Surface Mount Security Barrier Load Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security barriers, such as concrete blocks, are ineffective against high-speed vehicles and can cause damage in crowded areas, as they fail to meet standards like BSI IWA14.2013 collision tests and are not suitable for temporary installations without excavation or surface preparation.
Innovation Solution
A surface mount security barrier comprising concrete crash blocks with load transfer elements and flexible attachments that distribute impact loads between adjacent blocks, preventing significant tensile loading on the concrete and allowing for easy installation without excavation, while maintaining pedestrian access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If concrete blocks are used as security barriers, then they can prevent slow moving light weight vehicles, but they fail against high-speed heavy vehicles and can cause significant damage in crowded areas
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier system is divided into multiple discrete barrier islands spaced apart from each other, rather than using a single continuous concrete block. This segmentation allows the barrier to stop vehicles while minimizing the risk to pedestrians, as the spaced arrangement prevents a vehicle from gaining momentum between blocks and reduces the likelihood of pedestrians being trapped or injured by a continuous wall-like structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Flexible attachments serve as intermediaries connecting adjacent barrier islands, transferring impact loads between them while allowing controlled movement. These attachments distribute the impact forces across multiple barrier islands rather than concentrating them on a single concrete block, thereby reducing the harmful effects on pedestrians while maintaining effectiveness against high-speed heavy vehicles.
2Reliability
If permanent security barriers with underground footing are installed, then they provide adequate protection for permanent risk areas, but they require excavation and surface preparation which is not suitable for temporary installations
Solution Approach 1:
The underground footing component is extracted and removed from the barrier design. The barrier islands are designed to be self-contained units that can be placed directly on the ground surface without requiring excavation or permanent foundation work. This extraction enables rapid deployment for temporary installations while maintaining barrier stability through the barrier island's own weight and the flexible attachment system.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier islands are designed as self-sufficient units that do not require external foundation structures or complex installation procedures. Each barrier island contains its own load transfer elements and is capable of withstanding impacts independently while being connected to adjacent units, eliminating the need for professional excavation and foundation work.
3Device complexity
If existing concrete blocks are used, then they are simple in design, but they spin when hit on the corner and become ineffective at hindering vehicle passage
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible attachments are pre-installed between adjacent barrier islands during manufacturing, creating a pre-assembled system that prevents spinning behavior. This preliminary configuration ensures that when a vehicle impacts a barrier island, the connected flexible attachments immediately engage to transfer loads and stabilize the barrier system, preventing the spinning that occurs with loose concrete blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible attachments act as intermediaries that connect barrier islands in a fixed geometric arrangement, preventing them from rotating or spinning independently when impacted. These attachments transfer forces between adjacent barrier islands, maintaining the structural integrity and blocking effectiveness of the entire barrier system even when individual units are struck.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents vehicular passage by transferring impact loads between adjacent barrier islands without risking concrete failure, meeting collision test standards and providing a temporary, cost-effective solution for high-risk areas.
Implementation Method 1
Under load, the load transfer elements transfer load through the concrete crash block from the external fixing elements on one side of said concrete crash block to the external fixing elements on the opposing side of said concrete crash block
Implementation Method 2
flexible attachments that distribute impact loads between adjacent blocks, preventing significant tensile loading on the concrete
Data Source
AI summary
A security barrier includes a plurality of barrier islands. Each barrier island has a concrete crash block having at least one pair of opposing side faces and external fixing elements on the opposing side faces. Attachments, which may be flexible attachments, extend between the external fixing elements of adjacent barrier islands of the security barrier. Each barrier island also has one or more load transfer element within the concrete crash block and, under load, the load transfer elements transfer load from the external fixing elements on one side of the concrete crash block to the external fixing elements on the opposing side of the concrete crash block.