Rail fastening system and associated rail track
A rail fastening system ( 10 ) comprises a base plate ( 12 ) configured to sit on a support ( 14 ) and having a first recess 16 for receiving a length of a rail ( 18 ). The system ( 10 ) also includes a plurality of spring clips ( 20 i ) and ( 20 t ) arranged to clamp the base plate ( 12 ) between the rail ( 18 ) and the support ( 14 ); and in doing so fasten the rail ( 18 ) to the support ( 14 ). A resilient rail pad ( 21 ) may be placed in the recess ( 16 ) prior to the recess receiving the rail ( 18 ), so that the rail ( 18 ) sits on top of the rail pad ( 21 ). The plate ( 12 ) is not secured to the support before application of the clips. The clips are applied by pushing them over the base plate in direction perpendicular to the extent of the rail.
1 . A rail fastening system for fastening a rail to a support, the rail fastening system comprising:
a base plate configured to sit on a portion of the support, the base plate having a first recess for receiving a length of the rail, the base plate comprising opposed side structures, each side structure having an upper edge and an inboard cut out defining a step; and
a plurality of spring clips each arranged to clamp the base plate between the rail, and the support,
each clip having a first arm and a second arm, the first arm of the clip arranged to contact the rail at a first location and the second arm of the clip configured to contact the support on a side opposite the base plate at two spaced apart locations;
wherein:
the upper edges of the base plate are higher than the surfaces of the rail where the rail is contacted by the first arms of the clips, the upper edges of the base plate being configured to contact the first arm of a respective spring clip with outward motion of the first arm relative to the base plate to inhibit outward motion of the clip with respect to the base plate;
the second arm of each clip is configured to extend through a respective one of the cut outs, thereby inhibiting slipping of the clips in a longitudinal direction of the rail; and
a depth of the steps is greater than a thickness of the support where the support is contacted by the second arms of the clips such that the steps inhibit outward motion of the clips with respect to the base plate.
2 . The rail fastening system according to claim 1 wherein each of the locations lie in different, mutually parallel planes.
3 . The rail fastening system according to claim 2 wherein a first plane containing the first location of contact of the first arm on the rail lies between second and third planes each containing respective locations of contact of the second arm on the support.
4 . The rail fastening system according to claim 1 wherein the base plate comprises: a platform extending between the opposed side structures; a second recess configured to receive the portion of the support on which the base plate sits; and the side structures together straddle the portion of the support and between which is formed the second recess.
5 . The rail fastening system according to claim 4 wherein the platform has one surface that faces the support and an opposite surface that faces the rail, and wherein a lowermost edge of the cut out is spaced in a direction perpendicular to the platform from the one surface by a distance sufficient to form the step between the lowermost edge and an under surface of a portion of a support received in the second recess.
6 . The rail fastening system according to claim 4 wherein the platform has a tapered thickness in a direction decreasing from an outside of the rail toward a gauge side of the rail.
7 . The rail fastening system according to claim 4 wherein each clip has a gap of a minimum dimension Gmm between the first and second arms when the clip is in a relaxed state, and a transverse distance between an upper edge of a side structure and a lowermost edge of a cut out is Hmm wherein Gmm<Hmm.
8 . The rail fastening system according to claim 1 wherein the cut out has a wall that slopes downwardly from an outside surface of a corresponding side structure to an inside surface of that side structure.
9 . The rail fastening system according to claim 1 comprising a pad made from a resilient material arranged for location in the first recess between the rail and the base plate.
10 . A rail track comprising:
a rail configured to provide a running contact surface for a rail wheel of a rail vehicle;
an elongate support extending parallel with the rail; and
a plurality of rail fastening systems according to claim 1 for fastening the rail to the elongate support.
11 . A rail track comprising:
a rail configured to provide running contact surfaces for rail wheels of a rail vehicle;
an elongate support extending parallel with and underlying the rail;
a plurality of rail fastening systems for fastening the rail to the underlying elongate support, each rail fastening system having a base plate configured to sit on a portion of the support and having a first recess for receiving a length of a rail; and
a plurality of spring clips arranged to clamp the base plates between the rail and the underlying support, wherein:
the spring clips are arranged to be applied in a direction transverse to the rail and the support;
each clip of the plurality of spring clips has a first arm and a second arm, wherein the first arm is configured to contact the rail at a first location and the second arm is configured to extend through a cut out in the base plate to contact the underlying elongate support on a side opposite the base plate to the rail at two spaced apart locations; and
the base plate comprises a first holder and a second holder for each spring clip, the first holder being configured to inhibit outward motion of the respective spring clip with respect to the base plate and the second holder being configured to contact the second arm of the respective spring clip to inhibit outward motion and longitudinal motion of the respective spring clip with respect to the base plate.
12 . The rail track according to claim 11 wherein the support comprises a metal beam having a planar surface to which the rail is fastened by the plurality of rail fastening systems.
13 . The rail track according to claim 12 wherein the metal beam is in the form of an I-beam or a H-beam, having two parallel surfaces and one transverse surface and orientated so that the base plate sits on one of the parallel surfaces.
14 . The rail track according to claim 11 wherein the rail is one of a pair of parallel spaced apart rails and the elongate support is one of a pair of parallel spaced apart supports; and further comprising a plurality of transversely extending members connected to and between the pair of parallel spaced apart supports.
15 . The rail track according to claim 11 comprising a plurality of columns on which the elongate supports are supported.
16 . The rail track according to claim 15 comprising a resilient pad located between the elongate support and at least one of the columns.
17 . The rail track according to claim 11 wherein each of the two spaced apart locations lie in different, mutually parallel, vertical planes.
18 . The rail track according to claim 17 wherein a first plane containing the first location of contact of the first arm on the rail lies between second and third planes each containing respective locations of contact of the second arm on the support.
19 . A rail fastening system for fastening a rail to a support, the rail fastening system comprising:
a base plate configured to sit on a portion of the support and having a first recess for receiving a length of the rail; and
a plurality of spring clips each arranged to clamp the base plate between the rail and the support;
wherein:
each clip has a first arm and a second arm, one of the first arm and the second arm arranged to contact the rail at a first location and the other of the first arm and the second arm arranged to extend through a cut out in the base plate to contact the support on a side opposite the base plate to the rail at two spaced apart locations;
the base plate comprises a first holder that is configured to contact the first arm of a respective one of the spring clips with outward motion of the first arm relative to the base plate, to inhibit outward motion of the spring clip with respect to the base plate; and
the base plate comprises a second holder that is configured to contact the second arm of the respective one of the spring clips to inhibit outward motion and longitudinal motion of the spring clip with respect to the base plate.
20 . The rail fastening system of claim 19 , wherein the second holder is outwardly displaced with respect to the first holder.
21 . A rail track comprising:
a rail configured to provide a running contact surface for a rail wheel of a rail vehicle;
an elongate support extending parallel with the rail; and
a plurality of rail fastening systems according to claim 19 for fastening the rail to the elongate support.