AU772838B2 - A resilient fastening assembly for a rail - Google Patents

Description

S&F Ref: 520001

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: General and Railway Supplies Pty. Ltd.

GPO Box 860 Adelaide South Australia 5001 Australia Robert Rex Spruson Ferguson St Martins Tower 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 A Resilient Fastening Assembly for a Rail Invention Title: ASSOCIATED PROVISIONAL APPLICATION DETAILS [33] Country [31] Applic. No(s) AU PQ2217 [32] Application Date 13 Aug 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 5815c 1 A RESILIENT FASTENING ASSEMBLY FOR A RAIL Technical Field The present invention relates to resilient fastening assemblies for rails and more particularly but not exclusively to such assemblies when configured to engage an insert (stud) embedded in a concrete sleeper (tie).

Background of the Invention There is commercially available a clip sold under the trade mark "Pandrol". The clip engages the eyelet of a stud or insert having its lower portion embedded in a concrete tie. The clip includes a mounting shaft which passes through the eyelet of the insert so i o that the clip is secured thereto. The other extremity of the clip engages the lower flange of the rail and is resiliently deformed to urge the rail toward the concrete sleeper.

Typically, a resilient pad is located between the rail and sleeper. If so required an insulator separates the clip and rail.

The above-mentioned clip suffers from the disadvantage that it can be dislodged (either by accident or deliberately) with respect to the insert so that the clip is released.

Without the clip urging the rail towards the sleeper, the rail is permitted to move beyond desired limits.

Object of the Invention It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantage.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed herein an adaptor to engage a rail tie insert and clip, so that the clip is resiliently deformed to urge an associated rail toward the tie, said adaptor having: a base to engage the tie; [I :\DayLib\LBTT]02 I 00.doc:lam 2 a horizontally extending projection to extend generally parallel to the rail and to engage within the insert; and a clip engaging part of a "T-shaped" configuration so as to provide a stem extending upwardly from the base to a generally horizontal head.

Preferably the base has a recess to receive a portion of the insert.

Preferably the base has an upper surface upon which the clip rests, the surface being positioned on the base so as to be above the insert.

There is also disclosed herein an assembly to urge a rail toward a supporting tie, the ***tie having fixed to it an insert with an eyelet providing a clip engaging passage to extend 1o generally parallel to the rail, said assembly including: an adaptor having a base to engage said tie; a horizontal projection extending from the base and adapted to engage within said passage to aid in securing the adaptor to the tie, and a clip engaging part of generally "Tshaped" configuration so as to provide a stem extending upwardly from the base to a is transverse head, the head being adapted to extend generally parallel to the rail; and a clip to be engaged by the head and to be operatively associated with the rail so that upon resilient deformation of the clip by engagement with the head the clip urges the rail towards the tie, the clip being of a generally "U-shaped" configuration so as to have an upper and a lower arm, each arm having a bifurcated extremity providing a recess through which the stem passes and wherein at least one of the extremities has an abutment surface to engage the stem to aid in retaining the stem extending through the recesses and therefore aid in retaining the clip with respect to the clip engaging part and therefore urging the rail towards the tie.

Preferably the above-mentioned adaptor has a recess within which the eyelet is located.

[I:\DayLib\LIBTT]02I 00.doc:lam 3 Preferably the base has a generally horizontal surface upon which the clip rests, with said surface being positioned on said base so as to be above the eyelet.

Preferably a spacer block is located between the rail and the tie, with the spacer block abutting the adaptor.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred form of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: Figure 1 is a schematic end elevation of a rail, supporting tie and an assembly urging the rail into contact with the tie; Figure 2 is a schematic end elevation of an adaptor employed in the assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of the adaptor of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a schematic further end elevation of the adaptor of Figure 2; and Figure 5 is a schematic perspective view of a clip and clip engaging part of the assembly of Figure 1.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment In the accompanying drawings there is schematically depicted a rail 10 to be supported on a concrete tie 11. The tie 11 has fixed to it a pair of inserts 12. Each insert 12 is engaged by an assembly 13 which is operatively associated with the rail 10 to urge the rail 10 towards the tie 11. The rail 10 has a pair of longitudinal flanges 14 which are supported by a spacer block 15. More preferably, a resilient pad (preferably formed of rubber or plastics material) 16 is located between the rail 10 and block 15 as well as the block 15 and tie 11.

