Bolted Rail Fixing Clips

Bolting is a very well understood method of making a fixing in engineering and the Gantrail bolted clips are the easiest to install.  They can be used with different grades of bolt and some clips can be fitted over studs welded to the steel rail support surface.

Gantrail recommend the use of grade 8.8 bolts for all normal applications as they offer the most economical solution.  Some construction sites require that only grade 8.8 bolts are used.  In some  cases, where a larger clip cannot be used, it is possible to use 10.9 grade bolts to increase horizontal load capacity.

Gantrail have bolted clips to fit all rail sizes including some that are no longer routinely made but are still found in some older applications.  The size of the clip for any rail is in proportion with the rail it is designed to fix.

Gantrail have carried out extensive testing on clips to ensure that they will perform reliably and result in a long service life.  This includes load tests on every model with external third party witness of tests and fatigue tests in third party laboratories.

Size for size welded clips give a stronger installation but bolted clips are often more convenient.

1. Find or estimate the horizontal force to be carried by the clip. It is assumed that all of the load from one wheel will occur at one clip. If the load is not known it may be assumed to be 15% of the vertical wheel load.
2. Choose the style of clip you require – bolted or welded. These are identified with their respective strengths in the table below.
3. Find the dimensions of the foot of the rail to be used. See Crane Rails.
4. Check that the selected clip will fit the installation. The table gives the dimension that must be added to the foot width of the rail to give the minimum support width.
5. Check that the other clip dimensions will suit the application by referring to the Gantrail data sheet for the clip. These only show a limited number of rail sections and Gantrail can advise on other sections.