US 6,971,610 B2Granted

Railway diamond wedge crossing with reversible beam castings

AssigneeGeneral Electric Capital Corporation

InventorsRussell R. Hein, Robert C. Roberts, Jr., Brian Weaver

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Abstract

A railway crossing has a plate with a pocket that defines a crossing angle for enabling one railway line to cross over another at virtually any angle. The pocket closely receives continuous long beams and divided beams. The pocket also has protrusions for restricting longitudinal horizontal movement of the beams. Each divided beam has three separate, discontinuous segments, including two outer segments and one inner segment. The segments are reversible such that the inner segments may be interchangeably positioned with each other, and the outer segments may be interchangeably positioned with each other. Fasteners secure the beams to the plate and resist both vertical movement and lateral horizontal movement. Each fastener has a wedge brace, a clip, and a wedge. The wedge prevents pull-apart of the plate and the beams due to thermal forces, mechanical forces, and surface discontinuities.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A railway crossing, comprising:

a plate having a plurality of plate segments and a pocket formed in the plate segments that defines a crossing angle, the pocket having a plurality of protrusions formed therein;
a pair of continuous long beams, each having a base seated in the pocket of the plate;
a pair of divided beams, each having three separate, discontinuous segments, and each of the segments having a base seated in the pocket in the plate and positioned at the crossing angle with respect to the long beams such that each of the segments abuts at least one of the long beams;
and
at least one recess formed in each of the bases of the long beams and in each of the bases of the segments of the divided beams, the recesses being complementary in shape to the protrusions in the pocket, such that engagement of the recesses by the protrusions resists movement of the long and divided beams along lengths thereof with respect to the plate;
fasteners for securing the long beams and the divided beams in the pocket of the plate;
and
wherein each of the fasteners comprises a rail brace assembly having a wedge brace joined to the plate, a clip joined to the wedge brace, and a wedge mounted between the wedge brace, the clip, and one of the long beams and the divided beams, such that the wedge prevents pull-apart of the plate, the long beams, and the divided beams due to thermal forces, mechanical forces, and surface discontinuities.

5 more elements

A railway crossing, comprising:

a plate;
a plurality of long beams mounted to the plate and having a longitudinal length and a lateral width that is transverse thereto;
a plurality of divided beams, each having a plurality of segments, mounted to the plate and positioned at a crossing angle with respect to the long beams, and each of the segments having a longitudinal length and a lateral width that is transverse thereto;
fasteners for securing the long beams and the divided beams to the plate and resisting both vertical movement and lateral horizontal movement of the long and divided beams with respect to the plate, each of the fasteners comprising a rail brace assembly having a wedge brace joined to the plate, a clip joined to the wedge brace, and a wedge mounted between the wedge brace, the clip, and one of the long beams and the divided beams, such that the wedge prevents pull-apart of the plate, the long beams, and the divided beams due to thermal forces, mechanical forces, and surface discontinuities;
and
the wedge brace has a receptacle formed therein with a tapered surface, each of the long beams and the segments of the divided beams has a tapered side wall, the wedge has a tapered knob that is complementary in shape to the receptacle and its tapered surface for engagement therewith, and the wedge has a tapered surface opposite the tapered knob that is complementary in shape to the tapered side walls for engagement therewith.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.