Vehicle accidents are still a leading cause of deaths in South Africa and road safety continues to be of major concern in the country. Significantly, locally manufactured Mentrail Guardrails continue to play a vital role in restraining out-of-control vehicles.

Designed and manufactured by Andrew Mentis, Mentrail Guardrails line many of the major highways and national routes throughout South Africa, with more kilometres of this highly effective safety feature being added every day.

The innovative Mentrail system has been engineered in such a manner so as to contain damage from out-of-control vehicles and most importantly reduce danger to other vehicles on the road.

Lance Quinlan, marketing manager at Andrew Mentis, says that when a section of the guardrail itself is damaged, the performance of undamaged portions remains unaffected. “This makes the Mentrail system dependable in terms of providing protection on our roads,” he says.

Another important application of this product is as a temporary safety barrier on areas where road works are underway. Quinlan says that typically during construction the guardrails are moved from completed sections to protect new sections in progress as the product forms a most resilient barrier. It is also permanently installed in many completed sections.

Manufactured at Andrew Mentis’ facility in Elandsfontein, Mentrail is supplied prefabricated with pre-punched holes and is generally assembled by bolting it to upright wooden posts using 350 mm long post bolts.

When it comes to installation, the guardrail is simple to handle and install, requiring no tension or stretching. All assembly hardware is supplied and the guardrail is easily erected by a small crew with no need for any special tools. Normal expansion and contraction are absorbed in the joints, ensuring the posts stay perfectly in alignment.

Mentrail is available in either uncoated or galvanised lengths, with a buried end for the start and an end wing for the end of each section. Where double rows of guardrails are used, the product has bull nose end wings. Its performance is enhanced by joints which absorb normal expansion and contraction so that the posts remain in alignment. Concave and convex rails are also available to cater for bends and turns.

Mentrail Guardrails are made to SANS 1350-2005 specification by specialised machinery at Andrew Mentis’ facility and have a tensile strength of 445 MPa and yield strength of 310 MPa. The 2.6 mm thick steel guardrail is supplied in a standard length of 3.810 metres (effective coverage).