Our Products

Electric Power Substation Isolation Walls

There are several reasons to build walls around electric transformers.

First is noise abatement. Electrical transformers radiate a low frequency hum at 120 Hz (two times the 60Hz AC power frequency) and harmonics at 240 Hz, 360Hz, 480 Hz, etc. Walls perform as noise barriers to block the direct propagation path from the transformer to the community. The surface facing the transformer can be cast with sound absorptive AcoustaCrete® to prevent reverberation between the walls and make the noise abatement more effective.

Second is fire containment. Electrical transformers use oil as a cooling fluid. In the case of fire, this hydrocarbon oil burns at over 2000 degrees F. Firewalls are designed with thermal caulking at joints and fire rated post of 24 inches square and panel thickness of 8 inches to contain the fire and keep the adjacent transformer from catching fire.

Third is ballistics resistance. A projectile may be a bullet fired at a transformer with the intent to disable the power grid, or shrapnel from an adjacent transformer explosion. Faddis 8” thick panels have ballistics resistance meeting UL 752 level 9 (30 caliber armor piercing) and level 10 (50 caliber ball ammunition).

Bolted connections at the base allow for removal of the wall in case transformers must be removed and replaced. Posts can be fitted with fire resistant post base plate covers.

40th Street Substation Isolation/Firewall for PSEG

Ballistic Resistant UL 752 rated Perimeter Fencing

Faddis designs and manufactures modular precast concrete posts and Ballistic Concrete panel systems with tested UL 752 rating Level 4, Level 5, Level 6, Level 7, Level 8, Level 9 and Level 10. Using bolt down, removable precast concrete posts and stacking precast concrete panels with architectural finishes and acrylic coatings that can mask graffiti. Wall of fence systems are designed to meet local site conditions such as wind and geotechnical information, and are PE stamped. The Faddis Fence systems accommodate lighting and surveillance equipment, conduit support, entry/exit systems, personnel and vehicular gates, each of which is supplied by others. Walls can be designed to resist vehicular impact where necessary. Faddis can supply safety barrier systems and planters to impede the velocity of vehicles in roadways that approach gated entry ways. Faddis can also work with MSE wall system designers to provide blast/ground shock resistant embankment structures. Perimeter Security applications include electric generation stations and substations, data centers, government installations, airports, and ports of entry.”

In 2016, Faddis Concrete designed a perimeter security fence wall to protect a large electrical facility in accordance with North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) CIP-014-1 standards.

Utility Company Perimeter Security
CIP-014 Electric Infrastructure Protection and Substation Perimeter Security
PPL Electric - Security Wall with Colorization. 2017
US Mint - Planters & Barrier
US Mint Barrier
US Mint Barrier, loading door

Perennial Planters were selected for installation at various military bases around the United States and the U.S. Mint Federal Building in Philadelphia following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Faddis has retained the forms for casting these heavy walled planters for perimeter security applications. The Faddis Security Binder provides details on each planter shape, and an estimate of the penetration distance through a single or set of planters for a vehicle of given weight and speed.

Security Planter 60"
Security Planter 48" square
Security Planter 48" round
US Mint planter stained
US Mint planter stained
Planter - exposed aggregate finish w/ caramel color river gravel
Planters - exposed aggregate finish with caramel color river gravel

Precasting bridge decks allows for improved quality and condensed construction schedules on nighttime deck replacement projects. Faddis has supplied Exodermic decks on several projects in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey.

Faddis precast the decks for the Harvey Taylor Bridge in Harrisburg, Pa. Pictured below are the half-filled decks before and after installation. Faddis also provided the innovative concept for precasting the deck for a high trestle for the Rails to Trails conversion of the Montour Trail in Pennsylvania. Before and after photos are show in the slide show.

Exodermic Deck I 287 NJ
Exodermic Deck in storage
Harvey Taylor Bridge Deck
Harvey Taylor over Susquehana
Half-Filled Deck for Harvey Taylor Bridge
Precast exodermic deck

Ballast Footings for Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Arrays

Solar arrays are being installed worldwide to diversify energy supply and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Faddis is catering to rising demand by making precast concrete ballasts, also called footings or foundations, for PV solar collector rack systems. There are a variety of designs in use. We will build forms and cast virtually any shape or size needed to meet your requirements.

The use of precast for this application offers many benefits. There is less earthwork, sediment control, formwork, on-site labor, and clean-up for the installer. The work proceeds faster without concrete curing time, cylinder breaks, or on-site inspection. For the owner, a surface-mounted installation preserves land value, with no buried foundations, and less time and effort to return the ground to its previous natural state when the contract has expired. If the property overlies a landfill, or contaminated soil, the ballast foundations can rest above ground, and avoid the need to penetrate an impervious clay layer, an HDPE containment liner, or disturb hazardous underlying materials such as asbestos formations or chemical waste. To the installers of PV solar panels, less work on the civil component means more time to do the work where your expertise provides the greatest return.

Parapet safety barrier, constructed atop retaining walls and structures, is expensive when cast-in-place. The use of precast has grown with the general acceptance of precast wall systems, such as MSE walls. We have the expertise to build complex forms accommodating architectural features into these precast products. Faddis is licensed to manufacture JJ-Hooks safety barrier.