An Introduction To The Box Beam

In industrial areas where large or heavy vehicles move around, the installation of a box beam crash barrier could be necessary to prevent damage being caused, should one of those vehicles get out of control. 

Box beam crash barriers are highly robust and long-lasting due to their galvanisation, which results in a longer lifespan, and the capacity to tolerate adverse conditions and high impact. 

If you’ve not come across box beams before, then here’s an introduction to what they are and how they perform.

What Are Box Beams?

The box beam is an effective, durable alternative to the conventional corrugated Armco barrier. Though it could be said that neither is better than the other, they certainly have their own ideal applications. 

An open box beam barrier is a heavy-duty barrier system that was first intended for use on highways, on approaches to bridges, and other similar structures. Box beam crash barriers are ideal for areas like car parks where appearance and performance are crucial, since they are arguably more robust, and have a sleeker, modern, somewhat less industrial aesthetic.

With their extreme strength and durability, box beams are expertly built to prevent large fleet cars and vehicles from unexpectedly damaging equipment, machinery, other vehicles and property after a collision or impact. In other words, they are great for reducing damage and enhancing safety in working environments and built-up areas. Learn more about vehicle crash barriers here.

To have peace of mind and be rest assured that your onsite machinery, property and vehicles are properly protected and safe, open box beam barriers are ideal for all warehouses, operating sites and industrial settings involving the use of heavy machinery and equipment.Our heavy-duty 2.4m Open Box Beam Barriers are made of galvanised steel and are 5mm thick, ensuring that they are properly secure and up to the task.

Box Beam Strength

Box beams are stronger than corrugated Armco barriers and as such, can withstand even greater impacts.

These heavy duty 2.4m open box beam crash barriers are made from 5mm thick galvanised steel and mounted on to galvanised steel posts spaced at 2.4m , 1.6m or even 1.2m centers to ensure maximum strength and protection. Because they’re galvanised, box beams are not only extremely strong, but they’re durable, too, which means a longer lifespan and the ability to withstand harsh conditions, both indoors and outdoors. 

The installation of a box beam means greater assurance that what lies on the other side of it is protected from the extensive damage that collision with a vehicle, such as an HGV could cause. 

Box Beam Benefits 

There are, of course, situations where a steel Armco barrier or bolt down bollard might provide sufficient protection – for example, in a warehouse where shelving and stock needs protection against impact from a forklift truck, or to prevent cars from accessing pedestrianised areas. 

But, when it’s heavier vehicles that are the issue, then the main benefit of a box beam is the additional protection that it can provide. You might find a box beam in the following places: 

• Warehouses 
• Private Roads
• Loading Bays 
• Car Parks 
• To prevent access to vacant land
• Construction sites 
• Any other industrial situation where heavy vehicles and machinery is used

In these situations, they are not only preventing vehicle access, but protecting workers, other pedestrians, valuable equipment, machinery or stock from expensive or even life threatening damage. 

As you can see there are numerous benefits of choosing a box beam crash barrier. The ones we provide at Armco Direct are made from the highest quality, 100% recyclable, galvanised steel. And when time is an issue, we can have them delivered to sites all over the UK in as little as 48 hours. 

Box beams from Armco Direct are also galvanised to the BS EN1461 standard, come with an 85 year lifetime guarantee * and can be mounted at a range of heights. 

They can be installed quickly and easily and can also be powder coated to give a high visibility finish which will act as a deterrent as well as offering immoveable protection.

Pros and Cons of Box Beams in Your Armco Barrier System

As with anything, box beams have their fair share of pros and cons – although the benefits certainly outweigh the limitations. 

Owing to their exceptional steel box beam strength, sturdiness and durability, as mentioned before, open beam barriers are perfect in your Armco barrier system as these components make them able to withstand heavy impacts and provide a lot of protection.

Of course, there are instances in which a steel Armco barrier or bollard would serve to provide efficient and effective protection for your environment. However, when heavier vehicles are involved, a box beam’s principal advantage is the greater protection it can offer.

