Tunnel Fire Testing

Developed by a German regulator and being a result of several testing programs. The test starts with a rapid heat rise – up to 1200° in the first 5 minutes of the testing which leaves the specimen exposed to this condition for 30 min and followed by a 110min of a cooling down period.

The test starts with a rapid heat rise – up to 1200° in the first 5 minutes of the testing which leaves the specimen exposed to this condition for 60 min and followed by a 110min cooling down period.

Developed by Rijkswaterstaat, the Ministry of Transport, the Netherlands. The test lasts for 120 min, where the temperature of 1350° is reached after 1 hour of testing. The method is based on the assumption that the fire occurs in the enclosed tunnel space where there is no opportunity for heat dissipation into the atmosphere.

Developed by a French regulator to strengthen requirements for the tunnel testing. HCM is an increased version of the hydrocarbon curve (HC): the temperature increase is from t=1100° up to t=1300°. HCM fire curve exposes the specimen to extremely harsh conditions in the first several minutes. It may potentially provoke a temperature shock to the surrounding structural concrete and trigger its spalling.