27/9/2023

Tunnel safety doors are crucial tunnel-infrastructure components because they make it possible to evacuate people safely and protect technical installations when fires break out.

Tunnel safety doors should be able to withstand the high temperatures created by tunnel fires – the RWS fire curve, for example – and provide the required fire-resistance level. The requirements to be met will vary depending on the application intended for the doors. The following requirements are stipulated in Efectis-R0695:2020:

  1. The requirements to be met by tunnel safety doors between tunnel tubes or between the traffic tube and a service tunnel (escape corridor) are equivalent to European classes EI1 and EI2 for 60 minutes and EW for 120 minutes, and
  2. The requirements to be met by tunnel safety doors between tunnel tubes and technical rooms are equivalent to European classes EI1 and EI2 for 120 minutes.

Efectis-R0695:2020 proposes the use of the testing procedure set out in EN 1634-1 but with the test conditions representative for a tunnel fire and a supporting construction (usually a concrete construction) that has similar properties to the tunnel construction.

Efectis has recently carried out a series of tests, for our customer InterDam B.V., on tunnel safety doors. The most notable of these tests were those carried out on tunnel safety doors for the Maastunnel in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. This test was special because the safety doors in the Maastunnel are made of stainless steel for the purpose of long-term durability.

For further information, please contact: Jos Bienefelt