Metsä Wood Versatile Plywood for Railway Fire Resistance and Sound Insulation

Metsä Wood, a division of Metsä Group, provides wood materials to the transport industry, including the rail sector. Plywood’s light weight and high strength is the reason why it is often used in the structures of floors and walls on trains. Special Metsä Wood plywood panels have been developed to meet the safety and comfort requirements of passenger transport. Metsä Wood is also at the forefront in fire resistance and sound insulation.

Plywood for reduction of fire and noise

Vehicle floors must withstand fire according to various standards and requirements. Metsä Wood Phoenix plywood panels are composite structure panels made of birch plywood, sound reduction material and an aluminum combination coating. As a new feature, the Phoenix fire protection panel is now also sound-insulating.

Any sound is noise if it’s unpleasant, annoying or unnecessary. An objective definition of noise includes sounds that are detrimental to health or well-being. Noise control is applied in many ways in vehicle design to reduce sources of noise. Noise can be controlled by choosing the right vehicle materials. Metsä Wood Sonex sound insulating plywood is used to reduce the propagation of sound between exterior and interior spaces such as the motor and passenger area.

The new Phoenix plywood family

There are three different types of Phoenix plywood, including:

• Phoenix (birch plywood panel, flame-proof aluminium surface)
• Phoenix Sonex (birch plywood panel, flame-proofed aluminium surface, sound insulating Sonex structure)
• Phoenix Sonex Light (birch plywood panel, flame-proofed aluminium surface, sound-insulating Sonex Light structure)

Key features include:

• Improved fire protection
• Sound reducing properties
• Air tight surface
• Water vapour barrier
• High strength / weight ratio
• High durability
• Versatile in use, can be painted, coated etc.
• PEFC certified (raw material is sourced from sustainably managed forests)

The fire resistance of Phoenix panels has been tested according to several national standards and directives. Fire classifications of Metsä Wood Phoenix product range cover the following thicknesses: Phoenix (12-50 mm), Phoenix Sonex (13-21mm), Phoenix Sonex Light (13-21mm).

• European Norm prEN 45545-2:2012: HL1, HL2, HL3
• DIN 5510-2 2009: classification for the flooring SF1 to SF3
• NFX 10702/NFX 70100, NF F 16101:1988, NF P92-501:1995, NF P 92-507:2004: classification M1 and F0. Phoenix Sonex Light M1 and F1
• UNE 23721 :1990, UNE 23727 :1990 : classification M1 and F0. Phoenix Sonex Light M1 and F1
• BS 6853:1999 result comply with requirements for vehicle category 1A, Phoenix Sonex Light 1B
• ASTM E162, ASTM E662, Bombardier SMP 800C, Boeing BSS 7239 (Phoenix Sonex Light) – Approved
• European Norm EN 13501-1:2007 (Phoenix) – B-s1,d0

The new Sonex plywood family

Choose the Sonex family of sound insulation plywood products wherever proper sound insulation is needed: from the floor and wall structures of buses and trains to various construction uses.

Sonex: Composite sandwich plywood panels that include technical heavy layer (Isokon) inside the birch plywood to improve sound insulation. Sonex panels possess excellent characteristics for reducing the engine noise of buses and other large vehicles.
Sound reduction index. (Rw (dB) 32 dB up to 33 dB).

Sonex Light: Same structure as Sonex but Sonex Light contains cork rubber (Amorim) to improve sound insulation. Sonex Light is the choice for vehicles where proper sound insulation and lightweight structure are key points. The low weight also has a positive impact on the vehicle’s consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.
Sound reduction index. (Rw (dB) 30 dB up to 31 dB).

Sonex Double: Combines the best properties of Sonex Light and Sonex, providing excellent sound insulation at both low and high frequencies. (Sound reduction index: Rw (dB) 34 dB).

Environmentally friendly panels

Phoenix and Sonex panels are environmentally friendly and easy and accurate to use. They are produced from fully renewable and premium quality Birch hard wood on a production line utilizing innovative and advanced production technology at the Metsä Wood plywood mills in Finland.

Phoenix and Sonex panels are produced mainly from wood originating from Finland and thus certified according to PEFC, the prevailing certification scheme in the country. Certification is a tool to ensure sustainability of the supply chain as well as the forestry operations.

Metsä Group (mother company of Metsä Wood) is owned by 125,000 private forest owners (50% of the privately owned forest in Finland) and we can therefore guarantee a continuous wood supply to our mills. All the wood that we use originates from sustainably managed forests and we always know the origin of the wood we use. We ensure and promote a high level of nature management and safeguard biodiversity in our forestry operations.