DIN SPEC 91489 Draft: The first standards for fire protection blankets for use in electric vehicles
At the beginning of this blog post, we would like to point out that the term “fire blanket” is not actually correct in the context of an e-car fire, as fires involving lithium-ion batteries cannot be extinguished by removing oxygen, as they always ignite themselves. However, as this term is widely used, we will also use it in this article.
The increasing spread of electric vehicles has not only changed the mobility landscape, but also posed new challenges in the area of vehicle safety. The issue of fires in electric cars in particular has become increasingly important in recent years. While electric vehicles are generally considered safe, in the event of an accident or technical defect, fires can occur that have specific requirements for fighting the fire. Fire blankets are probably the most effective method of dealing with an e-car fire.
A committee of 17 people from the automotive industry, representatives of the fire department and disaster control, fire protection experts, towing companies and industry, including Friedhelm Schwender, Managing Director of Schwender GmbH (VLITEX). The draft is now available to the public for review and comment.
The need for standards
“More standards and regulations? Don’t we already have enough of them?” That’s what some people might think. The answer with regard to fire protection blankets is quite clear: No! For the simple reason that there was no standard or similar for fire protection blankets for use in electric vehicles.
Standards make sense here for several reasons:
– Uniform safety standards:
DIN SPECS create uniform safety standards that all manufacturers must comply with if they wish to obtain the certificate. This ensures that fire blankets meet certain minimum requirements in order to be used effectively and safely in fires involving electric vehicles.
– Protection of users:
Standards serve to protect users by ensuring that the products labeled with this certificate meet certain safety criteria. Especially in the case of extinguishing blankets for electric vehicle fires, it is crucial that they function reliably and safely in order to protect the emergency services and bystanders from the dangers of battery fires.
– Cooperation and consensus building:
Standards are often developed in collaboration with various stakeholders, including manufacturers, fire safety experts, research institutions and e-car manufacturers. This enables a broad consensus to be formed and takes various perspectives into account in order to develop effective and practical standards.
– Acceptance and comparability:
Standards that are recognized make it easier to compare different fire protection blankets, as they provide a common basis for safety standards. This is particularly important for a product that is used to fight a fire.
Requirements for fire protection blankets for use in electric car fires in accordance with DIN SPEC 91489
Important requirements for fire protection blankets according to the draft of DIN SPEC 91489:
Thermal resistance
As part of the thermal resistance test, the fire protection cblankets is subjected to a thermal load that is intended to reflect the fire behavior of an electric vehicle. You can find more information on how a battery fire works in our blog post: Extinguishing blanket comparison test for battery fires – VLITEX impresses
For a fire protection blanket to meet the DIN-SPEC 91489 requirements, it must be able to withstand both direct and non-direct exposure to flames, the latter with the use of extinguishing agents (water). The blanket is exposed to temperatures between 700 °C and 1000 °C several times over a period of 23 minutes. The test is deemed to have been passed if the fire barrier blanket does not show any holes or seam failure and no flames escape for longer than 5 seconds.
Mechanical stability
Mechanical stability includes cut resistance, cut protection and the stability of retaining loops, the cover itself and eyelets.
The medium cut protection level is deemed to be given if the cover can withstand a force of > 5 N in accordance with DIN EN ISO 13997. A high cut protection level is achieved when a test value of > 15N is reached. The stability of the retaining loops, the blanket and any eyelets is also checked using a defined test.
These requirements are intended to ensure that the blanket can be placed on the vehicle using the retaining loops and that the ceiling is not damaged by sharp edges on the car or by stones on the ground.
Chemical resistance
In the event of a car accident, the road is often contaminated with oil, grease, gasoline or water with extinguishing agents or battery acid. If a fire protection blanket is to be used with an electric vehicle involved, this blanket must be resistant to these contaminants.
Notes for the user
In addition to requirements relating to the fire protection blanket, DIN-SPEC 91489 also regulates the necessary information that the manufacturer must provide to the user in a manufacturer information sheet.
This includes information such as the model and type designation, materials used and instructions for cleaning theblanket.
One of the most important tips is the instructions for use with pictograms to enable safe use of the fire protection blanket.
The VLITEX PREMIUM fire protection blanket 6 x 8m has passed the internal pre-tests according to thermal and mechanical criteria in accordance with DIN SPEC 91489.
Conclusion
The practical requirements for fire protection blankets when using electric car fires are very high. Without standards, certificates or protected terms, it is difficult for users to decide on a suitable fire protection blanket. The introduction of DIN SPEC 91489 is therefore a first step towards providing users with assistance, guidance and a certain degree of certainty when choosing a fire protection blanket.
Would you like to read the complete draft? Here it is available for download.
Tanja Baer
