by Renaissance Ronin » Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:37 am
You can build a pretty substantial and anti-ballistic structure using gabion walls.
Gabion walls are really nothing more than retaining walls constructed out of rectangular wire mesh baskets (fabricated of heavily galvanized wire), which are filled with stone and stacked one on top of the other, until the design specs are reached. They are usually placed in tiers that step back with the slope rather than vertically.
Wikipedia says that: The most common civil engineering use of gabions is to stabilize shorelines or slopes against erosion. Other uses include retaining walls, temporary floodwalls, to filter silt from runoff, for small or temporary/permanent dams, river training, channel lining.[2] They may be used to direct the force of a flow of flood water around a vulnerable structure. Gabions are also used as fish barriers on small streams."
Further, they say that:
"Gabion baskets have some advantages over loose riprap because of their modularity and ability to be stacked in various shapes; they are also resistant to being washed away by moving water. Gabions also have advantages over more rigid structures because they can conform to ground movement, dissipate energy from flowing water, and drain freely. Their strength and effectiveness may increase with time in some cases, as silt and vegetation fill the interstitial voids and reinforce the structure. They are sometimes used to keep stones which may fall from a cutting or cliff from endangering traffic on a thoroughfare."
Now take that a step further, and think about how you could build anti-ballistic shelter out of it. The possibilities are endless.