eQuilt.
eQuilt has been designed specifically for the bus and coach industry to contain and prevent fires escaping from the engine bay of the vehicle. It also reduces the sound attenuation by 6db over other components used in the manufacture of Public Service vehicles today. It is a passive system that is fitted at the chassis and or body stage, it will require little or no maintenance, and unless it is required to work in the instance of a fire, will remain unaffected for the life of the vehicle.
Weight in public service vehicles and the desire for better fuel economy has been a driving force in the manufacture of eQuilt. Any increase in weight is frowned upon by the industry and operators as a whole, and as such, eQuilt is able to offer both sound attenuation and fire containment in one product that weighs less than 3.33kg/m²
eQuilt has been manufactured with both economic and ecological considerations in mind. All individual component parts of eQuilt are green in their makeup, and as such are non-respirable, non-carcinogenic and easily disposed of, even after activation in the event of a fire. eQuilt can be disposed of through normal waste outlets without permits or restrictions.
Surefire Fire Resistant GRP Components.
Most GRP panels used in or on Public Service Vehicles, carry either Class one or zero spread of flame certification, some governing bodies are even going so far as to relaxing the certification on some panels to class two. We believe that as GRP panels contribute in most instances when a fire takes hold, especially in the engine bay of Public Service Vehicles, a more advanced but cost-effective solution was required. Working in conjunction with a resin manufacturer, a Polyester gel coat and resin solution was developed that can be used in extrusion, hand lay up, spray and RTM processes, the product became known as “Surefire”
“Surefire” when used in mould making offers a completely fire resistant GRP panel that can withstand temperatures in excess of 850°c, it will not propagate a flame and is self extinguishing, when a flame from a third party source is removed.
Surefire P.
GRP components fitted to Public Service Vehicles carry either Class two, or Class one spread of flame certification. We believe, that although the components fitted to vehicles meet current legislation, a lot more could be done to prevent GRP panels contributing to a fire that, if not tackled immediately, could result in the loss, or the requirement of a costly repair to your vehicle/asset.
All tests carried out on GRP panels follow the same criteria, which include, a Bunsen burner being applied to the samples for 10 seconds and then 20 seconds, with the spread of flame being measured across the surface. In reality, fires do not conform to test house procedures and often, if unchecked, rampage through the vehicle assisted by resin infused products.
Clark Wright Ltd, has developed a unique, water based fire resistant solution for application to GRP panels, making them in effect indestructible. The product has enabled a 2 mm thick, class two component, when treated to become totally fireproof, which in tests remained intact for ten minutes plus at temperatures in excess of 850°c.
Often, public service vehicles involved in road traffic accidents require new GRP panels, including the front and or rear dome panel which incorporates the front and rear of the vehicle in its entirety. An application of ‘Surefire P’ to the inner surface of, the front, but more importantly rear dome will, in the event of a fire occurring in the engine bay prevent the fire from spreading by denying it access to a fuel source, that being the resin in the GRP components. ‘Surefire P’ can be applied to all panels requiring an upgrade.
‘Surefire P’ when exposed to fire expands up to 25mm depending on the thickness of the original application, effectively forcing the fire away from the substrate it is protecting, and by self extinguishing, cooling the area at the same time.
Surefire ASP
In the quest for producing vehicles that provide an advantage in weight saving, fuel economy etc, aluminium has played a key part in vehicle manufacture over many years, but with that advantage comes a downside. That being its ability to contribute to a fire.
Unlike most steel grades, aluminium does not become brittle at low temperatures, instead, its strength increases. At high temperatures, however, aluminium’s strength decreases. At temperatures continuously above 100°C, strength is affected to the extent that the weakening must be taken into account, at approximately 650°c it melts.
An aluminium sheet, extrusion or body panel, once treated with the Surefire ASP etch primer and water based paint system will increase its ability to withstand temperatures in excess of 850°c, whilst offering up to and including 90 minutes of fire protection. It can be applied to panels either on and off the vehicle, and will accept a two pack paint system top coat if so required. Alternatively, Surefire ASP can be supplied in any RAL colour to contrast perfectly with the vehicle’s livery.
The attached video shows how a panel treated with Surefire ASP reacts to fire, and our featured image above shows how the aluminium has survived, totally intact and without warping.
Grille Closer Mechanisms
These can be fitted over any grille in the engine compartment to stop flames exiting the area, and will activate and completely close within one minute of a fire reaching a pre-determined temperature. They will not however, restrict any airflow into the engine bay during normal operating cycles.
Painted Grille Closer Mechanism.
Having established a need to close ventilation grilles in the event of an engine bay fire, we immediately discovered that bodybuilders required their own and individual solutions. The above grille closer can be used in Louvre door applications, but in the event of a mesh box grille application (13mm Square apertures) a solution was developed that allowed the grille to be painted into (Any RAL Colour) which would close in approximately 1 minute denying the fire an escape route to the outside of the vehicle. The paint thickness has been measured at 125 microns.
Glass protection systems.
We have found that vehicles which have an engine bay fire, ordinarily break the rear and or side windows due to the intense heat, allowing the interior to act as a chimney and funnel the flames into the passenger compartment. Our system for protecting the rear and side windows from escaping heat and flame will achieve 40 minutes integrity and 30 minutes insulation.
Flame detection systems.
Our flame detection systems will pick up a single flame three metres line of site and once detected can either discreetly notify the driver of the fire, or be broadcast throughout the vehicle via the P/A system if required. Messages played; “Flame detected on upper deck” “Flame detected on lower deck”
Clark Wrights flame detection system can be fitted on new build vehicles, and even retro fitted to in service vehicles. It consists of sensors (Up to six individual sensors) that are mounted into the vehicle at strategic and known problem areas and, connected to the multi-port controller which can be configured to the customers requirements.