Composite Solutions to the Fire Performance needs of Mass Transit

Geof Tipping DSM Composite Resins

Contents of Presentation
The changing demands of new fire standards in mass transit Composites with combustion gases of low toxicity are favoured Examples of low toxicity composites in railways Future opportunities for composite growth in mass transit and other demanding fire scenarions

Composites In Fire 9 10 September 2003 Newcastle upon Tyne, England

SOME RECENT RAIL DISASTERS Kings Cross Station King Eurotunnel Kitzsteinshorn
Fire Type

SOURCES OF FIRE
Frequency 145 8 2 57 212 [%] 68 4 1 27 100 Vandal Fires [interior] interior] Electrical Faults [interior] interior] Small Fires [interior] interior] Electrical Faults [undercar] undercar] Total

FST PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS

(Fire, Smoke and Toxicity) Toxicity) (1970s)
Fire

UK Fire Tests BS 476 Part 6 fire propagation Part 7 surface spread of flame

(1980s)
Fire

(1990s)
Fire

SMOKE SMOKE

SMOKE SMOKE

TOXICITY

French Railways Fire Tests NFF 16-101

German Railways Standard DIN 5510

Focuses on reaction to
fire and smoke generated

Combines reaction to fire

Epiradiateur NF P 92-501 [M ratings] with smoke and toxicity NFX 70-100 [F ratings]

The M & F rating required is

dependent on the type of rolling stock and the component location
Epiradiateur

It does not include any

measurement of toxic gas emission

LONDON UNDERGROUND

LUL Three Metre Cube Test

THINK THE UNTHINKABLE UNTHINKABLE

A train stopped in a tube and on fire

CATEGORIES OF TRAINS - BS6853

Category Ia Trains which predominantly use tunnels Category Ib Trains which use tunnels, but infrequently Category II Trains which run predominantly overground

MATERIALS REQUIREMENTS
according to BS 6853:1999

Interior vertical surfaces

Test Parameter
Ia BS 476 Pt. 6 BS 476 Pt. 7 Smoke Toxicity i (max) I (max) Class A (ON) (max) A (OFF) R-Index (max) 6 12 0 2.6 3.9 1.0 Ib 6 12 0 4.2 6.3 1.6 II nc Nc 1 9.4 14 3.6

TOXICITY
R-Index
GASES Carbon dioxide Carbon monoxide Hydrogen fluoride Hydrogen chloride Hydrogen bromide Hydrogen cyanide Nitrogen dioxide Sulphur dioxide IDLH values (mg/m3) BS 6853 NFX 70-100 73.000 90.000 1.400 1.750 25 17 76 150 101 170 56 55 38 270 260

FIRESTARR Fire Protection on Railway Vehicles

EC project to develop new
European standard prEN 45545 Considered fire initiation, time to flashover, time to loss of visibility and time to lethal conditions for passengers For structural , furniture and electrical railway parts performance has been compared to existing national tests

FIRESTARR Fire Protection on Railway Vehicles

Strong contenders include: NBS smoke chamber at
50kW/m heat flux with toxic gas emission following IMO criteria Cone Calorimeter at 50kW/m heat flux for heat release It will be several years before the recommendations are adopted by EC member states

Changing Fire Standards Push Composites Towards Those With Low Toxicity Combustion Gases
1960s
Halogenated additives Antimony

1970s
Halogenated polymers

1980s
Gel coated systems Phenolic resin systems

SMOKE SMOKE

1990s into the millennium

Specialised polymer backbone Aluminium trihydroxide filled systems Specialised additives e.g. APP Aliphatic monomer systems

Cone calorimeter

TOXICITY

Fire Safe ATH Filled Polyester Composites Pass BS 6853 category 1a

Very low levels of smoke Very low levels of toxic gas emission Very low heat output Excellent fire performance

IMO Resolution A653 (16) Combustion Gases Maximum Concentrations

Carbon Monoxide Hydrogen Chloride Hydrogen Fluoride Oxides of Nitrogen Hydrogen Bromide Hydrogen Cyanide Sulphur Dioxide 1450 ppm 600 ppm 600 ppm 350 ppm 600 ppm 140 ppm 120 ppm

