Is the use of rail clips mandatory in railways?
Yes, rail clips are mandatory in railway systems because they are essential for securing the rails to the sleepers and maintaining track stability. Without these clips, rails could move, causing severe safety risks like derailment. They perform critical functions like preventing lateral and longitudinal movement, maintaining the correct gauge, distributing load, and reducing vibrations and noise.
Functions of rail clips
- Secure the rails: Clips hold the steel rails firmly in place on the sleepers (or ties).
- Maintain gauge: They ensure the distance between the two rails (the gauge) stays within the required tolerance, which is critical for safe train passage.
- Prevent movement: They stop the rails from shifting side-to-side (lateral) or end-to-end (longitudinal).
- Load distribution: They help distribute the heavy loads from passing trains to the sleepers and the ground below.
- Vibration and impact absorption: The elasticity of the clips helps absorb vibrations and impacts from train movements, providing a smoother ride and protecting the track structure.
Importance for safety
- Prevent derailment: The failure of rail clips can lead to track instability and derailment, posing a severe threat to passengers and crew.
- Ensure operational integrity: Without the clamping force provided by clips, rails are prone to displacement and overturning.
- Meet performance standards: Modern railway systems require clips that can handle high speeds and heavy loads while also providing sufficient elasticity and fatigue resistance.
Main Series of Rail Clips
Rail elastic clip is one of the popular fastening parts to keep rail track fixed on rail sleepers(wooden sleeper and concrete sleeper). Rail clamps are also used in some rail fastening systems.
| Series | Type | Hardness | Material | Fatigue life | Surface | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E rail clip | E1,E2,E3 | 44-48HRC | 60Si2MnA: C:0.56-0.64, Mn:0.60-0.90, Si:1.60-2.00, Cr:≤0.35, P:≤0.03, S:≤0.03 60Si2CrA: C:0.56-0.64, Mn:0.40-0.70, Si:1.40-1.80,Cr:0.70-1.00 P:≤0.03, S:≤0.03 55Si2Mn: C:0.52-0.60, Mn:0.60-0.90, Si:1.50-2.00,Cr:≤0.35 P:≤0.03, S:≤0.03 38Si7: C:0.35-0.42, Mn:0.50-0.80, Si:1.50-1.80, P:≤0.03, S:≤0.03 |
For Dia.18 is 3 millions cycles without breaking. For Dia.20 is 5 millions cycles without breaking. |
plain (oiled), Oxide black, color painting or according to customer requirement. |
DIN17221, BS970, GB/T1222 |
| E1609 | ||||||
| E1809 | ||||||
| E1817 | ||||||
| E2001 | ||||||
| E2006 | ||||||
| E2009 | ||||||
| E2055 | ||||||
| E1056 | ||||||
| Vossloh clip& Forged rail clip | SKL1 | 42-47HRC | ||||
| PR rail clip | PR309 | 44-48HRC | ||||
| PR401 | ||||||
| PR601 | ||||||
| PR85 | ||||||
| We can also manufacture customized rail clips following your drawings or samples! | ||||||
Elastic Rail Clips Manufacturing Process
Based on the process production, elastic rail clip manufacture process include following steps: raw material- shearing- heating- forming- hardening- tempering- inspection- packing.
The Spring steel bars should first be cut as required. By convention, the sheared bar is heated to 950 ° C to 1000 ° C, and then the heated rod is transferred to a power press for forging. Before hammering, keep three sets of molds and fixtures according to the drawings. The forged rail clips are conveyed to the quench tank. After checking the dimensional accuracy and the quenching hardness, the rail clips are sent to the next tempering procedure to achieve proper toughness in the spring. The final product will be packaged after rigorous inspection.
