“The high humidity of the tunnel concrete layer could cause thermal spalling where it would explode and break when high pressure in the concrete is condensed. PIC COURTESY OF UKM“What we were looking at was to increase structural fire resistance by improving the main tunnel material which would be applied to the concrete tunnel lining and protect tunnel structure from the damages of a blazing fire,” she shared. “Our intention was to produce a tunnel segment prototype using the patented concrete mix and test fire resistance at the actual temperature of the tunnel fire,” she said. SPC produced two actual scale tunnel segments to be tested — one with the UKM patented concrete mixture and the other consisting the conventional concrete mix used for tunnel construction. This study shows that patented concrete mixture have been able to withstand the heavy heat of tunnel fire temperatures and should be used as a passive protective material for tunnel walls,” said Roszilah.

Source: New Strait Times February 05, 2020 08:26 UTC