Want to build a barrier?

Question

I live on a street with a sharp road corner. Many cars went around the corner too fast and hit my house throughout the last 20 years. I was told to move, but I love my corner neighborhood status. How would I build pillars of concrete at the right height to stop vehicles passing through..

Answer 1

Force = 1/2 * m * (v)^2
m = mass of vehicle
v = speed of vehicle (m/s)

This will give the force applied to the barrier, however the rest of the details requires knowledge of concrete and soil. Moment on barrier will be force x distance above ground - however the peak moment will most likely occur below ground.

The embedment depth of the barrier needs to be sufficient to allow the load to dissipate as lateral shear through the soil, which means u need to know the soil properties in order to design.

The above can be resolved by a good engineer, however I would suggest you will need council approval as the barrier is likely to be substantial and they may not appreciate stopping a vehicle within a couple of mm's. Its all about energy reduction.

Answer 2

Concrete can be expensive. I suggest just getting a short metal railing so that if they cut the corner, the railing will scrape the bottom of their cars, possibly doing a good deal of damage. If they don't have the decency to drive appropriately, they don't deserve to have functioning cars.

Answer 3

build like a hip high 1 to 2 foot thick concrete wall to protect your building, make sure you set them deep enough so that they dont just come out when they get hit.