How do Rail Pads protect railway sleepers?
Rail pads protect railway sleepers by providing a protective barrier that absorbs shock, distributes load, and prevents direct contact between the steel rail and the sleeper. They cushion the impact from passing trains, which prevents sleeper cracks and wear, and reduces vibration and noise. This protection extends the life of the entire track infrastructure.
How rail pads protect sleepers
- Shock and vibration absorption: Rail pads, made of materials like rubber or plastic, absorb the shock and vibration from passing trains, reducing the stress on the sleepers.
- Load distribution: They distribute the immense pressure from the train's weight over a larger surface area of the sleeper, eliminating concentrated stress points that can cause fatigue and cracking.
- Abrasion prevention: The pads act as a friction buffer, preventing the steel rail from scraping directly against the sleeper. This protects both the rail and the sleeper surface from wear and tear.
- Compensating for unevenness: They can absorb small irregularities and uneven contact surfaces between the rail and the sleeper, ensuring a more stable and even connection.
- Noise reduction: By dampening vibrations, rail pads also help to reduce the noise produced by trains.
Railway pads function
- Railway pads utilize their elasticity feature to absorb the impact of a passing train, reducing the strict implications of rail tracks and railway sleepers caused by the passing trains.
- What's more, the railway pads can help to disperse the load caused by trains' height and impetus, reducing stress concentration, and avoiding the rails and sleepers' premature wear and damage, thereby reducing their maintenance and replacement times, prolonging the rails and sleepers service life, and cost savings along the way.
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
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. 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.
