Rail foot bracket

Abstract

Rail foot support (1) for attaching a track accessory device (3) to a rail (2), comprising a support structure (11) with an angle piece (12) for gripping a first side of a rail foot (10) and a clamping unit (13) that can be arranged at different positions of the support structure (11) for clamping a second side of the rail foot (10).The application solves the problem of providing a rail foot holder that enables secure and quick attachment to a rail by comprising a clamping unit (13) comprising a base body (14) guided on the support structure (11), a clamping strip (15) arranged on the base body (14) with two projections (16, 17) on opposite sides of the base body (14) and a clamping screw (18), wherein the first projection (16) has a clamping screw receptacle and the clamping screw (18) can be fixed against the support structure (11) when screwed into the clamping screw receptacle in order to clamp the rail foot (10) by the second projection (17).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rail foot bracket according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Track systems often utilize additional track accessories, such as track safety fences, noise barriers, signals, or signs, to secure the track, reduce noise, or provide relevant information, for example, for the train driver. These track accessories must be securely attached to the track system and fixed in such a way that they remain firmly in place even when trains are passing at high speeds or during severe weather.

[0003] Particularly in the case of trackside equipment that is only temporarily attached to a track system, such as track guard fences or track bed guard fences used to secure (temporary) track construction sites in railway traffic, the trackside equipment is often attached using detachable fastening elements that can be attached to a rail of the track system. These fastening elements are typically fixed to a rail, specifically its foot, or to a sleeper on which the rail is mounted.

[0004] A rail foot bracket, used to attach a trackside safety fence to a rail, is known, for example, from German utility model DE 20 2005 008 225 U1. The rail foot bracket consists of a tube with an angled piece that positively engages the rail foot on one side. The bracket also includes a foot clamp, which is slidably guided along the tube and has another angled piece. To fix the rail foot bracket to the rail, the foot clamp is slid along the tube until it reaches the rail foot, where the angled piece of the clamp positively engages the rail foot. It is then secured in this position by means of a knurled screw with a lock nut.

[0005] US 10,472,774 B2 discloses a rail bracket comprising a flat strip with an angled end piece and a clamping plate mechanism, slidably mounted on the strip and operable without tools, with a clamping plate having a slotted hole and an edge for aligning with a rail. The clamping plate can be fixed to the strip by inserting a threaded rod into the slotted hole and screwing a knob onto the threaded rod.

[0006] From DE 94 16 670 U1, a quick-release fastener for attaching a post of a track safety fence to a rail is known. The quick-release fastener comprises a slider that is slidably arranged on a mounting leg, which has a stop at one end for positioning a rail. The slider has a stop and a clamping screw by which the slider can be locked onto the mounting leg after the stop has been slid onto the rail.

[0007] Further rail foot brackets are known from DE 20 2011 052 057 U1 and DE 94 08 101 U1.

[0008] Common rail foot brackets are often only suitable for specific rail designs. Furthermore, they often suffer from insufficient clamping of the rail foot and therefore inadequate fixation of the rail foot bracket to the rail.

[0009] The task is therefore to provide a rail foot bracket for attaching track accessories to a rail, which enables safe and quick attachment to a rail of a track in use, preferably independent of the exact design of the rail foot.

[0010] This problem is solved with a rail foot bracket according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and expedient further developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

[0011] The rail foot support according to the invention for attaching a track accessory, in particular a track safety fence or a holding device for it, to a rail, comprises a support structure with an angled piece or a clamping claw for gripping a first side of a rail foot, and a clamping unit that can be arranged at various positions on the support structure, and in particular that can be fixed at various positions along a longitudinal axis of the support structure, for clamping a second side of the rail foot. The support structure is preferably elongated or extending along a longitudinal axis. For fixing the rail foot, the clamping unit can be continuously arranged and fixed at the position on the support structure provided for clamping the rail foot.Preferably, the clamping unit is guided slidably on the support structure in a released state in which the clamping unit is not fixed to the support structure.

[0012] To fix the rail foot bracket to the rail, the bracket is first pushed under the rail foot in the ballast bed, and the angle bracket is brought into engagement with the first side of the rail foot. The clamping unit is then guided along the support structure to the second side of the rail foot, or positioned on or near the second side. The underside of the rail foot preferably rests on the support structure, specifically on the section between the angle bracket and the clamping unit.

