Textile solution for burst protection in electric vehicles

Burst, fire and contact protection are sensitive topics in electric vehicle design. All parts that carry high voltages must also be secured in the event of an accident to protect passengers and rescue teams from the risk of fire or electrocution. This aspect is crucial to the approval process for new electric vehicles.

Frenzelit offers carmakers a solution for burst and contact protection that encloses the vehicle’s DC voltage converter in thermoREFLEX protective cover, thus preventing the risk of electric shock in the event of an accident. Following a collision, the system could still carry live voltage in some circumstances. Although fuses are triggered within milliseconds, power components might still be live and contact with them could be potentially deadly.

The protective sheath is made of aramid fabric (with cut-outs for power cables, cooling ducts and anchor points) that features a special coating.

Due to their high tensile strength, aramid fibres are ideally suited for preventing flying debris from piercing the fabric sheath. To compensate for the woven fabric’s poor resistance to weathering, Frenzelit used its expertise in technical textiles and high-temperature-resistant insulation to develop an additional UV and moisture-resistant coating that achieves a high level of dielectric strength.

The insulation resistance is ten megaohms - even after being subjected to a range of weathering processes. It was tested for resistance to a variety of factors including climatic change, climatic resistance, salt spray, chemical resistance, high and low temperature cycles, thermal shock and moisture.

The thermoREFLEX protective sheath for the DC/DC converter played a key role in helping a manufacturer obtain approval for one of its vehicle series. The textile protection solution Frenzelit developed featuring contact and burst protection to increase safety is generally suitable for all electric cars.