Never mind the bollards
According to UK company Tyne and Wear Marine (TWM), common misconceptions abound when it comes to testing bollards. For example, many seem to think that bollards should be tested at 90° to the quayside and on a rare occasion this may be true – but, however it’s not always practical.
Produced in the North East of England and being launched globally, TWM’s Bollard Load Testing equipment (BLT) is specifically designed to test bollards and, claims the company, could help prevent dangerous, life threatening and expensive failures.
The Bollard Load Testing equipment is the result of over a year’s research, development and testing by TWM’s marine engineering specialists who have designed a fully calibrated, and easily deployable way of testing the strength of marine bollards.
The equipment is fully transportable and uses a powerful hydraulic ram and specialist torque rope to recreate more than 100 tonnes of ‘pull’. The breakthrough replaces the traditional method of a tug pulling against the bollard, a method that has previously caused damage to vessels and can be dangerous to the people involved.
The development of the equipment is the result of the company’s local Port of Tyne seeking a solution to test the integrity and safety of their quayside bollards when previous enquiries elsewhere had not provided anything fit for purpose.
By Jake Frith
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