New Shelter Technology VARIOSAFE®
Modular design, using prefabricated components made of high-quality reinforced concrete. Shelter can be extended vertically, horizontally or in steps (e.g. on slopes) as required by adding extra cylinder modules, allowing optimum accommodation of the installation to the terrain.
Vertical pressure cylinder design with central structural pressure shaft, minimalizing unsupported spans and thus maximalizing resistance to pressure. All the individual concrete components are separated by polymer supports to absorb mechanical shocks as well as to provide tightness after. Flexible joint connection of the protective passageway to the residential building prevents the transmission of mechanical shocks to the shelter installation. Weight of all individual components less than 10 tons, allowing normal road delivery and easy erection.
Radiation Shielding
The shielding bandwidth of 6-9 tenth-value-thicknesses provides absolute protection against all types and intensities of radiation of an order which was previously unattainable. The shelter area is 100% shielded against any residual radiation from the external preliminary filter unit. The contaminated condensate which accumulates in this outer prefilter unit is to drain off safely in the main airlock area and finally to dispose outside via sewage ejecting gear.
Filters
Single or double mechanical air filter unit (Preliminary Filter) installed outside the shelter, fitted with innovative exchangeable air separators for efficient flow of filtered air. Protected air inlet. Twin active filter unit (Main Filter) installed inside the main airlock area, where filter servicing and replacement of contaminated filter elements can be handled safely and without interrupting the supply of filtered air.
Airlocks
Twin airlock system incorporating a comprehensive decontamination chamber. Both entrance to and exit from the shelter is only possible via this airlock and decontamination area. Innovative airlock door design, made of high-strength AlSi12, with an integrated air exhaust valve and a centrally-controlled locking system with locks which can be adjusted manually.
Duration of Protected Occupancy
Even in the basic version VARIOSAFE installations provide effective shelter for up to 48 days under maximum occupancy conditions,
thanks to the high capacity of the tanks installed in each cylinder module. Up to 280 days are possible under adapted occupancy conditions.
Ventilation Equipment
In the event of fires accompanied by an O² deficit in the outside atmosphere (Fire Storm), a new air recirculation system makes it possible to provide for the reabsorbtion of CO² from the air within the closed system without the need for additional equipment or fittings. The only alteration required is the replacement of the standard main filter element R3 with a CO² reabsorbtion element K3 of just the same dimensions.
Hatches and Doors
New, blast-proof armoured outside hatches and doors specifically designed to withstand reflected shockwaves with pressures of up to 10 bar, made of AlSi12 with a radioactive half-life of only 0,38 hours, fitted with a centrally-controlled locking system and external ceramic heat coating.
AT 10 Armored Door, fitted with a locking mechanism which can be readjusted manually, door cavity filled with barite granules to shield against nuclear radiation. AL 10 Armored Hatch with 3 different opening positions, lateral swivelling mechanism and hydraulic lifting gear capable of lifting the hatch through rubble loads of up to 3 tons. Bullet-proof military panoramic prisms for a protected view of 360 degree to the outside environment.
Emergency Exit
Instead of usual miserable “emergency exits”, VARIOSAFE shelters are fitted with a shielded observation turret which doubles as a fully functional airlock. Exactly this enables safe aggress from and return to the shelter for servicing work on the outside, or for the admission of additional persons seeking shelter.
Surveillance
Unobstructed view allows surveillance of the outside shelter installations and the surrounding area even when the shelter is closed and sealed off. All air inlets and outlets are fully protected and are laid out on a multiple basis. They are thus protected against damage and intentional blockage from the outside. The turret is fitted with special sealable lead-through tubes for extending an antenna and/or an environmental probe for monitoring the state of the outside contamination. This innovative design makes it possible for these instruments to remain retracted inside the shelter, where they are protected against EMP damage, until the time comes for them to be deployed.
