Claims
- 1. A tie plate, comprising:
a base plate having a first surface and defining a peripheral edge; a pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members defined on said base plate, said pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members define a recessed area on said first surface of said base plate for accommodating a railroad rail therebetween; a layer of electrically-insulating material covering at least a portion of said base plate; and a plurality of slots defined on said base plate, wherein said slots are adapted to receive fasteners for securing a railroad rail.
- 2. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members extend a width of said base plate.
- 3. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said layer encapsulates said base plate.
- 4. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said layer covers said first surface of said base plate.
- 5. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said layer covers said recessed area and said pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members on said first surface of said base plate.
- 6. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said base plate is a metallic core.
- 7. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members are made of an electrically-insulating material.
- 8. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrically-insulating material comprises a polymeric material.
- 9. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electrically-insulating material comprises a polymeric material containing reinforcing fibers.
- 10. The tie plate as claimed in claim 1, wherein said slots each define an inner surface, said inner surface covered by an inner layer made of an electrically-insulating material.
- 11. The tie plate as claimed in claim 10, wherein said inner layer is molded onto said inner surface of said slots on said base plate.
- 12. The tie plate as claimed in claim 10, wherein said inner layer is insertable into said slots on said base plate.
- 13. The tie plate as claimed in claim 10, wherein said layer and said inner layer are made of the same electrically-insulating material.
- 14. A tie plate assembly for a railroad rail, comprising:
an electrically-insulated tie plate adapted to a receive a railroad rail; a plurality of slots defined on said tie plate; a fastener passing through one of said slots for securing said tie plate to a rail tie; and an electrically-insulated clip secured to said tie plate via said fastener, said clip having a surface for coacting with the railroad rail for securing the railroad rail to said tie plate.
- 15. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said surface of said clip comprises a first ledge adapted to coact with the railroad rail for securing the railroad rail to said tie plate.
- 16. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said surface of said clip further coacts with a rail joint attached to the railroad rail for securing the railroad rail to said tie plate.
- 17. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 16, wherein said surface of said clip comprises a second ledge adapted to coact with a rail joint attached to the railroad rail for securing the railroad rail to said tie plate.
- 18. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said tie plate is made of an electrically-insulated material.
- 19. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said tie plate is made of fiberglass.
- 20. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said tie plate comprises a base plate having a first surface and defining a peripheral edge, a pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members defined on said base plate, said pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members define a recessed area on said first surface of said base plate for accommodating a railroad rail therebetween, and a layer of electrically-insulating material covering at least a portion of said base plate.
- 21. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said clips are made of an electrically-insulating material.
- 22. The tie plate assembly as claimed in claim 14, wherein said clips are made of fiberglass.
- 23. An electrically-insulated tie plate, comprising:
a metallic core having a first surface and defining a peripheral edge; a plurality of slots having an inner surface defined in said metallic core; a pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members defined on said metallic core, said pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members define a recessed area on said first surface of said metallic core for accommodating a railroad rail therebetween; and a layer of electrically-insulating material covering said first surface of said metallic core and said inner surface of said slots.
- 24. The tie plate as claimed in claim 23, wherein said pair of longitudinally-extending shoulder members are made of an electrically-insulating material.
- 25. An electrically-isolated railroad rail system, comprising:
a pair of railroad rails; a rail joint attaching each of said railroad rails together; an electrically-insulated tie plate having a plurality of slots for receiving said attached railroad rails; a fastener passing through one of said slots for securing said tie plate to a rail tie; and an electrically-insulated clip secured to said tie plate via said fastener, said clip having a surface for coacting with said railroad rail and said rail joint.
- 26. A tie plate as claimed in claim 5, wherein said layer is an extruded member adhered to said first surface of said base plate.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/419,609, filed Oct. 18, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60419609 |
Oct 2002 |
US |