I’ve been asked to track down a product that some of our designers have seen in zoos: a barrier composed of vertical piano wires held in tension. I am thinking that this is a custom fabrication, rather than an off the shelf product, and the only reference I have found googling is http://www.pwrconcepts.com/asbi.html (Power Concepts Corporation - American Steel Builders). Anybody with zoo experience know of anything more “off the shelfy” and less “build it yourselfy”? Thanks.
Is it just a cable rail with vertical cables? See www.feeneygateway.com/ or www.thecableconnection.com/
This CSI member worked on the Indianapolis Zoo - you may wish to ask him:
Mr. Paul T. Pierson, CSI, AIA
9604 Cotesworth Lane
Knoxville, TN 37922-3430
Email: paulpierson@comcast.net
Occupation: Architect
Home Chapter: Knoxville
I doubt it was piano wire - too thin.
I worked on the Central Park Zoo some years back - I don’t remeber exactly what we did, but It was probably thin wire rope as Sheldon suggests.
Gee! One would think I would have an answer to this question having spent so much time in a zoo.
Don’t we all!!
The barrier will be completely dependent on the animals - giraffe are different from orangs are different from brown bear are different from elephant are different from people. Are you trying to keep the one in and the other out? Which animal is more likely to present the biggest problem? Which one is heaviest/smartest?
It’s not piano wire - unless it’s electrified, which is possible - it’s a cable barrier like Sheldon suggested. Look at Jakob Stainless Steel Wire Rope Railings.
Had experience at the Cincinnati Zoo some years ago where we installed panels of Lexan between H-columns as the barrier between the white tigers and public. Used high-voltage snap-wire inside the barreir to move animals back that got too close, but even calculated the thrust force of an 800 pound tiger running at full speed hitting the barrier in full attack mode. Gave the public an unobstructed view. Still there as far as I know.