What materials are used to manufacture rail pads?
Dec 19, 2025
Rail pad is a kind of rail fasteners used between the rails and the tie plate, and it is usually made of elastic polyurethane mat. It is usually used under the rails and above the tie plate. Rubber rail pad can buffer the shake that the vehicles pushed on the tie plate and protect the tie plate and the sleeper from abrasion and impaction and prolong the service life of other fasteners.
What materials are used to manufacture rail pads?
The core material for manufacturing rail elastic pads is elastic material, which must meet requirements such as vibration damping, wear resistance, aging resistance, and insulation. The mainstream materials and their characteristics are as follows:
Rubber-based materials
These are the most traditional and widely used materials for rail pads, mainly including natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and chloroprene rubber (CR). Natural rubber offers excellent elasticity and fatigue resistance, making it suitable for conventional working conditions such as conventional-speed railways. Styrene-butadiene rubber has better wear resistance than natural rubber and can be modified through formulations to enhance aging resistance. Chloroprene rubber exhibits good weather resistance and oil resistance, making it suitable for special environments such as humid or oily conditions. Rubber-based rail pads have relatively low costs and mature processing techniques, meeting the basic needs of most track types.
| Rubber Rail Pad | ||
| Technical Parameter | Unit | Value |
| Stiffness | KN | 90-130 |
| Hardness Shore A | ℃ | 72-80 degree |
| Electronic Resistance | Ω | ≥ 106 |
| Tensile Strength before Aging | Mpa | ≥12.5 |
| Elongation before Aging | % | ≥250 |
Polyurethane-based materials
As high-performance elastic materials, polyurethane offers higher hardness, wear resistance, and resistance to permanent compression deformation compared to rubber, resulting in a longer service life (typically 8–12 years, significantly exceeding the 5–8 years of rubber-based pads). Polyurethane rail pads provide stable elastic modulus and are widely used in heavy-haul and high-speed railways, as they can withstand the continuous impact of high-speed and heavy-load trains while maintaining effective vibration damping and noise reduction. However, their cost is higher than that of rubber materials.
| HDPE Rail Pad | |||
| Technical Parameter | Unit | Technical Requirement | Value |
| Density | g/cm3 | 0.95-0.98 | 0.95 |
| Tensile Strength | Mpa | ≥19 | 19 |
| Elongation | % | >80 | 150 |
| Melting Point | ℃ | 170-190 | 190 |
| Insulation Resistance | Ω | ≥1×1010 | 3.5 ×1010 |
| Hardness | A | ≥98 | 98(A) |
EVA (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Copolymer)
This is a lightweight foamed elastic material with good cushioning, thermal insulation, and insulation properties. It is easy to process and has a low cost. EVA rail pads are often used in auxiliary track areas of urban rail transit or temporary track projects. However, their wear resistance and aging resistance are inferior to those of rubber and polyurethane, making them prone to deformation under long-term heavy loads or harsh environments.
| EVA: Polyethylene 80%, Vinyl Acetate 20%. | |||
| Technical Parameter | Unit | Technical Requirement | Value |
| Density | g/cm3 | 0.95-0.98 | 0.95 |
| Tensile Strength | Mpa | ≥15 | 16 |
| Elongation | % | >500 | 550 |
| Melting Point | ℃ | 170-190 | 170 |
| Insulation Resistance | Ω | ≥1×1010 | 5.0 ×1010 |
| Hardness | A | ≥90 | 92(A) |
Modified Composite Materials
To adapt to special working conditions, the aforementioned materials are often modified with additives such as carbon black, glass fibers, and anti-aging agents. For example, adding carbon black to rubber enhances wear resistance and UV resistance, blending glass fibers into polyurethane increases structural strength, or developing low-temperature-resistant rubber composite materials for use in extremely cold regions. These modifications ensure the stable performance of rail pads in various environments.
As a professional manufacturer of rail fasteners, GNEE RAIL is able to produce rail pads of various rail pads, such as UIC54, UIC60, BS80lbs, BS100lbs and so on.
