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Hostile Vehicle Mitigation

We find every credible route a hostile vehicle can take, solve the speed it can reach at each barrier line, and specify the tested performance and penetration rating that stops it. We do not sell barriers, so every recommendation rests on the site.

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Scope of work

What PNH Does

Vehicle ramming assessment

Credible approach routes, vehicle types, impact speed, angle and energy at each line, and the acceptable penetration.

Approach-path analysis

Credible routes modeled in VECTOR and presented as plans and speed profiles that non-engineers can follow.

Rating-neutral selection

Test evidence compared on vehicle, speed, angle, penetration and foundation. Ratings from different standards are not interchangeable.

Perimeter layout

Spacing, clear widths, crossings, accessibility, emergency access, utilities and landscape integration.

Storefront protection

Crash-rated street furniture and low-speed protection for retail frontages, plazas and dining areas.

Repeated-impact delay

How long a rated line holds against a determined, repeated attack, screened with VECTOR-D.

Every credible route, every barrier line ranked
Illustrative site plan with four credible vehicle approach routes, each barrier location ranked from Critical to Low Openlawn ASSET A Critical B High C Medium D Low RANKED LOCATIONS A Critical Long straight run aligned with the entrance B High Off-road route across open lawn C Medium Tight turn limits speed before the line D Low Winding service road to a controlled gate Credible approach route Barrier line location Rank reflects the speed each route allows and what lies behind the line. Generic plan. Not to scale.
Each barrier location is ranked Critical to Low from the speed its approach allows and what lies behind it.
Reading a crash rating: M50-P1
Anatomy of an ASTM F2656 crash rating: M50-P1 decoded into test vehicle, nominal impact speed and penetration rating READING A RATING: ASTM F2656 M Test vehicle Standard test truck, 6800 kg (15,000 lb) 50 Nominal impact speed 50 mph (80 km/h). M30 and M40 are 30 and 40 mph. P1 Penetration rating Dynamic penetration of 1 m (3.3 ft) or less - - HOW PENETRATION IS MEASURED (SCHEMATIC ELEVATION) Barrier Dynamic penetration Barrier reference: leading impact edge, before the test Vehicle reference (M, C7 and H trucks): leading lower edge of the cargo bed Direction of travel PENETRATION RATINGS P1 1 m or less (3.3 ft) P2 1.01 to 7 m (3.31 to 23.0 ft) P3 7.01 to 30 m (23.1 to 98.4 ft) Other F2656 test vehicles: SC small car, FS full-size sedan, PU pickup, C7 Class 7 cabover, H heavy goods vehicle. Per ASTM F2656/F2656M-23. Ratings from other standards are not interchangeable. Not to scale.
An ASTM F2656 rating states the test vehicle, the nominal impact speed and how far the front of the cargo bed traveled past the barrier's attack face.
Generic barrier types
Generic barrier types in section and elevation: fixed bollard, shallow-mount bollard, wedge barrier, crash-rated planter and crash beam gate Fixed bollard SECTION Steel pipe, often concrete filled, in a continuous reinforced footing Shallow-mount SECTION Utility Bollards on a shallow steel frame where buried utilities limit depth Wedge barrier SECTION Active plate raised from a shallow pit at vehicle entries Crash-rated planter SECTION Structural core hidden inside a planter shell on the streetscape Crash beam gate ELEVATION Cable inside beam Lane Beam with an internal cable spans the lane at controlled entries Vehicle approach from the left in each section Generic types, not products. Schematic. Not to scale.
Barrier type follows the required rating, the foundation depth available and how the site operates.

Independent and Engineer-Led

PNH does not make, sell or install protective products. Analysis is performed in house with PNH's own tools and issued under the review of PNH's Chief Technical Officer. Every assumption is documented and traceable to the governing criteria.

What sits below the paving
Photoreal cutaway render of steel bollards set in a continuous reinforced concrete foundation beneath paving

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Hostile Vehicle Mitigation: Common Questions

What do M30, M40 and M50 mean?

They are ASTM F2656 condition designations for a medium-duty truck test vehicle at nominal impact speeds of 30, 40 and 50 mph. The rating also carries a penetration designation (P1 to P3 in the current 2023 edition) that says how far the front of the test truck's cargo bed traveled past the barrier's attack face. The right rating depends on the speed a vehicle can actually reach at that line.

What is the difference between ASTM F2656 and ASTM F3016?

ASTM F2656 covers vehicle crash testing of perimeter barriers across a range of vehicles and speeds. ASTM F3016 covers surrogate testing for low-speed protection, often used for storefronts and pedestrian areas. They answer different questions, so one is not a substitute for the other.

Can you tell us which bollard to buy?

PNH specifies the tested performance a location needs and reviews vendor test evidence against it. We do not make, sell or install barriers or protective products, and we never specify a product we have a stake in.

Discuss Your Hostile Vehicle Mitigation Project

Send us the site and the deadline. A short note on the site, what concerns you and when the tender or decision is due is enough to start. We reply within one business day.

  • The siteAn address, a site plan or a few photos.
  • The concernThe threat question, an incident or a client requirement.
  • The criteriaAny standard or client specification that applies.
  • The dateWhen the tender, review or decision is due.

Email pnhsec@pnhsec.com or call +1-818-253-9557

Thank you. PNH will reply within one business day.