recessed railseats

Abstract

A rail pad can have a major face forming a railseat portion on which a foot of a railway rail sits when the pad is in use, the railseat portion having opposite side edges to at least part of each of which a respective upstanding portion of the pad can be connected, wherein the pad does not have any part which extends laterally from the railseat portion in a same plane as the railseat portion. The respective upstanding portion can be connected to a projection of the rail pad which extends laterally from the respective upstanding portion such that the projection can be vertically spaced from, and does not overhang, the railseat portion, the projection spaced from ends of the respective upstanding portion such that the projection can be configured to interlock with a corresponding opening in a front part of one of the railway rail clip anchoring devices.

Claims

1. A rail pad for use as cushioning and/or electrical insulation beneath a foot of a railway rail in a recess formed in an upper surface of a railway rail foundation between railway rail clip anchoring devices, the rail pad comprising: a major face forming a railseat portion, the foot of the railway rail sitting on the railseat portion when the rail pad is in use, the railseat portion having opposite side edges, a respective upstanding portion of the rail pad being connected to at least part of each of the opposite side edges, the respective upstanding portion being connected to the railseat portion along an entire length of the respective upstanding portion and extending upwardly therefrom; and cover portions connected to and extending laterally from the respective upstanding portion at respective first locations along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion, wherein the rail pad does not have any part which extends laterally from the railseat portion in a same plane as the railseat portion, wherein the respective upstanding portion is connected to at least one projection of the rail pad, the at least one projection extending laterally from the respective upstanding portion such that the at least one projection is vertically spaced from and does not overhang the railseat portion, the at least one projection extending along only part of the entire length of the respective upstanding portion at a respective second location along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion, the respective second location being spaced from ends of the respective upstanding portion, wherein upper surfaces of the at least one projection are higher with respect to the railseat portion than upper surfaces of the cover portions, and wherein at least one of the cover portions which is located immediately adjacent to the at least one projection is provided with a notch for receiving a respective part of a first of the railway rail clip anchoring devices.

2. A rail pad as claimed in claim 1, further comprising two projections spaced apart along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion and spaced from the ends.

3. A rail pad as claimed in claim 1, further comprising two projections and three cover portions, wherein the respective upstanding portion is connected along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion to the two projections and the three cover portions.

4. An apparatus comprising the rail pad as claimed in claim 1 and the railway rail foundation having the upper surface Ruined with the recess providing a seat for the railway rail, respective ones of the railway rail clip anchoring devices being attached to the railway rail foundation on opposite sides of the recess, the respective part of each of the railway rail clip anchoring devices having a corresponding opening, wherein, when the railseat portion of the rail pad is located in the recess, the at least one projection of the rail pad projects into the corresponding opening.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the respective part of each of the railway rail clip anchoring devices is spaced from edges of the recess.

6. A rail pad for use as cushioning and/or electrical insulation beneath a foot of a railway rail in a recess formed in an upper surface of a railway rail foundation between railway rail clip anchoring devices, the rail pad comprising: a major face forming a railseat portion, the foot of the railway rail sitting on the railseat portion when the rail pad is in use, the railseat portion having opposite side edges, a respective upstanding portion of the rail pad being connected to at least part of each of the opposite side edges, the respective upstanding portion being connected to the railseat portion along an entire length of the respective upstanding portion and extending upwardly therefrom; and cover portions connected to and extending laterally from the respective upstanding portion at respective first locations along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion, wherein the rail pad does not have any part which extends laterally from the railseat portion in a same plane as the railseat portion, wherein the respective upstanding portion is connected to at least one projection of the rail pad, the at least one projection extending laterally from the respective upstanding portion such that the at least one projection is vertically spaced from and does not overhang the railseat portion, the at least one projection extending along only part of the entire length of the respective upstanding portion at a respective second location along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion, the respective second location being spaced from ends of the respective upstanding portion, a gap located between at least one of the cover portions and the at least one projection located immediately adjacent thereto for receiving a respective part of a first of the railway rail anchoring devices, and wherein upper surfaces of the at least one projection are higher with respect to the railseat portion than upper surfaces of the cover portions.

7. A rail pad as claimed in claim 6, further comprising two projections spaced apart along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion and spaced from the ends.

8. A rail pad as claimed in claim 6 further comprising two projections and three cover portions, wherein the respective upstanding portion is connected along the entire length of the respective upstanding portion to the two projections and the three cover portions.

