Vault Construction Details

[Safeone]

I realise the below is dated but makes interesting reading. Good old "Rivet Grip" may not survive attacks by modern tools I suspect



https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/74738260/Rivet-Grip_Steel_1924.pdf

[safeman]

Security, not unlike buying a car, is a compromise. In what circumstances will the product be expected to perform to its’ maximum?
Mass is strength but not necessarily practical. Each component has it’s failure point and has to be positioned in the most effective way within the mass to achieve its’ potential.
The Hatton Garden robbery was successful not because of any failure of the mass or the components.
As was the case in 1865 - the famous Cornhill Robbery - when the Strongest Holdfast Thief-resisting Milner safe was opened by wedges and levers in 35 minutes, Milner’s were cleared of the failure of their product because it was ruled that the thieves had been permitted free access for such a time without discovery that the product could not have been expected to resist.

To put things in perspective regarding strongroom protection:

Test to Skyddstekniska Kommitten Standard.
500mm. Concrete wall. Manhole. SIS 3000 Specification.
To make a manhole having minimum dimensions 420 x 320, time required 209.33 minutes. (net working time)
Tools: Hammers, sledges, punches, chisels, Hilti Hammer Driller, 208, 250, 190 Hilti Drills.
Concrete 47N with reinforcing grids 12mm and 6mm.

[Huw Eastwood]

That's the thing with vaults and strong rooms, they have for so long been often wrongly portrayed in ways which suggest total resistance against everything, and not for what they really are- a 6 sided enclosure that's simply designed to resist certain attacks for a certain (limited) amount of time.

As a result they are often looked upon with extremely high expectations, often far more than for which they are intended.

[Chubby]

One very good way of beefing things up is to get a supply of the TC bullets from the old APDS anti tank rounds. Use something of the sort to replace some of the aggregate in the concrete mix. Old broken drills, taps, dies, files etc are all old friends too.

[Safeone]

One very good way of beefing things up is to get a supply of the TC bullets from the old APDS anti tank rounds. Use something of the sort to replace some of the aggregate in the concrete mix. Old broken drills, taps, dies, files etc are all old friends too.

Would corrosion of files, drills, taps etc that get thown in the mix cause eventual weakening of the concrete ?

[Chubby]

Would corrosion of files, drills, taps etc that get thown in the mix cause eventual weakening of the concrete ?

No more than any other reinforcement.

[Chubby]

Sort of bumping this one a bit.

Does anybody have any thoughts about block construction v poured construction?

[Gary Stephenson]

Roy Saunders once told me of a vault he had to open in Africa with a serious door but rubbish walls. Also a diamond mine vault that could be flooded or submerged in case the site had to be deserted in a hurry.

[Huw Eastwood]

Here's a couple of 1970s Fichet testing pictures showing the random pattern that twisted spiral reinforcement, in this case, Tordbar, presents to the attacker. Highly effective against mech chisel, hammer and oxy-arc:

[Doug MacQueen]

So it appears it was likely both mud and cow dung. After extensive research on the subject, the Massai favor a formed block of sorts for their homes. However, I suspect more of an intertwining of sticks to give the structural strength needed when the door is open. Wood has considerable strength when in tension. As to insurance, I doubt that was a consideration. And to think that vault even offered considerable fire protection. When in Rome...