[I :\DayLib\L B'IT]02 I 0.doc:am 4 Each insert 12 includes a shaft 17 embedded in the tie 11, with the upper extremity of each shaft 17 being provided with an eyelet 18. Each eyelet 18 has a generally horizontal passage 19 extending generally parallel to the rail Associated with each insert 12 is an adaptor 20, each adaptor being supported by the tie 11. Each adaptor 20 includes a base 21 from which there extends a generally horizontal projection 22 shaped to be received within the passage 19 so as to cooperate with the eyelet 18 to aid in securing the adaptor 20 to the tie 11. More particularly, each adaptor 20 has a recess 23 within which the eyelet 18 is located, with the adaptor 20 being moved in a direction generally parallel to the rail 10 to insert the projection 22 in the 1o passage 19. The block 15 abuts the adaptors The base 11 has an upper surface 24 from which there extends a central ridge 25 as well as a clip engaging part 26. The clip engaging part 26 includes an upwardly extending stem 27 terminating at its upper end with a transverse head 28. The head 28 is to extend generally parallel to the rail The clip engaging part 26 of each adaptor 20 engages a clip 30. More particularly, each clip 30 is resiliently deformed and is operatively associated with the rail 10 to urge the rail 10 toward the tie 11. Associated with each clip is an insulator 29, if so required.

The clip 30 is more fully described in Australian Patent 688359.

The clip 30 is of a "U-shaped" configuration so as to have an upper arm 48 and a lower arm 49. Each arm has a bifurcated extremity so as to provide a pair of recesses and 36 through which the stem 27 passes. The recess 36 is located between surfaces 38, while recess 35 is located between surfaces 37. The faces 38 are each provided with an abutment surface 39 while each of the faces 37 is provided with an abutment surface A ramp surface 41 extends to each abutment surface 39 or 40. In this respect it should be appreciated that only one of the abutment surfaces 39 or 40 needs to be provided if so required.

[I:\DayLib\LIBTT]02 100.doc:lam Each arm 48 and 49 is therefore provided with a pair of legs 31 which pass each side of the stem 27. The upper arm 48 is also provided with a trough 32, in each leg 31, within which the lower concave portion 33 of the head engages to further aid in retaining the clip 30 in position with respect to the rail When the clip 30 is installed, it is moved in the direction of the arrow 34 so that the legs 31 are resiliently separated to allow the stem 27 to be positioned adjacent the base 42 of the clip 30. This resilient deformation of the legs 31 is aided by means of the ramp surfaces 41. Once passed the stem 27, the abutment surfaces 39 and 40 are positioned to inhibit the shank 27 from moving from within the recesses 35 and 36. Accordingly, the 0o clip 30 is inhibited from moving from the position shown in Figure 1, that is resiliently deformed with the lower arm 49 operatively associated with one of the flanges 14 to thereby urge the rail 10 towards the flange 11. More particularly, each lower arm 49 S .engages an associated one of the insulators 29. If so required, and with the use of appropriate tools, the clip 30 can be removed by resiliently deforming the legs 31 so as to is allow the stem 27 to exit from within the recesses 35 and 36.

The clip 30 is formed of metal strip and is resiliently deformed when inserted by having the upper arm 48 move towards the lower arm 49 to thereby have the lower arm 49 urging the rail 10 towards the tie 11.

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Claims (9)

1. An adaptor to engage a rail tie insert and clip, so that the clip is resiliently deformed to urge an associated rail toward the tie, said adaptor having: a base to engage the tie; a horizontally extending projection to extend generally parallel to the rail and to engage within the insert; and a clip engaging part of a "T-shaped" configuration so as to provide a stem extending upwardly from the base to a generally horizontal head.

2. The adaptor of claim 1 wherein the base has a recess to receive a portion of the insert.

3. The adaptor of claims 1 or 2 wherein the base has an upper surface upon which the clip rests, the surface being positioned on the base so as to be above the insert.

4. An assembly to urge a rail toward a supporting tie, the tie having fixed to it an insert with an eyelet providing a clip engaging passage to extend generally parallel to the rail, said assembly including: •an adaptor having a base to engage said tie; a horizontal projection extending from the base and adapted to engage within said passage to aid in securing the adaptor to the tie, and a clip engaging part of generally "T-shaped" configuration so as to provide a stem extending upwardly from the base to a 20 transverse head, the head being adapted to extend generally parallel to the rail; and a clip to be engaged by the head and to be operatively associated with the rail so that upon resilient deformation of the clip by engagement with the head the clip urges the rail towards the tie, the clip being of a generally "U-shaped" configuration so as to have an upper and a lower arm, each arm having a bifurcated extremity providing a recess through which the stem passes and wherein at least one of the extremities has an abutment surface to engage the stem to aid in retaining the stem extending through the recesses and [I:\DayLib\LIBTT]02100.doc:lam 7 therefore aid in retaining the clip with respect to the clip engaging part and therefore urging the rail towards the tie.

The assembly of claim 4 wherein the adaptor has a recess within which the eyelet is located.

6. The assembly of claims 4 or 5 wherein base has a generally horizontal surface upon which the clip rests, with said surface being positioned on said base so as to be above the eyelet.

7. The assembly of claims 4, 5 and 6 further including a spacer block located between the rail and the tie, with the spacer block abutting the adaptor. 10

8. An adaptor to engage a rail tie, insert and clip substantially as herein before a described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

9. An assembly to urge a rail toward a supporting tie substantially as herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 11 August, 2000 General and Railway Supplies Pty Ltd Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [I:\DayLib\LIBTT]02 100.doc:lain