High speed not only on the rails

The state railroad company Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları (TCDD) opted for the doors from door manufacturer Efaflex due to its European references. Important criteria for the selection were the smooth running of the doors, the high running speed and the contact wire cut-outs for the passage of the contact wires into the halls. The doors have to complete around 50 opening cycles per day. Because winter temperatures in Ankara can often fall below 0 degrees Celsius, it is important that the large access roads to the buildings can be closed again quickly after the trains have entered or left.

Speed when closing saves energy

Even an EFA-SFT that is several meters wide and high can reach speeds of up to 2.5 m/s and is extremely resilient. Indoors, this advantage ensures smooth processes. Outside, the enormous speed at which the high-speed folding doors open and close helps to effectively save energy. The horizontal folding movement of these doors ensures that the full clearance height is completely free immediately. They protect against noise and draughts and impress with good thermal and sound insulation properties.

Thanks to its patented modular design, the EFA-SFT is easy to repair and maintain. Particularly large doors are fitted with special floor stoppers to additionally stabilize the closed leaves in the middle section.

Photo: Efalfex

From Ankara to Istanbul in four hours

The volume of traffic between Ankara and Istanbul is very high. Numerous cities located between these two metropolitan areas make the transport corridor the busiest in Turkey. Before the new line was built, trains on the existing Anatolian Railway line took almost seven hours to cover the distance between Ankara and Istanbul, while a journey by car takes five to six hours and the flight can be made in 55 minutes. The new line was built by TCDD. It runs on two tracks, is designed for 250 km/h and is electrified with 25 kV/50 Hz alternating current. 55 bridges and 43 tunnels were built before the line was completed. Trains have been running continuously between Ankara and Istanbul since July 2014. The journey time is now around four hours according to the timetable.

The EFA-SFT is made of aluminum and steel. The load-bearing parts of the EFA-SFT are made of galvanized sheet steel as standard. The door leaf is made of anodized, corrosion-free aluminium and is fitted with single-skin acrylic glass, which allows plenty of daylight into the building. Optional double-skin insulating glazing guarantees excellent thermal insulation for high-speed folding doors.

Numerous customization options for the façade

The EFA-SFT is the most versatile high-speed door from Efaflex. There are numerous options for optimally adapting the EFA-SFT to any façade. Leaf pitch, muntin bar arrangement and infill are variable. The surface of the door leaf can be anodized in the colors of the anodizing table or powder-coated in all RAL colors according to the customer's wishes. Series F doors are equipped with a robust pneumatic operator as standard. This powerful operator has proven itself many times over and has been developed to perfection. It easily achieves one million load changes. If the customer does not have a compressed air supply installed, the door manufacturer can also supply high-speed folding doors with an electric motor on request.

On site quickly in the event of damage

The doors are manufactured in standard sizes up to 8,000 mm wide and 6,000 mm high. In the new railroad depot in Ankara, the height of the doors is 6,800 mm and the width is 4,800 mm. The doors are operated from a control center. If there is any damage to the door, Efaflex guarantees that customer service will be on site within 24 hours.

Ariane Müller