Frequently Asked Questions

• Can Barrier Force protective barriers be installed in standing or moving water?

  Yes! As long as the delivery system will stand up on the bottom and can be advanced. Fill material must be able to reach the system via conveyors, dredge, excavator, concrete pump, etc. The system will install Barrier Force protective barriers in moving water up to half the height of the cells. Rates exceeding 4 feet per second have not been tested.

• Can Barrier Force™ protective barriers be installed on top of levees?

  Yes, as long as there is material accessible. The Barrier Force™system has a footprint of only 1.5 feet greater than the footprint of the bags themselves. Barrier Force has a system designed to prevent over-topping of existing levees by using 2-foot barriers in conjunction with a mini-excavator and track dump trucks.

• Do Barrier Force™ protective barriers stack for greater height?

  Yes!

• How many linear feet are in each prepackaged section?

  Each prepackaged unit contains 100 feet of barrier regardless of barrier height.

• Typically how many workers are on an installation crew?

  Generally four people per crew per delivery system.

• What are Barrier Force™ protective barriers’ dimensions?

  

• What happens if water overtops the barrier?

  This has happened; water was flowing 4 feet over the top for two days. The erosion from the open top was less than 4 inches and the bag never moved. The flow was about 20 feet per second at the peak 24 hours after the rain stopped.

• What is the delivery system used to fill Barrier Force™ protective barriers?

  To install, Barrier Force segments are placed on a Man Portable Deployment Unit, or MPDU. Then, using an excavator or a front-end loader, each bag is filled with sand, dirt or other recommended material. The deployment units are removed immediately after filling and “leap-frogged” ahead to the next set of cells, and the process is repeated for whatever continuous length is required. A four-person team with one skid steer can set up a 1,000-foot barrier in 10-hours.

• What is the fill rate per foot and per hour?

  2-foot bag: 400 linear feet/hour, 2.6 cubic yards/minute

  4-foot bag: 250 linear feet/hour, 3.7 cubic yards/minute

  6-foot bag: 125 linear feet/hour, 3.5 cubic yards/minute

  These installation rates are based on using one, 3-cubic yard loader or two, 1-cubic yard skid steer loaders moving an average of less than 3 yards per minute. The production of these pieces of equipment is based on them working at less than half capacity based on CAT Performance Handbook edition #30 for a 100-foot travel to fill source.

• What materials are used to fill Barrier Force barriers?

  Sand

  Gravel

  Crushed Road Base

  RAP (Recycled Asphalt Millings)

  Mill Slag

  Topsoil

  Sandy Clay

  Flowable Fill

  Ready Mix Concrete

  6” Minus Riprap or River Stones

• Will Barrier Force™ protective barriers install and work on uneven ground?

  Yes, with our man-portable frames barriers can be installed over small variations in the ground. However, the ground does need to be generally level.