Movement speed and exit choice in smoke-filled rail tunnels

An evacuation experiment including 100 individuals was performed inside a tunnel in order to study the effectiveness of different way-finding installations and to collect data on movement speeds and human behaviour. The participants took part in the experiment individually, and no group interactions were studied. The experiment tunnel was 200 m long and an emergency exit was located 180 m into the tunnel. In addition, emergency signs including distances to nearest exits were located every eight meters on both sides of the tunnel. The tunnel was filled with artificial smoke and acetic acid, which produced a mean light extinction coefficient of 2.2 m⁻¹. Participants had been told that they would participate in an evacuation experiment, but they had not been informed about the layout of the tunnel or the technical installations. The average movement speed was found to be approximately 0.9 m/s, independent of tunnel floor material examined. The experiment also demonstrated the importance of the emergency exit design. A loudspeaker, which provided people with an alarm signal and a pre-recorded voice message, was found to perform particular well in terms of attracting people to the exit, independent of which side of the tunnel the participants were following.     

Safe velocity of on-fire train running in the tunnel

The safety of a running train on fire in a tunnel is a key issue for rescue operations, and the train velocity is mainly related to its safety. In this study, the relationship between the wind velocity and heat release rate (HRR), temperature field around the train, and flame/smoke pervasion rule were investigated under the conditions of variable train velocity, fire location, and fire source location. Beijing Metro was considered as a typical example, in which the safe velocity was estimated to be ∼41.83 km h⁻¹. Assuming the occurrence of fire at the center of the train, the numerical simulations of the flow field using the sliding grid of CFD were performed for a full-scale tunnel under different HRRs. When the fire source reached to the target section, the velocities of all the monitoring points rapidly increased. The velocities increased as the train tail arrived at the target section. The velocities at the measuring points increased with the increase in height, excluding the value of the position with a distance of 0.025 m from the tunnel ceiling. The average temperature and concentration of smoke in the annular space between the train and tunnel ceiling had the minimum values when the running train on fire moved with a speed of 45 km h⁻¹. Thus, the safe velocity of a subway train on fire should be managed between 41.83 km h⁻¹ and 45 km h⁻¹.     

Automatic fire detection in road traffic tunnels

Fire detection experiments in a road traffic tunnel were performed in the Runehamar test tunnel 5th–8th March 2007. The Runehamar test tunnel is a full profile road traffic tunnel, 1.65 km long, located outside Åndalsnes, Norway. The goal was to examinate smoke and heat detection systems to determinate what kind of principle best suited for detecting a fire in an early stage. The systems were tested during small Heptane pool fires, varying between 0.16 m² and 1 m², giving heat release rates from 0.2 MW to 2.4 MW accordingly, and one car fire of about 3–5 MW, and with wind conditions varying from 1.1 m s^?1 to 1.6 m s^?1. The size of the fires, were designed to be in the range from impossible to difficult to detect. The results were conclusive. Earliest detection of a car fire, fire starts inside, was by smoke detection given fixed limits (3000 μg m^?3). With open pool fires, or immediate flames, continues fibre optical heat detection systems was faster given the limits 3 °C/4 min.     

The effect of fuel area size on behavior of fires in a reduced-scale single-track railway tunnel

A set of experiments was carried out in a 1/9 reduced-scale single-track railway tunnel to investigate the effect of fuel area size on the temperature distribution and behavior of fires in a tunnel with natural ventilation. Methanol pool fires with four different fuel areas 0.6 × 0.3 m² (1 pan), 1.2 × 0.3 m² (2 pans), 2.4 × 0.3 m² (4 pans) and 3.6 × 0.3 m² (6 pans), were used in these experiments. Data were collected on temperatures, radiative heat flux and mass loss rates. The temperature distribution and smoke layer in the tunnel, along with overflow dimensions and radiant heat at the tunnel entrance were analyzed. The results show that as the fuel area enlarges, the fire gradually becomes ventilation-controlled and the ceiling temperature over the center of fire source declines. Burning at the central region of fire source is depressed due to lack of oxygen. This makes the temperature distribution along the tunnel ceiling change from a typical inverted V-shape to an M-shape. As observed in the experiments, a jet flame appeared at tunnel entrances and both the size and temperature of the flame increased with the enlargement of fuel area leading to a great threat to firefighters and evacuees in actual tunnel fires.     

