Skip to main content

Tunnel Fire Tests

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Tunnel Fire Dynamics

Abstract

This chapter gives a detailed overview of numerous large-scale fire tests carried out in different types of tunnels. Some important model-scale tunnel fire tests are also included. The information given sets the level of knowledge from this type of tunnel fire testing. The reason for doing tests is to obtain new knowledge about different phenomena. Although the focus is on large-scale testing, the fundamental knowledge is obtained both from large-scale and intermediate size tunnel testing as well as laboratory testing (e.g. scale models). The aim is usually to investigate some specific problems such as influence of different ventilation systems on smoke and temperature distribution along the tunnel, the fire development in different type of vehicles and the effect of heat exposure on the integrity and strength of the tunnel construction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Test year, cross section, tunnel length.

  2. 2.

    Longitudinal ventilation consists of fans blowing in outside air through the rear end duct system with an air quantity of 39 m3/s, i.e. a longitudinal velocity of 1.7 m/s.

  3. 3.

    Semi-transverse systems have air inlets at low levels but either no extraction or extraction at only a few points, so that the air and vehicle exhaust gases flow along the tunnel, at a velocity which increases along the tunnel length. The fresh air supply equal to 0.25 m3/s.

  4. 4.

    Transverse ventilation system has both extraction and supply of air. Fully transverse ventilation has equal amount of exhaust and supply air.

References

  1. NFPA (2004) Standard for road tunnels, bridges, and other limited access highways, 2004 edn. National Fire Protection Association

    Google Scholar 

  2. PIARC (1999) Fire and smoke control in road tunnels. World Road Association (PIARC), La Défense

    Google Scholar 

  3. Ingason H (2006) Fire testing in road and railway tunnels. In: Apted V (ed) Flammability testing of materials used in construction, transport and mining. Woodhead Publishing, pp 231–274

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  4. Ingason H (2022) Fire testing in road and railway tunnels. In: Apte V (ed) Flammability testing of materials used in construction, transport and mining, 2nd edn. Elsvier, pp 237–279

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  5. Grant GB, Jagger SF, Lea CJ (1998) Fires in tunnels. Philos Trans R Soc Lond A 356:2873–2906

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Haerter A (1994) Fire tests in the Ofenegg-tunnel in 1965. In: Ivarson E (ed) International conference on fires in tunnels, SP Report 1994:54, Borås, Sweden, 10–11 October 1994. SP Sweden National Testing and Research Institute, pp 195–214

    Google Scholar 

  7. Feizlmayr A (1976) Research in Austria on tunnel fire, Paper J2, BHRA. In: Second international symposium on aerodynamics and ventilation of vehicle tunnels, Cambrigde, UK, pp 19–40

    Google Scholar 

  8. Pucher K (1994) Fire tests in the Zwenberg tunnel (Austria). In: Ivarson E (ed) International conference on fires in tunnels, Borås, Sweden, 1994. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, pp 187–194

    Google Scholar 

  9. ILF (1976) Brandversuche in einem Tunnel. Ingenieurgemeinschaft Lässer-Feizlmayr; Bundesministerium f. Bauten u. Technik, Strassenforschung

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kommission für Sicherheitsmassnahmen in Strassentunneln (1965) Schlussbericht der Versuche im Ofenegg Tunnel von 17.5–31.5 1965

    Google Scholar 

  11. Inokuma A et al (1993) State of the road tunnel equipment in Japan – ventilation, lighting, safety equipment. Public Works Research Institute, Tsukuba

    Google Scholar 

  12. Huggett C (1980) Estimation of rate of heat release by means of oxygen consumption measurements. Fire Mater 4(2):61–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Parker WJ (1984) Calculations of the heat release rate by oxygen consumption for various applications. J Fire Sci 2:380–395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Tewarson A (1982) Experimental evaluation of flammability parameters of polymeric materials. In: Lewin M, Atlas SM, Pearce EM (eds) Flame retardant polymeric materials. Plenum Press, New York, pp 97–153

