EP-4739842-A1 - RAILWAY TIE FASTENING SYSTEM

Abstract

Rail fastening assembly comprising a shoulder assembly (114A, 114B), a guide plate (109A, 109B), and a tension clamp (111A, 111B). The guide plate is configured with a plurality of guide plate support segments. The tension clamp is configured with a shoulder engagement segment that is configured to engage with the shoulder assembly. The shoulder assembly is configured with a shoulder post that is configured to engage with the railway tie. The tension clamp may be positioned at the plurality of guide plate support segments in order to engage with the shoulder assembly in various positions before, during, and after installation.

Inventors

• QUIROS OROZCO, RICARDO JOSE
• NIELSEN, CHASE W.
• STOUT, JOHN BARRY

Assignees

• voestalpine Railway Systems GmbH
• VOESTALPINE RAILWAY SYSTEMS NORTRAK LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20250111

Claims (20)

1. 1. A rail fastening assembly for a railway tie disposed at a rail, the rail fastening assembly comprising: a shoulder assembly; a guide plate, the guide plate having a plurality of guide plate support segments; and a tension clamp, the tension clamp comprising a shoulder engagement segment configured to operatively engage with the shoulder assembly, the tension clamp further being configured to being supported by the plurality of guide plate support segments, the ten ion clamp further being configured to being supported by the rail.
2. 2. The rail fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the shoulder assembly comprises: a shoulder; and a shoulder insulator.
3. 3. The rail fastening assembly of claim 2, wherein the shoulder comprises: a shoulder tension clamp receiver, the shoulder tension clamp receiver being configured to receive the tension clamp at the shoulder engagement segment; and a shoulder post, the shoulder post comprising a shoulder post concavity.
4. 4. The rail fastening assembly of claim 3, wherein the shoulder assembly is configured to being disposed, via the shoulder post, at a hole within the railway tie.
5. 5. The rail fastening assembly of claim 3, wherein the shoulder further comprises: a curved segment, the curved segment being configured to support the tension clamp at the shoulder engagement segment.
6. 6. The rail fastening assembly of claim 1, further comprising a base assembly: a railseat pad, the railseat pad having a plurality of tabs; and an abrasion shim, the abrasion shim having a plurality of openings configured to allow the shoulder assembly to be positioned within an opening, the opening belonging to the plurality of openings.
7. 7. The rail fastening assembly of claim 1, wherein the tension clamp further comprises: a rail contact segment, the rail contact segment being configured to operatively interface with the rail, and a guide plate contact segment, the guide plate contact segment being configured to operatively interface with the plurality of guide plate support segments.
8. 8. The rail fastening assembly of claim 7, wherein the plurality of guide plate support segments comprises: a first guide plate support segment; a second guide plate support segment; and a third guide plate support segment.
9. 9. The rail fastening assembly of claim 8, wherein the rail fastening assembly is configured to being positioned in any one of a first position, a second position, and a third position.
10. 10. The rail fastening assembly of claim 9, wherein the first position comprises the rail contact segment being in contact with the second guide plate support segment.
11. 11. The rail fastening assembly of claim 9, wherein the second position comprises the rail contact segment being in contact with the third guide plate support segment.
12. 12. The rail fastening assembly of claim 9, wherein the third position comprises the tension clamp being engaged, with the shoulder assembly, via the engagement segment.
13. 13. A kit configured to fasten a rail to a railway tie, the kit comprising: a plurality of rail fastening assemblies, comprising a first rail fastening assembly and a second rail fastening assembly; and a base assembly, wherein the first rail fastening assembly comprises: a shoulder assembly; a guide plate, the guide plate having a plurality of guide plate support segments; and a tension clamp, the tension clamp comprising a shoulder engagement segment configured to operatively engage with the shoulder assembly, the tension clamp further being configured to being supported by the plurality of guide plate support segments, the tension clamp further being configured to being supported by the rail.
14. 14. The kit of claim 13, wherein the shoulder assembly comprises: a shoulder; and a shoulder insulator.
15. 15. The kit of claim 14, wherein the shoulder comprises: a shoulder tension clamp receiver, the shoulder tension clamp receiver being configured to receive the tension clamp at the shoulder engagement segment; and a shoulder post, the shoulder post comprising a shoulder post concavity.
16. 16. The kit of claim 13, wherein the tension clamp comprises: a rail contact segment, the rail contact segment being configured to operatively interface with the rail; and a guide plate contact segment, the guide plate contact segment being configured to operatively interface with the plurality of guide plate support segments.
17. 17. The kit of claim 13, wherein the base assembly comprises: a railseat pad, the railseat pad having a plurality of tabs; and an abrasion shim, the abrasion shim having a plurality of openings configured to allow the shoulder assembly to be positioned within an opening, the opening belonging to the plurality of openings.
18. 18. A method for fastening a rail to a railway tie using a rail fastening assembly and a base assembly, the method comprising: placing the base assembly under the rail and above the railway tie; and placing the rail fastening assembly at the railway tie, wherein the rail fastening assembly comprises: a shoulder assembly; a guide plate, the guide plate having a plurality of guide plate support segments, comprising a first guide plate support segment, a second guide plate support segment and a third guide plate support segment; and a tension clamp, the tension clamp comprising a shoulder engagement segment configured to operatively engage with the shoulder assembly, the tension clamp further being configured to being supported by the plurality of guide plate support segments, the tension clamp further being configured to being supported by the rail, the tension clamp further comprising a rail contact segment; and placing the tension clamp in a first position, the first position comprising the rail contact segment being in contact with the second guide plate support segment.
19. 19. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising: moving the tension clamp to a second position, the second position comprising the rail contact segment being in contact with the third guide plate support segment.
20. 20. The method of claim 19, the method further comprising: moving the tension clamp to a third position, the third position comprising the tension clamp being engaged, with the shoulder assembly, via the shoulder engagement segment.

