Abstract: In order to study the combustion characteristics of electric bicycles and the suppression efficiency of fire suppression systems on electric bicycles fires, physical fire tests of the single electric bicycle and fire extinguishing tests of electric bicycles in simulated bike shed are conducted. The suppression efficiency of hanging dry powder fire extinguisher and simple sprinkler system for the fire spreading of electric bicycles in bike shed are studied. The results show that the maximum temperature of the single electric bicycle fire is 646 ℃, the maximum heat release rate is 1 337 kW. Moreover, the phenomenon of jet fire is observed. In the fire extinguishing test, hanging powder extinguishing device can temporarily inhibit the open flame. After the action is completed, the fire is rekindled many times. In addition to the tested electric bicycle being completely burned, three other bicycles are also seriously damaged. The simple sprinkler system can quickly extinguish open flame and reduce the temperature of electric bicycles. And there is no obvious re-ignition phenomenon. During the test, only the tested electric bicycle is burned, and adjacent electric bicycles are not ignited. Therefore, the simple sprinkler system can be one of the effective measures to suppress the fires in centralized charging areas for electric bicycles.

Key words: electric bicycle fire, combustion characteristics, dry powder fire extinguisher, simple sprinkler system, fire suppression