Rail pads are a critical component in the railway infrastructure that plays a vital role in ensuring the safe and efficient operation of trains. A rail pad is a resilient layer that sits between the rail and the tie, serving as a cushioning material that absorbs the dynamic forces generated by the trains. The primary function of rail pads is to reduce the impact and vibration caused by the passing trains, thereby preventing damage to the rail and the surrounding components.
How does temperature affect rail elastic pads?
Temperature significantly affects rail elastic pads, making them stiffer in the cold (increasing vibration/noise) and softer in the heat (reducing stiffness), impacting vibration damping, noise, and overall track performance, with cork-rubber composites offering more stable performance than standard rubber, which hardens drastically at low temps and softens at high temps.
Effects of Temperature
Stiffness Changes:
Cold: Rubber pads become much stiffer, increasing the track's natural frequency and reducing vibration damping, leading to more noise.
Heat: Rubber pads soften, decreasing stiffness and changing dynamic behavior, though the low-temperature hardening is often more severe.
Damping & Noise:
Increased stiffness in the cold reduces the pad's damping capacity (loss factor), while higher heat can also alter damping.
These changes cause significant variations in radiated rolling noise, potentially by several decibels.
Material Behavior:
Conventional rubber shows large modulus changes (e.g., a factor of 6 increase in stiffness from 40°C to -20°C).
Cork-rubber composites are superior, providing more consistent stiffness and damping across wide temperature ranges, reducing noise and maintaining comfort.
Performance & Maintenance:
Extreme temperature swings can push pad performance outside specified limits, affecting long-term reliability.
Different materials like EPDM, TPE, or EVA show varied responses, but all are affected, requiring careful selection for different climates.
| Raw Material | Rubber, EVA, TPEE, HDPE |
| Standard | UIC, AREMA, TB/T2626-95 |
| Application | 43kg/m, 50kg/m, 60kg/m, 75kg/m,115RE, UIC54, UIC60, S49 |
| Model number | 43-7-7, 43-10-7, 50-7-9, 50-10-9, 60-10-17, 60-12-17 |
| Operating temperature | -50~70 degrees |
| Certificate | MSDS, ROHS, REACH |
| Notes | They should be stored in a clean, ventilated place. Don't be in direct sunlight, and keep away from the heat source and chemical reagent. Don't touch the oil, organic solvent, and other chemicals. Banned exposure. |
How to choose the right rail elastic pad?
Choosing the right rail elastic pad involves matching its properties to your track's needs, focusing on thickness (thicker for heavy loads/high speed, thinner for low profile), material (natural rubber, SBR, EVA for durability/cushioning), and performance (high damping, strength, environmental resistance) for concrete sleepers to reduce noise, vibration, and sleeper wear, ensuring it fits the rail profile and fastening system.
| Raw Material | Rubber, EVA, TPEE, HDPE |
| Standard | UIC, AREMA, TB/T2626-95 |
| Application | 43kg/m, 50kg/m, 60kg/m, 75kg/m,115RE, UIC54, UIC60, S49 |
| Model number | 43-7-7, 43-10-7, 50-7-9, 50-10-9, 60-10-17, 60-12-17 |
| Operating temperature | -50~70 degrees |
| Certificate | MSDS, ROHS, REACH |
| Notes | They should be stored in a clean, ventilated place. Don't be in direct sunlight, and keep away from the heat source and chemical reagent. Don't touch the oil, organic solvent, and other chemicals. Banned exposure. |
As a professional rail fastener manufacturer, GNEE RAIL can produce various types of rubber rail pads with different materials, such as natural rubber, EVA, HDPE and so on. In railway fastening system, rubber rail pads are often installed between the rail tracks and the concrete railway sleepers.