Cone Calorimeter Comparison for Smoke and Carbon Monoxide

Cone Calorimeter at 50 kW/m2

Advantages of halogen-free highly flame retardant polyester composites in fire situations: no dripping ==> low contribution to fire spread

Synolite 5001-T-1 10 wt.% glass 300 phr ON-921 Ignition Time (s) Heat Release (MJ/m2) Smoke (m2/m2) CO2 (kg/m2) CO (kg/m2) 186 18.0 160 1.51 0.05

Phenolic Laminate 30 wt.% glass 60 wt.% glass

159 38.6 294 2.30 0.38

154 21.7 175 1.03 0.36

low smoke development ==> visibility to reach emergency exits low toxic gases low heat development ==> passenger safety ==> passenger safety

CO2 / CO Ratio

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FABRICATION TECHNIQUES
Hand Lay-up Resin Injection

Examples of low toxicity composites in railways

Pultrusion

Compression Moulding

Hand Lay Up Applications

PULTRUSION APPLICATIONS
Cable Trays Fire Resistant Profiles Frames for Fire-Proof Doors Ceilings Grids and Floors Supporting Tubes for Tunnels

Synolite 5001-T-1 specialised low viscosity aliphatic

resin Fire performance can be tailored to different fire specifications by varying the aluminium trihydroxide grade and level Can meet the most severe fire standards up to BS 6853 class 1a Suitable for large, low volume components for example arc barriers, driver cabs, flash guards, internal panelling and window frames Filled system can be used as a coloured gel coat

Manufacture by RTM

Manufacture by Compression Moulding using Sheet Moulding Compound

Suited to medium volume applications such as

Railway seats Dado rails Window surrounds Drivers cabs Arc barriers Arc shields Flash guards

Suited to large volume applications such as

Railway seats Interior panelling Ceilings Bulkheads

Formulae can meet BS 6853 1b

Fire performance can be tailored by the choice

and loading of aluminium trihydroxide or APP

System can be used as a pigmented gel coat

Case Study: Arc Barriers for LUL where aluminium trihydroxide filled polyester replaced asbestos

Case Study: Central Line Train Arc barriers based on Synolite 5001-T-1

Eurostar emerging from the Channel Tunnel

Case Study: Eurostar Components

Case Study: Network South East Train with flash guard panels installed

Case Study: Gel Coated Flash Guards Now with several years of proven service

Case Study: Electrostar Train

Gel Coated Dado Rail Manufactured for the Electrostar Train

Deutsche Bahn AG
Interior of the Electrostar with Composite Components

Interregio interior with SMC-parts: luggage rack seat shells wall panels

S-Bahn Berlin Connection area of Regioswinger 52 SMC inner parts side panels ceiling panels door side cover cover above door

Talent - light rail train - exterior uses aluminium trihydrate filled composites

Talent light rail train interior also uses ATH filled polyester composites

Composite
preferred to aluminium due to better surface profile Pultruded profiles top and bottom SMC panels middle

Fire
performance to DIN 5510 S4 Internal panelling made from SMC

Chapman Seat

Desiro UK 450

Manufactured by Chapman
Transport Systems for Chiltern Railways Moulded in Menzolit UKs SMC Flomat 2950 series conforming to BS 6853 Category 2 Category 1b SMC is also available

First of 132 trains ordered

by British South West Trains SMC conforming to BS 6853 Category 2 chosen due to light weight and excellent mechanical properties Moulded painted parts include window frames, door and partition panels

Transrapid Sanghi Airport Express

Transrapid magnetic
levitation train recently trialled in Shanghai Components include window surrounds and air conditioning ducts Moulded in specialised ATH filled low smoke polyester by hand lay up Conforming to DIN 5510 standard

