LafargeHolcim supplies high-performance concrete for the European XFEL laser

LafargeHolcim's high-performance concrete made it possible to build the 3,4 km tunnel housing European XFEL, the world's most powerful X-ray laser, located near Hamburg, Germany.

European XFEL generates extremely powerful X-ray flashes that are used by researchers around the world. The flashes, produced in underground tunnels, allow scientists to map the atomic details of viruses, film chemical reactions, and study the inner processes of planets.
LafargeHolcim, through its local subsidiary Holcim Deutschland, supplied specialty concretes for the construction of the extensive underground tunnel system, including an easy-to-pump heavy concrete used for radiation protection and a concrete suited to seabed conditions.

LafargeHolcim engineers also developed concrete solutions specifically for European XFEL. These met the builder's request to reduce the quantities of aluminium, sodium, silica and magnesium, which are usually present in concrete and could have interfered with the very fine measurements taken by the laser. Some solutions therefore required special limestone aggregates to achieve particularly low silica levels. Together with the builder, the Group carried out extensive chemical and physical tests on each concrete mix to guarantee very high quality levels for the project.

LafargeHolcim also developed an integrated logistics solution for European XFEL, ensuring that deliveries complied with strict regulations on traffic, dust and noise.

Today, thanks to its global R&D center in Lyon, France, and the Group's expertise in tunnel construction, particularly in Switzerland, LafargeHolcim is ideally positioned to provide architects and engineers with construction materials able to meet the specific requirements of technologically complex projects around the world.