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EP-4624661-B1 - RAIL FASTENING

EP4624661B1EP 4624661 B1EP4624661 B1EP 4624661B1EP-4624661-B1

Inventors

  • MAYER, THOMAS
  • HÖLZL, Wolfgang
  • BREITEGGER, Stefan

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20230829

Claims (12)

  1. A rail fastening comprising a tension clamp (1) for holding down a track structure element, such as a rail foot of a rail, and a hold-down device fastenable on a support, in particular a sleeper (11), a ribbed plate or an angled guide plate, adjacent to a rail (8), wherein the tension clamp (1) has a U-shaped main section which has a U-bend (2), a first leg (3) arranged on the one side of the U-bend (2) and a second leg (4) arranged on the other side of the U-bend (2), wherein a holding section (5), which is bent inwards in a hook shape and is supportable on the hold-down device, is formed on the first leg (3), and an end section (6), which is bent towards or away from the holding section (5), is formed on the second leg (4), wherein the holding section (5) has a free end region (7) which is connected to the first leg (3) via a hook bend and which is arranged between the first leg (3) and the second leg (4), and wherein the U-bend (2) forms a torsion section, such that a hold-down force can be applied to the track structure element via the bent end section (6), wherein, in the installed state of the tension clamp (1), the holding section (5) is supported on the hold-down device in such a way that the bent end section (6) can be arranged so as to resiliently hold down the track structure element, in particular a rail foot (16) of the rail, characterised in that the hold-down device is formed by a fastening screw (25) which can be screwed into the support, in particular a sleeper (11) or a plate (10, 26), or by a hook bolt with a nut which is hooked into a support, in particular a ribbed plate, wherein the screw shank and/or thread thereof passes through a free space between the first leg (3) and the free end region (7) of the holding section (5) of the tension clamp (1) in order to hold down the tension clamp (1) in the region of the holding section (5) and optionally of the first leg (3).
  2. The rail fastening according to claim 1, characterised in that , in the installed state of the tension clamp (1), the hold-down device at least partially engages over both a free end region (7) of the holding section (5) and the first leg (3).
  3. The rail fastening according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the hook bend comes to lie above the rail foot in a final assembly position and can form an overload protection.
  4. The rail fastening according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the bent end section (6) can be arranged so as to resiliently hold down the track structure element, in particular a rail foot (16) of the rail, during an installation transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail.
  5. The rail fastening according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a stop (45) is arranged on the support and/or on the hold-down device, said stop limiting the screw-in depth of the hold-down device and preferably cooperating with the screw head (42) or the nut of the fastening screw (25), such that a hold-down force on the tension clamp (1) can be limited.
  6. The rail fastening according to claim 5, characterised in that the stop (45) defines a minimum vertical distance between the hold-down device and the support, which is equal to or greater than the unloaded diameter of the wire forming the tension clamp (1) in the region of the hold-down device, wherein the vertical distance is preferably not more than 1.2 times the wire diameter.
  7. The rail fastening according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that , in the tightened state of the hold-down device, the tension clamp (1) with its bent end section (6) is displaceable, in particular rotatable or shiftable transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail, between a pre-assembly position and a final assembly position.
  8. The rail fastening according to claim 7, characterised in that the support forms a step which descends in the direction of displacement (14) of the tension clamp (1), from which step the bent end section (6) descends onto the rail foot (16) when the tension clamp (1) is displaced from the pre-assembly position into the final assembly position.
  9. The rail fastening according to claim 8, characterised in that the bent end section (6), when lying on the step, is arranged higher than the hook bend of the holding section (5).
  10. The rail fastening according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the support has a lateral contact surface for the rail foot and the hold-down device or the fastening screw (25) is arranged in such a way that the tension clamp (1) does not protrude beyond the contact surface in the pre-assembly position.
  11. The rail fastening according to claim 10, characterised in that the distance between the screw shank and the lateral contact surface is equal to or greater than the diameter of the wire forming the tension clamp (1).
  12. The rail fastening according to one of claims 7 to 11, characterised in that the fastening screw or the nut of the hook bolt preferably holds down predominantly the free end region (7) of the holding section (5) of the tension clamp (1) and the first leg (3) of the tension clamp (1) is supported on the support, and that the tightening direction of rotation of the thread of the fastening screw or of the hook bolt is designed in such a way that, during a displacement of the tension clamp (1) transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail from the pre-assembly position into the final assembly position, the free end region (7) of the holding section (5) directly or indirectly subjects the fastening screw or the nut of the hook bolt to a torque in the tightening direction of rotation.

