T&B Teams Up on US Army IED Training Facility

August 24th, 2009

T&B Structural Systems recently recently partnered with our sister company, Big ‘R’ Bridge, on a project with the US Army to build a specialized Improvised Explosive Device (IED) training facility at the Fort Campbell Army Base in Kentucky.

Fort Campbell is an Army installation that supports active and reserve component units and is also home to the 101st Airborne Division, the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne).

Usually buried in the surfaces of dirt roads, IED’s are the number-one killer of coalition forces deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. This training structure will be used for bridge and tunnel exercises to teach soldiers what to look for and how to react on the battlefield.

The single-source combination of economical MSE Welded Wire Walls from T&B and the Super•Cor Arch Structure from our sister company, Big R Bridge, was instrumental in securing this contract. Complete engineering for the foundation, structure and walls and the unique shape of the Super•Cor structure also helped us to beat out the competition. Other project partners included our customer Thompson Culvert of Hazelwood, MO and TMS Contracting of nearby Clarksville, TN.

The large Super-Cor® Arch Bridge had a span of 24’10” and a rise of 19’6” and provided a 20’ x 16’ truck clearance box. The design load was specified for a US Army HumVee. Super•Cor’s larger annular corrugations (15" pitch x 5.5"depth) provide nine times the stiffness of conventional structural plate. The lightweight, modular panels can be shipped easily and economically making it even more advantageous for remote locations.

Welded Wire Walls are ideal for fast and economical installation using cost-saving wire products and in-situ backfill materials wherever possible. They easily adapt to curves, angles, or steps and the facing and soil reinforcing may be cut to allow for the installation of culverts or other site-specific requirements. Welded Wire Walls can be installed with exposed wire surface only or they may be designed to accept a variety of finishes, such as: grass/vegetation; air-blown mortar, and; precast or cast-in-place concrete panels in a 2-stage design.

T&B Structural Systems
6800 Manhattan Blvd
Suite 304
Fort Worth, TX 76120

1-888-280-9858
817-507-0200
817-507-0197 fax