System for securing interface strips at road/rail crossings

Apparatus for securing left and right interlace strips to the sides of a rail at a road-rail crossing, in combination with the strips and the rail, wherein:

• one of the strips lies on the field-side of the rail, and the other on the gauge-side;
• the gauge-side strip includes a recess for accommodating the wheel-flanges of trains passing over the crossing;
• the strips lie fitted to the rail, and have respective left and right outer side-surfaces, which face away from the rail;
• the apparatus includes a spring-clip, which is made of metal;
• the spring-clip is of a U-configuration, having a central beam and having left and right arms;
• the central beam of the spring-clip lies underneath the rail and the strips, and the arms lie outside the outer side-surfaces of the strips;
• the left and right arms carry respective left and right tappets;
• the side-surfaces of the strips are formed with respective left and right tappet-grooves, running lengthwise, along the strips, in their respective side-surfaces, and the tappets lie engaged in the tappet-grooves;
• the apparatus is so structured that a distance D, as measured between the left and right tappets, is adjustable, and can be adjusted from a distance D1 to a distance D2, the distances D1 and D2 being measured when the spring-clip is in an unstressed condition;
• the distance D1 is the distance apart of the tappets when the tappets are in a slack-take-up position, in which the tappets lie just seated into the respective tappet-grooves in the strips;
• the apparatus includes an adjustable lock, which is operable to lock the tappets the distance D2 apart;
• the distance D2 is smaller than the distance D1;
• the springiness and resilience of the arms and the beam of the spring-clip are such that the tappets can be forcefully deflected apart, whereupon the distance between the tappets is increased by a deflection-distance DDef, which is small enough that the spring-clip does not take a permanent set;
• the deflection-distance DDef is of a substantial magnitude;
• D2 is smaller than D1 by at least DDef;
• the apparatus includes many spring-clips having the characteristics listed above, arranged between the railway cross-ties;
• the many spring-clips lie with their left and right tappets locked the distance D2 apart, and forcefully deflected the distance DDef apart.

Apparatus for securing left and right interface strips to the sides of a rail at a road-rail crossing, in combination with the strips and the rail, wherein:

• one of the strips lies on the field-side of the rail, and the other on the gauge-side;
• the gauge-side strip includes a recess for accommodating the wheel-flanges of trains passing over the crossing;
• the strips lie fitted to the rail, and have respective left and right outer side-surfaces, which face away from the rail;
• the apparatus includes a clip, which is made of metal;
• the clip is of a U-configuration, having a central beam and having left and right arms;
• the central beam of the clip lies underneath the rail and the strips, and the arms lie outside the outer side-surfaces of the strips;
• the left and right arms carry respective left and right tappets;
• the outer side-surfaces of the strips are formed with respective left and right tappet-grooves, running lengthwise, along the strips, in their respective side-surfaces, and the tappets lie engaged in the tappet-grooves;
• the apparatus is so structured that a distance D, as measured between the left and right tappets, is adjustable, and can be adjusted from a distance D1 to a distance D2, the distances D1 and D2 being measured when the clip is in an unstressed condition;
• the distance D1 is the distance apart of the tappets when the tappets are in a stack-take-up position, in which the tappets lie just seated in the respective tappet-grooves in the strips;
• the apparatus includes an adjustable lock, which is operable to lock the tappets the distance D2 apart;
• the distance D2 is smaller than the distance D1;
• the strips are made of an elastomeric material, which is capable of undergoing compressive deflection, when force is applied between the tappets;
• the springiness and resilience of the arms and the beam of the clip, together with the springiness and resilience of the elastomeric strips, are such that the tappets can be forcefully deflected apart, and the strips can be forcefully compressed, whereupon the distance between the tappets is reduced by a deflection-distance DDef, which is small enough that neither the arms and beam of the spring-clip nor the elastomeric strips take a permanent set;
• D2 is smaller than D1 by at least DDef;
• the apparatus includes many clips having the characteristics listed above, arranged between the railway cross-ties;
• the many clips lie with their left and right tappets locked the distance D2 apart, and forcefully deflected the distance DDef apart.