Hesco bastion

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HESCO MIL units stacked two units high around portable toilets in US-occupied Iraq
German base (Norwegian section) inside Camp Marmal near Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. Note the internal lines of gabions to reduce and compartmentalize mortar effects.

A Hesco bastion,[1] also known as a Hesco barrier,[2] and formally Concertainer,[3] is a gabion introduced in 1989 and primarily used for flood control and military fortifications.[4] It is made of a collapsible wire mesh container and heavy-duty geotextile fabric liner and is used as a temporary to semi-permanent levee or blast wall against small-arms fire and/or explosives. It has been used in military applications in Iraq and Afghanistan.

History

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British ex-coal miner Jimi Heselden designed a geotextile fabric-lined bastion for erosion and flood control on beaches and in marshes.[5][6] He founded HESCO Bastion Ltd. in 1989 to produce what he dubbed the “Concertainer”, a portmanteau of "concertina" and "container" for the unique way that units fold flat like a concertina for efficient packaging, handling, and erection.[3]

Hesco bastions were used in 2005 to reinforce levees around New Orleans in the weeks between Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.[7] During the June 2008 Midwest floods, 8,200 metres (9,000 yd) of HESCO barrier wall were shipped to Iowa.[8] In late March 2009, 10,700 m (11,700 yd) of HESCO barrier were delivered to Fargo, North Dakota, to protect against floods. In late September 2016, 16 km (10 mi) of HESCO barriers were used in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for the fall flood of 2016.[9]


Assembly

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Assembling the HESCO unit entails unfolding it and filling it with sand, soil or gravel, usually using a front end loader.[10]

The HESCO barriers are varied in sizes and models. Most of the barriers can also be stacked, and they are shipped collapsed in compact sets.

Variants

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Since the original concertainer, HESCO has developed specialized variants, including:

  • a rapid in-theatre deployment design (in which a container is dragged along the ground to deploy multiple barriers);[11]
  • an "accommodation bunker" (with an aluminum roof and a pre-detonation screen);[12]
  • a "Terrablock" combining concertainer ballast and metal mesh fencing; [13]
  • a lightweight overhead protection system; and,
  • the Sangar, a fortification kit consisting of MIL walls, protective roof, and windows.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Watch the moment WW2 bomb is blown up". Kent Online. May 14, 2020. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  2. ^ "What are the 'HESCO' barriers used to shore up the LA River?". Southern California Public Radio. January 11, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  3. ^ a b Heselden, J.W. (November 1997). "Reinforcement and Control Using Concertainers". In C.V.J. Varma (ed.). Geosynthetics Asia 1997: Select papers. Geosynthetics Asia 1997. G. Venkatappa Rao; A.R.G. Rao. Bangalore, India: CRC Press. p. 496. ISBN 9789054107705. Retrieved 2012-08-27. The name 'Concertainer', which is a registered trade mark, refers to the unique way that units fold flat concertina style. This ensures very efficient packaging, handling, and erection.
  4. ^ "Ex-miner's £10m gift to good causes". Yorkshire Evening Post. 25 March 2008. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  5. ^ Flood Fighting Structures Demonstration and Evaluation Program Archived 2006-06-22 at the Wayback Machine U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, Factsheet January 2006
  6. ^ "Owner of Segway Company Dies in Segway Accident" New York Times, September 27, 2010
  7. ^ "HESCO Bastion - A simple approach to flood protection and much more", Progressive Engineer, 2006, archived from the original on 2008-12-01
  8. ^ Hammond company helps Midwest hold back flood - David, David; Hammond Daily Star, June 25, 2008
  9. ^ Cedar Rapids Discusses Permanent Flood Protection - Kalk, Jordee; KCRG, September 26, 2016
  10. ^ Mike Nowatzki, Flood Update: Portable floodwalls will be used in flood fight as city scrambles for protection Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine The Fargo-Moorhead INFORUM Archived 2021-12-15 at the Wayback Machine March 23, 2009.
  11. ^ HESCO Raid (from the manufacturer Web site)
  12. ^ "HESCO ACCOMMODATION BUNKER". Hesco.
  13. ^ "HESCO TERRABLOCK". Hesco.
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