High school welding students fabricate battering rams for state police

(From left) James Corcoran, Bruce Farrand, instructor Robert Pierangeli, Mollie Walsh, and Trevor Walsh of Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin, Mass., were instrumental in designing and fabricating 13 battering rams for the Massachusetts State Police.

It’s not every day high school-aged kids get to assist law enforcement officers in their duty to serve and protect, but four students at a technical school in Franklin, Mass., were given that opportunity.

The Massachusetts State Police was looking for someone to fabricate 13 custom battering rams—a heavy object that is swung or rammed against a door or window to break it open—for officers to train with and use on the job. Originally the department contacted a job shop to build them, but they were very expensive ($500 apiece) and didn’t turn out to be what the officers wanted.

That’s when the department reached out to administrators at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School to find out if the students in the metal fabrication career vocation could handle the request. Administrators forwarded the request to instructor Robert Pierangeli, who thought it was a great opportunity.

Real-World Work Experience

Tri-County’s welding and metal fabrication program is roughly 60 students strong from grades nine through 12. Students are separated into two groups—grades nine and 11 and grades 10 and 12—who then alternate weekly between the shop and the classroom. While the freshmen and juniors spend one week taking their academic classes, the sophomores and seniors are in their vocational shop welding. The groups flip schedules the following week.

Generally speaking, the metal fabrication department is happy to accept jobs from the community as long as they don’t turn into repetitive production-type work.

“If it’s just a repetitive job like making 1,000 brackets, they learn something making the first five and then it just turns into mass production,” Pierangeli explained.

The low-volume and customized nature of the battering ram project meant the kids would be able to stretch their imaginations and use some of the newer equipment in the shop like the CNC plasma table, all for a good cause.

The police were looking for a specific type of design for their battering ram. Because these tools sometimes are used in confined spaces like tight apartment hallways, they needed to be small enough to swing back with enough force to break down a door, for example. The police also wanted something that was comfortable to use and would protect their hands from injury.

Pierangeli chose four students—James Corcoran, Mollie Walsh, Bruce Farrand, and Trevor Walsh—who had the welding, fabricating, and design skills necessary to complete the job.

“I chose the kids who held AWS certifications in 7018 shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) and who were proficient in torches. The young lady I chose is very good at designing and using the CNC plasma machine,” Pierangeli said.

Pierangeli hands over one of the custom-made battering rams to a Massachusetts state trooper. In total, the school was able to deliver the 13 battering rams at a price of $50 each.

The group started with a prototype design that was 3 ft. long, but the police department came back to them and requested that it be smaller. They also stated that they wanted the rear handle tipped backward to give officers more leverage in the backswing, which is crucial when using the tool in tight hallways.

With this feedback in mind, the group designed a battering ram that was a modest 18 in. long. They used re-rod for the customized rear handle and performed the bend using an oxyacetylene torch.

“Round rod can be slippery in your hand, so one of the kids came up with the idea to use 5⁄8-in.-dia. re-rod. It’s got a little bit of roughness to it, like a grip. The policemen loved it. You don’t want to look like a fool using one of these and throw it right through the door,” Pierangeli said.

On the end of the ram they placed a ½-in. round plate that was 5 in. in diameter and welded with three passes—two using a 7018 SMAW and one FCAW. All critical welds had triple passes to ensure the ram wouldn’t break or crack on impact.

Nothing was outsourced. Everything was fabricated and welded in-house, and the school’s auto collision vocational program lent their painting expertise. In all, the students needed roughly 40 to 50 hours to complete the project at an overall cost of $650, which is $50 per tool.

Because of the media attention this project generated, Pierangeli said the school has received a number of calls from other police departments. He added that the state police has indicated that it wants every officer in Massachusetts to have one of these battering rams in their cruiser.

“They’re small enough to fit behind the seats, so if officers have to get out quickly and bust the window of a car or something, they could just grab this thing and go.”

Overall, it was a worthwhile project for all involved.

“It was just great to work on something where the state police and the kids could trade ideas. As a teacher it’s nice to see kids get so involved,” Pierangeli said.

Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, 508-528-5400, www.tri-county.us

Photos courtesy of Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, Franklin, Mass.

At only 18 in. long, the tools were designed to operate in confined spaces, such as tight apartment hallways. Pierangeli said the state police have indicated that they would like every cruiser to contain one of these battering rams.