FlamenCo, fire protection and timber components on rails

The research project "Flame retardant coating: ecological fire protection in rail vehicles" (FlamenCo) at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE) is investigating a new fire protection agent in rail vehicle construction. The aim is to develop a fire protection coating that enables wood-based materials to be used more extensively.

Wood is mainly used in rail vehicles as armrests or folding tables. Plastics and metals predominate as materials used in train interiors. There are stringent fire safety requirements to ensure that the materials used do not pose an additional source of danger (e.g. smoke) for passengers in the event of an emergency. For this reason, the approval regulations regarding the fire protection requirements for materials used in rail vehicle construction have been revised and tightened. The background to this is the increased fire protection requirements following the validation of the DIN standard EN 45545-2 for fire protection in railway vehicles.

In the HNEE research project "Flame retardant coating: ecological fire protection in rail vehicles" (FlamenCo), a new fire protection agent is being investigated with the aim of developing a fire protection coating that fulfils the prescribed fire protection requirements for the respective components.

The research team led by Prof Dr Alexander Pfriem hopes that after the end of the project, not only will it be possible to use the already known built-in parts in rail vehicle construction, but that other built-in parts can also be manufactured from wood-based materials.

About the project

The HNEE research project "Flame-retardant coating: ecological fire protection in rail vehicles" (FlamenCo) is concerned in sub-project 1 with comparative studies on fire behaviour and the determination of performance characteristics.

The project is funded by the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR) as the project management organisation of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).

Duration: 01.06.2024 - 31.05.2027

Funding reference: 2222HV031A

Project consortium:

• HNE Eberswalde, Faculty of Wood Engineering, Working Group Chemistry and Physics of Wood (Lead)
• Rülke GmbH
• Zschimmer & Schwarz Mohsdorf GmbH & Co.KG
• Zschimmer & Schwarz GmbH & Co KG Chemical Factories

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