A rail pad, also named rail rubber plate, is usually used between tie plates and sleepers or between rails and tie plate. The rail pad is made of elastic polyurethane mat and usually used on concrete sleepers. The rail pad can protect the concrete sleeper from abrasion and impaction, and it can also decrease the vibration from the passing train. It is believed that rail pad functions in two ways: diminish shock and distribute load. The thickness of our rail pads ranges from 5mm to 25mm,but usually the height should not to be so high in case the movement relative to the rails.
Is it mandatory to use rail pads on railways?
Yes, rail pads are generally considered essential and mandatory for modern railway systems, especially with concrete sleepers, to reduce vibration, noise, protect tracks from wear, and ensure signaling integrity, although specific application (e.g., ballastless vs. ballasted) dictates exact type, but they are a critical component for safety, performance, and longevity.
Key Functions of Rail Pads:
- Vibration & Noise Dampening: They absorb shock and dampen vibrations, reducing noise pollution and protecting surrounding structures.
- Infrastructure Protection: They prevent direct metal-on-concrete contact, distributing loads, reducing wear, cracking, and spalling of sleepers and rails.
- Signal Integrity: They provide electrical insulation, crucial for signaling systems.
- Load Distribution: They spread the immense weight and dynamic forces from trains over a wider sleeper surface.
- Improved Ride Quality: By smoothing the track, they contribute to a more stable and comfortable ride.
Rail pad materials
We 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. |
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.
Rail Pads production process
- Rubber compound preparation
- Mixed by an internal mixer or a two-roll mill. In terms of the internal mixer, the raw materials are processed by single or double stage, during which the masterbatch prepared ahead of time is finalized by adding curing agents to the twin roll mill.
- Shaping and curing
- Compression or Injection molding
- End products trimming
- Ready for use
Our EVA/HDPE/rubber rail pads are with high elasticity, applying to types for rails such as rail UIC54, UIC60, BS80lbs,BS100lbs, and sizes as ordered. The pads can be customized with or without grooves, in various possible designs, depending on customers' requirements.