| Title | Heat Release Rate Requirements for Railcar Interior Finish |
|---|---|
| Record ID | 68875 |
| Personal Name Creator |
Luo, Charles; Kraft, Stefan; DiDomizio, Matthew (Matt); Hodges, Jonathan; Yazdani, Soroush; Lattimer, Brian Y. |
| Corporate Creator | Jensen Hughes, Inc |
| Corporate Contributor |
United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research, Development and Technology |
| Publisher | United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research, Development, and Technology |
| Publication Date | 20191201 |
| Language | English |
| Abstract | The focus of this research was to establish heat release rate (HRR) based performance requirements for intercity and commuter passenger railcar interior finish materials. A database of HRR results from passenger railcar components was compiled for developing new HRR requirements. Initiating fire exposures within a passenger railcar were quantified and compared with different initiating fires in room-corner test standards. The initiating fire of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 286, Standard Methods of Fire Tests for Evaluating Contribution of Wall and Ceiling Interior Finish to Room Fire Growth, was determined to be a representative exposure fire for the interior of a passenger railcar. A flammability parameter empirical model was developed to predict the occurrence of flashover due to the lining material in NFPA 286 room-corner tests. Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was also demonstrated to predict detailed fire growth in the NFPA 286 room and a railcar. Both small and large-scale tests were performed on seven railcar interior finish materials. The testing results along with the HRR database provided data to validate both models for use in development of HRR requirements. HRR-based flammability requirements were developed for railcar interior materials listed in “Other vehicle components” in NFPA 130, Standard for Fixed Guideway Transit and Passenger Rail Systems. Materials used in seating areas within a railcar can be evaluated using a flammability requirement of maximum average rate of heat emission (MARHE) less than 90 kW/m2. |
| Rosap ID | dot:43614 |
| Rosap URL | https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/43614 |
| TRT Terms | Flammability; Fluid dynamics; Materials; Railroad cars; Seats; Testing; Validation; Vehicle interiors |
| General Subjects | Rail car; interior finish; heat release rate; HRR; flammability performance requirement; fire safety |
| Geographical Coverage |
United States |
| TRIS Online Accession No |
1724791 |
| Contract Number | DTRT57-12-D-30011, Order 0035 DTFR53-15-X-00019 |
| Report Number | DOT/FRA/ORD-19/39 |
| Resource type | Tech Report |
| URL | https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/68000/68800/68875/HRR_for_Rail_Car_Interior_Finish_rev.pdf |
| Format | |
| Database | NTL Digital Repository |