Q: Is Certification Essential?

A: U.S. Department of State certification has become a de facto requirement for selling anti-terrorism vehicle barriers. (See How does the U.S. government certify barrier stopping power?) Certification has played an important role in the evolution and development of barriers, and has given barrier buyers confidence in the products and their performance. Certification confirms the utility of vehicle barriers for Anti-Terrorism Force Protection (ATFP). However, is certification essential? Is there a downside to certification?

It is useful to take a close look at certification and think about what it really means. Remember, each barrier is rated by its stopping power, its ability to stop a truck of certain mass traveling at a particular speed with minimum penetration. Generally, a barrier's price increases as its stopping power increases.

So which barrier is right for your application? If you install a barrier rated K4 — which is for a 15,000 pound truck traveling at 30 mph — what will happen if a terrorist attacks with a 10,000 pound truck traveling at 45 mph? In this example, the kinetic energy (KE = ½ mv²) of the 10,000 pound truck is substantially greater then that of the 15,000 pound truck. Since the standards are based on a vehicle's kinetic energy, a K4 rated barrier would theoretically not stop the lighter vehicle. No doubt the truck would be severely damaged and probably disabled, but would it penetrate beyond the point of impact? The rating system can't answer this question for you.

The design of your facility’s access roads may also affect your barrier selection. Perhaps there is a sharp bend in the road. If you mounted your barrier at the right location just beyond the bend, then no vehicle would be able to get up to significant speed before reaching the barrier. In that case, a barrier rated for a slower speed might be perfectly acceptable. Barring such natural speed limitations however, what criteria do you use to select a barrier rating? Just cost? The kinds of trucks typically found in your location? How fast nearby traffic is moving? There is no obvious answer.

There is a hidden downside to certification. Barrier crash testing is expensive. It must be done at a State Department authorized facility, which instruments the barrier and vehicle, conducts the test, analyzes the instruments and crash films, and issues a test report. A barrier supplier may spend $100,000 or more to build the prototype, transport it, install it, test it, clean up the debris, and restore the test track.

No barrier supplier wants to spend this money and fail a test. (Even though from an engineering standpoint, a failed test often reveals more about a barrier's important design features than a successful one.) Accordingly, most vehicle barriers are over-designed. The supplier wants to easily pass the test and receive certification, so they can manufacture and sell the barrier. In general, over-designing a barrier means adding cost, weight, and complexity, all of which are "features" the buyer pays for.

Another downside is that once a barrier is certified, the manufacturer cannot make modifications without another certification crash test. Obviously any significant structural changes would be prohibited, but even less substantial modifications are generally precluded. As a result, certified vehicle barriers tend not to evolve even when superior components become available. Yet highly regulated industries with significant public safety implications — such as the nuclear power industry — have provisions in place for upgrading critical components through engineering analysis rather than through full-scale testing. The lack of such provisions in the vehicle barrier industry is an obstacle to innovation and cost savings.

Sales of high stopping power vehicle barriers are rapidly moving beyond government and the military customers to

• industrial buildings
• infrastructure facilities
• public venues

These customers tend to take a closer look at the cost-to-benefit ratio, and are more likely to question the meaning and value of certification. If you fall in this category, we have a way to demonstrate stopping power that does not involve certification crash tests.

Strong, certified barriers don't have to be ugly. PRO Barrier offers goodlooking, aesthetic vehicle access control barriers that are certified, too. Contact us for the details.