Rail vehicles

Sound insulation

Acoustic foams made from polyurethane (Plastazote MP15FR), polyester fibre mats (Silphon ®Fiber) or melamine resin (Basotect G+) are frequently used for sound insulation – particularly against airborne and structure-borne noise. These materials are lightweight, flexible and particularly well suited to absorbing sound.

In addition, so-called heavy-duty sheets made of bitumen (Terodem) or EVA (Vibra ®Rail sound insulation sheet) are used, which, thanks to their high density, effectively reduce structure-borne noise in particular. Depending on the application, multi-layer composite materials consisting of foams, non-woven fabrics and heavy-duty sheets are also used – these combine sound and thermal insulation in a single solution.

Thermal insulation and fire safety requirements

In the field of thermal insulation, traditional insulation materials such as glass wool or rock wool are used, which offer high thermal insulation performance whilst posing no fire safety risks. For particularly demanding applications – such as in confined spaces – high-performance insulation materials such as aerogels are used, which achieve high insulation performance with minimal material thickness. 

In addition, closed-cell PE foams or a synthetic rubber (Armaflex® Rail SD) are used for cavity and pipe insulation. This range is complemented by elastic dampers and structure-borne sound decouplers made from materials such as Sylomer® or a fire-retardant elastomer. 

All materials used must meet strict requirements regarding fire safety, smoke emission and toxicological safety – for example, in accordance with the European standard EN 45545-2, which is mandatory for rail vehicles.