In-situ fire testing for tunnels - TunnelCast

August, 2012: The Efectis Group, a major European fire research institute, has carried out fire safety tests on the concrete lining of a road tunnel in Paris using one of its most recent innovations - the mobile furnace. This piece of equipment allows a fire resistance test to 1,300°C on a 1m2 sample section to be performed on site, and in just two hours, making labour-intensive testing of concrete samples in a laboratory unnecessary. With many European tunnels needing to be tested to ensure they meet more stringent European fire safety criteria the mobile furnace offers important benefits.

Snapshot

Mobile furnace used for fire safety testing

Armand van Wijck reports for TunnelTalk
Location:
La Defense, Paris, France
Contractor:
Efectis Group
Client:
Egis Tunnels France
Type of test:
Two hour long in-situ fire resistance test representing an HCM fire curve
Test purpose:
To check if the tunnel wall needs upgrading to meet new European fire safety standards
Equipment used:
Mobile furnace MobiFiRe, type RWS, propane tank, thermocouples
Test parameters:
Loss of concrete thickness due to spalling, time, temperature
Test sample:
Concrete tunnel wall area of about 1m2
Maximum test temperature:
Approximately 1,300°C
References
Full-scale tunnel fire testing - May 2012
Fire-spalling of self-compacting concrete - May 2012
Sprinkler limitations for tunnel fire fighting - Sep 2011
Fire fighting system unveiled by Eurotunnel - Feb 2011
PP fibres to resist fire-induced concrete spalling - Nov 2011