Patent Application
20200308773
The present disclosure relates generally to track rail fastening systems, and more particularly to direct fixation track rail fasteners.
Rail equipment is used across the world for transportation of persons and all manner of goods and equipment. Rail lines for freight or passenger, or for commuter trains, are formed by parallel track rails supported upon a concrete or gravel substrate, for example, and will be familiar to most. Depending upon the design of the rail line and the type of substrate, a variety of different mechanisms are used for positioning, supporting, and fastening the rails as well as managing loads and vibrations transmitted by way of the rail and fasteners between rail equipment and the underlying substrate. Rail fastening and fixation systems can range from simple plates that attach rails to wooden ties by way of spikes, to highly engineered direct fixation fasteners formed from an assembly of metallic and non-metallic components.
One known direct fixation fastener for track rail is known from U.S. Pat. No. 10,081,915 to Constantine. Constantine proposes a mechanism for coupling a track rail to a substrate including a rail plate and a base plate, where the rail plate surrounds the base plate and an overmolded jacket encases the both. The strategy taught in the Constantine disclosure has various applications, however, the field always welcomes improvements and/or alternative strategies.
In one aspect, a fastening system for track rail includes a pedestal mount having a pedestal plate, and a pair of laterally extending pedestal legs structured to support the pedestal plate above a substrate. The fastening system further includes a track rail fastener positioned upon the pedestal mount and including a fastener body having a top plate, a frame, an overmolded jacket encasing the top plate and the frame, and an upper rail contact surface extending in a fore-aft direction. The fastening system further includes a lateral positioner having a locating pin, and a positioner body with a locating surface extending circumferentially around a body axis, and a bore extending axially through the positioner body and eccentrically arranged with respect to the locating surface. The locating surface contacts the pedestal mount such that a lateral location of the body axis is fixed relative to the pedestal mount, and the locating pin extends through the fastener body and the bore such that a lateral location of the track rail fastener relative to the pedestal mount is coupled to a lateral location of the bore relative to the pedestal mount. The positioner body is at a first angular orientation about the body axis at which the bore has a first lateral location relative to the pedestal mount, and the positioner body is adjustable to a second angular orientation at which the bore has a second lateral location relative to the pedestal mount to reposition the track rail fastener based on the coupling of the lateral location of the track rail fastener to the lateral location of the bore.
In another aspect, a track rail fastener includes a fastener body having a top plate, a frame, an overmolded jacket encasing the top plate and the frame, and an upper rail contact surface extending in a fore-aft direction. The track rail fastener further includes a lateral positioner with a positioner body having a locating surface extending around a body axis, a bore extending axially through the positioner body, and a locating pin extending through the fastener body and the bore. The bore is eccentrically arranged with respect to the locating surface, and the positioner body is rotatable upon the locating pin, such that a change to an angular orientation of the bore about the body axis is coupled to a change to a lateral location of the fastener body relative to the body axis.
In still another aspect, a track rail fastener includes a fastener body having a top plate, a frame, an overmolded jacket, and an upper rail contact surface extending in a fore-aft direction. The track rail fastener further includes a lateral positioner with a positioner body having an eccentric structured to contact a pedestal mount and defining a body axis, and a locating pin structured to extend through the fastener body and the eccentric, to couple a lateral location of the fastener body relative to the body axis to an angular orientation of the eccentric about the locating pin. The frame includes a plurality of vertically extending finger walls, and the overmolded jacket encases the top plate and the frame and extends between the top plate and each of the plurality of vertically extending finger walls.
Referring to
Fastening system 10 and track rail fastener 22 further include a lateral positioner 46 including a locating pin 48, and a positioner body 50 having a locating surface 52 extending circumferentially around a body axis 54. Positioner body 50 also includes a bore 56 therein extending axially through positioner body 50 and eccentrically arranged with respect to locating surface 52. In the illustrated embodiment, locating surface 52 and bore 56 may be located on and in an eccentric 51 that is formed as a locator projection.
Fastener body 24 further includes a forward edge 66 and a back edge 68, which each extend generally in parallel with pedestal legs 16 and 18 when track rail fastener 22 is installed for service. A first outboard edge 70 and a second outboard edge 72 of fastener body 24 extend generally in parallel with a longitudinal orientation of track rail 8. Fastening system 10 also includes a first and a second rail clip assembly each shown with reference numeral 34, and positioned upon opposite lateral sides of rail support surface 32. Each clip assembly 34 can include a clip 36, a T-bolt 38, a washer 40, and a nut 42. Each T-bolt 38 can be slid between angled wedge blocks 44 formed integrally with top plate 26 in a generally known manner, or retained by any other suitable strategy.
