Fréjus Tunnel: passive protection withstanding 1300°C
Ahead of opening the second tube of the Fréjus road tunnel, the tunnel authority, SFTRF (Société Française du Tunnel Routier du Fréjus) turned once more to the CERIB Fire Testing Centre.
The FTC helped SFTRF develop and qualify the protection on fire-hydrant supply lines. In the absence of any recognized test method, the assessment of the different solutions envisaged was based on the resources and know-how of the approved laboratory:
- sustained-functionality testing for HDPE supply pipes
- full-scale furnace testing of thermal protection of HDPE–steel interfaces
- full-scale testing of thermal protection on a pressurized hydrant and pipes exposed to a representative natural fire.
This test campaign followed on from studies carried out on protective covers for tunnel hydrant supply-line inspection chambers between 2015 and 2017.
For more information: https://www.cerib-feu.com/en/tunnels-2/