Interaction between water spray and smoke in a fire event in a confined and mechanically ventilated enclosure

This work deals with the interaction between water droplet flows and smoke in a fire event in a confined and ventilated enclosure. The objective is to identify the specific effect of water spray in the specific environment of a confined and ventilated enclosure. The study is based on 17 large-scale fire tests performed in one room of 165 m³ ventilated at a renewal rate of 15.4 h⁻¹. The fire source is a propane gas burner with a heat release rate of between 140 and 290 kW. The water spray system consists of two Deluge nozzles with a nozzle coefficient of 26 l/min/bar^0.5. The test parameters are the fire heat release rate, the water flow rate, from 50 to 124 l/min, and the activation time. The study focuses on three topics, the interaction of the droplets with the smoke, the droplet evaporation process and the energy transferred to the droplets. The water spray significantly modifies the smoke stratification by mixing and cooling the gas phase. The rate of droplet evaporation has been determined from the water mass balance and is of the same order of magnitude as the rate of water vapor production by the combustion reaction. Heat transfer from the smoke to the droplets has been investigated using the energy balance equation. For a fire scenario in a confined and ventilated enclosure, the energy released by the fire is mainly transferred to the walls and extracted by the ventilation network. In the event of water spray activation, a significant share, up to 65%, is transferred to the droplet flows.     

Modelling the cleaning performance of rotating brush in duct cleaning

The bristle of a rotating duct cleaning brush was modelled using large deformation elastic theory. In addition to contact and centrifugal forces, especially the effect of air drag was studied in the article. The dependence of the drag coefficient on air speed was simulated for numerical computations by fitting a fourth degree polynomial in logarithmic co-ordinates on point-wise data for a cylindrical body from literature.The results show that the effect of air drag on the deflection of the single bristle (L=1 mm, d=1 mm, ρ_b=1140 m³/kg, EI=2 GPa) is negligible at normal rotating speeds of the brush (300−1000 rpm). However, air drag may affect considerably the deflection of a bristle, which has a large diameter and low density. As to be expected, air drag decreases the contact force between the single bristle tip and duct surface even at low rotation speed of bristle (<50 rpm). Thicker or stiffer bristle decreases the deflection of the rotating bristle and increases the magnitude of the contact normal force between the bristle tip and the duct surface. The model presented combined with the Mathcad software seems to be a useful tool in the cleaning brush design work.     

Simulation of fire scenarios due to different vehicle types with and without traffic in a bi-directional road tunnel

This paper presents findings obtained by CFD modelling for simulating the effects of fire due to different vehicle types in a bi-directional road tunnel. Four different burning vehicles placed in the centre of the driving lane at tunnel middle length were considered. Peaks of the heat release rate (HRR) of: 8, 30, 50, and 100 MW were simulated for the two cars, the bus, the heavy goods vehicle (HGV), and the petrol tanker, respectively. The fire effects on tunnel structure and on environmental conditions along people evacuation path were especially evaluated. The effects of the traffic jam, in contrast with the isolated vehicles, on temperatures, radiant heat flux, visibility distance, and toxic gases concentrations, were also investigated. The worst scenario was identified to be that pertaining to the petrol tanker and more critical conditions were also found when the tunnel was full of vehicles. The maximum gas temperatures reached in the presence of traffic at the side wall (and at the tunnel ceiling reported in brackets) were found to be: 360 °C (170 °C) for the two cars; 740 °C (465 °C) for the bus; 835 °C (735 °C) for the HGV and 1305 °C (1145 °C) for the petrol tanker, respectively. The presence of the traffic, in contrast with the isolated vehicle, involved an increase in the maximum temperatures equal to 16–17% for the two cars, and contained in the range 12–29% with percentages increasing starting from the tanker, to the HGV and to the bus. In other words when the maximum temperatures produced by the isolated vehicle are very high (e.g. for the tanker), the presence of the traffic had a minor effect. With reference to environmental conditions along the evacuation path, the results showed that in the case of petrol tanker fire the emergency ventilation ensures a tenable level of temperature, radiant heat flux, and toxic gases concentrations up to 5 min from the fire starting. This time increases up to 6.5 min for the HGV and 8 min for the bus. This means that the tunnel users in order to be safe in all scenarios should leave the tunnel within 5 min after the fire starting. Toxic gases concentrations, however, were found to be below the limit values in all cases and also in the presence of traffic. In the light of the aforementioned results, tunnel occupants should be promptly informed of the fire risk and guided to the exit portals. This might be done by equipping the tunnel with illuminated emergency signs located along the tunnel length and by installing traffic lights before the entrances so that the tunnel can be closed in case of emergency. By activating the traffic lights at the portals and the emergency signs (more especially those at the ceiling) at the same time as the emergency ventilation is activated, safer conditions for the people evacuation are expected.     

