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Why BISCO® L3-A?

BISCO L3-A Outperforms the Competition

The chart below highlights the additional value users will receive when choosing BISCO L3-A over competitive urethane or silicone foams.

Reduced Vibration, Quieter Cabins

With a dynamic stiffness significantly lower than competitive foams, BISCO L3-A prevents vibration transfer to the interior cabin. The superior mechanical loss factor reduces noise further by dissipating 73% more energy than alternative materials.

Superior Durability, Less Maintenance

When exposed to stresses such as vibration, humidity, and extreme temperatures, BISCO L3-A will exhibit unmatched stress relaxation performance when compared to other foam polymers such as urethane, Neoprene and melamine. With less than one percent compression set, BISCO L3-A significantly reduces the need for costly refurbishments over a vehicle’s life-span.

Enhanced Flame Resistance, Improved Safety

BISCO L3-A silicone foams allow railcar designers to satisfy the highest levels of safety as mandated by British BS 6853 (Cat 1a), French NF F 16-101 (M1 F1), and U.S. NFPA 130 safety standards

Lower Weights, Lower Costs

BISCO L3-A silicone foam is 25% lighter than competitive urethane or silicone foams. The reduced weight will improve efficiency and costs for railway operators.

Improved Vibration Isolation

At vibration frequencies of 40Hz, leading microcellular polyurethane solutions allow more than 10% of vibration energy to transfer through railcar floors (-0.1 dB transmissibility). BISCO L3-A isolates greater than 99.9% of vibration energy (-10dB). As frequencies increase up to 100Hz or beyond, BISCO L3-A continues to reduce vibration energy transfer by attaining transmissibility levels of –25dB or better.

For a complete data sheet on L3-A, please visit our literature page where you can download literature in PDF format.