EP2208858B1

EP2208858B1 - Tunnel including safety structures for evacuating persons

Info

Publication number: EP2208858B1
Application number: EP09176893.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alessandro Focaracci
Original assignee: PROMETEOENGINEERING IT Srl; PrometeoengineeringIt Srl
Current assignee: PrometeoengineeringIt Srl
Priority date: 2009-01-15
Filing date: 2009-11-24
Publication date: 2016-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 2029-11-24
Also published as: IT1392507B1; EP2208858A1; ITMI20090030A1

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tunnel including safety structures for evacuating persons.
As is known, a very important problem in making tunnels is that of providing said tunnels with emergency exits allowing persons to be evacuated from the tunnel, in a case of fire or other dangerous events.
Prior solutions, usually based on fire barriers, are not suitable to provide a safe evacuating and, moreover, represent dangerous constructions for the persons being evacuated.
DE 103 33 142 shows a hanging passage for evacuating persons from a tunnel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to overcome the above mentioned drawbacks, by providing a tunnel including safety or emergency means for evacuating persons, allowing to form a safety or emergency region providing an easy access thereto for persons being evacuated, for example, in a tunnel fire event.
Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of the invention is to provide such a preferential escaping way easily accessible for persons being evacuated, and which is separated from the tunnel environment, thereby preventing fumes from entering said escaping way.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a tunnel which, owing to its specifically designed characteristics and features, is very reliable and safe in operation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a tunnel including safety or emergence means for evacuating persons, which can be easily made and which, moreover, is very competitive from a mere economic standpoint.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the above mentioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which will become more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a tunnel including safety means for evacuating persons, characterized in that said tunnel comprises a hinging or suspended drift or passage formed by a plurality of adjoining modular elements coupled to the tunnel vault by coupling tie-rod or other anchoring devices. Said modular elements have a walking-on central portion and side walls, the end portions of which are tightly engaged with the vault, said tunnel further comprising, at preset spacings, a plurality of controlled access arrangements, for communicating the tunnel floor and said hanging drift or passage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characterist and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter from the following detailed disclosure of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment of a tunnel including safety means for evacuating persons, which is illustrated, by way of a non limitative example, in the accompanying drawings, where:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the tunnel according to the present invention, including a possible arrangement of access ways or passages to the hanging drift;
Figure 2 is a top plan view showing a detail of an access way type;
Figure 3 shows a further cross-sectional view of a tunnel having a hanging or suspended evacuating way;
Figure 4 shows, on an enlarged scale, a detail of the hanging drift;
Figure 5 is a further top plan view showing a possible embodiment of adjoining modular elements forming the tunnel hanging drift;
Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the vault hanging drift;
Figure 7 is a further perspective view showing a possible embodiment of a modular element according to the present invention;
Figure 8 is a top plan of the modular element;
Figure 9 is a cross-sectibnal view taken along the line IX-IX of figure 8;

