NEWS
Awards boom for blast fence project
UOW’s Associate Professor Alex Remennikov’s collaboration with Woolacotts Consulting Engineers to produce a new blast deflector fence to accommodate its new A380 and 787 aircraft has received a boom of accolades since the project’s completion in 2010. The fence’s original and highly specialised design has been recognised by both the Australian Steel Institute (ASI) Steel Design Awards NSW and ACT 2012 and a Highly Commended nod from the Consult Australia Awards for Excellence 2011. The fence, located at the Qantas Jet Base in Mascot, cost $3million and was designed to protect people and property from engine blasts during aircraft testing. Associate Professor Remennikov, Head of UOW’s School of Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering, explained that jet blasts have the power to uproot trees, shatter windows, overturn cars and trucks and injure people. The role of a blast fence is to redirect the high-energy exhaust from a jet engine to prevent damage and injury. The structure must be able to withstand heat, high-speed air stream, dust and debris. “The project was very exciting and practical,” Associate Professor Remennikov said. “It was great to interact with industry bodies and to make practical use of my skills. Designing the blast fence definitely wasn’t something that could have been learnt from a textbook, it required a lot of experimentation and trial and error.” Professor Remennikov said multiple fence designs were tested using Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations and adapted after each test. The effectiveness of the final fence design was also confirmed via a live testing with the A380 aircraft. “It took quite a few trials to get it right, but the final result is highly functional, sculptural and pleasing to the eye,” he said. 4
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The $3M blast fence at Mascot airport was designed to protect people and property from engine blasts. “To have the structure recognised by two industry awards is just delightful.” The 120m long fence was constructed from standard lightweight galvanised steel shapes. The fence is rail mounted to run full circle, allowing it to be positioned behind aircraft to suit the prevailing wind direction. This is a unique facility, as typically fences are fixed in position, allowing testing in only a limited range of wind conditions. Mounting on the rails also allows the required extent of fence to be significantly reduced as well as the ability to ‘park’ the fence when not in use, maximizing the available hardstand space-a significant advantage at the Mascot Jet Base, where space is a premium. The ASI Steel awards are offered every two years. They are designed to highlight the high standards of design and execution achievable with steel as the prime building material and showcase the versatility of steel and the Australian steel industry’s capabilities. The Consult Australia Awards for Excellence is an annual event that provides a unique opportunity to profile and promote the outstanding achievements of Consult Australia’s member firms to the industry and community. Qantas’ Northern Blast Deflector Fence was constructed by Nepean Engineering and Innovation with steel from BlueScope Steel.