The rail pad, or called rail elastic pad, refers to a pad made of rubber or plastic, which is installed between the rail and the concrete under-rail component. The main function of rail elastic pad is to buffer the high-speed shock and vibration generated when the vehicle passes the rail, protect the roadbed and sleepers, and electrically insulate the railway signal system.
How to test the quality of rail pads?
Testing rail pad quality involves a mix of lab and field tests, focusing on material properties (hardness, elasticity, aging) and dynamic performance (vibration/noise damping, impact resistance) using methods like Shore hardness tests, compression sets, dynamic load testing, and vibration/noise measurement under simulated or real train loads, ensuring they meet standards for specific applications (urban, high-speed, heavy-haul).
Laboratory Tests (Material & Static)
- Hardness: Shore A hardness test measures stiffness, often after extreme cold (-40°C) to check low-temp performance, ensuring it doesn't get brittle.
- Compression Set: Checks how well the pad springs back after prolonged load, vital for maintaining elasticity.
- Material Composition: Verifies use of quality rubber/elastomers, not recycled materials, with tests for specific gravity, ash content, etc..
- Environmental Resistance: Tests for UV, ozone, water absorption, and resistance to salts/chemicals.
- Load-Deflection: Quasi-static tests (e.g., to 250kN) check load-bearing capacity and stiffness.
What are rail pads made of?
GNEE RAIL have developed a range of high-performance elastic rail pads for stiffness requirements and various application areas-from trams through standard gauge railways to heavy haul lines, especially those for E-type rail fastening systems and SKL type rail fastening systems with material of HDPE/EVA/Rubber, with following properties respectively.
| 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. |
Features of Rubber Rail Pads
- Good resistance for vibration and aging, abrasion performance, stability, high and low temperature resistance. The rubber rail pads are mainly composed of natural rubber, styrene, chloroprene and high-density polyethylene, and the rubber rail pad has high elasticity and is not easy to deform or break in a large range of temperatures.
- Rubber rail pad has long service life, low maintenance and replacement cost.
- With strong force, good anti-shock performance, good insulation performance, wear-resisting, frequent shrinkage and deformation, high strength, aging resistance, no mud turnover, long service life and convenient installation. The reasonable use of the rubber rail pads can greatly improve the transportation capacity of motor vehicles, reduce the number of highway maintenance, and avoid accidents caused by motor vehicle flameout.
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.