EPDM rubber sheet, Railway grade (70 Shore A)

The EPDM rubber sheet ‘Railway’ with 70 Shore A is a special flame-retardant grade designed for use in rail vehicles and the railway environment. Its key feature is its fire safety certification in accordance with EN 45545-2 at hazard level HL3 – the highest level of the European fire safety standard for rail vehicles. In addition, the material complies with the British standards BS 476 Part 7 (Class 3) and BS 6853 (Vehicle Category 1a). This makes the sheet suitable for seals, pads, bushings and protective elements in trains, trams and underground trains, where increased requirements regarding fire and smoke behaviour apply. We can provide the relevant test certificates on request.

The quality is impressive even beyond fire safety. In the enhanced ozone test (200 pphm, 96 hours), it shows no cracking whatsoever and is therefore highly resistant to weathering and ageing. It offers good resistance to dilute acids and alkalis, and moderate resistance to concentrated acids, alkalis and oils. Of particular note is the low compression set of no more than 25 %, which ensures reliable and lasting restoration of the sealing function.

Mechanically, the sheet offers a minimum tensile strength of 7 MPa (approximately 70 kg/cm²), a high elongation at break of at least 400 % and a tear strength of 19.6 kN/m. These properties remain stable within defined tolerances even after prolonged heat ageing for 168 hours at 85 °C – a test regime that is significantly more demanding than the standard test. The operating temperature range extends from –30 °C to +100 °C.

With a density of 1,45 g/cm³ and a black finish, the EPDM railway sheet can be cut to size, die-cut and processed into moulded parts – available by the metre and as bespoke cut-to-size sheets for fire protection applications in rail transport.