Determination of smoke layer interface height of medium scale tunnel fire scenarios

Smoke layer interface height is an important parameter in fire safety science. In this paper, a series of experiments were conducted in a 1/6th scale model tunnel for determining the smoke layer interface height in medium scale tunnel fire scenarios. The commonly used approaches, including visual observation, N-percentage rule and integral method are reviewed firstly. Then, considering the subjectivity and empiricism of previous approaches, a buoyancy frequency method is put forward based on the vertical temperature distribution in tunnel, which has definite physical meaning and eliminates the subjectivity of previous methods. The smoke layer thicknesses determined by buoyancy frequency method are compared with the results of visual observation, N-percentage rule (N = 10, 20, 30) and integral ratio method, respectively. The comparison results reveal that the smoke layer thicknesses determined by buoyancy frequency method fit best with the visual values for all the experimental conditions. While the calculated values by integral ratio method are lower than the visual values. In addition, the selection of optimum N values for the N-percentage rule in different cases is also discussed.     

Development of electrochromic evacuated advanced glazing

Electrochromic evacuated advanced glazing has been developed, combining optimum dynamic control of the solar radiation penetrating into buildings with a high degree of thermal insulation. This was achieved by the optimisation of the electrochromic device materials (electrochromic, ion storage, protective layers, transparent conductors and polymer electrolytes) and by the refinement of a sealing method for evacuated glazing. Electrochromic evacuated glazing prototypes with dimensions up to 40 cm × 40 cm have been fabricated using vacuum techniques and chemical methods. The prototypes exhibit excellent optical and thermal performance, with a contrast ratio up to 1:32 (visible dynamic transmittance range T_lum,bleached = 63% and T_lum,colored = 2%), coloration efficiency up to 92 cm²/C and mid-pane U-values as low as 0.86 W m⁻² K⁻¹. Their durability in relation to real working environmental conditions has been assessed through indoor and outdoor testing. Such a glazing can be used in building applications to improve occupant thermal comfort, contribute to a reduction in space heating and cooling loads and allow for increased areas of fenestration thereby reducing artificial lighting loads. These factors reduce the energy demand for the building and therefore contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.     

Full-scale experiment and CFD simulation on smoke movement and smoke control in a metro tunnel with one opening portal

Three full-scale model experiments were conducted in a unidirectional tube, which is a part of a metro tunnel with one end connected to an underground metro station and the other end opened to outside in Chongqing, PR China. Three fire HRRs, 1.35 MW, 3 MW and 3.8 MW were produced by pool fires with different oil pan sizes in the experiments. Temperature distributions under the tunnel ceiling along the longitudinal direction were measured. At the same time, CFD simulations were conducted under the same boundary conditions with the experiments by FDS 5.5. In addition, more FDS simulation cases were conducted after the FDS simulation results agreed with the experimental results. The simulation results show that the smoke temperature and the decay rate of the temperature distribution under the tunnel ceiling along the longitudinal direction increase as HRR increases. The smoke exhausts effectively from the tunnel under mechanical ventilation system, whether the emergency vent is activated as a smoke exhaust or an air supply vent. The operation mode of the mechanical ventilation system depends on the evacuation route.     

Critical ventilation velocity for multi-source tunnel fires

Ventilation is an effective method for controlling smoke during a fire. The “critical ventilation velocity” u_cr is defined as the minimum velocity at which smoke is prevented from spreading under longitudinal ventilation flow in tunnel fire situations. All previous studies on this topic have simulated fire scenarios in which only one fire source exists. This study conducted small-scale experiments and numerical simulations to investigate u_cr for cases in which two tunnel fires occur simultaneously. The tunnel was 4 m long, 0.6 m wide and 0.6 m tall. Three cases of two variously separated fires were experimentally explored and six cases were examined numerically. Both the experimental and simulation results indicated that for two identical fires, u_cr declines with separation. When the two fire sources are separate completely, u_cr can be determined by considering only a single fire. When the larger fire is upstream of the smaller downstream fire, u_cr also decreases with the separation. When two such fires sources are completely separate, u_cr can be evaluated by considering only the larger fire. The concurrent ventilation flow and flow of downstream smoke from the larger fire are strong enough to suppress the smoke flow from the smaller fire. However, when the smaller fire is upstream of the larger fire, the decrease in u_cr becomes insignificant as distance increases and the flow at u_cr must overcome the flow from both fires.     