[0013] According to the invention, the clamping unit comprises a base body guided on the support structure, a clamping strip arranged on the base body with two projections on opposite sides of the base body, and a clamping screw. A projection is understood to be, in particular, a section projecting laterally from or extending beyond the base body. The first projection has a clamping screw receptacle, in particular a clamping screw receptacle provided with an (internal) thread. When screwed into the clamping screw receptacle, the clamping screw can be locked against the support structure or presses against it. This secures the clamping unit to the support structure. Furthermore, the base body guided on the support structure is tilted or inclined, at least to a small extent, towards the rail foot, so that the rail foot is clamped by the second projection.Specifically, screwing in the clamping screw causes the first projection to move away from the support structure or upwards, while the second projection, due to the tilting of the base body, is pressed downwards towards the rail foot. The inventive design of the rail foot holder allows for the clamping of all common types of rail feet, regardless of their specific design. The clamping strip, preferably in the form of a flat bar, transmits force between the clamping screw and the second projection. The leverage created by the clamping strip and the projections ensures a secure clamping of the rail foot, particularly with a high clamping force.Furthermore, with appropriate design of the clamping strip featuring the protrusions, it is possible to incorporate a certain spring effect, which dampens vibrations caused, for example, by passing trains and transmits them from the second protrusion to the clamping screw. This transmission of vibrations to the clamping screw also effectively prevents the rail foot clamp from loosening.

[0014] The base body of the clamping unit is at least slightly tiltable or pivotable, preferably about a tilting axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support structure, and is arranged on the support structure. Preferably, the base body is guided on the support structure via this tilting axis. In a special embodiment, the clamping unit can also be fixed in position on the support structure by the tilting axis. The tilting axis can, for example, be formed by screws or pins arranged on the base body, which are guided close to the support structure or, if necessary, bear against the support structure.By screwing the clamping screw into the clamping screw receptacle and thereby moving the first projection upwards, the base body is rotated slightly around the tilting axis. This causes the second projection to be pressed downwards against the rail foot as the base body tilts towards the rail foot. Alternatively, instead of the arrangement of the base body on the support structure via a tilting axis as described above, the base body can also be guided on the support structure with a certain amount of play that allows at least a slight tilting of the base body towards the rail foot. This can be achieved, for example, by using a sleeve-shaped base body guided on the support structure, the inner diameter of which is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the support structure.

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment, the clamping unit comprises two retaining screws for mounting and guiding the clamping unit on the support structure. Preferably, the retaining screws are guided through lateral openings on opposite side walls of the base body and can be positioned (close to) the support structure. Preferably, the retaining screws or the receiving openings are arranged symmetrically on the base body with respect to the support structure. The retaining screws preferably form a tilting axis of the base body perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the support structure, about which the base body is rotated towards the rail foot when the clamping screw is screwed into the clamping screw receptacle, so that the rail foot is clamped by the second projection. The retaining screws ensure secure guidance of the clamping unit on the support structure.Furthermore, the aforementioned design allows for simple and quick positioning of the clamping unit. Preferably, the retaining screws inserted into the receiving openings of the base body are arranged relative to the support structure in such a way that the clamping unit can be moved along the support structure. However, a design is also conceivable in which the retaining screws are positioned to rest against the support structure, thus securing the clamping unit to the support structure in a position desired for clamping the rail foot and preventing it from shifting. For example, it is conceivable that the receiving openings have threads into which the retaining screws can be screwed until they rest against the support structure. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the receiving openings are arranged off-center, particularly in the direction of the second projection, on the side walls of the base body.This allows for an advantageous tilting of the base body towards the rail foot, especially when the base body is close to the rail, as well as a clamping of the rail foot by the second projection of the clamping strip with high clamping force.

[0016] In an advantageous embodiment, the angled piece is arranged at an end face of the support structure. Preferably, the angled piece is rigidly connected to the support structure. Particularly preferably, the angled piece is welded to the support structure or formed integrally with it. The support structure and the angled piece can be made of iron. This embodiment ensures a stable and robust arrangement of the angled piece on the support structure.

