The conventional horseshoe nail is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings and consists of a head 10 and a shank 12 terminating in a point 13. Since the head 10 is always within the recess of the horseshoe, itself, its configuration does not play a part in this invention and may, for example, be of the "city" type as illustrated, or may be of the European (E) type, as are conventional and well known to farriers. In the conventional nail, the shank 12 is rectangular or substantially rectangular throughout its length. This shank 12 terminates in tapered point 13a, which is tapered at the sides, and ending in a tip 13b which is tapered also on the face side. The back is conventionally flat. The sectional view Fig. 2, which is taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrates a cross-section of the shank where the point 13 joins the shank 12. It will be seen that four discrete corners are formed at 14, 15, 16 and 17. The pressure on the hoof is inherently concentrated at these corners, and since the shank forms a correspondingly shaped recess in the hoof, the stress in the hoof is similarly concentrated at the location of the recess corresponding to these corners.

These stress concentration points or regions often cause unwanting and damaging splitting in the hoof material. This is a particularly troublesome problem in the shodding of racing horses which require frequent reshodding.

The stress concentrations caused by the conventional nails are substantially reduced or eliminated by the improved nail of this invention in which two of the sharp corners are alleviated or eliminated and the inside or face surface of the nail is smoothly radiused throughout the length of the shank, including the point. The sides of the shank, in the region between the point and the head, are also slightly tapered and, throughout the shank, formed with a narrow flat region which has a height less than the total height as measured above the flat back surface of the shank.

The combination of a radiused shank face blending into a small section of flat side throughout the length of the shank provides for a wide distribution of the wedging and splitting forces as the nail enters the hoof and, thereafter, in use. The result is reduced injuries due to hoof splitting and fractures.

The improved horseshoe nail according to this invention has the further advantage that it can be driven with less friction than the conventional nail, and when the improved horseshoe nail of this invention is removed, the opening which is formed is one which can close up more completely, thereby protecting the hoof from injury or infection due to dirt being driven into the old nail opening.

The invention may be characterised as an improved horseshoe nail which drives easier and causes minimum displacement of the hoof material and minimum damage to the hoof wall. The front or radially inner wall of the nail is radiused throughout the length of the shank and joins to the flat back wall along a narrow side wall portion. The shank side walls are uniformly slightly tapered along their length, between the head and the point. The radius of the front wall decreases at a uniform rate from a maximum at the head to a minimum at the point transition region.

The result is that the apex or the point of maximum thickness enscribed by the radius wall, at any station or position along the length of the nail shank, forms a straight line, and this straight line converges toward a line formed by the back wall. In this specification, the front wall of the nail is defined as the wall which is located closest to the center axis of the hoof, and therefore the back wall is defined as the wall closest to the hoof perimeter.

The invention may be further characterised by a horseshoe nail having a radiused shank surface presented toward the center of the hoof, when properly inserted, in which the radiused surface has a changing radii beginning with the largest radius at location adjacent the head of the nail and the smallest radius adjacent the point, and changing uniformly along the length of the nail shank progressing from the head to the point, so that the apices of the radiused surface, at any transverse section all lie in a straight line, which line converges toward a straight line formed along the opposite flat surface of the nail.

Further, each of the side walls of the shank are formed with a relatively flat transition area joining the radius front side with the flat back, and beyond a short region at the head, this transition area remains relatively constant in height throughout the length of the shank. The flat transition area defines the side walls of the shank and these side walls are not truly parallel but are slightly wider or further spaced apart at the head than at the junction of the shank with the point. The radiused front surface continues along the major length of the point to the bevelled tip.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 represents a top or plan view of a conventional nail, Fig. 2 represents a transverse sectional view of the conventional nail shank at the transition region between the shank and the point.

Fig. 3 is a enlarged side view of the improved horseshoe nail according to this invention, Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the nail of Fig. 3, and Figs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are respectively transverse sections through the nail taken generally along the lines 5- -5, 6--6, 7--7, 8--8, 9--9 and 10--10 of Fig. 4.

With reference to Figs. 3 through 10, the improved horseshoe nail 20 of this invention is shown as having a conventional city head 21. Alternatively, the head 21 may be conventionally formed as an E (European) head within the scope of this invention, or any variation thereof.

For the purpose of this invention, the nail shank 22 is defined as that portion of the nail extending between the head 21 and the point 23. The shank 22 is formed with a front wall 25 of convex arcuate section and, in this embodiment, it is radiused and of part circular section.

Narrow flat side walls 26 join or transition the radiused front wall 25 with the flat back wall 28. The point 23 provides a tapered extension of the shank 22 and, itself, is terminated at a bevelled tip 29.

From the plan view of Fig. 3, it can be seen that the side walls 26 defining the side edges of the shank 22 are not truly parallel but taper slightly inwardly toward each other, being wider at the head 21 than at the junction with the point 23. The radiused front wall 25, at the apex of the radiused wall, also forms a straight line 30 (Fig. 3) which tapers toward the back wall 28, having the greatest thickness at the junction with the head and being somewhat thinner at the junction with the point 23, as seen

respectively in the sectional view Figs. 6 and 9. The radiused curvature, at each of the sectional views, is preferably semi-cylindrical about a center point in common with the plane of the back wall 28, and the radii at each point or station along the length of the shank decreases uniformly from a maximum at the head 21, as seen in Fig. 4, to a minimum as seen in Fig. 9, with the radiused surface continuing substantially along the length of the point 23 to the bevelled tip 29.

The resulting improved horseshoe nail distributes the stress caused by the sharp pressure points of a conventional nail, substantially over a radiused or curved surface. The opening formed in the hoof material is not rectangular, but is substantially semi-circular, as represented by the cross- sectional views Figs. 6-9, and it is believed that this opening will close more readily and more completely than the rectangular opening formed by the conventional nail.

Further, the gently sloping tapered side walls 26 combined with the gently sloping taper formed by the radiused wall 25 provides a nail which is easier to drive and causes a minimum of likelihood of splitting and breakage, while maintaining the shear strength of the conventional nail defined by the junction of the head 21 with the shank 20.