The main focus lies often on underground spaces and facilities such as tunnels, underground railways, parking garages, etc.
Our expertise contains a wide range of risk scenarios and covers all phases of risk management, from prevention to detection and limitation of damage in the event of an incident.
Fire tests can be carried out on a small scale or in a laboratory. At a certain stage, however, a 1:1 scale test must be carried out. This is what the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (EMPA), financed by the Federal Roads Office (ASTRA), did a few years ago in the Test Gallery Hagerbach.
The researchers concluded that any car fire, whether conventional or battery-powered, is potentially fatal in a tunnel or underground car park.
Have you also reached the point where you need real-time fire testing in a safe environment without the time constraints and hectic pace of a real tunnel?
Over the years, the Hagerbach Test Gallery has hosted numerous fire and destructrive tests as well as firefighter exercises. We are happy to assist you with our expertise in this area.
Are you curious about what can be done and tested in the gallery? Together we can find a way to get the most out of your tests at Hagerbach.
The entire tunnel system can be used for customer-specific rescue and safety exercises. The widely branched out infrastructure permits various emergency scenarios and is particularly suited to the low-light and cramped conditions underground
As part of the digitalisation of the Hagerbach Test Gallery, the "digital twin" of the tunnel facility is being built. This provides a digital test environment for start-up scenarios or construction variants, for example. Linking the model with the real world via sensor technology, offers new ways of developing safety-relevant solutions and finding the best variant on the real object (proof of concept). Plant operators, in particular, can reduce and optimize maintenance and safety system costs. (Predictive maintenance)
Explosions, experiments in closed rooms respectively, require special knowledge. Stable environmental conditions (humidity and temperature, no wind or precipitation) and the blasting site protected by the mountain, favour the experimental work. State-of-the-art measuring equipment is available in order to be able to analyse these extremely fast processes technically flawlessly.
Structural safety, but also safety in regular operation or during maintenance, is a top priority at the Hagerbach Test Gallery. The daily activities of our partners and employees offer almost inexhaustible examples of this. Our experts use these for internal and external research and development projects and offer tailor-made safety training courses.
The earlier an event such as a tunnel fire can be detected, the greater the chances of minimising the damage. Depending on the situation and scenario, different detection technologies can be most reliable and fastest. Sensor-supported (IoT-Internet of Things) modelling and simulation in particular leads to successful technical solutions.
Investigating the controlled release of gases and solids and their distribution in the test room is a valuable prerequisite for developing suitable prevention and control measures. Ventilation conditions or cleaning after an event are still the subject of applied research, e.g. in connection with modern drive solutions (e-mobility).
Safety glasses, pressure vessels, special pipes, batteries and so on must undergo a series of safety relevant tests under extreme conditions such as shelling before they are approved for the market. The protected frame in the tunnel allows controlled test conditions without disturbing the environment.
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