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Should I fill my steel bollards with concrete?

07 December 2021
Brendan Clayton

Should I fill my steel bollards with concrete?

The simple answer is NO, read more to find out why...

We often hear builders and specifiers out there saying “Bollards must be filled with concrete to make them stronger”.

This is simply not correct, filling a bollard with concrete actually has the reverse effect, by now you’re no doubt asking... How?

How?

The simple reason for this is when the load or impact is applied to the bollard, it goes through a horizontal plain rather than spread up and down the bollard.

When a force is applied to a bollard, whether this is up the top, halfway down etc, and its been filled with concrete that force goes horizontal and can completely shear the bollard off and snap in two, which obviously totally defeats the purpose of having a bollard in the first place.

When a bollard is left hollow, with no concrete inside it, fixed to the ground in the exact same way whether that is bolted down or cast in, when force is applied it actually will flex back as the force is spread up and down the bollard evenly rather than all the pressure being in one point like the concrete filled version.

So how do I get a stronger bollard?

The simple answer here is, if you need a stronger bollard, buy a bigger bollard, we have larger bollards available with thicker wall thicknesses etc, contact us now on 1300554192 to discuss your requirements now.

 

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