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  15. Keski-Rahkonen O (1994) Tunnel fire tests in Finland. In: Proceedings of the international conference on fires in tunnels, Borås, 10–11 October 1994. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, pp 222–237

    Google Scholar 

  16. Studiensgesellschaft Stahlanwendung (1995) Fires in transport tunnels: report on full-scale tests. Verlag u. Vertriebsges. mbH, Düsseldorf

    Google Scholar 

  17. Mikkola E (2004) Email correspondance to the author at 10 of September

    Google Scholar 

  18. Ingason H (1994) Heat release rate measurements in tunnel fires. In: Ingason H (ed) International conference on fires in tunnels, Borås, Sweden, October 10–11, 1994. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, pp 86–103

    Google Scholar 

  19. Grant GB, Drysdale D (1995) Estimating heat release rates from large-scale tunnel fires. In: Fire safety science – proceedings of the fifth international symposium, Melbourne, 1995, pp 1213–1224

    Google Scholar 

  20. Steinert C (1994) Smoke and heat production in tunnel fires. In: The international conference on fires in tunnels, Borås, Sweden, 10–11 October 1994. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, pp 123–137

    Google Scholar 

  21. Massachusetts Highway Department and Federal Highway Administration (1995) Memorial tunnel fire ventilation test program – test report. Massachusetts Highway Department and Federal Highway Administration

    Google Scholar 

  22. Kile GW, Gonzalez JA (1997) The memorial tunnel fire ventilation test program: the longitudinal and natural tests. J Ashrae Trans 103:701–713

    Google Scholar 

  23. Li YZ, Ingason H (2021) Influence of blockage on smoke control in tunnels. RISE Rep 2021:88

    Google Scholar 

  24. Takekuni K (2001) Disaster prevention of road tunnel and characteristics of the evacuation environment during fires in large scale tunnels in Japan. In: Fourth Joint Workshop COB/JTA 2Joint Meeting JTA/Cob Open Work Shop 2001 in Netherlands, 2001, pp 35–43

    Google Scholar 

  25. Lemaire A, van de Leur PHE, Kenyon YM (2002) Safety Proef: TNO Metingen Beneluxtunnel – Meetrapport. TNO

    Google Scholar 

  26. Ingason H, Lönnermark A (2004) Large-scale fire tests in the Runehamar tunnel – heat release rate (HRR). In: Ingason H (ed) International symposium on catastrophic tunnel fires (CTF), Borås, Sweden, 20–21 November 2003. SP Report 2004:2005. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, pp 2081–2092

    Google Scholar 

  27. Lönnermark A, Ingason H (2004) Large scale fire tests in the Runehamar tunnel – gas temperature and radiation. In: Ingason H (ed) International symposium on catastrophic tunnel fires (CTF), Borås, Sweden, 20–21 November 2003. SP Report 2004:2005. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, pp 2093–2103

    Google Scholar 

  28. Apte VB, Green AR, Kent JH (1991) Pool fire plume flow in a large-scale wind tunnel. In: Cox G, Langford B (eds) Proceedings of the third international symposium on fire safety science, Edinburgh, Scotland, 8–12 July 1991. Elsevier Applied Science, pp 425–434

    Google Scholar 

  29. Bettis RJ, Jagger SF, Lea CJ, Jones IP, Lennon S, Guilbert PW (1994) The use of physical and mathematical modelling to assess the hazards of tunnel fires. In: Cockram I (ed) Eighth international symposium on aerodynamics and ventilation of vehicle tunnels, Liverpool, 1994. Mech Eng Public Lim, pp 439–469

    Google Scholar 

  30. Thomas PH (1970) Movement of smoke in horizontal corridors against an air flow. Inst Fire Eng Q 30:45–53

    Google Scholar 

  31. Ingason H, Nireus K, Werling P (1997) Fire tests in a blasted rock tunnel. Report FOA-R-97-00581-990-SE. FOA, Sweden

    Google Scholar 

  32. Ingason H, Persson B (1999) Prediction of optical density using CFD. In: Curtat M (ed) Fire safety science – proceedings of the 6th international symposium, Poitiers, 1999, pp 817–828

