Rail boot

Abstract

A flexible rail boot designed to encase a rail. The rail boot includes antenna and a truss, allowing for the storage and release of energy, locking the rail boot in place under the head of the rail after installation. The flexible rail boot may include a corrugated inner surface along the bottom of the base of the rail, compressing and deflecting energy from a train as well as allowing for the passage of water and debris.

1 . A rail boot including an elastomeric material, wherein the rail boot comprises:
 at least two antennae, wherein the at least two antennae are flexible;   at least two trusses each with a first surface in face sharing contact with a rail;   a plurality of cells within the at least two trusses; and   a patterned inner base surface of the rail boot;   wherein a first truss is joined at a first end to a first antenna and at a second end to a base of the rail boot comprising the patterned inner base surface.   
     
     
         2 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric material of the rail boot varies in thickness. 
     
     
         3 . The rail boot of  claim 2 , wherein the thickness of the elastomeric material of the rail boot graduates from 1/10 to 5/16 of an inch. 
     
     
         4 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two antennae fit below a rail head of a rail. 
     
     
         5 . The rail boot of  claim 4 , wherein the at least two antennae are of a thickness to allow a flangeway filler to additionally fit below the rail head. 
     
     
         6 . The rail boot of  claim 4 , wherein the at least two antennae are in contact with a rail at a top fillet radius of the rail. 
     
     
         7 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein the outside of the truss curves away from the rail. 
     
     
         8 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein an outer surface of the truss is in contact with a support leg of a flangeway filler. 
     
     
         9 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric material of the rail boot is a thermoset elastomer. 
     
     
         10 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein the elastomeric material has a hardness of 20 to 90 Shore A. 
     
     
         11 . The rail boot of  claim 10 , wherein the elastomeric material has a hardness of 60 to 80 Shore A. 
     
     
         12 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of a corrugation of the corrugated inner surface of the base of the rail boot is rounded. 
     
     
         13 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein the rail boot is held in place against the rail by a release of potential energy. 
     
     
         14 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein the rail boot is thicker at an upper edge of a rail boot base than at a base edge of the rail boot. 
     
     
         15 . The rail boot of  claim 1 , wherein an installed rail boot has a clearance allowance at a bottom fillet radius. 
     
     
         16 . The rail boot of  claim 15 , wherein the clearance allowance between the rail boot and the bottom fillet radius is between 1/64 and ¼ of an inch. 
     
     
         17 . The rail boot of  claim 16 , wherein the clearance allowance between the rail boot and the bottom fillet radius is 21/256 of an inch. 
     
     
         18 . A rail boot for isolating a rail, the rail boot comprising an extruded thermoset or thermoplastic material, wherein the rail boot comprises:
 at least two antennae, wherein the at least two antennae are flexible;   at least two compressible trusses each of which have a first surface in face-sharing contact with a rail;   a plurality of cells within the trusses; and   an inner base surface of the rail boot in face-sharing contact with the rail;   wherein the outside edge of each compressible truss curves away from the rail.   
     
     
         19 . The rail boot of  claim 18 , wherein the rail boot comprises a plurality of co-extruded thermoset materials. 
     
     
         20 . The rail boot of  claim 18 , wherein the rail boot gradually increases in thickness from the antenna to the base.