Assessing the Fire Characteristics of Chair Materials in a New High-Speed Railway Vehicle Across Various Fire Environments

The heat release rate generated when a fire occurs in a railway vehicle is one of the most important factors when designing precautions for railway facilities such as railway tunnels. In this study, the fire characteristics of interior materials required to analyze the propagation of a fire in a new railway vehicle were identified via an experimental method. The fire characteristics of the main interior materials across various radiant heat fluxes were analyzed, and the ignition temperature of the interior materials was predicted using the heat release rate and ignition time. By predicting the ignition temperature, the critical heat flux and ignition temperature were confirmed to be low for the flooring of the main interior materials. The derived fire characteristics (ignition temperature and heat release rate) for each material can be used to analyze the fire propagation phenomenon in railway cars.