1.1.

This Annex applies to vehicles to which Directive 70/156/EEC applies.

2.1.

“Vehicle type with regard to fuel tanks” ,

means vehicles which do not differ essentially in such respects as:

2.2.

“Occupant compartment” , means the space for occupant accommodation bounded by the roof, floor, side walls, doors, outside glazing, front bulkhead and rear bulkhead.

2.3.

“Unladen mass” , means the mass of the vehicle in running order as defined in Section 2.6 of Annex I to Directive 70/156/EEC.

2.4.

“Tank” , means the tank(s) designed to contain the liquid fuel, as defined in Section 2.6, used primarily for the propulsion of the vehicle excluding its accessories (filler pipe (if it is a separate element), filler hole, cap, gauge, connections to the engine or to compensate interior excess pressure, etc).

2.5.

“Capacity of the tank” , means the tank capacity as specified by the manufacturer.

2.6.

“Liquid fuel” , means a fuel which is liquid in normal ambient conditions.

3.1.

The application for type-approval of a type of vehicle with regard to its fuel tanks pursuant to Article 3(4) of Directive 70/156/EEC shall be submitted by the vehicle manufacturer.

3.2.

A model for the information document is given in Appendix 3.

3.3.

The following must be submitted to the technical service responsible for conducting the type-approval tests:

4.1.

If the relevant requirements are satisfied, EC type-approval pursuant to Article 4(3) and, if applicable, Article 4(4) of Directive 70/156/EEC shall be granted.

4.2.

A model for the EC type-approval certificate is given in Appendix 4.

4.3.

An approval number in accordance with Annex VII to Directive 70/156/EEC shall be assigned to each type of vehicle approved. The same Member State shall not assign the same number to another type of vehicle.

5.1.

Tanks must be made so as to be corrosion-resistant.

5.2.

Tanks must satisfy, when equipped with all accessories which are normally attached to them, the leakage tests carried out according to Section 6.1 at a relative internal pressure equal to double the working excess pressure, but in any event not less than an excess pressure of 0,3 bar.

Tanks for vehicles made of a plastic material are considered as meeting this requirement if they have passed the test described in Section 6.3.2.

5.3.

Any excess pressure or any pressure exceeding the working pressure must be compensated automatically by suitable devices (vents, safety valves, etc).

5.4.

The vents must be designed in such a way as to prevent any fire risk. In particular, any fuel which may leak when the tank(s) is (are) being filled must not be able to fall on the exhaust system. It shall be channelled to the ground.

5.5.

The tank(s) must not be situated in, or form, a surface (floor, wall, bulkhead) of the occupant compartment or other compartment integral with it.

5.6.

A partition must be provided to separate the occupant compartment from the tank(s). The partition may contain apertures (e. g. to accommodate cables) provided they are so arranged that fuel cannot flow freely from the tank(s) into the occupant compartment or other compartment integral with it during normal conditions of use.

5.7.

Every tank must be securely fixed and so placed as to ensure that any fuel leaking from the tank or its accessories will escape to the ground and not into the occupant compartment during normal conditions of use.

5.8.

The filler hole must not be situated in the occupant compartment, in the luggage compartment or in the engine compartment.

5.9.

The fuel must not escape through the tank cap or through the devices provided to compensate excess pressure during the foreseeable course of operation of the vehicle. In the case of overturning of the vehicle, a drip may be tolerated provided that it does not exceed 30 g/min; this requirement must be verified during the test prescribed in Section 6.2.

5.10.

Tanks must be installed in such a way as to be protected from the consequences of an impact to the front or the rear of the vehicle; there shall be no protruding parts, sharp edges, etc. near the tank.

5.11.

The fuel tank and the filler neck shall be designed and installed in the vehicles in such a way as to avoid any accumulation of static electricity charges on their entire surface. If necessary, they shall be discharged into the metallic structure of the chassis or any major metallic mass by means of a good conductor.

5.12.

Moreover, tanks made of plastic material must also be tested according to the specific procedure set out in Section 6.3.

6.2.1.

The tank and all its accessories must be mounted on to a test fixture in a manner corresponding to the mode of installation on the vehicle for which the tank is intended; this also applies to systems for the compensation of the interior excess pressure.

6.2.2.

The test fixture shall rotate about an axis lying parallel to the longitudinal vehicle axis.

6.2.3.

The test will be carried out with the tank filled to 90 % of its capacity and also 30 % of its capacity with a non-flammable liquid having a density and a viscosity close to those of the fuel normally used (water may be accepted).

6.2.4.

The tank must be turned from its installed position 90° to the right. The tank must remain in this position for at least five minutes.

The tank must then be turned 90° further in the same direction. The tank must be held in this position, in which it is completely inverted, for at least another five minutes.

The tank must be rotated back to its normal position. Testing liquid which has not flowed back from the venting system into the tank must be drained and replenished if necessary.

The tank must be rotated 90° in the opposite direction and left for at least five minutes in this position.

The tank must be rotated 90° further in the same direction. This completely inverted position must be maintained for at least five minutes. Afterwards, the tank must be rotated back to its normal position.

6.3.1.1.

The tank must be filled to its capacity with a water-glycol mixture or with another liquid having a low freezing point which does not change the properties of the tank material, and must then be subjected to a perforation test.

6.3.1.2.

During this test the tank temperature must be 233 K ± 2 K (− 40 °C ± 2 °C).

6.3.1.3.

A pendulum impact testing fixture must be used for the test. The impact body must be of steel and have the shape of a pyramid with equilateral-triangle faces and a square base, the summit and the edges being rounded to a radius of 3 mm. The centre of percussion of the pendulum must coincide with the centre of gravity of the pyramid; its distance from the axis of rotation of the pendulum must be 1 m. The total mass of the pendulum must be 15 kg. The energy of the pendulum at the moment of impact must be not less than 30 Nm and as close to that value as possible.

