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Vehicle barriers from Turnstar

The latest product from Turnstar is the Talon, a high security barrier that provides the strictest control over car and truck access. The result of a 12-month, in-house development programme, the Talon is simple and fast to install, robust and competitively-priced.

Available in two formats, the Talon is supplied either as a combined vehicle boom with tyre spikes or as a standalone tyre spike unit. Available in lengths from 3 to 6 metres, Talon barriers are supplied complete and will work with all access control systems. Articulated barrier arms are available for installations under low ceilings - such as parking garages.

The Talon uses two 80 watt torque motors, one to drive the boom arm, the other to raise and lower the road-spikes. Pat Cooke, Turnstar's head of engineering designed the Talon and explains the significance of twin motors: "We began by using a single motor to drive the arm and the spikes. However, a major concern was over-stressing the motor by making it drive the boom and the spikes. Twin motors obviously give us more long-term reliability."

"It also means that we can offer two models from the same engineering platform - the combined boom with tyre spikes and the standalone spike unit. We have kept all the features of our standard Traffic Master barrier and developed an independent tyre spike unit to work in conjunction with it."

The use of electrically interlocked twin motors also creates the option for the tyre spikes to be operated independently of the barrier arm. This is important if you need to accelerate authorised access at peak times, perhaps for staff in the morning and late afternoon. The Talon then operates as a standard boom with accordingly faster cycle times and higher traffic flows.

Cooke also gave a great deal of thought to improving earlier designs so that installation could be made simpler and quicker: "Traditionally, installing an automatic spike barrier involved lengthy civil works like digging up the roadway, pouring concrete channels and running drainage pipes. It meant a lot of costly aggravation and put a tar or paved roadway out of use for at least a week.

"In contrast, the Talon is mounted on the surface which means just a fraction of the old civil works. It also has its own integral heavy steel ramps on each side, once again cutting installation times and costs. In effect, this is a bolt-on unit."

To guarantee high levels of corrosion-resistance, the all-weather cabinet is made of powder coated 3CR12 steel and the entire road-spike housing is fully hot-dip galvanised.

More Turnstar innovations can be found in the bearings for the tyre spikes and in the spikes themselves. The spikes are mounted on a solid stainless steel shaft which runs on Vesconite bearings. These plastic bearings deliver 100% corrosion resistance and need zero maintenance.

The spikes are lock-bolted into position on the shaft in such a way that they are fully-effective in both directions. Coupled with the design of the spikes' housing, this feature completely overcomes the widespread problem of a vehicle driving through the barrier in the reverse direction and simply flattening the spikes into their housing.

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