Fire Resistance of Seats in Railway Vehicles

This article discusses the current requirements for laboratory testing of the fire properties of seating in railway vehicles and the criteria for their assessment. The results of flammability and smoke tests performed on selected passenger seats and samples of the upholstery systems used in their construction are presented in order to find connections between them. It was demonstrated that the composition of the upholstery fabric has a significant impact on the burning behavior of the seats and the upholstery systems themselves, assuming that the same foam was used in their construction. Based on the conducted research, material composition analysis, and results, a lack of correlation was also found between the results of tests using a cone calorimeter and a furniture calorimeter. This confirms that the fire properties of upholstered products depend on many factors, including composition, shape, materials used, type of upholstery, and the design solutions of the finished seats. The tested upholstered products intended for railway applications are characterized by stochastic variability resulting from their specific applications and functional and operational properties.