Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/245905
If You Have Not Yet Made Plans To Attend FENCETECH 2014 and Fence Industry Week, Get Busy! There Is Still Time! Complete Registration Details May Be Found On Pages 70-71 OSU Radiation Center one of many lower profile facilities utilizing crash barriers as anti-terrorism protection They may not have the high profile status or visibility of nuclear power plants, major airports or government embassies, but there is a vast array of smaller yet still sensitive installations across the country which require anti-terrorism security. Water treatment facilities, fertilizer plants, oil refineries and food processing centers are a few examples. Such an installation is Oregon State University's Radiation Center in Corvallis, Ore., home of the OSU TRIGA nuclear reactor and the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Health Physics. The research facility's reactor is a watercooled, pool–type research unit that uses uranium/zirconium hydride fuel elements, which by their nature require a high level of threat protection in today's world. Recently, Oregon State University called on veteran fence contractor Town and Country Fence of Clackamas, Ore. to oversee the securing of three driveways leading into the radiation center with crash rated barrier gates. The perimeter of the facility has existing crash rated fencing installed, but OSU decided that the prior system utilizing large removable blockades was laborious and cumbersome to move on a regular basis, prompting the university to seek a "better mousetrap." Town and Country Fence then subcontracted with Overhead Door Co. to perform the installation. It was Overhead Door's first opportunity to bid a crash rated barrier gate system, and after consultation with wholesale distributor Encon Electronics of Hay- ward, Calif., with whom Overhead Door has a 25-year-long relationship, it was decided to bid the project using three StrongArm M30TM high cycle crash rated fortified hydraulic barrier arms manufactured by HySecurity of Kent, Wash. The project involved securing two 16-foot openings and one 24foot opening. The M30 is available to fit 12-foot to 24-foot clear openings. The unit is rated at 100 cycles per hour for one vehicle, one cycle applications. It runs at 6-8 seconds open/close depending on the length of the arm. It is certified to ASTM F2656-07, Standard Test Method for Vehicle Crash Testing of Perimeter Barriers, P1 standard, meaning it can stop a 15,000-pound vehicle traveling at 30 mph, penetrating less than one meter. Although the project would prove to be challenging and rewarding, Overhead Door capitalized on their years of experience to make OSU's vision a reality. "Crash rated products are more prevalent than ever," commented Zach Eichenberger, Encon Electronics sales manager. "Certainly, the tragedies of September 11 have heightened awareness and the need for increased anti-terrorism security. It may be paranoia driving the specifications, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," he said. "These are formidable barriers that deter attacks on such facilities. The idea is that they will never have to be used for what they were built for." Projects of this nature take good planning, noted Curtis L. Kindrick, service manager and gate operator sales for Overhead Door. "The civil work in this project determines the continued on page 13 Pictured at left is one of three HySecurity StrongArm M30 high cycle crash rated fortified hydraulic barrier arms installed at Oregon State University's Radiation Center in Corvallis, Ore. Although the OSU facility is not as high profile as some others, the fact that it houses a nuclear reactor makes it a potential target for terrorists. Above, Overhead Door of Eugene, Ore., an authorized HySecurity installer, completed the exacting project. (Photos courtesy Encon Electronics)