Method to form a rail joint, and a rail joint

Abstract

The invention relates to a method to form a rail joint, in which staggerings (6, 7) corresponding to each other are made in joinable solid-profile rail ends (4, 5) of parts (2, 3) of a rail (1) so that when a completed rail joint is viewed from above the rail heads bond; both rail ends are secured to a corresponding mounting; the rail ends secured to the mountings are brought against each other whereby said bonding is established; and the mountings that are against each other are secured to one another. The staggerings (6, 7) are made in such a manner that the lower edges (4a, 5a) of the rail ends (4, 5) are left substantially unstaggered whereby the staggerings extend from these lower edges towards the top surfaces or the rail ends; and the rail ends (4, 5) are welded by their lower edges (4a, 5a) at their entire width to their mountings (8, 9). The invention also relates to a rail joint made by this method.

Claims

1. A method to form a rail joint, said method comprising the steps of: making staggerings corresponding to each other in joinable solid-profile rail ends of parts of a rail in such a manner that when a completed rail joint is seen from above the rail ends bond; securing both rail ends to corresponding mountings; bringing the rail ends secured to the mountings against each other, whereby said bonding is established; and securing the mountings opposite each other to each other, wherein the staggerings are made in such a manner that the lower edges of the rail ends are substantially left unstaggered, whereby the staggerings extend from these substantially unstaggered lower edges of the rail ends towards the top surfaces or the rail ends, and wherein the rail ends are welded by their lower edges at their full width to their mountings.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the staggerings are formed substantially rectangular so that the staggering of both rail ends comprises a wall substantially longitudinal to the rail and, connected to it, front walls substantially perpendicular to the sides of the rail.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein all the walls of the staggering are made as flat walls.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the front walls of both rail ends form equal angles in relation to the transversal vertical plane of the rail.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower edges of the rail ends and the corresponding front edges of the mountings are positioned in the same vertical plane for welding.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rail joint is established in the rail of the main support of a crane.

7. A rail joint comprising: staggerings corresponding to each other in joinable solid-profile rail ends of parts of a rail, formed in such a manner that when a completed rail joint is seen from above the rail ends bond; and whereby both rail ends are secured to corresponding mountings which are joined together, wherein the lower edges of the rail ends are substantially unstaggered, whereby the staggerings extend from these substantially unstaggered lower edges of the rail ends towards the top surfaces or the rail ends, and wherein the rail ends are welded by their lower edges at their full width to their mountings.

8. The rail joint as claimed in claim 7, wherein the staggerings are formed substantially rectangular so that the staggering of both rail ends comprises a wall substantially longitudinal to the rail and, connected to it, front walls substantially perpendicular to the sides of the rail.

9. The rail joint as claimed in claim 8, wherein all the walls of the staggering are flat.

10. The rail joint as claimed in claim 8, wherein the front walls of both rail ends form equal angles in relation to the transversal vertical plane of the rail.

11. The rail joint as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lower edges of the rail ends and the corresponding end edges of the mountings are positioned in the same vertical plane.

12. The rail joint as claimed in claim 7, wherein the rail joint is established in the rail of the main support of a crane.

Description

LIST OF FIGURES

(1) The invention is now described in closer detail by means of one preferred embodiment and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

(2) FIG. 1 shows two rail ends to be joined as a perspective sketch;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the welding of one rail end to its mounting as a perspective sketch;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a completed rail joint, that is, the rail ends of FIG. 1 connected to each other, also as a perspective sketch;

(5) FIG. 4 is a side view of the rail joint according to FIG. 3, and;

(6) FIG. 5 is a top view of the rail joint according to FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) With reference to the drawings, the rail joint according to the invention is formed between solid profile rail ends 4 and 5 to be joined in parts 2 and 3 in a rail 1. The joint comprises staggerings 6, 7 corresponding to each other and connected to each other in a shape-locked manner in the rail ends 4 and 5 which are opposite each other and to be joined, so formed that in a completed rail joint, as seen from above, the rail ends 4 and 5 bond.

(8) Instead, the lower edges 4a and 5a of the rail ends are substantially unstaggered, and the staggerings 6 and 7 extend from these substantially unstaggered lower edges 4a and 5a of the rail ends 4 and 5 in the direction of the top surfaces of the rail ends 4 and 5.

(9) The rail ends 4 and 5 are welded by their lower edges 4a and 5a at their entire width to the end edges 8a and 8b of the mountings 8 and 9, the end edges being located in the same vertical plane with the lower edges of the rail ends 4 and 5, and, with a bolted joint between the mountings 8 and 9, the rail ends 4 and 5 are brought together as a rail joint. The welding is typically carried out at an engineering workshop, and it is usually only required at the site of use of the rail joint to perform said joint of mountings 8 and 9. Of course, the parts 2 and 3 or the rail 1 are secured to their mountings 8 and 9 where needed also by the edges of the parts 2 and 3 by methods known per se.

(10) The staggerings 6 and 7 have been formed substantially rectangular so that the staggering of both rail ends 4 and 5 comprises a flat wall 6a and 7a substantially longitudinal to the rail 1, and joining the wall, front walls 6b, 6c and 7b, 7c, perpendicular in relation to the sides of the rail 1.

(11) The front walls 6b, 6c, and 7b, 7c of both rail ends 4 and 5 form equal angles in relation to the transversal vertical plane of the rail 1, which means that the parts 2 and 3 of the rail 1, which are disclosed here, are identical.

(12) The structure according to the invention can be utilized in all types of cranes in which the rail of the main support can be welded together at the site of the final assembly without the need to weld. Such cranes can be, for example, bridge cranes, ship-to-shore cranes (STS), or an apparatus on a mobile platform.

(13) The above description of the invention is only intended to illustrate the basic idea of to the invention. A person skilled in the art may thus vary its details within the scope of the accompanying claims. Consequently, the staggerings according to the invention can be shaped in numerous other ways, too, because the only essential fact is the missing of the staggerings in the area of the lower edge of the rail end, where the welding into the mounting takes place.