Bollard testing company Bollard Load Testing (BLT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tyne and Wear Marine has outlined the procedures required to ensure the effective testing and application of marine bollards at ports, harbours and shipyards.
The company said there is much more pressure on bollards now that the new era of mega-ships are coming into operation, and as a result, bollards can be at a greater risk of failure.
BLT’s bollard load testing equipment claims to have designed a cost-effective solution after undertaking extensive research.
(Source: Bollard Load Testing)
According to the company’s website, the process of bollard testing includes the recording of hydraulic pressure around the bollard and converting this into tonnes, as well as recording the load and deflection of the bollard and quay.
To make a successful test, the bollard must be able to withstand a static load. An unsuccessful test would involve the bollard breaking away from the quay and cracking the surrounding structure.
If a bollard does break during the testing phase, this is not a problem, as this can be repaired immediately to avoid a repeat in real-life scenarios.
A standard test can take around 30 minutes to complete with around 15-18 tests being carried out per day once all equipment is set-up and ready to use.
See below for a video showing an example of bollard failure:
(Source: Ship Crash Accident (YouTube))