Not only do box steel beams protect workers, other pedestrians, irreplaceable equipment and machinery from severe or even fatal damage, but they also prevent vehicle access as and when you need.

Box beams can withstand heavy applied loads, concentrated point loads, ultimate loads, and lateral loads. At peak loads, they experience some degree of deflection, like all materials, but the strength of the box beam shape means that this level is incredibly high. Importantly, box beams can also prevent damage from equipment of all sizes. If you are unsure how many box beams you will need for your box beam project, don’t worry – we can calculate the number you require.

Sectors and Uses for Box Beam Barriers

Since box beam barriers offer the highest level of protection to everything from workers and pedestrians to vehicles and machinery within your workplace (indoors and outdoors), they are suitable for a wide range of sectors and units. 

Many sectors are particularly great for having open box beam barriers installed – car parks, warehouses, industrial yards, service yards and construction sites – to name a few.

Car Parks

Steel box beams are far more rigid and usually boast a more attractive appearance than typical Armco barrier systems, which makes them an excellent fit for car parks, as this is a prime example of a sector where both function and aesthetics are necessary. Learn about the importance of car park crash barriers.

Safety becomes a foremost priority when pedestrians and moving cars or vehicles are present, making the significance of box beam crash barriers in protecting against harm, or even death, paramount. 

By constructing steel open box crash barriers, which visibly and physically separate pedestrians and heavy moving vehicles, you effectively reduce the proximity between people and traffic, and thus the possibility of collision and injury can be significantly reduced.

Steel box beam barriers can also assist in providing protection for property, buildings, machinery, and equipment, in addition to lowering the risk of injury to people by preventing rogue vehicles from straying into an area where they could cause severe harm and impact.

Warehouses

The steel box beam’s strength and design make it a great solution for warehouses. Learn more about warehouse safety barriers.

Installing steel box beams in warehouses might very well offer an effective solution to guarantee the safety of workers and pedestrians, stock, machinery, walls, and other crucial components of your warehouse. 

Without this incredible form of steel protection, a warehouse may be vulnerable to catastrophes. This could be anything from accidents involving stock and heavy loads falling on or injuring staff, or even severe damage, leading to potential claims and replacement of stock – all of which could stir up some damaging financial circumstances. Learn more about warehouse safety hazards.

Your working personnel should already be conscious and fully alert of safety and potential hazards in such a potentially dangerous workplace. Even so, a warehouse should also be constructed with protective barriers like open box beam barriers, as this can help to protect everyone if a potentially dangerous or innocent human error were to wind up occurring.

Industrial/Service Yards

For site managers, maintaining and operating an industrial or service yard, so that it runs both safely and effectively throughout the day on a daily basis, can be a massive responsibility. 

By establishing clear-cut routes for both people and vehicles in busy, built-up industrial settings and service yards, steel open box beam crash barriers serve to prevent accidents and injuries from moving vehicles in a variety of ways.

Construction Sites

It’s critical that your workers feel safe if you are in control of a construction site. Hazard risks increase exponentially in these areas since they often have many visitors and use heavy or dangerous tools and machinery. Consequently, it is crucial that you take the appropriate safety measures in place. 

About Armco Direct

At Armco Direct, we supply a range of crash barriers and box beams. Our heavy-duty galvanised steel beams provide an effective solution for safeguarding the general public, employees, and onsite equipment from vehicles and accidents in a variety of sectors and settings.

Our expertly designed barriers and Armco accessories are made from solid steel that has been galvanised to the rigorous BS EN 1461 and BS 6180 standards. 

Interested? Give us a call

Box beam installation means the reassurance that costly damage can be avoided. And if there’s the slightest possibility that a heavy vehicle may go out of control in an area where it could cause damage, then installing a box beam crash barrier could be the most sensible decision you make. 

To find out more and get your FREE no obligation quote, get in touch by giving a member of our team a call today.