6.3.1.4.

The tests must be made on the points of the tank which are regarded as vulnerable to frontal or rear collisions. The points regarded as vulnerable are those which are most exposed or weakest having regard to the shape of the tank or the way in which it is installed on the vehicle. The points selected by the laboratories must be indicated in the test report.

6.3.1.5.

During the test, the tank must be held in position by the fittings on the side or sides opposite the side of impact. No leak must result from the test.

6.3.1.6.

At the choice of the manufacturer, all the impact tests may be carried out on one tank or each may be carried out on a different tank.

6.3.3.1.

The fuel used for the permeability test must be either the reference fuel specified in Annex VIII to Directive 70/220/EEC or a commercial premium-grade fuel. If the tank is only designed for installation on vehicles with a compression-ignition engine, the tank shall be filled with diesel fuel.

6.3.3.2.

Prior to the test, the tank must be filled to 50 % of its capacity with testing fuel and stored, without being sealed, at an ambient temperature of 313 K ± 2 K (40 °C ± 2 °C) until the weight loss per unit time becomes constant.

6.3.3.3.

The tank must then be emptied and refilled to 50 % of its capacity with test fuel, after which it must be hermetically sealed and be stored at a temperature of 313 K ± 2 K (40 °C ± 2 °C). The pressure must be adjusted when the contents of the tank have reached the testing temperature. During the ensuing test period of eight weeks, the loss of weight due to diffusion during the test period shall be determined. The maximum permissible average loss of fuel is 20 g per 24 hours of testing time.

6.3.3.4.

If the loss due to diffusion exceeds the value indicated in Section 6.3.3.3, the test described there must be carried out again, on the same tank, to determine the loss by diffusion at 296 K ± 2 K (23 °C ± 2 °C), but under the same conditions otherwise. The loss so measured shall not exceed 10 g per 24 hours.

6.3.5.1.

For two minutes the tank, fixed as on the vehicle, must be exposed to flame. There must be no leakage of liquid fuel from the tank.

6.3.5.2.

Three tests must be made on different tanks filled with fuel as follows:

6.3.5.3.

The flame to which the tank is exposed must be obtained by burning commercial fuel for positive-ignition engines (hereafter called “fuel”) in a pan. The quantity of fuel poured into the pan shall be sufficient to permit the flame, under free-burning conditions, to burn for the whole test procedure.

6.3.5.4.

The pan dimensions must be chosen so as to ensure that the sides of the fuel tank are exposed to the flame. The pan must therefore exceed the horizontal projection of the tank by at least 20 cm, but not more then 50 cm. The side walls of the pan must not project more than 8 cm above the level of the fuel at the start of the test.

6.3.5.5.

The pan filled with fuel must be placed under the tank in such a way that the distance between the level of the fuel in the pan and the tank bottom corresponds to the design height of the tank above the road surface at the unladen mass (see Section 2.3). Either the pan, or the testing fixture, or both, must be freely movable.

6.3.5.6.

During phase C of the test, the pan must be covered ►C1  by a screen placed 3 cm ± 1 cm above the fuel level. The screen must be made of a refractory material, as prescribed in Appendix 2. There must be no gap between the bricks and they must be supported over the fuel pan in such a manner that the holes in the bricks are not obstructed. The length and width of the frame must be 2 cm to 4 cm smaller than the interior dimensions of the pan so that a gap of 1 cm to 2 cm exists between the frame and the wall of the pan to allow ventilation.

6.3.5.7.

When the tests is carried out in the open air, sufficient wind protection must be provided and the wind velocity at fuel-pan level must not exceed 2,5 km/h. Before the test the screen must be heated to 308 K ± 5 K (35 °C ± 5 °C). The fire bricks may be wetted in order to guarantee the same test conditions for each successive test.

6.3.5.8.

The test must comprise four phases (see Appendix 1).

6.3.5.8.1.   Phase A: Pre-heating (figure 1)

The fuel in the pan must be ignited at a distance of at least 3 m from the tank being tested. After 60 seconds pre-heating, the pan must be placed under the tank.

6.3.5.8.2.   Phase B: Direct exposure to flame (figure 2)

For 60 seconds the tank must be exposed to the flame from the freely burning fuel.

6.3.5.8.3.   Phase C: Indirect exposure to flame (figure 3)

As soon as phase B has been completed, the screen must be placed between the burning pan and the tank. The tank must be exposed to this reduced flame for a further 60 seconds.

6.3.5.8.4.   Phase D: End of test (figure 4)

The burning pan covered with the screen must be moved back to its original position (phase A). If, at the end of the test, the tank is burning, the fire must be extinguished forthwith.

6.3.5.9.

The results of the test shall be considered satisfactory if no liquid fuel is leaking from the tank.

6.3.6.1.

The fixture used for the test must match the manner of installation of the tank on the vehicle, including the way in which the tank vent works.

6.3.6.2.

The tank filled to 50 % of its capacity with water at 293 K (20 °C) must be subjected for one hour to an ambient temperature of 368 K ± 2 K (95 °C ± 2 °C).

6.3.6.3.

The results of the test shall be considered satisfactory if, after the test, the tank is not leaking or seriously deformed.

6.3.7.1.

The trade name or mark must be affixed to the tank; it must be indelible and clearly legible on the tank when the latter is installed on the vehicle.

7.1.

In the case of amendments to approvals granted pursuant to this Directive, the provisions of Article 5 of Directive 70/156/EEC shall apply.

8.1.

Measures to ensure the conformity of production shall be taken in accordance with the provisions laid down in Article 10 of Directive 70/156/EEC.