Description

The invention relates to a rail fastening comprising a tension spring for holding down a track element, such as a rail foot of a rail, and a hold-down device that can be attached to a base, in particular a sleeper, ribbed plate or angle guide plate, adjacent to a rail. The publications DE 20 2015 106541 U1 , CA 2 752 835 A1 as well as US 5 069 386 A disclose rail fastening systems relating to the subject matter of the present invention. The installation of rails on a track bed is typically carried out using a spring element, usually referred to as a tension spring or clamp, and a suitable clamping element or hold-down device to tension the spring element. This clamping element or hold-down device is usually a screw, which tensions the spring element against the substrate so that it exerts the necessary holding forces via the section resting on the rail foot. This tensioning can be achieved, for example, by connecting the hold-down device directly to the substrate supporting the rail and the fastening system, or by attaching the hold-down device to an additional component, such as a plate, which is then firmly coupled to the respective substrate. Commonly used tension springs are those with an "e" shape and those with a "ω" shape. An "e"-shaped tension spring is used, for example, in the... EP 313325 B1 described. The "ω" form, for example, arises from the DE 3243895 A1 stand out. Numerous embodiments of fastening systems with tension springs are known, in which the tension spring can be positioned relative to the rail foot and the anchoring elements not only in a precisely defined final assembly position, but also in a position-secured pre-assembly position. To achieve the pre-assembly position, the tension spring is mounted so that the section intended to hold down the rail foot does not rest on the rail. In this way, railway sleepers can be fitted with tension springs in the pre-assembly position and pre-tensioned at the factory. On the construction site, after the rail has been laid, the tension springs can be moved laterally into the final assembly position and tensioned with some effort, so that the section intended to hold down the rail foot overlaps it and springs down from above. A disadvantage of tension springs from the prior art is that they are designed for only one installation direction or method. The installation direction here refers to the direction in which the tension spring, which is usually already pre-tensioned, is pushed onto the rail foot. Most commonly, tension springs are designed for transverse installation, meaning they are pushed on perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail. In contrast, longitudinal installation involves bringing the tension spring into its final assembly position along the longitudinal direction of the rail. Longitudinal installation is advantageous, for example, for securing rails in the area of turnouts, due to limited space. Conventional tension springs are specifically adapted to their predetermined installation direction, particularly with regard to the arrangement of areas of varying stiffness, and therefore cannot be easily reused. can be installed in a different direction, although in most cases a different installation direction is not possible for geometric reasons. Other problems with conventional tension springs include breakage and loosening, resulting in a loss of tension. Loosening occurs particularly with tension springs that are tightened with a screw. Tension springs often break when subjected to excessive stress. Conventional rail fastening systems are rarely equipped with overload protection. Overload protection serves to limit the load acting on the tension spring, which is particularly important when the rail is subjected to significant up-and-down movement or tilting relative to the sleeper as it is traversed. The present invention therefore aims to improve a corresponding fastening system or rail fastening in such a way that the aforementioned disadvantages can be overcome. In particular, a rail fastening is to be created that can be held down or tensioned by a screw and that exhibits high elasticity. The tension spring of the rail fastening is to be universally applicable, especially for holding down rails in open track as well as in the area of turnouts. Finally, installation and removal are to be facilitated, and a position-secured pre-assembly position is to be enabled. To solve this problem, the invention, according to a first aspect, provides a rail fastening with a tension spring, wherein the tension spring has a U-shaped main section comprising a U-bend, a first leg arranged on one side of the U-bend and a second leg arranged on the other side of the U-bend, wherein a hook-shaped retaining section bent inwards and supported on the retainer is formed on the first leg and an end section bent towards or away from the retaining section is formed on the second leg, wherein the U-bend forms a torsion section so that a h