The world is still aiming to get smaller through engineering projects resulting in new and upgraded airports, ports, railways, tunnels, and bridges. People and goods could travel safely by air, sea, rail, and road – if only all engineers knew how to prevent rodents and water ingress from causing damage, downtime, and fatal accidents.
Almost all new-build and retrofit projects within transportation infrastructure face the same challenges. There are high ground waters, raising sea levels and heavy rains, and there are cable-chewing rats entering vaults, shelters, and buildings. Vital control equipment is in danger, which often means costly repair works and lost revenue.
In addition to this, every infrastructure project has its own specific challenges when it comes to sealing and protection. Civil engineers and maintenance teams at airports, for example, do not only need to prevent water and rodents from affecting airfields ground lighting installations and communication systems. They must also make sure electrical equipment is protected from electromagnetic interference.
Building for the future
What they need is a reliable all-round sealing solution for cable and pipe entries that can help them cope with water threatening handholes, manholes, pits and vaults in landing strips and tracks as well as providing a shield against EMI around cabinets and enclosures. There is no room for trial and error, and the sealing system must be quick and easy to install. Good planning and proven safety technology are key to avoid risk and costly downtime, and to ensure a successful long-term asset management. They also need the possibility to upgrade and prepare for future needs; that is the ability to safely and reliably add electrical equipment such as antennas, localizers, radars, and other communication equipment, to ensure air traffic control power and to enable continuous electrification of the industry.
Smart ports need power
Owners, operators, engineers, and maintenance teams involved in the design, construction, retrofitting and maintenance of smart ports also struggle with more than rats and the risk of flooding. The intensive upgrading process, with electrification and digitalization, requires safe and stable power supply. Nobody in the business wants a crane in the port to be out of power – that is far too expensive. Therefore, it is essential to use an engineered sealing system that protects power substations and electrical rooms not only from water and rodents, but also from gas, humidity, salty air, and the effects of lightning strikes.
Securing the rail systems
Professionals involved in rail engineering also recognize the importance of preparing for climate change challenges. Severe weather events, water intrusion and rodents cause damages that are expensive to repair and that often mean obvious risks for life and assets. In this business, there is a need for the same kind of reliable, long-term sealing solutions for cables and pipes, but also for conduit penetrations. They should cover applications in everything from high-voltage substations, technical rooms and switching stations to signal and control buildings and be easy to use also in tunnels, rail yards, and railway stations.
Modernizing tunnels and bridges
Road tunnel and bridge projects face similar challenges as rail infrastructure projects, both when it comes to expansion and retrofitting. There is a need for sealing cable and pipe entries to protect electrical and electronic equipment in technical rooms along the road from rodents and water, but also to enable upgrading of older infrastructure for electrification, digitalization, and certified fire protection. Engineers who take on these challenges need sealing solutions that cover multiple demands and several official requirements.
When the challenges are so much alike, it should be possible to benefit from a sealing system that could be used as standard solution for any transportation infrastructure project. It would be even better if it could cover multiple specific needs and requirements as well. There is, in fact, a system that fits perfectly. Learn more by exploring Roxtec seals for airports, ports, railways, road tunnels and bridges.
