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from the if-you-build-it-they-will-come...and-cut-through-it dept.
Smugglers have found an easy way to get through the vertical steel tube Mexican border wall. From https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/smugglers-are-sawing-through-new-sections-of-trumps-border-wall/2019/11/01/25bf8ce0-fa72-11e9-ac8c-8eced29ca6ef_story.html
The breaches have been made using a popular cordless household tool known as a reciprocating saw that retails at hardware stores for as little as $100. When fitted with specialized blades, the saws can slice through one of the barrier's steel-and-concrete bollards in minutes, according to the agents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the barrier-defeating techniques.
After cutting through the base of a single bollard, smugglers can push the steel out of the way, creating an adult-size gap. Because the bollards are so tall — and are attached only to a panel at the top — their length makes them easier to push aside once they have been cut and are left dangling, according to engineers consulted by The Washington Post.
The taxpayer-funded barrier — so far coming with a $10 billion price tag — was a central theme of Trump's 2016 campaign, and he has made the project a physical symbol of his presidency, touting its construction progress in speeches, ads and tweets. Trump has increasingly boasted to crowds in recent weeks about the superlative properties of the barrier, calling it "virtually impenetrable" and likening the structure to a "Rolls-Royce" that border crossers cannot get over, under or through.
In other words, no one did any serious pen testing on the wall design, or it would have been obvious that with all that leverage, the top tie-in was easy to flex.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Monday November 04 2019, @09:47PM (5 children)
No matter how much they add reinforcements, unless they change the material all it means is the sawzall has to make two cuts to get rid of a bar instead of one and then flex.
Trump has a simple solution, though, just add diamonds to the concrete mix, that will stop the sawzall blades.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 05 2019, @09:53AM (4 children)
Just filling them with rocks/gravel would add a lot to the difficulty of cutting. Metal cutting blades don't like rock, and rock cutting blades are very slow in metal.
(You couldn't use just sand because you could just drill a hole and let it trickle out, then cut above it.)
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Tuesday November 05 2019, @01:21PM (3 children)
Never used a diamond blade then have you? Makes quick work out of iron, steel, granite, marble and other incredibly tough natural materials. I have never found a better blade nor have I found something it wouldn't cut. Cuts through metal or stone with ease.
Reasonably priced too at around $20 for three. You may burn through a couple getting there, but you will get there, and quite quickly. The only thing I don't use them on is wood.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 06 2019, @02:05AM (2 children)
What about filling them with tar? As soon as you cut through it is going to coat the blade.
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Wednesday November 06 2019, @04:19AM (1 child)
I know a green tree root can plug them up pretty good. Not sure about tar. High viscosity (guessing here) might plug the blade pretty good, but then even very thick tar would leak out so you'd probably going to have to deal with environmental impact and at minimum it wold have to be refilled depending on how much ended up leaking out.
Hmmm, I wonder how flammable tar is, I know with an hour of sawing pipe and blade can get pretty hot, never caused an actual fire (well, not with the sawzall anyway!) though.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 06 2019, @06:55AM
I meant stuff like in that pitch drop experiment. Slow enough that it will take hundreds of years to run out, but it will stick to and coat a hot blade. Add in the filings from the bit of cutting you can do and the blade would end up clogged with something like asphalt.