The challenges of embedding rail infrastructure in modern high-traffic settings are numerous – from limiting shocks and vibrations to mitigating damage to surrounding superstructures. German profile and sealing specialist Sealable is one company tackling these challenges, through its portfolio of elastomer solutions.

“Whether elastic rail encapsulation with the highest stray current insulation, track bed mats, tram stop edges, door entry strips, glazing frames or the patented VeloGleis,” Matthias Klug Managing Director at Sealable says, “our products provide more comfort and safety with the simplest application.”

One of the main elements in the firm’s portfolio is its Rail Comfort System (RCS), which allows the track to be decoupled from adjacent superstructures and vibrations from tram traffic to be reduced to a great extent. This makes the construction of superstructures without longitudinal rail grouting possible and can significantly reduce the need for complex and cost-intensive maintenance work.

“It is not without reason that our RCS leads the market in terms of durability, safety, individuality, planning reliability as well as high stray current insulation,” Klug adds. “We insulate a rail with just three components, making construction super simple and compact.”

New approach

The addition of materials, such as fibres or connecting steel sheets, for the head area of the side profiles is also allowing Sealable to improve connections to the cover layer during construction. This new approach gives the system enough flexibility to compensate for temperature-related movements in the road material while also offering the potential to eliminate longitudinal rail grouting for road tracks in the future.

Headquartered in Waltershausen in the state of Thuringia, Germany, Sealable offers a range of rubber-based sealing and insulation solutions for both track and tunnel construction, and industrial solutions. It was formed as the result of a management buyout in 2020 and builds on more than 50 years of experience through previous operating businesses under Contitech, Phoenix Dichtungstechnik and Dätwyler Sealing Technologies Deutschland.

Alongside the firm’s commitment to the highest quality elastomer products, Sealable is also focused on the sustainability of all its materials and will soon launch the ‘RCS Greenline’ range, in which carbon black content is partially or completely substituted with a ‘functional filler’ made of wood.

“The new filler material increases the insulation of the RCS and reduces its density, making it lighter and even more efficient against stray current while leaving other characteristics unchanged,” Klug explains. “The constant tightening of emission protection limits and the growing demand for sustainable products require new, innovative materials and combinations in the production of modern insulation solutions.”

Interested in the work Sealable carries out? Come and meet them on the exhibition floor of RailTech Belgium 2023 on June 7 in Brussels. The exhibition if free of charge, but you do need to register. Want to learn more about the rail infrastructure sector in Belgium? Sign up for our in-depth conferences that day.