Waterproofing and protection of precast concrete switchgear

Infrabel is an infrastructure company that is part of the NMBS/SNCB Group and emerged from the privatisation of the railways in Belgium in 2005. Its operational remit includes the maintenance and expansion of the Belgian rail network. And commissioned by Infrabel, nine new railway switchgear substations were manufactured in the Netherlands. Brussels-based TUC RAIL, an engineering and project management company specialising in railway infrastructure, was commissioned with the project planning. Ahorn bouwsystemen bv in Zutphen, the Netherlands, which specialises in the design, construction and assembly of precast concrete enclosures, was awarded the manufacturing contract.

Fast waterproofing with MC-FastTape and MC-Proof eco

The substation enclosures had to meet a wide variety of requirements. Due to their siting in contact with the ground, waterproofing was to be carried out in accordance with DIN 18533 for water impact classes W1-E, W2-E, W3-E and W4-E. The fast-setting, flexible and bituminous-free, two-component waterproofing MC-Proof eco was selected for this purpose. The high-yield sealant has an ETA rating (ETA-18/0324), is highly UV- and ageing-resistant, carbonisation inhibiting and frost resistant.

To seal the joints, TUC RAIL decided on the recommendation of MC-Bouwchemie Nederland to use the new sealing tapes of the MC-FastTape series. They can be quickly applied for wall and floor connections as well as for building separation joints and construction, expansion and movement joints. They also guarantee fast build progress with reliable sealing. Made of a thermoplastic elastomer non-woven-laminated on both sides and characterised by their very high resistance to ageing and chemicals, they are permanently flexible, tear-resistant and impermeable to water, yet still open to water vapour diffusion.