[0017] The clamping strip is preferably formed in one piece and is particularly firmly connected to the base body, preferably welded. Furthermore, the second projection can preferably have a contact section or projection bent downwards towards the rail foot, in particular a hook-shaped contact section. The aforementioned design results in a simple and robust clamping unit that enables secure clamping of the rail foot, in particular clamping with high clamping force.

[0018] To allow for easy insertion of the rail foot support into the ballast bed under a rail, the support structure is preferably designed to be essentially T-shaped or in the form of a T-profile.

[0019] In a further advantageous embodiment, the base body arranged on the support structure has a substantially inverted U-shaped design. Specifically, the support structure is located between the two legs of the inverted U-shaped base body, and the clamping strip is located at the upper, closed end of the inverted U-shaped base body. Particularly preferably, the base body is guided and / or secured to the support structure by means of two retaining screws that are inserted into lateral receiving openings on the opposite legs of the inverted U-shaped base body. This design of the base body allows for particularly simple attachment and removal of the clamping unit from the support structure, specifically by inserting the retaining screws into the receiving openings of the base body, which is mounted on the support structure, or by correspondingly removing the retaining screws from the receiving openings.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the rail foot bracket has a connecting device for linking it to a track accessory or a holding device for such accessory. The connecting device is arranged at the end of the support structure furthest from the angle bracket. Preferably, the connecting device comprises an insulating element, in particular a plate-shaped insulating element attachable to a connecting plate of the support structure, and a coupling element attachable to the insulating element for linking it to a track accessory or a holding device for such accessory. The force-locking connection between the support structure and the coupling element via the insulating element arranged between them is preferably achieved by means of one or more screw connections.For electrical insulation of the support structure and the coupling element, the connecting device can include further electrically insulating components, such as (plastic) bushings and (plastic) washers. In particular, the connecting device can include one or more electrically insulating bearing bushings, which are arranged in corresponding through-openings of the insulating element and, if applicable, the support structure and the coupling structure, and serve to guide the screws of the bolted connection. Furthermore, the connecting device can have electrically insulating bearing washers arranged or arrangable on the support structure, especially the connecting plate, and / or the coupling element, against which the screws or nuts of the bolted connection bear when tightened.The insulating element and the other electrically insulating components prevent the transmission of any electrical voltage that may occur between the rail and the track accessory.

[0021] These and other features, as well as advantages and effects of the rail foot bracket according to the invention, will become apparent from the following embodiment described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a view of a track accessory device attached to a rail via a rail foot bracket; Fig. 2 a detailed view of the rail foot bracket attached to the rail Fig. 1 ; Figs. 3 to 7 different views of the rail foot bracket Fig. 1 .

[0022] Fig. 1Figure 1 shows a track accessory 3 attached to a rail 2 via a rail foot bracket 1 in a side view. The track accessory 3 shown as an example comprises a horizontal strut arrangement 4 attached to the rail foot bracket 1 and a vertical strut arrangement 5 connected to the horizontal strut arrangement 4, with several suspensions 6 in which barrier arms 7 of a track safety fence running parallel to the rail 2 can be inserted and fixed.

[0023] The attachment of the rail foot bracket 1 to the rail 2 is in Fig. 2 shown. The rail 2 has a rail head 8 which is connected to a rail foot 10 via a rail web 9.

[0024] The also in Figs. 3 to 7The rail foot bracket 1, shown in various views, comprises an elongated support structure 11, which is essentially T-shaped in cross-section, with an angled piece 12 attached to its end face. As shown in Fig. 2 The rail foot holder 1 is shown for receiving a first side of the rail foot 10, usually the inner side of the rail foot 10 facing towards a second rail 2. The rail foot holder 1 further comprises a clamping unit 13, which can be fixed to the support structure 11 at the desired position, for clamping the second side of the rail foot 10.

