Crash protection and collision protection.

Crash protection and collision protection refer to structural protection systems for specific usage anywhere that a risk of collision exists, and thereby provide protection for buildings, plants and people from damage caused by collisions. Robust systems comprised of steel, hot dip galvanised metal or flexible polymer composites are used for them. In particular, they are put to use in industrial environments in which vehicles regularly pass by or manoeuvre through fixed infrastructure.

The systems either absorb or dissipate the force of impacts, allowing the resulting damage to be minimised in the event of a collision that cannot be avoided. Depending on the specific type – bollards, brackets, barriers, profiles – they are suitable for use both indoors and outdoors.

When used together, these systems have one and the same objective: to minimise damage, increase safety and safeguard company workflows over the long term.

In a worse case scenario, crash protection systems carry out a key task: they absorb the forces generated by a collision and dissipate them in a controlled manner. Depending on the model used, there are different ways this is done:

In addition, crash protection solutions perform an important function as a warning and as an orientation aid. The highly visible signal colours – usually yellow and black – make danger zones immediately obvious and promote the safe guidance of traffic.

Modular solutions make it easy to expand or modify a system to suit requirements when on-site conditions change.

Systems made of steel or plastic exhibit significant differences in terms of function, collision response and life cycle costs:

Steel crash protection is distinguished by its high stability and resilience. It has a blocking effect: in the event of a collision, the vehicle is stopped abruptly, however the energy from the impact is transferred directly to the ground, mounting elements and vehicle. This makes steel particularly suitable for areas where collisions occur infrequently, but involve very hard impacts when they do, or for extremely heavy vehicles, for example in outdoor areas or when highly vulnerable machinery is involved. However, drawbacks include the high effective weight of the items and the time consuming assembly process. Collisions often result in bent strips, damaged floor anchors or broken concrete, which might entail repairs, replacements and having to suspend operations. There is also a higher risk of injury due to the rigidity of the construction and due to potential deformations with sharp edges.

Plastic crash protection systems are based on elastic polymer materials and function by absorbing forces. In the event of an impact, they yield in a controlled manner, absorbing the energy before returning to their original shape. This provides a significant level of protection for vehicles, floors and mounting elements. Plastic systems are lighter in weight, easier to install and usually entail lower secondary costs, as they often remain functional after collisions. They are particularly well suited for indoor areas with high frequency forklift or tugger train traffic. However, plastic cannot equal the blocking effect of steel when subjected to extreme point loads.

To sum up: steel provides a maximum blocking effect when subjected to extreme loads, while plastic makes an impression with its capacity for energy absorption, occupational safety and low life cycle costs. A combination of both materials is also possible, e.g. steel uprights in combination with plastic crossbeams. Hybrid solutions like this united the high stability of steel with the flexibility of plastic.

The choice of material should therefore always be adapted to suit the respective usage scenario. Which solution is suitable for your company depends on the traffic frequency, vehicle type and the level of protection required.