The noise control lab team in Australia took on the challenge of developing a variant of Wavebar that would meet the fire requirements of the project.
The challenges
China has the longest high-speed train line in the world. A high-speed classification means the train can travel at 200km/h plus. Only four countries in the world have designed and manufactured high-speed trains, namely Shinkansen of Japan, TGV and AGV of France, ICE of Germany and CRH of China.
As the fastest train in China, there are restrictions on acceptable noise levels in control rooms. When running at full speed of 300km/h, the noise in the control room must be lower than 75dB (A).
There were a number of design requirements encountered during the building process, which restricted options available to CRH for reducing noise. For example, the body structure due to its aerodynamic design cannot be altered, therefore the noise solution used had to accommodate these restrictions.
The solutions
Pyrotek China was consulted to specify a solution that would be suitable for floor installation and that was resistant to water, oil and adverse weather conditions, while also meeting local fire codes and giving some internal noise reduction.
The noise control lab team in Australia took on the challenge of developing a variant of Wavebar that would meet the fire requirements of the project while still providing the noise reduction needed. After many rounds of testing and formulation development, Wavebar NL was submitted to CRH.
The results
Wavebar NL’s final formulation met the Chinese flame-resistance standard of TB 3237 and DIN 5510-S4 class, and at 11kg/m² was extremely effective in reducing noise levels.
Wavebar NL is easy-to-install, giving it low installation cost. With its good physical properties, high-tensile strength and resistance to most chemicals, Wavebar NNL will have a long operational life.
Pyrotek China envisages this business continuing into the future.