Latest:
Oresund tunnel team set to review design
00:00 12 Dec 1996
|
CJ has learnt that developer of the œ420 million Oresund
tunnel link in Denmark has ordred a design review of the project
following the blaze in the Channel Tunnel.
The massive re-assessment has been launched to check the fire safety of the œ420 million tunnel for the Oresund Crossing - planned to be the world's longest immersed tube tunnel. The move by the Oresund Consortium (OC) comes despite the fact that a fire-proof coating has already been specified for the tunnel lining. The contractor, Oresund Tunnel Contractors (OTC), has already started to cast the precast concrete segments for the 4km long tunnel.
The 16km long Orseund Crossing is a joint Danish-Swedish project to establish a fixed road-rail link between both countries. The scheme will include the third major tunnel for undersea crossings in Europe in the past decade. Previous tunnels at Storebaelt and the Channel Tunnel have suffered major fire damage in the past three years.
Fin Enemark, OC's design co-ordinator, told CJ: "We are reviewing our design requirements." OC evolved a beefed-up design specification for fire safety following the 1994 Storebaelt blaze but is worried after the Chunnel inferno.
Enemark said that the concrete mix design for the tunnel was fire tested before tenders were issued for the tunnel. The contractor is responsible for getting a final mix design to meet specified performance criteria but now OC has started a design review for fire resistance.
The contractor is still responsible for testing the fire-proof coating. The Oresund coating is to meet rigorous Dutch standards to protect the tunnel lining against a two hour fire in temperatures up to 13000c. The coating is to keep the temperatures of the 9m high by 42m wide concrete tunnel to within 2300c, said Enemark.
There was no coating in the Channel Tunnel and temperatures of about 10000c destroyed much of the concrete lining. Enemark believes that OC's review will take about three months. Segment casting is to continue unchanged during the review, he said
l See also page 16.
The massive re-assessment has been launched to check the fire safety of the œ420 million tunnel for the Oresund Crossing - planned to be the world's longest immersed tube tunnel. The move by the Oresund Consortium (OC) comes despite the fact that a fire-proof coating has already been specified for the tunnel lining. The contractor, Oresund Tunnel Contractors (OTC), has already started to cast the precast concrete segments for the 4km long tunnel.
The 16km long Orseund Crossing is a joint Danish-Swedish project to establish a fixed road-rail link between both countries. The scheme will include the third major tunnel for undersea crossings in Europe in the past decade. Previous tunnels at Storebaelt and the Channel Tunnel have suffered major fire damage in the past three years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fin Enemark, OC's design co-ordinator, told CJ: "We are reviewing our design requirements." OC evolved a beefed-up design specification for fire safety following the 1994 Storebaelt blaze but is worried after the Chunnel inferno.
Enemark said that the concrete mix design for the tunnel was fire tested before tenders were issued for the tunnel. The contractor is responsible for getting a final mix design to meet specified performance criteria but now OC has started a design review for fire resistance.
The contractor is still responsible for testing the fire-proof coating. The Oresund coating is to meet rigorous Dutch standards to protect the tunnel lining against a two hour fire in temperatures up to 13000c. The coating is to keep the temperatures of the 9m high by 42m wide concrete tunnel to within 2300c, said Enemark.
There was no coating in the Channel Tunnel and temperatures of about 10000c destroyed much of the concrete lining. Enemark believes that OC's review will take about three months. Segment casting is to continue unchanged during the review, he said
l See also page 16.
ADVERTISEMENT
Most Viewed Articles
ADVERTISEMENT