STRAIL

Never mind||the||gap

Never mind||the||gap

pedeSingle - the new System for covering bridges

The reduction of noise emissions from rail traffic is an important and topical issue.
From the perspective of the railroad companies there is for improvement, particularly in relation to existing bridges.
The current predominate standard construction method for steel bridges involves installing metal sheets between the sleepers.
These are necessary in order to be able to safely walk on the bridge in case of
emergencies or when maintanance is required. In addition, they prevent objects (e.g. ice) from falling onto the traffic passing under the bridge.

This was why the Deutsche Bahn approached STRAIL in order to jointly try to find a suitable solution to the requirements mentioned.
The superstructure of the first bridge structure on the Moselle bridge in Koblenz/Güls consists of a traverse tie platform made from timber sleepers.

Since the spacing between the sleepers varies greatly there is no guarentee that the joint of the panels are fully supported by the sleepers.

Furthermore, auxiliary tracks which have a guiding function (to prevent derailing) are installed on both sides.

Requirements for the covering system:
• Easily adapted to respective sleeper spacing
• Weight-bearing for maintenance personnel or in the event of an emergency
• Long service life
• Lower noise emissions compared with the previous solution
• Quick and easy to installation and removal

The solution developed by STRAIL involves laying lightweight rubber panels measuring 1.2 meters in length in the space between the auxiliary rails along the entire length of the bridge. These inner panels can be used irrespective of the sleeper spacing and are derived from the pedeSTRAIL product, with a width of only around 0.9 m because of the auxiliary tracks.

In an effort to optimize costs, weight and installation time, only one STRAIL standard tensioning system line is used.

The initial installation was carried out directly by CAD and prototype production on the Moselle Bridge in Koblenz/Güls in an extremely successful and fast manner.
In case of optimum materials flow, up to 80(!) meters of track can be laid per hour.




Due to the of 260 m which need to be covered, three vertically removable panels are installed per line, enabling efficient and speedy removal for maintenance purposes. Because of its positive properties, the Railroad Service aintends to use this design as its model.

Please download the the complete project report.