GOST 34805 Passenger Cars in Locomotive Traction - Fire Safety Requirements - Test Methods for Assessing Fire Hazard Properties of Non-Metallic Materials

The standard “GOST 34805 Passenger cars in locomotive traction - Fire safety requirements - Test methods for evaluating the fire hazard properties of non-metallic materials”, published by the Eurasian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification, a regional standards organization operating under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Independent States, describes test methods for determining the combustion behavior characteristics of non-metallic materials within the scope of fire safety in railway wagons.

GOST certificate is an abbreviation for national standard, a document confirming that a product complies with Russian national standards.

This standard applies to newly developed (modernized) and manufactured locomotive-hauled passenger cars and specifies:

• Fire safety requirements that limit the possibility of fire outbreaks in them and ensure the protection of human life and health, as well as the reduction of material losses when exposed to dangerous fire factors.
• Test methods for assessing the fire hazard properties of non-metallic materials used in cars

The requirements in this standard are given under the following headings:

• Requirements for vehicle materials, interior equipment designs and fire barriers
  • Requirements for materials of internal equipment
  • Requirements for the design of internal equipment
  • Requirements for fire barriers
• Electrical equipment requirements
  • General requirements
  • Requirements for electrical wiring
  • Requirements for structures for installations with limited movement of wires and cables
• Requirements for heating design
• Requirements for ventilation design
• Requirements for fire detection and warning devices
• Requirements for equipment with fire extinguishing means
• Requirements for ensuring safe conditions for the evacuation of passengers
• Requirements for fire protection of private vehicles

The test methods to be performed within the scope of this standard are defined in the annex of the standard as follows:

• Test method for determining the flame spread index on the surface of fabric materials (Annex A Recommended)
• Test method for determining the flame spread index on the surface of floor covering materials in passenger cars (Annex B Recommended)
• Method for assessing the fire hazard of sleeper beds in passenger cars (Annex B Mandatory)

Essentially, traction motors are electrically powered and generate power to turn the wheels of a train. The rotational force produced by the traction motors is transmitted to the wheels through the drive gear unit and axle. Traction motors are usually mounted on vehicles where the wheels are located.

In order to move a railway vehicle, the engine must develop a certain tractive force that overcomes the initial resistive forces that oppose the motion and keep the vehicle stationary.

For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions apply:

• Decorative coating refers to the coating (paint, polymer films, etc.) applied to a base of structural material (plywood, metal, etc.).
• Composite material refers to multilayer material made from two or more layers of different materials.
• Installation with limited mobility of wires and cables refers to laying the wire or cable in pipes, ducts, boxes, metal hoses, etc.
• The required evacuation time refers to the time required for passengers to evacuate to a safe area without harming their lives and health as a result of exposure to dangerous fire factors, from the moment of the fire.
• Covering material refers to covering material (laminated paper plastic, films, fabrics) with a decorative surface, used as a decorative coating or performing the functions of mechanical protection or protection from environmental influences.
• Fire hazards refer to fire factors whose effects can lead to injury, poisoning or death. Fire hazards affecting persons covered by this standard include: increased ambient temperature, increased concentration of toxic combustion and thermal decomposition products, reduced oxygen concentration and reduced visibility in smoke.
• Fire safety retreat refers to the distance from the outer surface of the boiler or smoke duct (pipe) to a fire-protected or unprotected wall or barrier made of flammable or low-flammable materials.
• Fire barrier refers to a structure in the form of a wall, partition or ceiling, designed to prevent fire from spreading to adjacent rooms within a set time.
• Fireproof cutting refers to the thickening of the wall of the furnace (boiler) or smoke channel (pipe) at the point of contact with the car structure, made of non-flammable or low-flammable material.
• Estimated evacuation time refers to the time from the beginning of the evacuation of passengers until the last person exits the carriage.
• Thermal indicator dyes refer to dyes containing various chemical compounds that can change color at temperatures from 35 degrees to 1600 degrees.

Among the numerous tests, measurements, analyses and evaluations carried out for enterprises in various sectors, our organization, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment, also provides testing services defined in the standard “GOST 34805 Passenger cars in locomotive traction - Fire safety requirements - Test methods for assessing fire hazardous properties of non-metallic materials”.