Description

RAILWAY TIE FASTENING SYSTEM CROSS REFERENCE AND PRIORITY TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of priority to: U.S. Provisional No. 63/627,623 entitled “RAILWAY TIE FASTENING SYSTEM,” filed on January 31, 2024, and U.S. NonProvisional No. 19/017,640 entitled “RAILWAY TIE FASTENING SYSTEM,” filed on January 11, 2025. [0002] All the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. BACKGROUND [0003] In railway systems, stock rails are fastened to various types of ties using fastening systems. Existing fastening systems predominantly rely on bolts that place tension on a clamp or spring which, in turn, places tension on the stock rail. When bolts lose tension, the rail becomes disconnected from the railway tie which leads to safety risks. As such, bolts are a primary cause of maintenance to ensure the rail is properly affixed to the tie. [0004] Many bolts have a head pattern (e g., square, hex, etc.) that is prone to stripping when being installed or serviced. Such stripping leads to a situation where the bolt may become trapped in the railway tie and require cutting for extraction. Cutting operations cause undue maintenance and introduce failures. For instance, the cutting operation may damage other elements of the fastener (e.g., the support base, the clip, the clamp, etc ). [0005] Bolt heads may be sheared off during normal operation of rolling stock, thus leading to a tension clamp becoming disconnected from the stock rail and/or tie. Again, when the bolt head is damaged, personnel are required to use cutting tools to remove the remaining stem of the bolt that is lodged in the railway tie. As stated, these extraction operations introduce maintenance costs. Further, extraction operations may lead to safety issues for maintenance personnel who often rely on hand tools. [0006] A predetermined amount of torque is required to properly engage tension clamps via the bolts. During normal operation of rolling stock, the bolts lose tension which allows the tension clamps to disengage from the stock rail. Today, personnel cannot readily determine torque values from visual inspection and require manual tools to test installed bolts. When bolts are improperly torqued, the personnel are required to adjust the bolts. Adjusting bolts is labor- intensive and leads to higher maintenance costs. Further, human-based adjustments are prone to human error, thus decreasing safety for rolling stock. [0007] What is needed is a rail fastening system that reduces maintenance and increases safety such as the one disclosed herein. SUMMARY [0008] A solution is disclosed relating to a rail fastening assembly for a railway tie disposed at a rail, wherein the rail fastening assembly comprises a shoulder assembly and a guide plate, wherein the guide plate has a plurality of guide plate support segments. The rail fastening assembly further comprises a tension clamp comprising a shoulder engagement segment configured to operatively engage with the shoulder assembly. The tension clamp is further configured to being supported by the plurality of guide plate support segments, and the tension clamp is further configured to being supported by the rail. The shoulder assembly comprises a shoulder and a shoulder insulator. The shoulder comprises a shoulder tension clamp receiver configured to receive the tension clamp at the shoulder engagement segment, and a shoulder post comprises a shoulder post concavity. The shoulder assembly is configured to being disposed, via the shoulder post, at a hole within the railway tie. The shoulder further comprises a curved segment configured to support the tension clamp at the shoulder engagement segment. A base assembly comprises a railseat pad having a plurality of tabs, and an abrasion shim having a plurality of openings configured to allow the shoulder assembly to be positioned within an opening belonging to the plurality of openings. [0009] The tension clamp further comprises a rail contact segment, configured to operatively interface with the rail, and a guide plate contact segment configured to operatively interface with the plurality of guide plate support segments. The plurality of guide plate support segments comprises a first guide plate support segment, a second guide plate support segment, and a third guide plate support segment. The rail fastening assembly is configured to being positioned in any one of a first position, a second position, and a third position. The first position comprises the rail contact segment being in contact with the second guide plate support segment. The second position comprises the rail contact segment being in contact with the third guide plate support segment. The third position comprises the tension clamp being engaged, with the shoulder assembly, via the engagement segment. [0010] The solution further relates to a kit configured to fasten a rail to a railway tie. The kit comprises a plurality of rail fas