Experimental study of the effectiveness of a water system in blocking fire-induced smoke and heat in reduced-scale tunnel tests

A water system, consisting of several water mist nozzles, has been installed in a reduced-scale tunnel. Its effectiveness in blocking fire-induced smoke and heat is tested, with and without longitudinal ventilation. A total of 14 fire tests have been carried out, with 250 ml methanol in an iron tray (25 cm × 20 cm) as fuel. Temperatures have been measured by 30 thermocouples, located upstream and downstream of the fire location. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of the water system in preventing smoke spread and in reducing the temperature in the tunnel. Interaction of the water with the fire is avoided. The impact of water pressure, ventilation velocity and nozzle arrangement on the effectiveness in smoke blocking and temperature reduction is discussed. The result confirms that the water system effectively reduces the temperatures and prevents smoke spreading in the absence of longitudinal ventilation. However, strong longitudinal ventilation (0.8 m/s ventilation velocity in the reduced-scale tunnel, corresponding to critical velocity in full-scale (1:10) tunnel) reduces the effectiveness in blocking the smoke spreading by the water system, although the temperature reduction downstream the water system remains in place. Higher water pressure makes the cooling effect stronger, because more and smaller water droplets are injected into the tunnel. For a given level of water pressure level, the impact of the nozzle row configuration is small in the tests.     

Numerical and experimental study on the flow field induced by a train urgently speeding to the rescue station

To simulate the unsteady airflow variations in the main tunnel, transverse alleyways and pilot tunnel of the rescue station as a train with emergency is speeding towards the rescue station, a numerical model using dynamic mesh technique for the train running to the rescue station was carried out. The dynamic variation analysis of velocity field and pressure field in the rescue station reveals some airflow behaviors. Experiments have been conducted in parallel and efforts have been done in order to verify the validity of the simulation by comparing with the experimental data. The results show, when the train runs towards the rescue station, the airflow variations perform complexly. Before the train decelerates, the positive pressure occurs in the whole rescue station, and the highest relative pressure occurs in the main tunnel, so the airflows in transverse alleyways blow from the main tunnel to pilot tunnel with 6.2 m/s of the highest average velocity. In the earlier stage of train’s deceleration period, the airflows in transverse alleyways 1–4# reverse their direction and reach −2.5 m/s of the highest average velocity. When the train stops in the rescue station, the velocity of airflow in the evacuation platform area blowing from the rear to the front of the train varies between 9 m/s and 12 m/s, now the pressure difference between the main tunnel and the pilot tunnel is obviously less than that in the period of constant speed, and the airflows in transverse alleyways still blow from the main tunnel with higher pressure to the pilot tunnel with lower pressure, with 3.7 m/s of the highest average velocity. As the train stops further, the pressure difference diminishes gradually, so does the airflow velocities in the evacuation platform area and the transverse alleyways, which decreases to 3 m/s and 1.9 m/s respectively when the train has stopped for 5 min. It is suggested that more attention should be paid to the impact which the airflow field variation produced by a train urgently speeding to the rescue station has on the fire smoke diffusion.     

Sequential excavation,NATM and ADECO: What they have in common and how they differ

Rabcewicz, 1964, Rabcewicz, 1965 maintained that “tunnels should be driven full face whenever possible”. ADECO, which stands for “Analysis of Controlled Deformations in tunnels”, now allows us to fulfill Rabcewicz’s dream in any stress–strain condition. In order to achieve that dream and its consequent control over cost and schedule, however, NATM must be abandoned for the ADECO. The paper traces the history of the sequential excavation, NATM (as first conceived) and Analysis of Controlled Deformations (ADECO) with the aim of shedding light on the unavoidable use of sequential excavation in “soft ground”, and of highlighting advances in tunnel design and construction that have occurred in Europe after and as alternates to the NATM. The paper presents the basic concepts in the ADECO approach to design, construction and monitoring of tunnels together with some case histories, including: full face excavation for Cassia tunnel (face area > 230 m²) in sands and silts under 5 m cover below an archeological area in Rome, Italy; Tartaguille tunnel (face area > 140 m²) advanced full face in highly swelling and squeezing ground under 100 m cover where NATM led to catastrophic failure, France; and 80 km of tunnels (face area > 140 m²) advanced full face in highly squeezing/swelling ground under 500 m cover for the high-speed railway line between Bologne and Florence, Italy (turnkey contract).     

Numerical parametric study on stability and deformation of tunnel face reinforced with face bolts

Although face bolting has been used as a stabilisation technique in open-face tunnelling for decades, there is still a lack of systematic ways for determining the optimum parameters of face bolts. To optimise design for face bolting in soft ground, it is necessary to understand the influences of each parameter associated with face bolting on ground response. In this note, five series of numerical parametric studies are carried out, to investigate the effects of length, density, reinforcement area, axial rigidity of face bolts and strength of soil on tunnel face stability and deformation in soft rock. Based on the ground condition, geometries of tunnel and configurations of face bolts simulated, the optimum length, density and axial rigidity of face bolts are found to be 0.6H (H = height of tunnel), 1 bolt/m² and 195 MN, respectively. The optimum axial rigidity of face bolt appears to be independent of the bolt density. The computed results also reveal that it is more effective to reduce face deformation by installing face bolts around the tunnel periphery, than installing them near the central area of the tunnel face.     

