Rail pads are elastic polyurethane mats which are interposed between steel rails and railway sleepers to protect the sleeper top from wearing and impacting.
The starting stiffness of a rail pad is designed to not be high so that their relative deformation under the spring clip toe loads is greatly substantial. In this way, it can guarantees the rail pad maintaining in close contact with the rail despite of any vertical movements of the latter. In addition, the reason why rail pads made up of rubber or plastic is to dampen the shocks of vibration of a passing train.
What are the special characteristics of railroad pads used for tramways?
Tramway rail pads are special for their high elasticity, excellent vibration/noise damping (crucial in urban settings), durability against weather/wear, electrical insulation, and tailored designs (e.g., rubber boots in embedded systems) to reduce impact, protect infrastructure, and improve passenger comfort, using materials like natural/synthetic rubber and composites for longevity and lower costs.
Key Characteristics for Tramways:
- Superior Vibration & Noise Damping: Essential for city environments, these pads significantly reduce impact and noise from lighter, more frequent tram movements, protecting structures and residents.
- High Elasticity & Durability: Made from resilient materials (rubber, polyurethane, composites), they absorb shock without deforming, resisting aging, heat, cold, and abrasion for long life.
- Customization: Pads are tailored in thickness, hardness, and shape to match specific tram types (lighter loads, different wheel profiles), trackbeds, and local conditions.
- Reduced Maintenance: Durable materials and design lead to fewer replacements and disruptions, lowering lifecycle costs for operators.
How to choose the right specifications for a railroad pad?
Choosing the right railroad pad involves matching the rail profile, selecting material for environmental/load needs (thickness, hardness, resistance), and ensuring compatibility with your fastening system, all to control vibration, reduce wear, and maintain stability, balancing thicker pads for cushioning with potential clearance issues.
GNEE RAIL provides exceptional elastic rail pads of various types for high-speed railways, normal-speed railways, and cranes. Especially the rail pads made of rubber, EVA, TPEE, and HDPE are very popular with customers. Our railway rubber pads fit the rails such as UIC54, UIC60, BS80lbs, BS100lbs, etc. We have more than 130set of machines in our production lines which can reach an annual production capacity of up to 2000, 000 pieces of rail pads. We offer a wide range of rail pads and other track materials at competitive prices.