Figure 10 is a further cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X of figure 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the number references of the above mentioned figures, the tunnel including safety or emergency means for evacuating people or persons according to the present invention is herein generally indicated by the reference number 1.
The main feature of the subject tunnel is that it includes a hanging or suspended drift or passage, generally indicated by the reference number 2, and formed by a plurality of adjoining modular elements 3.
Each said modular element 3 comprises a central walking-on or trampling portion 4, which is advantageously made of a lightened reinforce concrete or steel material slab, thereon it is possible to optionally apply a floating floor, or any other desired types of floor.
To the central walking-on portion 4 are coupled side walls 5 extending at the opposite end portions of the central trampling portion, and which are either outward tapered, or have a vertical arrangement.
The side walls 5, at their end portions, are tightly engaged with the tunnel vault 6.
Said modular elements, in particular, are coupled to said tunnel vault by coupling tie rods 8 connected to connection joints or fittings 9, associated with concrete embedded plates, or clamped to the elements 3 by other clamping technology of like efficiency.
At their adjoining end portions, said modular elements comprise plug-in systems 10-11 allowing a mutual male-female connection with a possibility of easily performing an azimuthal and zenithal adjustment, or being merely connected to one another by metal connecting plates.
To connect the adjoining elements, are herein used connecting or coupling plates 15 and 16, arranged at said walking-on plane near the side wall connecting region.
At the top end portion of said sidewalls, are provided a plurality of coupling elements 20, made of a steel or other material, coupling to one another consecutive modular elements and which are in turn clamped to the tunnel vault, by mechanical, chemical or other like clamping means.
The tie-rods 8 may moreover operate as supporting elements for a handrail arrangement (either of an illuminated type or not), which longitudinally extends within the tunnel, thereby defining the escaping way.
For accessing the hanging drift or passage, a plurality of controlled access arrangement 30 are arranged sideways of the tunnel and being separated from said tunnel by fire barrier door 31.
The controlled access arrangements 30 comprise corresponding staircases 32 leading to the hanging drift or passage, and an optional elevator 33 for handicapped persons.
The tunnel system comprises moreover a mortar layer, for example of a fireshield type, arranged along the outline of the prefabricated tunnel system and designed for protecting against fire, so as to provide a REI 120 type of construction; furthermore, at the male and female connection fittings, a fume sealing gasket is arranged.
Thus, the above disclosed safety or emergency structure provides an easily accessible escaping way, directly arranged within the tunnel, said structure being adapted to be easily used owing to the provision of the controlled access arrangement, which are suitably located along the extension of the tunnel.
In this connection, it should be apparent that the inventive person evacuating safety or emergency structure may have either a trapezoidal or rectangular shape, or any other shape designed for providing a quick and easy evacuation.
Said safety structure may be made of either a regular or pre-pressed reinforced concrete material, either of a pre-fabricated type or not, or it may also be made of a metal structural work.
Said safety structure may be firmly connected to the tunnel cap or vault either by connecting tie-rod or coupling plates and/or bolts.
For providing an efficient projection against fire, it is moreover possible to use special mortar compounds or fire retardant panels.
The access arrangements of the safety or emergency structure according to the invention may be laterally located and comprise stair case and/or elevator systems arranged in dedicated chambers or enlargements of the current tunnel cross-section or located therein.
Furthermore, the tunnel system could also comprise all necessary systems for fitting the emergency escaping and exiting requirements.
The invention, as disclosed, is susceptible to several modifications and variations, all of which will come within the scope of the invention.
Moreover, all of the constructional details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.
In practicing the invention, the used materials, provided that they are compatible to the intended use, as well as the contingent size and shapes, can be any, depending to requirements.

Claims

A tunnel (1) with safety or emergency structures for evacuating persons, said tunnel comprising a hanging drift or passage (2) formed by adjoining modular elements (3), said modular elements (3) having a central walking-on portion (4) and side walls (5), said tunnel further comprising, at preset spacings, a plurality of controlled access arrangements for communicating the tunnel floor and said suspended drift or passage (2), characterized in that said modular elements (3) are coupled to the tunnel vault (6) by coupling tie-rods (8), said side walls of said modular elements having end portions tightly engaged with said tunnel vault (6).
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that said modular elements (3) have a rectangular or trapezoidal unfoldable configuration including joints (9) and a plug-in system (10-11) coupling said modular elements to one another I an azimutally and zenitally adjustable manner.
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that said tunnel sidewalls are inclined at an angle from 0 to 45°, with respect to said central walking-on portion.
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that said central walking-on portion is covered by a floating plane.
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that a plurality of coupling structural elements are arranged on said central walking-on portion, at a converging region of said tunnel sidewalls.
A tunnel according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said joints are anchored to said walking-on portion and to said tie-rods.
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that said tunnel comprises a fume sealing double gasket arrangement located between the connection joints of said modular elements.
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that said tunnel comprises a tunnel handrail.
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that said controlled access arrangements are provided with fire barrier doors.
A tunnel according to claims 1 and 9, characterized in that said controlled access arrangements comprise a plurality of staircases and an elevator for handicapped persons, said access arrangements being lateral access arrangements and/or comprising elevator systems housed in elevator system housing chambers or in enlarged portions of a cross-section of said tunnel, or being housed in said cross-section.
A tunnel according to claim 1, characterized in that said sidewalls of said tunnel are lined or coated by fire resistant retardant mortar materials.