Introduction

Ventilation (buildings suitable for breathing) and air-conditioning (buildings heated and protected from moisture) belong to the big problems which those must overcome which maintain an underground fortification (the such Maginot Line). And, even currently, with the technological developments, the problem is not simple to solve.

Air-conditioning

The ideal is to be able to control the temperature and the moisture of the interior air with apparatuses of expensive air-conditioning.

In connection with moisture, the solution cheapest (but random) consists in leaving all the open interior doors in winter (when the air which penetrates is cold and dry) and closing them in summer (when the air which penetrates is hot and wet).

Ventilation

The problem of ventilation is technically much simpler to regulate than that of air-conditioning. But it requires the installation of a great quantity of sheaths, valves and ventilators, especially when one wants, moreover, to protect itself from poison gases.

In this document we are interested in ventilation of underground quartering.

Extraction of the foul air

Sheaths of evacuation of the foul air of the kitchen (Holy Agnes SFAM)

The buildings of quartering which produce foul air are primarily the latrines, the kitchen, the generating power station, the infirmary and the reserves with vivres.

It is thus necessary, for these casemates, to establish a special network of sheaths leading the foul air outside the fortification. Electromechanical extractors activate this elimination.

To differentiate these sheaths, others which traverse the galleries, the standard adopted by the CORF is that they are painted in yellow. It should well be recognized that this standard, actually applied in the first achievements - SFAM- was not systematically followed elsewhere.

Notice

After war, by preoccupation with economies, all the repainted sheaths received a color gray aluminium and only their collars and valves were painted in yellow.

Recycling of the interior fresh air

Room of troop with Fressinea (SFAM) with its sheath for fresh air

The mixing of the air, in the totality of the fortress, can be really assured only by one system of sheaths distributing the fresh air, in light overpressure, in each casemate.

A room of ventilation ensures the role. The air, drawn from the principal gallery, is brewed by a centrifugal electromechanical ventilator, then led in each room.

The sheaths leading the fresh air are of red color.

Diagram - provisional of the room of ventilation

External fresh air

Time with other the air must be renewed, would be this only for replacement the expelled foul air.

A sheath, with air intake armor-plated, is thus added to the already existing network and leads the air, since outside to the room of ventilation.

The sheaths leading of the air drawn outside are of green color.

Diagram - provisional of room of ventilation

By safety it is useful to double the number of the ventilators. It is one of the reasons for which the circuit coming from outside receives its own ventilator and that one - by-pass makes it possible to inter-connect the two pure air flows.

The presence of two circuits, usable separately, requires the installation of valves.

Shelter of southern Bichel (SF Thionville)

The air intake is in frontage (grid with the top of the central crenel).

Air gauze

In the event of bombardment by toxic machines one of the solutions would be (possibly and as in open country) to make carry to the men the masks with which they are equipped. The ventilation system could then remain such as it is.

But the masks are not easy use and, at the price of some installations, the ventilation system can be transformed into anti-gas system; it is enough to seal off all the openings giving on outside and to filter the entering air.

The room of ventilation, become room of neutralization, thus receives filters activated carbon able to regenerate the air.

Final diagram of the room of ventilation

The sheath of air flow, shunting the filters, has a standardized color: the white; the filters have also a standardized color: red.

Notice

The ventilator - air gauze must overcome an important pressure loss at the time of the passage of the air in the filters, also is it of power higher than that of the other ventilator. Its more powerful engine is coupled with the ventilator by a whole of belts.

Various modes

According to the circumstances several modes can be implemented:

- the air can be simply recycled;

- the air, taken outside, and not gauze, can be pulsated in normal ventilation by the not very powerful ventilator of the circuit of recycling;

it even air can be pulsated in ventilation with high banc by the other ventilator more powerful than the precedent;

- finally, in the event of attack by poison gas, the air gauze can be filtered before being distributed to the casemates.

Fressinea (SFAM)

The filters, repainted after war, are not red any more. On the other hand the vertical shunt, in front of the two filters, has its valve with standardized white color.

Bambesch (SF Faulquemont)

The filters do not have a standardized color, but have their gray color of origin. One finds this gray color in several works of the RF Metz.

Model of room of neutralization

From the final diagram of a room of neutralization of quartering, we created the model below.

The passage of the mouse animates the image

Model

Teachware on the modes of a room of neutralization

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