In the spring of 2010, a Tucson area design consulting firm, Kimley Horn and Associates Inc., employed Reliance Foundry bollards in an application that would truly test their durability. The project proved to be a success and after two years in one of the harshest climates in the US, the bollards have successfully endured. Kimley Horn and Associates Inc. realized that this environment could pose a threat to the structural integrity of the bollards. Between July and September, the area surrounding Tucson often experiences high levels of rainfall. Locals often refer to this period as “monsoon season” and there was an expectation that the bollards would at times be submerged in water. Couple with that the fact that Arizona also experiences some of the hottest weather in the country and one will see the scope of the elemental strains that would be placed on the bollards. Having dealt with Reliance Foundry before, Kimley Horn and Associates again turned to the industry leader to see if bollards could in fact withstand the demands of this application. The Reliance Foundry bollards did perform and after experiencing two “monsoon seasons” where water often surrounded the bollards, the Reliance Foundry bollards show no signs of surface damage and no signs of structural damage. Kimley Horn and Associates selected Reliance Foundry’s model R-7572 bollard for the project and, because of the harsh demands of the Arizona climate, specified that an additional layer of epoxy primer be applied to the interior of the bollard. The bollards have exceeded all expectations and experts say that it is due to the level of anti-corrosive protection that the Reliance coating system provided both the interior and exterior of the bollard. Reliance Foundry uses a proprietary coating system to provide its bollards with anti-corrosive protection. All ductile iron bollards are coated with a one part epoxy primer and then finished with a polyester, semi-gloss powder-coating. Both the primer and coating are environmentally safe. In fact, the primer is often used in other applications to coat the inside of pipes that hold drinking water. To withstand the harsh demands of Arizona’s flood plains, any product needs to be durable. After two years in a climate that was at times extremely wet and at other times extremely dry, the Reliance Foundry bollards used in this project look as good as they did on their installation day.
