Pier Patents (Class 238/119)
  • Patent number: 4494694
    Abstract: A support system for a railroad track is described specifically adapted for the improvement of railroad subgrade performance. A plurality of vertically disposed piles are positioned below the ties and the rails of the track so that loads imposed on the cross ties will be distributed into the subgrade by the piles. The piles are preferably comprised of cementitious material. Each of the piles is comprised of a cylindrical stem portion having a funnel-shaped head portion at the upper end thereof. In one form of the invention, the cross ties rest upon the upper end of the head portion of the piles. In another form of the invention, a ballast material is positioned between the cross ties and the upper ends of the piles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1982
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1985
    Assignee: Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.
    Inventors: John M. Pitt, Richard L. Handy, Robert O. Lamb