FBI Building

Factual Questions
1

I ran past an FBI building today …

And I saw, just behind the gates that allows cars in/out, these raised metal things.

They looked like ramps, and they were just behind the gates. They were raised in such an angle as to prevent incoming traffic - they were raised toward the outside. Well, I guess they also prevent outgoing traffic … the ramps were really steep and about 3-4 feet tall. Not something you’d want to drive your car off.

What are these things called? I presume they are for building security.

2

Barriers?

3

They also looked like they came out the ground/were retractable.

4

They’re hydraulically raised, and drop down flat when driven on.

You can leave, and the ramp just flattens, but try to enter, and you just hit the underside/raised part and stop.

The ramp drops for entry when signaled manually, or by electronic command.

5

Vehicle barriers, barricades, or wedge barriers. Link.

In the Pentagon in the early 2000s, they were called “dignitary ejection devices” after a couple incidents where foreign officials were surprised to have their cars high-centered due to a malfunction.

6

Wedge barriers it is. Thank you all.

Anyway … I’m a bit confused about this:

http://www.bhsecurityinc.com/products/vehicle_barrier_IP500.jpg

How is the above drop arm barrier able to “stop and disable a 1500lb (6800kg) vehicle at 30mph (48kph) in under 20feet (6 meters).”

I have a hard time seeing that drop-arm stopping any car.

7

I think it is thicker than it looks - look at this one (not saying they are the same):

I would have never guessed that could stop a truck like that.

8

:confused:
1500lbs. is nothing, for a car - 6800kg is a few metric shit-tons. Obviously, they aren’t equivalent. :confused:

9

That’s probably a simple typo. But which way? Is it 15,000 lb = 6,800 kg, or 1,500 lb = 680 kg?

10

15,000 lb is edging its way into lightly armored vehicles. That’s 2-3 times the weight of a Hummer.

11

If you search “barrier IP500” on Google you get to various other sites with this barrier.

Apparently it is 15,000lb/6800kg. This datasheet says it is test to a K4/L2 rating on Department of State Specification SD-STD-02.01.

And reading up on SD-STD-02.01 has been a level of interestiboring that I won’t go into.

12

Maybe it’s made entirely of C4.