Life Saving Composite Lamp Posts

Performance engineering

Saving lives with safer lamp posts Collisions with steel or concrete lamp posts account for nearly 100 deaths and more than 800 injuries annually in the UK. Eureka project E! 2534 Thermopole, led by UK company Euro-Projects Ltd, has developed a safer, energy-absorbing and maintenance-free alternative which promises to significantly reduce this carnage. A conventional lamp post made of

glass fibres to form hollow shapes that

concrete or galvanised steel acts like a

are stronger than steel, faster to produce

cheese-cutter when hit at high speed,

and more environmentally friendly. The

cutting a car in half and invariably killing

result is a lamp post or column which not

or seriously injuring the occupants. The

only withstands the full force of the

team of British, Danish, German and

elements but crumples or, thanks to a

Canadian companies collaborating on

strategically placed access hatch, hinges

Eureka project Thermopole set out to

when a car hits it, absorbing the impact.

develop a safer alternative which would

Rothley, near Leicester, specialists in the

force of a crash and save the car’s

development and processing of

occupants from the full impact.

thermoplastic composite materials and

The Thermopole lamp post is made

14

Led by Euro-Projects Ltd from

be capable of absorbing much of the

processes, the team researched,

from glass fibre reinforced thermoplastic

developed and tested a number of

composite materials; the thermoplastic

technological developments ranging from

composites are solid at room

new jointing techniques to specialist

temperature but melt on heating, and can

software for designing fibre preforms

be moulded and remoulded around the

that taper in length and vary in thickness.

www.globalwatchservice.com JUNE 2005

Performance engineering

‘Nine lives were saved following four serious crashes at a pilot site testing one of the earlier prototype columns. We’ve had a car hitting one of our composite poles at 90 miles an hour and the driver walked away from the crash’ Gerry Boyce Euro-Projects Ltd

economies of scale as the production

the dye is released and can be spotted

process continues to be refined and the

as an engineer drives past.’

fact that they are maintenance-free and

Given the global nature of the

last twice as long as conventional

concept, which Euro-Projects is also

columns, and it becomes evident that the

applying to wide-based street signs,

initial investment soon starts paying off.

utility poles and traffic lights, the potential rewards are considerable. There

Easy to replace

are 6.5 million lamp posts in the UK

Also, when council highways

alone, for example, of which 200,000-

departments install steel columns, health

300,000 columns annually need

and safety regulations dictate that a

replacing or refurbishing, representing 2-

protective barrier is placed in front of

2.5 percent of the overall market. To

them, or that they are positioned further

market the column, the company has

from the roadside and therefore need to

teamed up with Newark,

be taller. Composite columns, on the

Nottinghamshire-based Poletech

of key advantages over the conventional

other hand, being ‘passively safe’, can be

Systems Limited, manufacturer of the

steel or concrete column. Its greater

positioned close to the road without a

ground units into which columns are

strength enables it to take the full force of

protective barrier, representing a

inserted. ‘Without Eureka’s support and

high winds and vehicular impacts, and it is

measurable cost saving. Being

funding we would not have got as far as

also corrosion-resistant - unlike steel

remarkably light, they are also cheaper to

we have, and in the time we have,’ says

columns for example, which are easily

transport and install, and if a column is

Gerry Boyce.

corroded by road salts and dog’s urine. The

knocked down it is very easy to unclip

column is fully recyclable at the end of its

and replace it.

The Thermopole column has a number

lifetime – potentially 40-50 years, compared

‘The composite column has already

with a traditional column’s 10-25 years –

proved itself a lifesaver,’ says Gerry

and as its method of manufacture doesn’t

Boyce, Director of Euro-Projects. ‘Nine

require the use of solvent-based resins, it

lives were saved following four serious

also meets strict European directives for

crashes at a pilot site testing one of the

reduction in solvent emissions.

earlier prototype columns. We’ve had a

Composite columns are currently

car hitting one of our composite poles at

more expensive to produce than

90 miles an hour and the driver walked

traditional columns. However, factor in

away from the crash.’

Low-cost inspection One interesting issue raised by maintenance engineers has formed the

‘Eureka endorsement has enabled us to partner with three key companies from Europe and Canada to bring our skills together and take forward a technology which we know will save many lives’ Gerry Boyce Euro-Projects Ltd

Further information

basis of a new project under the DTI Technology Programme which comprises

For further information about project

a consortium of eight companies. ‘If a

Thermopole, please contact Gerry Boyce,

car hits a composite column at low

Director, Euro-Projects Ltd

speed and then drives off, maintenance

t: 0116 237 6693

engineers need to know if the column

e: [email protected]

has been damaged,’ says Gerry Boyce.

www.europrojects.co.uk

‘A steel or concrete column will have a dent or the paint will be chipped, while a

For further information about Eureka,

composite pole may have internal

the European collaborative R&D scheme,

damage which isn’t obvious externally,

please contact Robert Cameron,

but which may compromise its

DTI Eureka Unit

resistance to the wind or another impact.

t: 0207 215 1707

So we’ve put together a project to

e: [email protected]

develop a low-cost inspection technique

JUNE 2005 www.globalwatchservice.com

based on ‘bruisable composites’, which

For information about the DTI

involves applying an outer coating which

Technology Programme, please visit

contains a dye. If a car hits the column

www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme 15