What temperature in degrees Celsius can rail pads withstand?
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.
Rail pads (elastomeric pads) can withstand a wide range, typically from -50°C to +110°C, depending on material (EPDM, natural rubber, etc.), but specialized designs go higher (e.g., up to 150°C for EPDM) or lower (-60°C for some), with performance (stiffness, vibration dampening) changing significantly at extremes, impacting track dynamics.
Temperature significantly affects rail pads, making them stiffer and less effective at damping vibrations in the cold, leading to more rail noise and vibration, while at higher temperatures, they soften, reducing isolation and increasing rail movement, impacting both noise and potentially track stability, with different rubber compounds (like cork-reinforced) showing varying sensitivities, especially in extreme low-temp ranges.
Effects of Cold Temperatures (Below ~20°C)
- Increased Stiffness (Hardening): Rubber rail pads become significantly stiffer as temperature drops, with natural rubber's shear modulus increasing dramatically (e.g., by six times from 40°C to -20°C).
- Reduced Damping: The loss factor (damping ability) also changes, becoming higher at low temperatures for some materials.
- Higher Vibrations/Noise: Stiffer pads transmit more vibration from the train to the track, increasing rolling noise and vertical track vibrations, particularly around 63 Hz.
- Material Sensitivity: Cork-reinforced pads show even greater stiffness increases (factor of 10) in the cold compared to natural rubber.
Effects of High Temperatures (Above ~20°C)
- Softening: Rubber pads soften, decreasing stiffness and vibration isolation.
- Worsened Isolation: Vibration isolation worsens, leading to higher rail vibrations and increased noise radiation.
- High-Temp Stability: Some materials, like EPDM and cork-rubber, show better stability in high-temperature ranges (above 20°C) compared to their low-temperature performance.
After years of rail pad manufacturing experience, GNEE RAIL have developed a range of high performance flexible rail pads to meet rigid demand and a variety of application areas: from standard railways to heavy-duty lines, special rail pads for E-clamp track fastening systems and SKL type track fastening system. The materials includes HDPE / EVA / rubber material, which possess the following characteristics.
| 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. |
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.
