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Simply smashing: broken barriers taken down, recycled

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Stacy Fowler
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq --  The concrete monoliths you see around Joint Base Balad actually have two very important duties: the most well-known is keeping the people safe from indirect fire.

A lesser-known task is saving resources through recycling of these barriers. It might seem odd at first, but Balad units are continually looking for ways to reuse, reduce and recycle equipment, supplies and unneeded materials. And what better way to meet all three R's than to find new ways to use deteriorated barriers?

These solid-concrete structures come in a variety of sizes and shapes. From the two-ton squat "Jersey" to the seven-ton towering "Alaska," all barriers help protect people at Balad. Because of their sheer size and tonnage, some might think that damaging these concrete structures is almost impossible. But after the barriers are in place, various elements almost immediately begin to wear down these giants.

According to Maj. Mark Stevens, 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron Contract Management Flight chief, deployed from U.S Air Forces in Europe headquarters, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, indirect fire accounts for some of the damage.

"The barriers are just one of many physical parts we use for force protection, especially against indirect fire events," said Master Sgt. Sam Carey, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Anti-Terrorism Office, deployed from the Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base, Co.

More often, barriers are damaged by more mundane causes: moving the barriers as missions dictate, and older ones have started to crumble at the edges due to natural weathering of the sand and wind.

"The only barriers we crush are ones that are considered unusable due to damage," said Major Stevens.

When this happens, the workforce of the Contract Management Flight takes them away for crushing.

"We try to place barriers in the most viable locations to support the mission, not by request, because moving them from one place to another isn't easy," said Sergeant Carey. "It takes a lot of work to move that much dead weight safely."

Barriers are transported by crane and flatbed trucks to their final destination: the crusher site, where they are slowly dismantled by man and machine into little pieces.

"Unfortunately, the barriers are not eaten whole by the machine - though I admit that would be cool," said Major Stevens. "They are broken into smaller pieces by an excavator with a big jackhammer attachment. The rebar is removed and larger pieces are further broken down by hand jackhammers."

The machine used to crush the barrier sections is called a paddle crusher. A paddle wheel inside a box spins and crushes the concrete between the paddles and sides; afterward, the pieces are conveyed up a track to a vibrating sorting box.

"The crusher and sorting box can be adjusted to get different sizes," said Major Stevens. "We have it set for one inch, as this size is the most versatile for road base."

Based on the volume of concrete going into the machine, about 25 percent or more is usable for road work; the rest is used for projects like erosion control and dust control.

This turns one massive concrete slab into a multi-purpose tool.

So when you see repairs being done to the streets or sidewalks around Balad, or workers laying down a new layer of gravel in the housing areas in preparation for the winter rain, there is a good chance that there is some Barrier in the mix.