[0025] The clamping unit 13 has a base body 14 guided on the support structure 11 and a clamping strip 15 arranged on the base body 14, in particular welded to the base body 14. As can be seen in particular in the front view from Fig. 7As can be seen, the base body 14 has a substantially inverted U-shaped configuration. The clamping unit 13 is guided on the support structure 11 by means of two retaining screws 20, which are inserted into two receiving openings on the opposite legs of the inverted U-shaped base body 14. The retaining screws 20, which, as described below, form a tilting axis K about which the base body 14 can tilt or rotate as a result of screwing the clamping screw 18 into the clamping screw receptacle, are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane running vertically through the longitudinal axis of the support structure 11. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the retaining screws 20 are inserted into the receiving openings 20 from the inside and screwed in place on the outside with a nut. The screw head, which is round in this case, is located close to the web-shaped lower section of the T-shaped support structure 11.This allows the clamping unit 13 to be easily moved along the support structure 11, for example to (re)position the clamping unit 13. The retaining screws 20, specifically the screw heads of the retaining screws 20, engage behind the head part of the T-shaped support structure 11. This prevents the clamping unit 13 from lifting upwards.

[0026] The clamping strip 15 arranged above the base body 14 projects along the support structure 11 on both sides of the base body 14, with a first projection 16 having a threaded clamping screw opening for a clamping screw 18 and a second projection 17 having a hook-shaped downward-curved contact section 19, which serves to contact the rail foot 10.

[0027] At the end furthest from the angled piece 12, the support structure 11 has a connecting device 21 for connection with the in Fig. 1The track accessory device 3 shown. In particular, the connecting device 21 comprises, as shown especially in Fig. 5 As shown, a connecting plate 22 is firmly connected, in particular welded, to the support structure 11, a plate-shaped insulating element 23 is attached to the connecting plate 22, and a coupling element 24 is attached to the insulating element 23, which is used for connection with the horizontal strut arrangement 4 of the track accessory device 3. Fig. 1The coupling element 24 shown in the present embodiment specifically comprises two parallel coupling webs, which can be placed, for example, against the outside of a horizontal strut arrangement 4 designed as a square tube and screwed to it. However, other configurations of the coupling element 24 for connection to the horizontal strut arrangement 4 are also possible. In the present embodiment, the connecting plate 22, the insulating element 23, and the coupling element 24 are connected to one another by two screw connections 25 inserted into corresponding through-openings in the connecting plate 22, the insulating element 23, and the coupling element 24. For electrical insulation, the screw connections 25 are preferably guided in (plastic) bearing bushings (not shown) inserted into the through-openings.Furthermore, electrically insulating bearing washers 26 are provided on the outside of the connecting plate 22 and the coupling element 24, against which the screw or the screw nut of the screw connection 25 rests in a pre-tensioned state.

[0028] To attach the track accessory 3 to the rail 2, the rail foot bracket 1 is first attached to the rail 2. For this purpose, the rail foot bracket 1 is pushed into the ballast bed under the rail foot 10 of the rail 2. The angle bracket 12 is then brought into engagement with the inside of the rail foot 10. The clamping unit 13, which is arranged on the support structure 11 via the retaining screws 20, is initially shifted far enough towards the connecting device 21 so that the rail foot 10 can be received by the angle bracket 12. To clamp the rail foot 10, the clamping unit 13 is then moved along the support structure 11 until it reaches the rail foot 10, so that the base body 14 of the clamping unit 13 rests against the rail foot 10 or is at least positioned very close to it.To clamp the rail foot 10, specifically its upper surface, using the clamping strip 15, the clamping screw 18 is screwed into the clamping screw receptacle of the first projection 16. Applying the clamping screw 18 against the support structure 11 pushes the first projection 16 upwards, causing the base body 14 to tilt forwards about the tilting axis K defined by the retaining screws 20. This tilting action presses the second projection 17, specifically the contact surface 19, downwards against the rail foot 10 of the rail 2. The rail foot bracket 1 is thus securely attached to the rail 2. Finally, the track accessory 3 can be connected to the rail foot bracket 1 via the connecting device 21. Fig. 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the arrangement and fixing of the horizontal strut arrangement 4 to the coupling element 24 is carried out in particular.

[0029] Releasing the rail foot bracket 1 from the rail 2 is carried out in reverse, in particular by unscrewing the clamping screw 18 to such an extent that it is possible to move the clamping unit 13 along the support structure 11 away from the rail foot 10.