Referring also now to
Locating surface 52, upon eccentric 51, contacts pedestal mount 12 such that a lateral location of body axis 54 is fixed relative to pedestal mount 12. Contact between locating surface 52 and pedestal mount 12 can include direct contact such as between locating surface 52 and pedestal plate 14 within a hole or bore 58 formed in pedestal plate 14, or indirect contact with a component mounted to pedestal plate 14 and thus a part of pedestal mount 12. In the illustrated embodiment, locating surface 52 includes an outer peripheral surface of positioner body 50. Bore 58 may extend vertically through pedestal plate 14, and locating surface 52 may have a shape complementary to bore 58, such as an annular cylindrical shape. It should nevertheless be appreciated that locating surface 52 could have a non-annular shape, such as a polygonal shape or a non-polygonal shape matched to a shape of bore 58, for example, and still fairly be understood to extend circumferentially around body axis 54. Body axis 54 may include a longitudinal center axis of positioner body 50, however, the present disclosure is also not limited in this regard. Body axis 54 will typically be located on a center point of a circle defined by locating surface 52. Based on the contact of locating surface 52 with pedestal plate 14, or otherwise contact with pedestal mount 12, positioner body 50 resists being laterally displaced when installed in pedestal plate 14. As shown in
Locating pin 48 extends through fastener body 24 and through bore 56 such that a lateral location of track rail fastener 22 relative to pedestal mount 14 is coupled to a lateral location of bore 56 relative to pedestal mount 12. It will be recalled that bore 56 is eccentrically arranged with respect to locating surface 52. It will thus be understood that repositioning of positioner body 50, such as rotating positioner body 50 about body axis 54, will vary an angular orientation of bore 56 about body axis 54 and thus vary a lateral location of bore 56 relative to pedestal mount 12. In
In the illustrated embodiment locating pin 48 is a threaded pin, that extends through frame 28 and through pedestal plate 14. Pedestal plate 14 is thus positioned between fastener body 24 and positioner body 50, such that positioner body 50 can be clamped to pedestal plate 14 at a first angular orientation, or any of a plurality of other available orientations corresponding to different relative lateral locations between track rail fastener 22 and body axis 54 and thus pedestal mount 12. Locating pin 48 can include a threaded bolt, with lateral positioner 46 also including a threaded nut 61 that is engaged with locating pin 48 to clamp positioner body 50 to pedestal plate 14 and also to clamp fastener body 24 to pedestal plate 14 on an upper side of pedestal plate 14 opposite to positioner body 50. In other embodiments, a positioner body and/or eccentric according to the present disclosure might be fitted within and engaged with a pedestal plate upon an upper side instead of a lower side as illustrated, with an associated fastener body formed with voids on a bottom side thereof to accommodate the positioner body/eccentric. When lateral adjustment is to be performed, nut 61 can be loosened or removed, and positioner body 50 dropped down, repositioned by rotating to a new angular orientation, and reinstalled. Alternatively, positioner body 50 could be left installed and locating pin 48 pulled clear of positioner body 50, and positioner body 50 rotated in place within pedestal plate 14. To assist in hand manipulation and placement of positioner body 50, positioner body 50 may have a non-uniform outer contour. The non-uniform outer contour may be formed by one or more flats, flutes, knurls, or some other texturing or geometry that facilitates service personnel gripping positioner body 50 more readily than a smooth and/or cylindrical outer surface would provide.
Referring also now to
Referring also now to
Frame 28 also includes a plurality of vertically extending finger walls 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97. Vertically extending finger walls 92-96 have non-uniform heights in the illustrated embodiment and are arranged in a forward set 93, 95, 97 and a back set 92, 94, 96. In an implementation, the forward set of vertically extending finger walls 93, 95, 97 have heights successively increased in a first lateral direction, to the left in
As discussed above, fastening system 10 can be deployed as part of new construction, or in servicing existing track. Over the course of a service life of rail track, wear from rotating stock as well as deformation or displacement of track rail and fastening systems themselves can cause a lateral distance between inside rail surfaces to vary from specifications. In certain applications, such as pedestal mounts, the ability to provide lateral adjustment has heretofore not existed or been unduly labor intensive.
The present description is for illustrative purposes only, and should not be construed to narrow the breadth of the present disclosure in any way. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications might be made to the presently disclosed embodiments without departing from the full and fair scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Other aspects, features and advantages will be apparent upon an examination of the attached drawings and appended claims. As used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.