    Google Scholar 

  33. Perard M, Brousse B (1994) Full size tests beforeopening two French tunnels. In: Cockram I (ed) Eighth international symposium on aerodynamics and ventilation of vehicle tunnels, Liverpool, UK, 1994, pp 383–408

    Google Scholar 

  34. Casale E, Brousse B, Weatherill A, Marlier E (2002) Full scale fire tests performed in the Mont Blanc tunnel – evaluation of the efficiency of the fully automatic ventilation responses. In: Fourth international conference on fires in tunnels, Basel, Switzerland, 2–4 December 2002, pp 313–325

    Google Scholar 

  35. Beard AN, Carvel RO (2012) Handbook of tunnel fire safety, 2nd edn. ICE Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  36. Brousse B, Voeltzel A, Botlan YL, Ruffin E (2002) Mont Blanc tunnel ventilation and fire tests. Tunnel Manag Int 5(1):13–22

    Google Scholar 

  37. Rew C, Deaves D (1999) Fire spread and flame length in ventilated tunnels – a model used in Channel tunnel assessments. In: Proceedings of the international conference on tunnel fires and escape from tunnels, Lyon, France, 5–7 May 1999. Independent Technical Conferences Ltd, pp 397–406

    Google Scholar 

  38. Heselden A (1976) Studies of fire and smoke behavior relevant to tunnels. In: Second international symposium on aerodynamics and ventilation of vehicle tunnels, Cambridge, UK, 23–25 March 1976. Paper J1. BHRA Fluid Engineering, pp J1-1–J1-18

    Google Scholar 

  39. Babrauskas V (1995) Burning rates. In: DiNenno PJ, Beyler CL, Custer RLP et al (eds) SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering, 2nd edn. The National Fire Protection Association, pp 3.1–3.15

    Google Scholar 

  40. Heselden A, Hinkley PL (1970) Smoke travel in shopping malls. Experiments in cooperation with Glasgow Fire Brigade. Parts 1 and 2. Fire Research Station

    Google Scholar 

  41. Ekkehard R (1994) Propagation and development of temperatures from test with railway and road vehicles. In: International conference on fires in tunnels, Borås, Sweden, 10–11 of October, 1994. SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute, pp 51–62

    Google Scholar 

  42. Shimoda A (2002) Evaluation of evacuation environment during fires in large-scale tunnels. In: Fifth Joint Workshop COB/JTA, Japan, 2002, pp 117–125

    Google Scholar 

  43. Kunikane Y, Kawabata N, Takekuni K, Shimoda A (2002) Heat release rate induced by gasoline pool fire in a large-cross-section tunnel. In: Fourth international conference on tunnel fires, Basel, Switzerland, 2–4 December 2002. Tunnel Management International, pp 387–396

    Google Scholar 

  44. Kawabata N, Kunikane Y, Yamamoto N, Takekuni K, Shimoda A (2002) Numerical simulation of smoke descent in a tunnel fire accident. In: Fourth international conference on tunnel fires, Basel, Switzerland, 2002, pp 357–366

    Google Scholar 

  45. Kunikane Y, Kawabata N, Okubo K, Shimoda A (2003) Behaviour of fire plume in a large cross sectional tunnel. In: 11th international symposium on AVVT, Luzern, Switzerland, 2003, pp 78–93

    Google Scholar 

  46. Kunikane Y, Kawabata N, Ishikawa T, Takekuni K, Shimoda A (2002) Thermal fumes and smoke induced by bus fire accident in large cross sectional tunnel. In: The fifth JSME-KSME fluids engineering conference, Nagoya, Japan, 17–21 November 2002

    Google Scholar 

  47. Heskestad G (2002) Fire plumes, flame height, and air entrainment. In: DiNenno PJ (ed) The SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering, 3rd edn. National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, pp 2-1–2-17