9. An apparatus comprising the rail pad as claimed in claim 6 and the railway rail foundation having the upper surface formed with the recess providing a seat for the railway rail, respective ones of the railway rail clip anchoring devices being attached to the railway rail foundation on opposite sides of the recess, the respective part of each of the railway rail clip anchoring devices having a corresponding opening, wherein, when the railseat portion of the rail pad is located in the recess, the at least one projection of the rail pad projects into the corresponding opening.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the respective part of each of the railway rail clip anchoring devices is spaced from edges of the recess.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B show respective prior art railway rail fastening clips;

(3) FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C show respective plan, front elevational and side elevational views of a railway rail fastening clip embodying the first aspect of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 3C show respective perspective, plan and front elevational views of a rail pad embodying the second aspect of the present invention;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an apparatus embodying the third aspect of the present invention, in which a rail pad embodying the second aspect of the present invention is located in a recessed railseat; and

(6) FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B, and FIG. 5C show an assembly comprising railway rail fastening clips embodying the first aspect of the present invention together with an apparatus embodying the third aspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) FIGS. 2A to 2C show a resilient railway rail fastening clip 3 for fastening a railway rail to an underlying foundation, the clip being such that, through driving the clip into a suitable railway rail clip anchoring device, it can be deflected from a non-operative (unstressed) configuration to at least one operative (stressed) configuration in which a toe portion 34 of the clip 3 bears on a railway rail.

(8) The clip 3 has successive first to seventh portions 31 to 37 where, when the clip 3 is in a non-operative configuration, the first and seventh portions 31, 37 of the clip 3 form leg portions which lie in a first plane P, the second and sixth portions extend substantially away from and above the first plane P, at least parts of the third and fifth portions 33, 35 extend towards and above the first plane P such that the longitudinal axes of the third and fifth portions 33, 35 lie substantially in a second plane R, different from the said first plane P, which second plane R intersects the first plane P at a first acute angle ?, and the fourth portion 34 extends substantially in or below the said first plane P such that the longitudinal axis of the fourth portion 34 lies substantially in a third plane Q which is different to the said second plane R and intersects the said first plane P at a second acute angle ?, where 0???<?.

(9) In particular, the clip 3 is made from a rod of resilient material shaped so as to have, proceeding from one end E1 of the rod to the other end E2 of the rod, firstly a substantially straight first portion 31, then a substantially bent second portion 32, then a third portion 33, then a fourth portion 34 which is substantially U-shaped and forms the toe portion of the clip, then a fifth portion 35, then a substantially bent sixth portion 36, and finally a substantially straight seventh portion 37, the first and seventh portions 31, 37 of the clip 3 forming leg portions for engaging a railway rail clip anchoring device (see FIGS. 4, 5A, 5B, and 5C) and the second and sixth portions 32, 36 forming rear arches which provide the heel portions of the clip. The longitudinal axes of the first and seventh portions lie substantially in a first plane P when the clip 3 is in its non-operative configuration and, when the clip 3 is viewed in a direction perpendicular to the said first plane P, the third and fifth portions 33, 35 (centre body) appear to lie between the first and seventh portions 31, 37 and the fourth portion extends beyond the ends E1 and E2 of the rod. When the clip 3 is in its non-operative configuration, as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the second and sixth portions extend substantially away from and above the first plane P and the third and fifth portions 33, 35 extend substantially towards and above the first plane P such that the longitudinal axes of the third and fifth portions 33, 35 lie substantially in a second plane R, different from the said first plane P, which second plane R intersects the first plane P at a first acute angle ?, and the fourth portion 34 extends substantially below the said first plane P such that the longitudinal axis of the fourth portion 34 lies substantially in a third plane Q which is different to the said second plane R. In this embodiment the third plane Q is also different from the first plane P. The third plane Q intersects the said first plane P at a second acute angle ? which is smaller than the said first acute angle ?.

(10) Taking the first plane P of the leg portions 31, 37 as a datum, the rear arches (heel portion) 32, 36 of the clip 3 first rise up to provide sufficient height at the back of the clip 3 to allow for driving of the clip 3 onto the rail (see FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C). The centre body 33, 35 of the clip 3 then descends steeply, but then bends back up, such that the toe portion that is driven onto the rail 2 is much more nearly horizontal when in the operating position. The shape of the clip permits the clip to be used with a rail located in a recessed railseat, whilst reducing the risk of the clip stalling (becoming stuck) or a toe insulator 6 carried by the toe of the clip (shown in FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C) being damaged as the clip is driven onto the rail.

(11) In the embodiment described above substantially all of the third and fifth portions 33, 35 extend above the first plane P, but in other embodiments of the clip 3 the third and fifth portions 33, 35 may extend partially through the first plane P.

(12) For a clip made of a rod of 15 mm diameter, typical dimensions A and B for the new clip are 32 mm and 26 mm respectively, whereas for the clip of FIG. 1A these dimensions are typically 30 mm and 10 mm respectively and for the clip of FIG. 1B these dimensions are typically 14 mm and 14.5 mm respectively.

(13) Dimension C in the new clip is 45 mm.

(14) In the embodiment shown the second and sixth portions 32, (rear arches) of the clip typically have a diameter of about 18.5 mm. In other embodiments of the clip this diameter may be between about 12 mm to 24 mm.

(15) In an embodiment of the clip 3 the obtuse angle between the first plane P and the third plane Q is approximately 165? and the obtuse angle between the second plane R and the third plane Q is approximately 165?. Thus in this embodiment the second acute angle is approximately 15? and the first acute angle is approximately 30?.

(16) In other embodiments of the clip, the first acute angle may be within the range 15? to 45? and the second acute angle ? may be within the range 0? to 20?, providing ?>?. An increase in angle ? is desirably accompanied by a proportionate decrease in the angle ?. For example, when ? is around 45?, ? may be around 0?. In the case that ? is 0?, the third plane Q lies in the first plane P, such that the first and third planes, P and Q, are the same, or, if the third and fifth portions 33, 35 extend partially through the first plane P, the third plane Q is a plane lying parallel to but below the first plane P.

(17) Detents are provided in upper surfaces of the clip legs 31, 37, adjacent to the ends E1, E2, for engaging with corresponding projections on an anchoring device, whereby the clip can be held in a pre-assembly position in which it is retained by the anchoring device but does not bear on the rail. At the ends E1, E2, a chamfer is provided for assisting the driving of the clip into an anchoring device.

(18) FIGS. 3A to 3C show a rail pad 4 with integral sideposts for use in a recessed railseat, in which projections from the sideposts can overlap the surface of the sleeper adjacent to the recess to resist ingress of water and debris. The pad is suitable for use with a resilient rail fastening clip, such as that of FIG. 2, which is configured to be driven onto and off the rail foot in a lateral direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rail. Rail pad 4 has a major face 41 providing a rail seat portion 42 on which the foot of the railway rail sits when the rail pad 4 is in use. The rail seat portion has opposite side edges 43 to at least part of each of which an upstanding portion 44 of the pad is connected. Each upstanding portion 44 is connected to the railseat portion 42 along the entire length of the upstanding portion 44 and extends upwardly therefrom. That is, all parts of the pad 4 connected to the railseat portion 42 extend substantially perpendicular thereto. Unlike the prior art pads, no part of the pad 4 is connected to the railseat portion 42 so as to extend laterally therefrom. Instead, each upstanding portion 44 is connected to at two projections 45A; 45B of the pad 4 each of which extends laterally from the upstanding portion 44 such that it is vertically spaced from, and does not overhang (i.e. extends away from), the rail seat portion 42. The projections 45A, 45B extend from upper edges of the upstanding portions 44. The projections 45A, 45B are spaced apart along the length of the upstanding portion 44 and extend along only part of the length of the upstanding portion 44 at a location along the length of the upstanding portion 44 which is spaced from ends 44a thereof. In this embodiment the projections 45A, 45B are centrally located with respect to the ends 44a of the upstanding portions 44.

(19) The rail pad further comprises cover portions 46A, 46B, 46C connected to, and extending laterally from, each upstanding portion 44 at locations along its length such that the upstanding portion 44 is connected along its entire length to the projections 45A, 45B and the cover portions 46A, 46B, 46C. The projections 45A and 45B and the cover portion 46B which adjoins them could be regarded as forming a single projection. Cover portions 46A, 46C are provided with a notch 46A, 46C for receiving part of a railway rail anchoring device 5.

(20) In an alternative embodiment (not shown), instead of the notches 46A, 46C, gaps are provided between the cover portions 46A, 46C and the projections 45A, 45B located immediately adjacent thereto for receiving part of a railway rail anchoring device, in order to accommodate an anchoring device having parts which extend up to the edge of the recess.

(21) In the embodiment shown, upper surfaces 451A, 451B of the projections 45A, 45B are higher with respect to the rail seat portion 42 than upper surfaces 461A, 461B, 461C of the cover portions 46A, 46B, 46C, such that there is more material, and hence strength, in the projections 45A, 45B.

(22) FIG. 4 shows apparatus comprising a rail pad 4 as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C and a railway rail foundation 1 having an upper surface 1A formed with a recess 10 providing a seat for a railway rail 2 (see FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C). The rail pad 4 is located within the recess 10 such that the upstanding portions 44 of the pad 4 abut respective walls of the recess 10 and extend to the height of the walls of the recess 10. The projections 45A, 45B of the upstanding portions 44 extend over part of the upper surface 1A of the rail foundation 1. Lower surfaces of the cover portions 46A to 46C contact the upper surface 1A of the sleeper 1 so as to provide a seal against the ingress of water and/or debris. In this embodiment, respective railway rail clip anchoring devices 5 are attached to the rail foundation 1 on opposite sides of the recess 4 such that front parts 50 of the anchoring devices 5 are spaced from edges of the recess 10 (although as mentioned above in an alternative embodiment the front parts 50 may extend up to the edge of the recess 10). The front part 50 of each anchoring device 5 has an opening 51, and the projections 45A, 45B of the rail pad 4 project into the openings 51, such that contact between the projections 45A, 45B and internal surfaces of the opening resists longitudinal movement of the pad.