Guard Rails

Guard rails, or also known as protective guarding, are boundary features that aims to prevent any form of access to perilous areas or off-limit areas. They give a better and lighter visibility compared to that of a fence. Such example of a guard rail are handrails that creates a boundary, but also provides support to those who needs it.

Guard rails are used in different scenarios: public spaces, parking lots, hiking trails, stairways, highways, and much more uses guard rails to offer security and safety of the people. In public spaces, guard rails provide safety to people without compromising the aesthetic of the public space. Guard rails are highly used in highways not only to separate lanes, but to also protect the vehicles from going out of the lanes. Without guard rails, a lot of accidents may happen on the road.

One advantage of guard rails is to offer safety and security of civilians. Guard rails are a great tool in preventing accidents and injuries. They are noticeable since they stand out and does not blend easily with its surroundings. They can absorb a certain amount of impact from moving vehicles. And lastly, most guard rails are adaptable and can fit the needed application.

In installing guard rails, there are a lot of considerations need to be acknowledged.  Mainly the purpose of the guard rail, the optimal material to be used for the intended purpose, the dimensions of the guard rails that will be installed, the resistance of the guard rail when impacted by a certain amount of force, the guard rail’s conformity to the intended barrier laws of the United Arab Emirates, and the list would go on. At Ambitions Metal Products LLC, we have been providing years of our expertise to different companies for their guard rail solution needs.

Wire Rope Barriers

Wire rope barriers, or cable barriers, is a type of guard rail used on a roadside as a median safety traffic barrier. It is made out of steel wire ropes mounted on a post. Its primary function is to serve as a guide for vehicles and prevent such vehicles from leaving the travelled way. It also serves for redirecting aberrant vehicles.

Wire rope barriers are comparatively inexpensive compared to other form of traffic guard rails. Due to their economical price, they became commonly used in medians of divided highways. They are also easier to install and to maintain compared to other traffic rails while serving the same purpose of capturing vehicles. They are cost-effective and can get the job done.

There are two types of wire rope barriers. They can either be low-tension or high-tension. Low-tension wire barriers have tensed wires able to eliminate any sag occurring between posts. They contain springs at both ends and are compressed to maintain the overall tension within the system. When impact occurs on a low-tension wire barrier, they would tend to lie on the ground making it non-functional unless repaired. On the other hand, high-tension wire rope barriers can withstand a large impact and can remain strung after collision. Depending on the damage, some posts can still function normally even after such impact.

There are a lot of considerations in choosing a proper wire rope barrier, mainly it depends on its performance limits. Such limits include safety testing, in which it should conform to traffic rules and safety, structural adequacy, wherein no vehicle should be able to penetrate the guard rail, occupant risk, the system should not penetrate passenger compartment, and vehicle trajectory, where vehicles should not intrude in adjacent lines after impact.

Wire rope barriers are tricky and it takes an expert to know what you actually need, and at Ambitions Metal Products LLC it is our personal mission to be of service to your wire rope barrier needs.

Applicable Standards

  • ASTM A – 123
  • AASHTO M-180
  • ASTM A – 153
  • ASTM 307 Class 8.8

Configurations

  • Beam – W section with 3.81m C/C (or any other lengths) with thickness of 2.74mm or 3.25mm.
  • Posts – C section 150x150x5mm thick, 1.83m long
    • UPN 120 – 1.83m long
    • IPE120/IPE150/IPE160 – 1.83m long
  • Terminals – Fish Tail / end terminal / anchor type terminal 1/2/3/4/5