[0030] The clamping unit 13 can usually remain in its position on the support structure 11, guided by the retaining screws 20, for the next use. However, the clamping unit 13 can also be removed from the support structure 11. This is particularly useful when the clamping unit 13 needs to be replaced, for example, due to a defective clamping unit 13. To detach the clamping unit 13 from the support structure 11, the clamping screw 18 is unscrewed completely or at least sufficiently so that the base body 14 can be moved downwards towards the support structure 11, allowing the retaining screws 20 to be removed from the receiving openings of the base body 14 by loosening the nuts on the screws.The new clamping unit 13 can then be attached to the support structure 11 by inserting the retaining screws 20 into the receiving openings and screwing the retaining screws 20 to the support structure 11 with screw nuts arranged on the outside of the base body 14.

[0031] It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown here. For example, an embodiment is also conceivable in which the retaining screws 20 can be brought into contact with the support structure 11 in such a way that the clamping unit 13 is fixed by them in the position brought towards the rail foot 10, but tilting of the base body 14 about the tilting axis K formed by the retaining screws 20 is still possible. For example, an embodiment is conceivable in which the receiving openings of the base body 14 are provided with threads into which the retaining screws 20 can be screwed from the outside until they contact the support structure 11. To reposition such a clamping unit 13, the retaining screws 20 are then only loosened from the support structure 11 to the extent that the clamping unit 13 can be moved along the support structure 11.(Almost) completely unscrewing one or both retaining screws 20 would only be necessary if the clamping unit 13 is to be removed from the support structure 11. Reference sign

[0032] 1 Rail foot bracket 2 Rail 3 Track accessory device 4 Horizontal strut arrangement 5 Vertical strut arrangement 6 Suspension 7 Locking bar 8 Rail head 9 Rail web 10 Rail foot 11 Support structure 12 Angle piece 13 Clamping unit 14 Base body 15 Clamping strip 16 First projection 17 Second projection 18 Clamping screw 19 Installation section 20 Retaining screw 21 Connecting device 22 Connecting plate 23 Insulating element 24 Coupling element 25 Screw connection 26 Bearing washer K Tilting axle

Claims

1. Rail foot bracket (1) for attaching a railtrack supplementary device (3) to a rail (2), comprising a support structure (11) with an angle piece (12) for gripping a first side of a rail foot (10) of the rail (2) and a clamping unit (13) which can be arranged at different positions on the support structure (11) for clamping a second side of the rail foot (10), the clamping unit (13) comprising a base body (14) which is guided on the support structure (11), a clamping bar (15) arranged on the base body (14) and a clamping screw (18), characterized in that the clamping bar (15) has two projections (16, 17) on opposite sides of the base body (14), the first projection (16) having a clamping screw receptacle and the clamping screw (18) can be fixed against the support structure (11) when screwed into the clamping screw receptacle in order to effect clamping of the rail foot (10) by the second projection (17).

2. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base body (14) is tiltably guided and / or fixable on the support structure (11).

3. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping unit (13) comprises two fixing screws (20) for arranging the clamping unit (13) on the support structure (11), which can be arranged through lateral receiving openings on opposite side walls of the base body (14) close to and / or directly on the support structure (11).

4. Rail foot bracket (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the receiving openings are arranged eccentrically on the side walls of the base body (14).

5. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the angle piece (12) is arranged at an end face end of the support structure (11).

6. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the clamping bar (15) is formed in one piece.

7. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second projection (17) has an abutment section (19) which is bent downwards in the direction of the rail foot (10).

8. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a substantially T-shaped support structure (11).

9. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base body (14) has a substantially inverted U-shaped configuration.

10. Rail foot bracket (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a connecting device (21) arranged at the end of the support structure (11) away from the angle piece (12) for connection to a railtrack supplementary device (3) or a holding device for the latter.

11. Rail foot bracket (1) according to claim 10, characterized in that the connecting device (21) comprises an insulating element (23) and a coupling element (24) which can be attached to the insulating element (23) for connection to a railtrack supplementary device (3) or a holding device for the latter.

12. Rail foot bracket (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the connecting device (21) comprises at least one screw connection (25) for connecting the support structure (11) to the coupling element (24).

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