Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01B—PERMANENT WAY; PERMANENT-WAY TOOLS; MACHINES FOR MAKING RAILWAYS OF ALL KINDS
  • E01B3/00—Transverse or longitudinal sleepers; Other means resting directly on the ballastway for supporting rails
  • E01B3/16—Transverse or longitudinal sleepers; Other means resting directly on the ballastway for supporting rails made from steel

Definitions

• the invention relates to railway sleepers arranged on ballast.
• a state-of-the-art sleeper is generally in the form of a metal profile with several openings, with a more or less U-shaped cross-section.
• the attachment of a rail to the sleeper is carried out by means of bolts (screws) placed through said openings and retained by means of nuts.
• Each bolt comprises a head whose section, eg rectangular, is devoid of central symmetry. It further comprises a rod comprising a threaded portion, disposed on the side of the free end of the rod, and a non-threaded portion disposed between the threaded portion and the head.
• the non-threaded portion has a square section.
• the cross-section of an opening is substantially the same, or even slightly larger, than the cross-section of the bolt head, thus making it possible to withdraw the bolt through the opening only if the respective cross-sections of the bolt head and the opening are aligned.
• the head of the bolt is arranged under the crosspiece, in direct contact with the ballast.
• the nut is placed on the side of the upper face of the crosspiece.
• the nut When a cross member and/or fastening hardware needs to be replaced, the nut can be easily unscrewed and removed from the cross member.
• the depth of the covering element must be relatively large. Its height must be at least equivalent to the sum of the thickness of the bolt head and the height of the non-threaded portion of square section.
• each opening comprises an elongated part of width substantially equivalent to the side of said square section and a widened part whose width is less than the length of the rectangular section of the head and equivalent or greater than the diagonal of said square section.
• the widened part is a disc portion whose diameter is substantially equivalent to the diagonal of said square section.
• the widened part can have any other shape, polygonal or not, making it possible to obtain the desired effect.
• the section of the widened part must however not allow the passage of the head of the bolt. The latter can only be removed from the crosspiece if its head is aligned with the elongated part of the opening.
• the crosspiece comprises a covering element as disclosed in application PCT/IB2020/053042.
• the height of the covering element is preferably less than the sum of the thickness of said head and the height of the non-threaded portion of square section.
• the crosspiece is preferably metallic, but not necessarily.
• Figure 1 Example of crosspiece according to the invention - Sectional view
• FIG. 2 Introduction of a bolt in an example of a crosspiece according to the invention
• the crosspiece 1 illustrated in the figures is in the form of a U-shaped profile with edges inclined downwards, in the direction of the surface on which the crosspiece rests.
• the ground is most often made up of ballast (not shown). Edges slopes sink into the ballast. In this configuration, the entire underside 9 of the crosspiece 1 is in contact with the ballast.
• the crosspiece 1 generally comprises two pairs of openings 2, namely a first pair used for fixing a first rail (not shown) and the other pair for fixing a second rail (not shown).
• Each opening 2 is dimensioned to receive a bolt 3 whose head 5, facing downwards, has a rectangular section 10 (see FIG. 2).
• Each bolt 3 also comprises a rod 11 comprising a threaded cylindrical portion 12 and an unthreaded portion 13 of square section 16, the latter being placed between the head and the threaded portion.
• the illustrated bolt 3 also includes an unthreaded cylindrical portion.
• Each opening 2 has the shape of a keyhole, with an elongated part 14 in the shape of a rectangle and an enlarged part 15 in the shape of a disc portion.
• the width of the elongated part 14 is substantially equivalent to the width of the rectangular section 10 of the head 5 of the bolt 3.
• the diameter of the widened part 15 is substantially equivalent to the diagonal of the square section 16 of the non-threaded portion 13.
• the total length of the opening 2 (elongated part 14 + widened part 15) must be at least equivalent to the length of the rectangular section 10 of the head 5.
• the height 6 of the cover element 4 is less than the sum of the thickness 7 of the head 5 of the bolt 3 and the height of the non-threaded portion 13 of square section 16.
• the height of the covering element 4 is substantially equal to the thickness of the head of the bolt.
• the bolt must not and cannot be driven in towards the ground.
• This configuration has the advantage of using the bottom of the cover element as support for the bolt, e.g. when tightening the nut.
• the bolt 3 can be inserted or removed from the crosspiece 1. If the alignment is not respects, the head of the bolt 4 remains cannot pass through the opening 2, even if the head is in the widened part 15.
• the crosspiece according to the invention can advantageously be used with covering elements 4. These latter are not, however, necessary.
• Figure 2 shows successive phases of installation of a bolt 3 in a crosspiece 1 according to the invention.
• Phase 1 The bolt head 5 is aligned with the elongated part 14 and introduced into the opening 2.
• Phase 2 The bolt 3 is lowered into the opening 2, so that the non-threaded portion 13 of square section 10 is located at least partially between the outer 9 and lower 8 faces of the crosspiece 1. The bolt 3 is then moved towards the widened part 15 and undergoes a rotation.
• Phase 3 A 90° rotation is imparted to bolt 3, so that head 5 is oriented perpendicular to the main orientation of opening 2.
• Phase 4 Bolt 3 is brought back into elongated part 14.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Railway Tracks (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=77447939

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Citations (1)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2021
  • 2021-07-20 EP EP21758752.6A patent/EP4196637A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2021-07-20 WO PCT/IB2021/056553 patent/WO2022034399A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (1)

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