Methods and apparatus for establishing electrical connections to a railroad rail
AssigneeBNSF Railway Company
InventorsMark E. Bousquet, Kurt D. Harmon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of making an electrical connection to a railroad rail includes fastening a wire bonding assembly to a railroad rail, the wire bonding assembly including first and second spaced apart washer plates contacting the rail and a metal bar supported by the washer plates. The metal bar is electrically connected with the rail with a first conductive lead contacting a selected point on the rail and a selected point on the metal bar. A second conductive lead is connected to another selected point on the metal bar for establishing an electrical connection to the rail from an electrical device.
Claims19
A method of making an electrical connection to a railroad rail comprising:
- fastening a wire bonding assembly to a railroad rail, the wire bonding assembly including first and second spaced apart washer plates contacting the rail and a metal bar supported by the washer plates, the wire bonding assembly laterally spaced from an insulated joint proximate an end of the rail;
- connecting the metal bar with the rail with a first conductive lead contacting a selected point on the rail between a first end of the metal bar and the insulated joint and a selected point on the metal bar;
- connecting a second conductive lead to another selected point on the metal bar for establishing an electrical connection to the rail from an electrical device;
- and
- wherein at least one of connecting the metal bar with the rail with a first conductive lead and connecting a second conductive lead to the metal bar comprises fastening an end of a corresponding one of the first and second conductive leads to the metal bar by a selected one of welding, brazing, and pin brazing processes.
A wire bonding assembly for establishing an electrical connection to a railroad rail, comprising:
- a plurality of support structures fastened to corresponding spaced apart points on a selected surface of a railroad rail, the plurality of support structures spaced from an insulated joint proximate an end of the rail;
- an elongated metal bar supported on the rail by the plurality of support structures;
- a first conductive lead having a first end connected to the rail at a point between a first end of the metal bar and the insulated joint and a second end fastened to the elongated bar;
- a second conductive lead for establishing electrical connection to the rail from an electrical device and having an end fastened to the elongated bar;
- wherein at least one of the second end of the first conductive lead and the end of the second conductive lead is fastened to the elongated bar by a selected one of a welded connection, a brazed connection, and a pin-brazed connection.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.