Rail vehicles and vehicle technology must function safely and reliably at all times. Great demands are made on fire safety, in passenger transportation, in particular. All the components used must be inspected and approved in accordance with the relevant standards, in order to assure maximum safety for passengers and train crews. Sensitive electronic systems – for the propulsion technology, couplings and other electrical systems, for example – must be optimally protected against external factors.
The rail transport industry
For more than a century, goods and passengers have been conveyed in rail-mounted vehicles. Population growth in the world’s large metropolitan regions has resulted in the rapid expansion of rail traffic around the globe, to now link towns and cities throughout the world. Here, ROSE enclosure systems are used to protect safety- and functionally relevant technology. They are, therefore, an important component in the rail-transport industry.
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Armed for use in demanding environments
ROSE enclosures for railway technology withstand a large range of external factors and environmental influences:
Inspected to standards applicable to rail transport
The quality and reliability of our products is of special importance to us. For this reason, ROSE enclosures are tested to standards applicable to rail transport by external laboratories for resistance to shock and vibration, and for fire safety. This enables our customers to integrate our products with full confidence into their systems and to rely on these products’ technological properties and correct functioning in the various applications. Our enclosures are suitable for use in areas with requirements in accordance with Hazard Level HL3, after inspection in accordance with DIN EN 45545 (“Fire protection on railway vehicles”).
EN 45545 – Fire protection on railway vehicles
EN 45545, Part 1 contains the basic definitions and general rules for the classification of rail vehicles into types by utilisation and design, and also fire-safety protection targets.
EN 45545-1 | General rules |
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EN 45545-2 | Requirements for fire behaviour of materials and components |
EN 45545-3 | Fire resistance requirements for fire barriers |
EN 45545-4 | Fire safety requirements for rolling stock design |
EN 45545-5 | Fire safety requirements for electrical equipment including that of trolley buses, track guided buses and magnetic leviation vehicles. |
EN 45545-6 | Fire alarm and fire-fighting systems and supporting fire-safety provisions |
EN 45545-7 | Fire safety requirements for flammable liquid and flammable gas installations |
Utilisation category | Design Categorie N: Standard vehicles | Design Categorie A: Vehicles for unmanned operation and carrying no persons trained for emergency situations | Design Categorie D: Double-decker vehicles | Design Categorie S: Sleeping and couchette cars |
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1 / Surface vehicles | HL1 | HL1 | HL1 | HL2 |
2 / Tunnels max. 5 km | HL2 | HL2 | HL2 | HL2 |
3 / Tunnels > 5 km | HL2 | HL2 | HL2 | HL3 |
4 / No facility for side evacuation | HL3 | HL3 | HL3 | HL3 |
EN 45545, Part 2 describes requirements for the fire behaviour of materials and components.
These – like the paint and coating systems used – are submitted, inter alia, to the following four tests:
The right enclosure for every application
We have been system suppliers and development partners for the rail-transport industry for many years, and are optimally familiar with this industry’s needs and requirements. We supply and individually modify industrial enclosures to qualify them for use in a large and diverse range of potential applications:
Aluminium enclosures
ROSE aluminium enclosures have been specially developed for use in harsh environments. They have the following features:
The Aluform and AluFormPlus enclosures, a further development of our standard aluminium enclosures, combine robust materials with high design standards. Both enclosure types are particularly suitable for customised visible visual-display and input solutions.
Polyester enclosures
ROSE’s polyester enclosures for rail applications meet the requirements of EN 45545 (Fire protection on railway vehicles).
Stainless-steel enclosures
Corrosion-resistant, robust, durable: ROSE’s stainless-steel enclosures are used by our customers primarily on train roofs or in the underfloor zone. The material proves its capabilities here in particular in resistance to external factors, such as rain and stone chipping.
Safe according to the American fire protection standard NFPA 130
This standard specifies fire protection and life safety requirements for underground, surface, and elevated fixed guideway transit and passenger rail systems. Fire testing in accordance with the American Standard NFPA 130 includes 2 individual tests:
- ASTM E 662: Standard Test Method for Surface Flammability of Materials Using a Radiant Heat Energy source
In this method, there are specific limits of optical density of smoke recorded after 1.5 and 4 minutes:
Parameter | Limit value | Result PG 01 | Result PG 62 |
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Smoke optical density (Ds1,5) | 100 | 0 | 0 |
Smoke optical density (Ds4) | 200 | 1 | 4 |
- ASTM E 162: Standard Test Method for Surface Flammability of Materials Using a Radiant Heat Energy source
The limit value for this method is 35.
Parameter | Limit value | Result PG 01 | Result PG 62 |
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Radiant panel index | 35 | 0,7 | 2,2 |
All tests of product group 01 and product regarding the coating structure were passed with flying colors.
The corresponding certificates are available for download here.