    Google Scholar 

  48. Ingason H, Lönnermark A, Li YZ (2011) Runehamar tunnel fire tests. SP Report 2011:55. SP Technical Research Institute

    Google Scholar 

  49. Ingason H, Li YZ, Lönnermark A (2015) Runehamar tunnel fire tests. Fire Saf J 71:134–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Lönnermark A, Lindström J, Li YZ, Claesson A, Kumm M, Ingason H (2012) Full-scale fire tests with a commuter train in a tunnel. SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås

    Google Scholar 

  51. Lönnermark A, Lindström J, Li YZ, Ingason H, Kumm M (2012) Large-scale commuter train tests – results from the METRO project. In: Proceedings from the fifth international symposium on tunnel safety and security (ISTSS 2012), New York, USA, 14–16 March 2012. SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, pp 447–456

    Google Scholar 

  52. Ingason H, Kumm M, Nilsson D, Lönnermark A, Claesson A, Li Y, Fridolf K, Åkerstedt R, Nyman H, Dittmer T, Forsén R, Janzon B, Meyer G, Bryntse A, Carlberg T, Newlove-Eriksson L, Palm A (2012) The METRO project – final report 2010:08. Mälardalen University, Västerås

    Google Scholar 

  53. Kumm M (2010) Carried Fire Load in Mass Transport Systems – a study of occurrence, allocation and fire behavior of bags and luggage in metro and commuter trains in Stockholm. Mälardalen University, Västerås

    Google Scholar 

  54. Hadjisophocleous G, Lee DH, Park WH (2012) Full-scale experiments for heat release rate measurements of railcar fires. In: International symposium on tunnel safety and security (ISTSS), New York, 2012. SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, pp 457–466

    Google Scholar 

  55. Cheong MK, Cheong WO, Leong KW, Lemaire AD, Noordijk LM (2013) Heat release rates of heavy goods vehicle fire in tunnels with fire suppression system. Fire Technol 50:249–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Cheong MK, Cheong WO, Leong KW, Lemaire AD, Noordijk LM, Tarada F (2013) Heat release rates of heavy goods vehicle fires in tunnels. In: 15th international symposium on aerodynamics, ventilation & fire in tunnels, Barcelona, Spain, 2013. BHR Group, pp 779–788

    Google Scholar 

  57. Ingason H, Appel G, Li YZ, Lundström U, Becker C (2014) Large scale fire tests with a fixed fire fighting system (FFFS). In: ISTSS 6th international symposium on tunnel safety and security, Marseille

    Google Scholar 

  58. TNO-Rapport (1980) Rapport betreffende de beproeving van het gedrag van twee isolatiematerialen ter bescherming van tunnels tegen brand. Instituut TNO voor Bouwmaterialen en Bouwconstructies, Delft

    Google Scholar 

  59. Li YZ, Ingason H (2011) Model scale tunnel fire tests – automatic sprinklers. SP Report 2011:31. SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås

    Google Scholar 

  60. Ingason H, Li YZ, Arvidson M, Jiang L (2022) Fire tests with automatic sprinklers in an intermediate scale tunnel. Fire Saf J 129:103567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Li YZ, Ingason H (2017) Scaling of wood pallet fires. Fire Saf J 88:96–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  62. Ingason H, Li YZ (2010) Model scale tunnel fire tests with longitudinal ventilation. Fire Saf J 45:371–384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Ingason H, Li YZ (2011) Model scale tunnel fire tests with point extraction ventilation. J Fire Prot Eng 21(1):5–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Lönnermark A, Ingason H (2007) The effect of cross-sectional area and air velocity on the conditions in a tunnel during a fire. SP Report 2007:05. SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås

    Google Scholar 

  65. Li YZ, Fan CG, Ingason H, Lönnermark A, Ji J (2016) Effect of cross section and ventilation on heat release rates in tunnel fires. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 51:414–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Ingason, H., Li, Y.Z., Lönnermark, A. (2024). Tunnel Fire Tests. In: Tunnel Fire Dynamics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53923-7_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-53923-7_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-53922-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-53923-7

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics