Track engineers often encounter
conflicting demands when designing
a track system. On the one hand
they seek uncompromised track
stability ensuring safety and comfort
for the passengers and low
maintenance cost for the track
owner; on the other hand they must have a
track that is sufficiently soft –
typically by means of the deliberate
introduction of one or several types
of resilient elements into the track
structure – thereby ensuring that
national standards are met with
regard to ground-borne vibration
levels, e.g. at nearby dwellings.

Obviously, what is sought is a
resilient element that not only lives
up to the basic requirements of the
national accreditation in question –
for instance the well-known German
Railways DB BN 918-071-1 norm –
but surpasses these requirements
and delivers sterling performance on
aspects such as constant form stability,
ultra-low sensitivity to environmental
factors, extended fatigue resistance
and fire safety. With a special view to
such performance aspects, this paper
takes an in-depth look at the most
important features, advantages and
benefits of RockDelta’s RockXolid® and
RockBallast® anti-vibration mats.

Stone wool for anti-vibration mats

ROCKWOOL® stone wool, as the basis
for all RockDelta products, is made
from diabase volcanic rock which is
mixed with coke and lime and
subsequently melted in large cupola
furnaces at approximately 1,500°C. The
resulting melted mass is directed down
onto a fast spinning wheel that whirls
the melted stones mass into thin
threads with an average diameter of
0.005mm. A binding agent is added
and – as one of the last stages of the
“hot-end” production process – the
desired density of the impregnated
stone wool product is selected.

This is followed by the final
production step where the stone wool is
hardened in special furnaces, thereby
curing the binding agent. The finished
ROCKWOOL® stone wool product is
then ready for various “cold-end”
tailoring processes, including a unique
aging process that ensures outstanding
long-term mechanical stability,
whereby the product is turned into its
designated RockXolid® or RockBallast®
application.

Please see our free white paper to find out more.