Project Objectives

According to current literature, protection of critical infrastructure assets can take the form of one of the 4-D (i.e., Deter attack, Deny access, Detect presence, and Defend facility) approaches based on the level of vulnerability and the risk mitigation strategy adopted. By applying appropriate risk management techniques, an owner/operator will determine the level of protection security required and the effectiveness of the available mitigation strategies based on a cost-benefit analysis.
For this pilot project, the intention is to protect a physical asset by means of denying access to intruders or terrorists using stand-off barriers. Acts of terrorism of primary interest here are those coming from an individual carrying an explosive charge (improvised explosive device = ied) or by an impacting vehicle loaded with explosive charges (vehicle borne improvised explosive device = vbied). This defence type is well-known and accepted; however, a major challenge exists when the structure to be protected is an airport facility. Radio frequency (RF) transparency must be guaranteed to avoid causing mulfunctions of radar communications. RF transparency is typically associated with non-conductive and non-magnectic properties of materials and is critical to the continued and un-interrupted operation of an airport facility. In addition to the challenge for the choice of suitable material systems, the proposed protection solution must maintain attributes of ease of construction, low maintenance, and aesthetic appeal. All these attributes play a significant role as they address economical affordability and public acceptance/perception.
The objective of the project is to develop and deploy a protection system made of glass fiber-reinforced-polymer (GFRP) composites, which are known to be RF transparent, specifically designed to meet the requirements of various types of threat levels at airport facilities. GFRP members can be used stand-alone in the form of tubes of any cross-section, structural shapes, or solid bars to provide the physical separation between two spaces. GFRP composites can also be used as internal or external reinforcement to concrete elements as well containment structures (i.e., permanent formwork). In recent years, they have been demonstrated to significantly improve the resistance and fragmentation of masonry and concrete structures subjected to blast effects.