LAYING OF CRANE RAIL PADS
Resilient crane rail pads are designed to allow the rail to move and rotate by small amounts. When rails are on pad called soft mounting – this helps to ensure a more even stress distribution between the crane wheel and rail and also between the rail and the surface on which it is fixed.
A soft mounted rail has many distinct advantages, not least a reduction in noise levels and vibration. Moreover, the resilient pad compensates for any uneven surfaces in the rail or steel support and thereby distributes the wheel load over a larger area. This reduces load concentrations and fatigue in the support structure.
A further advantage is the prevention of fretting corrosion between the rail and the supporting nominal steelwork. The standard resilient pad is 7 mm thick and is normally supplied in widths less than the rail base width.
Two types of pads are mainly supplied according to the soleplates for continuously supported rail and discontinuous mounting.