Load transfer mechanism in pile group due to single tunnel advancement in stiff clay

Construction of tunnels in urban cities may induce excessive settlement and tilting of nearby existing pile foundations. Various studies reported in the literature have investigated the tunnel–soil–pile interaction by means of field monitoring, centrifuge and numerical modelling. However, the load transfer mechanism between piles in a group, the induced settlement and the tilting of a pile group due to tunnel advancement has not been investigated systematically and is not well understood. This study conducts three-dimensional, coupled-consolidation finite element analyses to investigate tunnelling effects on an existing 2 × 2 pile group. The construction of a 6 m diameter (D) tunnel in saturated stiff clay is simulated. Responses of the pile group located at a clear distance of 2.1 m (0.35D) from a tunnel constructed at three different cover-to-diameter-of-tunnel ratios (C/D) of 1.5, 2.5 and 3.5 are investigated. The computed results are compared to published data based on field monitoring. It is found that the most critical stage for settlement, tilting and induced bending moment of pile group due to tunnelling is when the tunnel face is close to the pile group rather than at the end of tunnel excavation. The depth of the tunnel relative to the pile group has a vital influence on the settlement, tilting of pile group and the load transfer mechanism between piles in pile group induced by tunnel excavation. Tunnelling near the mid-depth of the pile group (i.e. C/D = 1.5) induces the largest bending moment in the piles, but the settlement and tilting of the pile group are relatively small. Based on a settlement criterion, apparent loss of capacity of the pile group is 14% and 23% for tunnels constructed at depths of C/D = 1.5 and at both C/D = 2.5 and 3.5, respectively. The largest load redistribution between the front and rear piles in the group and the largest tilting of the pile cap towards the tunnel occurs when tunnel excavated at C/D = 2.5.     

Ceiling-jet thickness and vertical distribution along flat-ceilinged horizontal tunnel with natural ventilation

A series of fire tests was conducted in a 10.0 m (L) × 0.75 m (W) × 0.45 m (H) model tunnel with a rectangular cross section, and detailed measurements were taken of the temperature and velocity within a quasi-steady state fire-driven ceiling-jet running along the centre of a ceiling.The ceiling-jet thickness was defined as the distance from the tunnel ceiling to the point where the temperature and/or velocity dropped to half of their maximums. Correlations to represent the variation in the ceiling-jet thickness along the tunnel axis were developed with the aid of a theoretical approach. The coefficients included in these correlations were determined based on the experimental results obtained. It was found that the ceiling-jet thickness derived from the temperature was 1.17 times greater than that from the velocity in the tranquil flow region.In the tranquil region, both the velocity and temperature showed top-hat distributions, with a bulging shape from the apex of the distribution towards the tunnel floor. A cubic function and coordinate transformation were applied to develop empirical formulae for the temperature and velocity distributions, which were represented by the dimensionless distance from the tunnel ceiling and dimensionless temperature rise and/or velocity at a given distance from the fire source. The correlation developed for the temperature distribution was compared with the results of large- and full-scale tunnel experiments, which verified its applicability.     

The effect of principal stress orientation on tunnel stability

In order to investigate the effect of principal stress orientation on the stability of regular tunnels and cracked tunnels, experiments by using square specimens with a centralized small tunnel were conducted, and the corresponding numerical study as well as photoelastic study were implemented. Two kinds of materials, cement mortar and sandstone, were used to make tunnel models, and three types of tunnel models were studied, i.e. (1) regular tunnel models loaded by different orientation’s principal stresses, (2) tunnel models with various orientation’s radial cracks in the spandrel under compression, and (3) tunnel models with a fixed radial crack loaded by various orientation’s principal stresses. In the numerical study, the stress intensity factors of the radial cracks were calculated, and the results agree well with the test results. For regular tunnels, when the angle θ between the major principal stress and the tunnel symmetrical axis is 45°, the corresponding tunnel is the most unfavorable; for tunnels with a radial crack in the spandrel, when the angle β between the crack and the tunnel wall is 135°, the corresponding tunnel is the most unfavorable; for tunnels with a β = 130° radial crack, when θ = 0° or θ = 70°, the compressive strengths of the tunnel models are comparatively low, whereas when θ = 90°, it is the highest.