Testing Procedures in the Transportation Industry
Whether your business is the transportation of people, freight or both, you need to be confident that your materials and equipment meet all necessary quality standards in order to ensure performance and comply with all safety regulations. To this end, there are several rigorous tests that we specialized in at VTEC and can benefit your transportation company.
ASTM E162 Testing Standards
ASTM E162 tests the surface flammability of materials by exposing them to a radiant heat source. The objective is to determine the flame spread factor, which measures how quickly the flames spread, and the heat evolution factor, which measures how much fuel the material contains. By knowing how flammable a material is, manufacturers of transportation vehicles and equipment can select heat-resistant components and increase safety.
ASTM E662 in the Transportation Industry
When equipment fails or vehicles are involved in accidents, smoke can hinder visibility and compromise people’s ability to breathe. This can adversely impact escape and rescue efforts. ASTM E662 is designed to test the density of smoke that specific materials, such as upholstery or carpeting, generate when exposed to a heat source. The smoke density is ascertained by measuring how much a light beam is obscured when shone through smoke under testing conditions.
Bombardier SMP 800-C
The Bombardier SMP 800-C test measures the toxic gas generation that results from the combustion of certain materials used in the construction of vehicles. The gases measured are carbon monoxide, hydrogen fluoride, nitrogen dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, and sulfur dioxide. Each may reach a maximum concentration. Once that concentration is reached, the gas generation is considered to be outside acceptable levels.
Ensuring that gases emitted by vehicle construction materials in the event of a heat-generating incident stay within acceptable levels greatly reduces the chances of harm to operators and passengers. Moreover, it diminishes the chances of fire spreading.
BSS 7239 Testing Standards
Materials can generate toxic gases both in flaming and non-flaming combustion. BSS 7239 measures the amount of carbon monoxide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and hydrogen cyanide emitted as a result of the combustion of materials used for aircraft construction.
Like Bombardier SMP 800-C, BSS 7239 ensures that the presence of toxic gases do not reach hazardous levels.
ASTM E1354
ASTM E1354 uses an oxygen consumption calorimeter to determine the amount of heat and smoke generated by the combustion of a specific material. In addition, it measures the time to sustained flaming, as well as the mass loss rate. Knowing all these factors provides companies involved in the manufacturing of vehicles with a comprehensive overview of the risks of using a specific material.
Contact Us for All Your Testing Needs
Since our inception in 1982, we have become one of the leading international commercial testing services in the world. We’re dedicated to providing customers with the best possible information and testing services to enable them to uphold the standards that apply to their industries. As such, we’ve been performing testing for the rail and other transportation industries for decades.
Our accreditations include ISO 17020, ISO 17025 and ISO 17065. We’re also an approved vendor for the U.S. Navy, the Naval Service Warfare Center NAVSEA, New York City DOT and New York City Transit Authority, as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Contact us for a free, no-obligation quote by filling out our contact form or calling 718-542-8248.
Learn More About VTEC Services
At VTEC Laboratories, our role as a multi-functional company stems from our more than three decades of experience. Due to our extensive expertise in multiple industries, we provide comprehensive services that meet each field’s unique standards, needs and objectives.
Learn more about our services by contacting us online or calling us at (718) 542-8248.