What is Railway Spring Clip?

What is Railway Spring Clip?

 

A railway spring clip (or elastic rail clip) is a vital, high-strength steel fastener used in rail fastening systems to secure steel rails to sleepers (ties) or baseplates. These clips maintain a constant, flexible pressure that prevents vertical and horizontal rail movement, absorbs vibration, controls thermal expansion, and maintains track gauge for safe operation.

 

Key Aspects of Railway Spring Clips:

 

 

• Function: They ensure track integrity by preventing the rail from moving, reducing wear, and stopping rail buckling. They maintain a "clamping force" that holds the rail tightly to the baseplate.

 

• Material: Made from high-quality, forged, or hot-pressed spring steel designed for durability, flexibility, and high tensile strength.

 

• Common Types: The most common types include the E-clip (Pandrol clip), SKL clip, and Nabla clip.

 

 

Model	Diameter	Material	Under Pressure	HRC	Weight
E1609	Ø 16mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.43kg/pc
E1809	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.61kg/pc
E1813	Ø 18mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.62kg/pc
E2001	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.80kg/pc
E2009	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.80kg/pc
E2039	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.80kg/pc
E2007	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.80kg/pc
E2055	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.80kg/pc
E2056	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.80kg/pc
E2063	Ø 20mm	60Si2MnA	≥950kg	44-48	0.80kg/pc

 

 

Name	SKL tension clamp
Material	60Si2MnA 60Si2CrA 55Si2Mn 38Si7
Hardness	42-47HRC
Fatigue Life	for Dia.18 is 3 millions cycles without breaking
	for Dia.20 is 5 millions cycles without breaking
Surface	plain (oiled), Oxide black, color painting or according to customer requirement
Standard	DIN17221, BS970, GB/T1222

 

• Installation: Installed by being pressed into position, often requiring specialized machinery or a heavy hammer.

 

• Advantages: They provide a "permanently elastic" fastening that reduces noise, resists fatigue/corrosion, and extends the lifespan of the track structure.

 

GNEE RAIL supplies fastening systems using E-Type rail clips (E1609, E1809, E2007), SKL tension clips, Nabla spring blade clips, Pandrol PR clips, KPO bolted rail clamps, Deenik clips, Fast Clip assemblies, Crane Rail Clips, and Russian Rail Clips, suitable for GB, UIC, DIN, JIS, AS, BS, and AREMA rail applications.

 

How are Spring Rail Clips manufactured?

 

Spring rail clips are manufactured through a hot-forging process using high-grade spring steel (e.g., 60Si2MnA). The production involves shearing, heating to 950–1000°C, forging, quenching, tempering, and inspection. This ensures high mechanical strength and precise dimensions to fasten rails to sleepers.

 

Key Manufacturing Steps

 

• Material Preparation: High-grade spring steel bars are cut to specific lengths.

 

• Heating: The cut bars are heated in a furnace to a temperature of 950°C–1000°C.

 

 

• Forging/Forming: The heated bars are transferred to a power press to be bent and formed using specific dies.

 

• Hardening/Quenching: The formed clips are immersed in an oil tank for quenching.

 

• Tempering: The clips are heated again (typically 400-500°C) to achieve the necessary toughness and elasticity.

 

• Inspection & Finishing: Final products are checked for dimensions and surface quality (often oiled) before packing.

 

Are different types of ERC Rail Clips interchangeable?

 

Different types of Elastic Rail Clips (ERC) are generally not directly interchangeable because they are engineered for specific rail weights, base widths, and sleeper types to maintain precise track gauge and tension. While various marks (MK-II, MK-III, etc.) serve similar fastening functions, they differ in geometry and clamping force.

 

Key Reasons for Limited Interchangeability:

 

• Geometric Variations: ERCs come in different shapes, such as the original "e" shape (counter-clockwise) and the "G" shape (clockwise).

 

• Application-Specific Design: Different clips are designated for specific locations, such as standard track versus glued/joggled fish-plated joints (e.g., J-clips).

 

• Rail/Sleeper Fit: Using the wrong clip can lead to improper clamping, failing to prevent horizontal or vertical rail movement.

 

GNEE RAIL supplies E rail clips, SKL rail clips, Nabla types rail clips, KPO rail clips, and other customized types of rail clips,these rail clips are designed with high precision and made up of premium grade spring steel. GNEE has been the largest and most competitive production base of rail clip in China after more than 18 years' rail clip producing experience, and have qualification to tender nationally large and medium scaled rail projects. What's more, our rail clip can be customized according to clients' requirements.

 

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