Future opportunities for composite growth in mass transit

Part two of Euronorm pr EN45545 will include ISO 5658-2 for flame spread, ISO 5659-2 for smoke opacity and gas analysis and ISO 5660-1 for heat release The categories, as in BS 6853, are based on risk assessment and will be more demanding than many existing fire tests with heat fluxes of 50kW/m Specialised polyester systems filled with ATH perform well at these high heat fluxes and can meet the high IMO standards for low toxicity combustion gases

IMO approved grade Synolite 5001-W-1:

Conforms to IMO Res Msc61 [67] FTP Code Annex Part 2 Is used in the manufacture of cabins and bathrooms

Future opportunities for composite growth in mass transit and other demanding fire scenarios
and new proposed norms specialised polyester ATH/APP filled systems can meet the highest fire standards Significant opportunities exist in other mass transit markets such as marine Moving from reaction to fire applications into fire resistance there is significant potential for sandwich construction in conjunction with insulation materials in mass transit There is further potential for intumescent systems in passive fire protection systems and offshore applications

Definitely in railways under the existing

Concluding Remarks
Fire safe polyester composites can meet the most
stringent demands for fire performance in railway applications Designing for fire safety is made easy by using specialised polyester resin systems with aluminium trihydroxide and other specialised additives. Flexibility in design and through colour is facilitated by the wide range of manufacturing techniques available to produce cosmetic finishes where required Passenger safety is ensured due to the difficult-to-ignite composite materials and the exceptionally low smoke and low toxic gases which may be generated

Composite Solutions to the Fire Performance needs of Mass Transit

Geof Tipping DSM Composite Resins

Composites In Fire 9 10 September 2003 Newcastle upon Tyne, England

What are Fire Safe Polyester Composites?

Three components in the composite Specialised aliphatic polyester resins Aluminium trihydroxide fire retardant filler Glass reinforcement Different methods of manufacture to suit the shape, size
and number of components needed

Fire Safe Polyester Composites are through pigmentable in a wide range of colours
Can be used as a pigmentable gel coat layer Good physical properties especially at lower filler loadings

FIRE RETARDANT EFFECT OF ALUMINIUM TRIHYDROXIDE

Heat > 200 oC 2Al(OH)3 Replaces substrate Absorbs heat Produces steam Dilutes O2 atmosphere Adsorbs smoke particles Retains particle form Al2O3 + 3H2O

FIRE SAFETY OF MATERIALS The Role of Aluminium Trihydroxide

[Limiting Oxygen Index]
B2 B1 100 B3 A2 DIN 4102

Comparison of Physical Properties CSM hand lay up laminates

Resin type ON 921 phr 5001-T-1 300 11 92 12.3 2.0 5001-T-1 150 20 136 8.5 1.8 5001-T-1 150 17 147 8.5 1.8 Phenolic 30 101 4.6 1.5

80 M3 M2 M1 M0 France (NFF 16-101) 16Great Britain (BS 476 Pts 6&7) S5 Germany (DIN 5510)

% O2

60

ON 901 phr Glass % Flexural strength [MPa] Flexural modulus [GPa] Specific gravity

40

Class 2 S3

Class 1 S4

Class 0

20

100

300 200 MARTINAL ON-921 Filling Level (phr) ON(phr)

400

Glass-Reinforced Polyester (25% Glass) Glass-

Synolite 5011-R-1 - Martinal ON 901 Pultrudate

FST Properties M F R 130 phr M1 150 phr M1 F0 1.3 5.1
Mechanical Properties 150 phr ON 901 Flexural Strength Flexural Modulus Impact Strength Result 1020 MPa 32 GPa 52 kJ/m2

170 phr M1 -

New Low Smoke Resin Especially Designed for Pultrusion Applications

R value measured on phenolic pultrudate

Synolite 5011-R-1 is a special halogen-free fire retardant polyester in methyl methacrylate Specifically designed for pultrusion, Synolite 5011-R-1 can be highly filled with aluminium trihydroxide e.g. Martinal ON 901 This high reactivity resin and particle shape of the filler enables fast pull speeds on pultrusion lines to be achieved

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