Vaults

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Vaults or strong rooms provide a secure space, typically within a bank building, for the storage of cash or other items of high monetary value.  There are three basic Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) burglary-resistance ratings available for vaults: Type I, II, and III.  These are based on the time it would take to break into a vault using commonly available tools to compromise it, within 30, 60, or 120 minutes, respectively, for types I through III.  The ratings are achieved through actual demonstration tests by UL employees.  There is also a Type M 15 minute rating.

Over the last 20-30 years, vault construction has evolved, and now modular construction of vault components using pre-cast high-strength concrete panels has replaced the use of more massive cast-in-place techniques, which rely on reinforced concrete and steel.  Concrete panels for modular vault construction range in thickness from 6” for Class I to over a foot for Class III.  It is typical to have very high compressive strength concrete (over 10,000 psi) in modular vault panels.  Concrete panels can be utilized for the floor and ceiling as well as the walls.  Connection between walls and horizontal panels is accomplished with keyed contact edges and steel fittings that can be welded together.  The entire assembly, including the door, can be clad in steel sheeting, if desired, which is also typically made of the same high-strength concrete.  Modern locks and tumblers are designed to prevent manipulation and include advanced attributes such as time locks and quiet nylon tumblers.

The advantages of modern modular vault designs over the traditional cast-in-place methods include cheaper construction costs; faster installation times; lower floor loadings (which offers flexibility for vault location throughout a building); and flexibility for disassembly, relocation, or expansion.  The average size of a modern vault is now only 15 by 10 feet.  This reflects the change in banking processes and society’s trend toward electronic banking, which lead to less demand for cash and coinage.

There is an ASTM specification for the standardized construction of bank vaults, ASTM F-1090 Standard Classification for Bank and Mercantile Vault Construction.   This classification is for the use and guidance for those who purchase, design, construct, install, approve, or modify storage vault enclosures.

Last modified on Tue, Sep 14, 2010
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