A rail pad, also called rail rubber plate, is designed between the rail tie plate and foot of the rail, made by an elastic polyurethane mat, which is interposed between steel rails and tie sleepers to protect the sleeper top from wearing and impacting. Its defined stiffness is used to increase the elasticity of the superstructure of the ballast and reduce shock and vibration in the rail system.
What should be considered when selecting railway pads?
When selecting railway pads, consider train load & speed, harsh environmental factors (temp, moisture, chemicals), required vibration/noise reduction, the track type (ballasted/ballastless, sleeper material), and material properties like stiffness, durability, and compatibility with other fasteners, ensuring the pad protects sleepers and maintains track geometry. Key factors include material (rubber, PU), thickness, and performance under stress to ensure safety and longevity.
Key Selection Process
- Assess Needs: Define load, speed, noise, and environmental demands.
- Match Material: Select rubber, PU, or other elastomers based on conditions.
- Determine Thickness: Balance stiffness and vibration damping, considering track type.
- Verify Compatibility: Ensure integration with other components.
- Test: Check performance against standards for your specific application.
Different materials of railroad pad
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. |
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 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.