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RAIL TRANSPORTATION SPECIFICATIONS

The transportation industry needs custom rubber products that provide long service life and withstand demanding conditions. Read about what Seal & Design supplies in this industry.

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The aerospace, rail, and mass transit industries present unique sealing challenges due to their harsh sealing environments and critical nature.  Long service life is essential, however these industries also need rubber parts that support passenger safety and comply with government regulations as well as original equipment (OEM) standards for flame, smoke, and toxicity (FST). The NFPA 130 is the standard for fixed guideway and passenger rail systems. This is the standard the majority of manufacturers in the USA are adapting to The European standard (EN45545-2) has similar requirements, and it is important to verify which standard is being applied to a particular project. There may be additional testing requirements needed, and the most common testing requirements are listed below.

Solid and Sponge rubber compounds are used in a number of interior and exterior applications within the rail industry, helping to maintain the structural integrity of the vehicle, while ensuring all components are secure and protected from corrosion and environmental conditions. The flexibility, strength, and durability of a rubber material is ideally placed in train locomotives and carriages along with other mass transit sectors such as marine vessels, public transportation, and heavy goods vehicles.

 

The three primary elastomers used in these applications are neoprene, EPDM, and silicone, listed in order of increasing cost. The typical applications for these types of products include interior & exterior LED seals, HVAC seals & gaskets, electrical enclosure gaskets, interior door seals, vibration dampening, and thermal insulation. Seal & Design is able to supply molded components, die-cut gaskets, extrusions in three elastomers along with pressure-sensitive adhesives to aid in installation. We also have the capability of designing a custom engineering solution based on your application.

  • ASTM E162 (surface flammability)
  • ASTM C542 (low flame)
  • ASTM E662 (specific optical density of smoke)
  • ASTM C1166 (flame propagation)
  • Bombardier SMP 800-C (toxic gas generation)
  • Boeing BBS 7239 (toxic gas generation)

 

You can read more about the test methods below.

ASTM E162 – STANDARD TEST METHOD FOR SURFACE FLAMMABILITY

The ASTM E162 standard applies to the surface flammability of materials commonly used in manufacturing. It is required in various specifications in the mass transit industry (buses and trains), Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards (24 CFR 3280) , and the Standard for Recreational Vehicles (NFPA 1192).

The test method was originally published in 1960. Its unique feature is that the sample is exposed to a 12 by 18-in radiant heat source and reflects more accurately what might be found in a real fire environment.

ASTM E162 was developed as a less expensive and more convenient flame spread test alternative to E84. The tunnel specified by E 84 constitutes an expensive and cumbersome piece of apparatus. The ASTM radiant panel test has numerous advantages over that of E84. The sample size of the E162 is 6 by 18-in, while E84 requires a sample 20-in by 25-ft long, which is a rather large size to deal with. It should be noted, however, that (4) samples are required for E162, whereas E84 requires only one.

ASTM C1166 – STANDARD TEST METHOD FOR FLAME PROPAGATION

When it comes to fire and flammability tests for materials used in industries such as transportation, construction, or aerospace, ASTM C1166 stands out for its capability to measure the flame propagation of dense or cellular elastomeric gaskets and accessories. It’s an important test since gaskets, shims, and assorted elastomeric materials are used extensively in everything from the window frames of trains to the cushions of car seats.

This test method covers a laboratory procedure for determining flame propagation characteristics of a dense or cellular elastomeric gasket (such as expansion, lock-strip or compression gasket) or an accessory (such as a setting block, spacer or shim) when exposed to heat and flame, with no significance being attached to such matters as fuel contribution, rate of flame spread, smoke developed, or the nature and temperature of the products of combustion.

ASTM E662 – STANDARD TEST METHOD OF DENSITY OF SMOKE GENERATION

ASTM E662 is a test method that measures the optical density of smoke. 

This test method provides a means for determining the specific optical density of the smoke generated by specimens of materials and assemblies under the specified exposure conditions. Values determined by this test are specific to the specimen or assembly in the form and thickness tested and are not to be considered inherent fundamental properties of the material tested. Thus, it is likely that closely repeatable or reproducible experimental results are not to be expected from tests of a given material when specimen thickness, density, or other variables are involved.

BSS 7239 – TEST METHOD FOR TOXIC GAS RELEASE – BOEING

The BSS 7239 test method is used to measure and analyze toxic gas generation by materials on combustion. Gases produced for analysis are generated in a specified, calibrated smoke chamber during a standard rate of smoke generation testing (ASTM E 662), in both flaming combustion and non-flaming pyrolytic decomposition test modes.

The following gases are required to be measured by this test standard：

  • CO     Carbon monoxide
  • HF     Hydrogen Fluoride
  • HCl     Hydrogen chloride
  • NOx    Nitrogen oxides (Both NO, nitric oxide, and NO2, Nitrogen dioxide, are detected)
  • SO2    Sulfur dioxide
  • HCN    Hydrogen cyanide

SMP 800C – TEST METHOD FOR TOXIC GAS GENERATION - BOMBARDIER

The Bombardier SMP 800-C test measures the toxic gas generation that results from the combustion of certain materials used in the construction of vehicles. The gases measured are carbon monoxide, hydrogen fluoride, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, and sulfur dioxide.

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