Concept development of a foldable vehicle barrier

The project '’Concept development of a foldable vehicle barrier’’ was done in cooperation with the company Weland Stål AB in Ulricehamn, they are a developer and producer of solar panel-mounts, facade ladders and railings among other things. This thesis is part of their efforts to expand their assortment to include products for use in the traffic environment. This thesis explored what requirements and standards are demanded of vehicle barriers, that are used to keep traffic out of certain areas such as pedestrian streets. Beyond that the report will also see the delivery of a concept of a barrier that includes the ability to be folded to allow passage of authorized vehicles to pass through without the use of motors or electronics. The thesis will cover the investigation into what requirements are put up by standardization organizations, municipalities, police authorities and government branches. Since there did not exist any official requirements, are the ones listed in this thesis derived from requirements put on products used in similar environments. The process used to develop the barrier and its ground mounting is also included in this report. The concept was modeled in Solidworks in order to be able to simulate it and then develop the drawings and files needed to produce it in Weland Ståls facilities. The result of this work is an active barrier constructed out of rectangular pipe profiles assembled in a L-shape. It functions by redirecting the forces of a collision unto the undercarriage of the vehicle that crashed into it instead of absorbing the force, which is how most conventual barriers operate. It can let through authorized vehicles by being unlocked and then folded unto the ground. The integration of a street sign into the design of the barrier allows it to visually blend into its surroundings. The final part of the work was the production of a physical prototype as a test of the adaptation to the production capabilities of Weland Stål and as a visualization tool. The thesis ends with some recommendations for further work in the area around the barrier itself and the standardization work surrounding vehicle barriers