Using Composites as a Solution Instead of Welding and Steel

The Port of Los Angeles, also known as America’s Port, occupies 7,500 acres of water and land with more than 40 miles of waterfront. STRONGRAIL^® fiberglass architectural handrail system was selected by Econo Fence, Inc. for a leading container terminal operator and stevedore customer based at the Port of Los Angeles, California. More than 1,700 linear feet of handrail were used as a safety perimeter fence to separate pedestrians from electrified rail tracks.

STRONGRAIL^® Fiberglass Handrail

The main reason that STRONGRAIL^® was selected was due to the high strength and low electrical conductivity of the fiberglass handrail. The customer’s proximity to the coastline was considered by Econo Fence after looking at a number of options.

STRONGRAIL^® fence provides years of maintenance-free service because of its noncorrosive properties, in addition to offering an aesthetically pleasing solution that prevents pedestrians from gaining direct access to the electrified rails.

Black 2" square rails with 1" square pickets was the STRONGRAIL^® style chosen. STRONGRAIL^® square tube posts and caps were used to connect the fence sections. It was easy to install the lightweight fiberglass handrail, which is an extremely significant consideration when working between live track lines where freight trains carry more than $1 billion worth of cargo on a daily basis.

The project included more than 200 (8' long section) panels and 206 posts with internal base plate assemblies. Econo Fence succeeded in installing the overall fence within three days, as the base plates were initially installed and this was followed by post and fence sections.

The installers observed that even though the up-front costs were higher than steel fencing, the costs of having two certified iron workers/welders and painters to modify, grind, weld, and paint the fencing more than made up for the material cost difference.

The installers and end user were both complementary of the results and commented that the installation both looked and felt complete with zero concerns of durability or strength.

Technical Data

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Strongwell Corporation.

For more information on this source, please visit Strongwell Corporation.