Materials: Flame-Retardant PC Blends for Interior Train Components

Two novel PC blends specifically designed to meet safety and aesthetics of train interiors have been developed by Covestro, Pittsburgh, Penn. The two blends are characterized as sturdy and aesthetic and also satisfy the high requirements of EN 45545, the European fire protection standard for railway vehicles.

● Bayblend FR411 MT is a filler-reinforced modified PC that meets the requirements of this European standard with respect to flame propagation, thermal release, and smoke density and toxicity for R1 applications according to hazard level HL2 up to a wall thickness of two millimeters.

● Bayblend TP2139 is a trail product designed to address the railway industry’s need for a material with higher wall thicknesses. This PC blend meets the stringent fire protection requirements even up to a layer thickness of three millimeters.

Both products are highly versatile for use in walls, seats, as well as in electrical installations, according to Klaus Kraner, expert for the interior furnishing of buses and trains at Covestro's Polycarbonates Segment. “The components manufactured from them are lightweight and do not require painting, as the material is dyed during plate production,” explains Klaus Kraner. The plates can be manufactured with environmentally friendly and efficient extrusion technologies. They are long-lasting and can be recycled at the end of their useful life.

There are no limits for designers when it comes to shaping and coloring, according to Covestro. This also applies to the design of surfaces, which can have a smooth or high gloss finish, but also a grained or textured finish. Moreover, PC is permeable to radio signals and therefore ideally suitable for the installation of antennas and sensors.