Uniform technical prescriptions concerning the burning behaviour and/or the capability to repel fuel or lubricant of materials used in the construction of certain categories of motor vehicles - Annex 7: test to determine the melting behaviour of material
Material
Publisher
ECE R118 Annex 7 – Melting Behaviour of Materials in Vehicle Interiors
Our test laboratory performs accredited testing according to ECE R118 Annex 7. The test is used to evaluate the fire behaviour of non-metallic materials and components, particularly with regard to the occurrence of burning or glowing dripping during thermal exposure. It is applied to materials used in vehicle interiors of buses, commercial vehicles, and other vehicle categories.
The regulation is relevant for materials and components used in passenger compartments, such as seat upholstery materials, leather, artificial leather, textile fabrics, foams, trim and insulation materials, wall and ceiling linings, seat systems, and composite structures used in the automotive and commercial vehicle sectors. ECE R118 is an essential part of international vehicle approval and type certification, for example for buses of categories M2 and M3.
The accredited testing laboratory of the FILK is a designated Technical Service of Category A recognized by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA). Our services are recognized by leading manufacturers such as Daimler Buses & Trucks and MAN.
Test Principle and Procedure
In the ECE R118 Annex 7 test, a horizontally positioned specimen is mounted above a collecting surface in a defined arrangement and exposed to a standardized test flame. The purpose of the investigation is to evaluate the behaviour of melting or dripping material components under thermal exposure.
The assessment particularly includes:
• occurrence of burning or glowing dripping,
• ignition of cotton material positioned underneath by dripping particles,
• duration and intensity of afterflame or afterglow behaviour,
• behaviour of the material under direct flame exposure.
The test is primarily used to determine whether melting material components may contribute to fire propagation within the passenger compartment. It complements the horizontal burning rate test according to ECE R118 Annex 6 and is used as part of the fire safety evaluation of vehicle interior materials.