30-37 TunnelsREV[1]rev.qxd - Industrial Fire Journal

Discussion
Pan-European projects have created new and useful information for
authorities, researchers and engineers working with tunnel fire
safety eg the Runehamar tests, the large scale demonstration tests,
human behaviour tests and water spray tests. Traffic management,
risk analysis as well as human behaviour are also examples of
research areas where new and important knowledge were
obtained. The understanding developed on spalling of high
performance concrete has lead to valuable practical
recommendations on how to protect tunnels. All this new
knowledge about tunnel construction will in the long term find its
way into standardisation and will increase the safety level in tunnels.
None of the projects focused on smoke ventilation or smoke
control, which is still a very interesting research area, as the EC was
of the opinion that therE was no need for further research in this
area[11]. The International Tunnel Association ITA created in May
2005 following a joint initiative of eight European research projects
the Committee on Operational Safety of Underground Facilities
COSUF[12]. The COSUF scope concerns the operational safety of
tunnels and underground facilities in general but included also the
aspects of security. The creation of COSUF was a natural step in the
development of closer ties between the different research groups.
Another good example of what these projects can lead to is the
establishment of L-surF [9], which aims to be a leading player in
European tunnel research activities. SP is one of the founders of
this organisation together with VSH in Switzerland, STUVA in
Germany, INERIS in France, and TNO in the Netherlands.
Conclusion
The pan-European projects sponsored by the EC have raised the
level of knowledge on tunnel fire safety. The success varies
depending on the field. Within traffic management and risk analysis
many interesting projects and models were developed. UPTUN’s
work on human behaviour is a good example of useful research.
The large scale tests in the Runehamar have already been widely
used for comparison/validation by several researchers around the
world, and served as a basis for the development of design fires in
standards such as NFPA 502[13] for road tunnels. A
recommendation on avoiding explosive spalling is also a good
example of useful information. The water spray tests and the large
scale demonstration tests have all given basic knowledge that have
pushed the technological development within the area forward.
References
1. DARTS, Durable and Reliable Tunnel Structures – The reports (CD Rom)
2004, : CUR Gouda, The Netherlands.
2. UPTUN - Final Technical Report - Document UPTUN FTR v10 20061204. 2006.
3. Ingason, H. and A. Lönnermark, Heat Release Rates from Heavy Goods Vehicle
Trailers in Tunnels. Fire Safety Journal, 2005. 40: p. 646-668.
4. K. Opstad, J.P. Stensaas, and A.W. Brandt. Fire mitigation in tunnels, experimental
results obtained in the Uptun project. in 2nd Int. Symp. on Tunnel Safety and
Security. 2006. March 15-17, Madrid, Spain.
5. R. Brignolo, et al., SAFE TUNNEL in Safety ITS congress. 2002: Lyon, France.
6. SIRTAKI Safety Improvements in Road&Rail Tunnels using Advance ICT and
Knowledge Intensive DSS - Final Report 2001 - 2004. 2004.
7. FIT – Fire in Tunnels - Thematic Network - General report 2006: www.etnfit.net.
8. SAFET-T www.crfproject-eu.org.
9. Felix Amberg and M. Wietek, L-surF: Large Scale Underground Research Facility
on Safety and Security, in Proceedings from the 3rd International Symposium on
Tunnel Safety and Security. 2008: Stockholm, Sweden.
10. Opstad, K., Fire scenarios to be recommended by UPTUN WP2 Task leader
meeting of WP2. 2005.
11. Høj, N.-P., et al., NordFoU samarbetet - Utvärdering av EU-projekt om
vägtunnelsäkerhet, Report nr. H-SE-011 2009: (in Swedish).
12. Amberg, F., ITA COSUF – SCOPE, ACTIVITIES, STRUCTURE The Committee on
Operational Safety of Underground Facilities of the International Tunneling and
underground space Association, in Think Deep. 2008: Amsterdam.
13. NFPA 502 - Standard for Road Tunnels, Bridges, and Other Limited Access
Highways. 2011 Edition, National Fire Protection Association.
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