GB 18296-2019Safety property requirements and test methods for automobile fuel tank and its installation (English PDF)

4.1 Fuel tank

4.1.1 The fuel tank shall be resistant to corrosion.

4.1.2 The fuel tank shall be made of fire-resistant metal material, or it may be made of plastic that meets the requirements of this Standard.

4.1.3 The fuel tank shall be equipped with automatic compensating pressure device (such as vent valves, safety valves, etc.).

4.1.4 The fuel tank cover shall be able to fix onto the filler pipe. In the case of the fuel tank cover is lost, if there are measures to prevent excessive evaporation of the fuel and fuel overflow, then it is considered to meet the requirements of this Clause. Specifically, the following methods can be used.

4.1.5 The seal between the fuel tank cover and the filter port shall be firm and reliable. When locked, the fuel tank cover shall press the gasket onto the filler pipe tightly.

4.1.6 When the metal fuel tank is performed pressure-proof test according to 5.1, there shall be no cracks or leakage; but the permanent deformation is allowed.

4.1.7 During the normal use of the vehicle, the fuel shall not overflow from the fuel tank cover; neither overflow from the automatic compensating pressure device. When performing the flip test according to 5.2, the fuel tank cover is allowed for the leakage of the fuel; however, the leakage speed shall not exceed 30g/min; gasoline fuel tank cover shall not have the leakage of the fuel.

4.1.8 When the plastic fuel tank is performed impact resistant test at low temperature as per 5.3, there shall be no leakage of fuel.

4.2 Installation of the fuel tank

4.2.1 All parts of the fuel tank shall be properly protected by the vehicle body or frame parts to prevent contact with obstacles on the ground. If the clearance BETWEEN the vehicle body or frame parts installed in front of the fuel tank AND the ground is less than the clearance BETWEEN fuel tank part AND the group, it can be regarded as a protective measure.

4.2.2 The pipeline and other components of the fuel tank shall be installed in the vehicle as securely as possible. Any torsion, bending, vibration of the vehicle structural parts or driving parts shall not cause friction, crushing or any other abnormal stress on the fuel tank parts.

4.2.8 There shall be a partition between the fuel tank and the passenger compartment. The partition may have apertures (for instance for wiring harnesses); its arrangement shall ensure that the fuel not flow from the fuel tank to the passenger compartment or other compartment during the normal use.

4.2.9 The installation of the fuel tank shall be firm and reliable to ensure that the fuel leaked from the fuel tank or its accessories flow to the ground during the normal use; and shall not flow to the passenger compartment.

4.2.10 There shall be no protrusions, sharp edges, etc. near the fuel tank.

4.2.11 The fuel tank and its accessories shall be designed and installed to avoid any fire caused by static electricity. For fuel tanks containing fuel with a flash point of 55°C below, it is necessary to take discharge measures.

5.2 Flip test

5.2.1 Fix the fuel tank body and all its accessories including the automatic compensating pressure device onto the test bench according to its installation method on the vehicle.

5.2.2 The fuel tank shall rotate around an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

5.2.3 The test shall be carried out for twice; once to fill the fuel tank with 90% of the rated capacity of liquid for testing; once to fill the fuel tank with 30% of the rated capacity of liquid for testing. The liquid for testing is the non-flammable liquid, its viscosity and density are similar to that of the fuel under normal use (water can be used).

5.2.4 Turn the fuel tank 90° to the right from its installation position; keep it in this position for at least 5min. Then continue to rotate 90° in the above direction; keep it in the fully flipped position for at least 5min. Return the fuel tank; discharge the liquid for testing that failed to flow back to the fuel tank from the vent hole; add it if necessary. Rotate the fuel tank 90° to the left in the opposite direction; keep it in this position for at least 5min. Then continue to rotate 90° in this direction; keep it in the fully flipped position for at least 5min. Flipping speed. every 90° rotation angle, the rotation time shall be 1min~3min. Check and record the leakage conditions of the fuel tank.

5.3 Impact resistance test at low temperature of plastic fuel tank

5.3.1 Fill the fuel tank with water and glycol mixed solution or non-corrosive low freezing point solution to the rated capacity.

5.3.2 During the test, the temperature of the solution in the fuel tank shall be maintained at -40 °C±2°C.

5.3.3 Use a pendulum test device for testing. The pendulum requirements are as follows:

5.3.4 Select the vulnerable part on the fuel tank for testing. The vulnerable part refers to the weaker part of the fuel tank that is exposed to the outside when the whole vehicle is installed. The impact site selected before the test shall be marked; and indicated in the test report.

5.3.5 During the test, the fuel tank shall be fixed by a fixing device on the side opposite to the impacted surface of the fuel tank.

5.3.6 All impact tests can be performed on the same fuel tank; or individual impact test can be performed on different fuel tanks. Check and record the leakage of the fuel tank.

5.4 Pressure-proof test of plastic fuel tank Fix the fuel tank on the test device in the simulation loading form; maintain an ambient temperature at 53°C±2°C; add 53°C±2°C water to the fuel tank to reach the rated capacity; cover the fuel tank cap; seal all the inlets and outlets. Then apply 2 times the working pressure into the fuel tank, which shall be no less than 30kPa under any circumstances; maintain the pressure for 5h.

5.5 Fuel permeability test of plastic fuel tank

5.5.1 The test oil s hall be the benchmark fuel specified in GB/T 18352.6-2016, or the benchmark fuel for current automotive emission test. The fuel tank of the vehicle equipped with compression-ignition engine shall use diesel; while the fuel tank of the vehicle equipped with ignition engine shall use gasoline.

5.5.2 Pretreatment before test. inject test fuel into the fuel tank to reach 50% of the rated capacity. The fuel tank is not sealed and stored in an environment with temperature at 40°C±2°C till the amount of fuel loss per unit time reaches a stable state, but no more than 4 weeks.

5.7 Fire resistance test of plastic fuel tank

5.7.1 Fuel tank installation and fuel type filling requirements.

5.7.2 Size requirements of oil tank. ensure that all edges of the fuel tank are exposed to the flame; the length and width of the oil tank shall exceed the projection line of the fuel tank on the horizontal plane by 200mm~500mm. The part of the oil tank side wall exceeding the fuel level shall not exceed 80mm.

5.7.3 Refueling quantity of oil tank. the amount of fuel in the oil tank shall be sufficient to ensure the test can be kept to the end under the free burning conditions.

5.7.5 Flame-resistant isolating cover for test. see Appendix A for refractory brick structure and technical requirements. There shall be no gap between the refractory bricks; and they shall be supported on the oil tank in the manner described below. the holes on the refractory brick shall not be blocked.

5.7.6 Before starting the test, preheat the flame-retardant isolating cover to 35°C±5°C. In order to maintain the same test conditions in each test, the refractory bricks can be wetted. If it is tested outdoors, adequate windproof measure shall be taken; and the wind speed above the fuel level of the oil tank shall not exceed 2.5km/h.

5.7.7 Three samples of a fuel tank are tested separately. The test process includes the following four stages (see Appendix B for details).

5.8 High-temperature resistance test of plastic fuel tank The fuel tank is fixed on the benched in the simulated loading mode; the ventilation device is kept in the working state. Check and record the leakage and deformation of the fuel tank.

5.9 Vibration durability test of metal fuel tank The metal fuel tank is fixed on the vibration test bench in the simulated loading mode; add 50% rated capacity of water to the fuel tank; cover the fuel tank cap; seal all inlets and outlets; perform the vibration test as per the provisions of Table 1.