A rail pad is inserted in between the rail and baseplate or sleeper. Rail pad is introduced to the railway fastening system because of its resilience or viscoelasticity which can be implemented in the intervention of fatigue cracking of sleepers. The dynamic stress from the wheel or rail impact from both regular and irregular movements is attenuated. There is the added advantage of reducing track maintenance and associated costs.
How to choose the right railway pad type?
Choosing the right railway pad involves matching the pad's stiffness, material, and thickness to specific needs like heavy loads, high speeds, or noise reduction, balancing factors like train weight, speed, environment (temp/moisture), track type (ballasted/ballastless), and desired vibration dampening (e.g., HDPE for heavy loads, rubber for comfort, EVA for mixed use). Always consult the fastening system's specs and consider specialized materials for extreme cold, heat, or tunnels for optimal performance and safety.
Selection Process
- Check Specs: Always start with the fastening system manufacturer's guidelines for compatibility.
- Assess Needs: Define load, speed, noise goals, and environmental factors.
- Match Material: Choose material (HDPE, Rubber, EVA, etc.) for load/speed/comfort.
- Determine Thickness: Thicker for more damping/settlement, thinner for high stiffness; consider needs for temperature swings.
What types of rail pads are available?
Rail pads come in various types based on material (rubber, EVA, HDPE, composite, polyurethane) and design (grooved, continuous, individual), primarily to protect sleepers, absorb shock, and reduce vibration, with customization available for specific track systems like E-type, SKL, or crane rails. Key types include grooved rubber pads, offering specific load-deflection for concrete sleepers, and HDPE/EVA pads, providing high elasticity for general use, alongside specialized composite pads for high performance.
| 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. |
Rail pads Functions
Rail pads plays 2 main parts in railway system. It can diminish shock and impact on steel rail, as well as reduce resonant vibration aroused from the concrete sleepers (lowest resonant frequency about 200Hz), and absorb the vibration deviation (about 0.12mm amplitude, 1000Hz) of the track part between sleepers. What's more, rail pads can prevent abrasion and crushing of the sleeper under the foot of the track.
The rubber rail pads are usually designed to have a specific load-deflection characteristic. The initial stiffness of the pads is designed to be very low, making their deformation under the spring toe load quite large. This ensures that despite any vertical movement of the rail, the pad is still in close contact with it. When the wheel is above the pad, the stiffness of the track must be high to prevent large movement, resulting in loose metal spring washers. This load deflection characteristic can be obtained by introducing grooves in the rubber pad.
GNEE RAIL equips 130sets machines' rail pad production line, for processing, injection, refining rubber, sulfuration , moulding and inspection etc. We have our own rail pad development engineers, designing, producing and inspecting, our annual production capacity reaching up to 2000, 000 pieces. What's more, rail pads for high-peed rail are our featured products, including both the elastic rubber plates and height adjustment pads.