Abstract: Blast-resistant foundations are presented that can be used to support a tower, a building, a building supporting a tower, and a tower supporting a building. These foundations can be transported to an installation site and rapidly deployed. They are comprised of one or more precast foundation blocks that do not penetrate the ground beneath them, do not require adjacent foundation blocks to be bound to one-another at their sides with interconnecting steel, and do not require the buildings and/or towers they support to use guy-wires. They can include protected cavities that contain utility equipment and supplies, and they can include conduits from these cavities that can be extended upward through one or more legs of a tower.

Abstract: Barrier elements provide security from terrorist threats by ability to withstand both vehicle collisions and explosive blasts. Each barrier element is prefabricated to include a massive block of durable material, preferably of high strength concrete, with at least one tunnel extending at least partially between respective cavities in two opposite sides of the block. Each barrier element also includes at least one beam that is preferably made of steel and extends through one such tunnel. Multiple blocks are positionable slidably on top of the ground side-against-side with their beams coupled longitudinally to one another at least approximately end-to-end. Retainer means can be used to block coupling means from entry into the tunnels. Forces from a vehicle collision or an explosive blast can cause barrier elements to rotate relative to one-another when the couplings between beams hinge or bend as the durable material that interferes with the rotation breaks away.

Abstract: Barrier elements provide security from terrorist threats by ability to withstand both vehicle collisions and explosive blasts. Each barrier element is prefabricated to include a massive block of durable material, preferably of high strength concrete, with at least one tunnel extending at least partially between respective cavities in two opposite sides of the block. Each barrier element also includes at least one beam that is preferably made of steel and extends through one such tunnel. Multiple blocks are positionable slidably on top of the ground side-against-side with their beams coupled longitudinally to one another at least approximately end-to-end. Retainer means can be used to block coupling means from entry into the tunnels. Forces from a vehicle collision or an explosive blast can cause barrier elements to rotate relative to one-another when the couplings between beams hinge or bend as the durable material that interferes with the rotation breaks away.

Abstract: Barrier elements provide security from terrorist threats by ability to withstand both vehicle collisions and explosive blasts. Each barrier element is prefabricated to include a massive block of durable material, in some embodiments segmented, with at least one tunnel extending at least partially between respective cavities in two opposite sides of the block. Each barrier element also includes at least one beam that is preferably made of steel and extends through one such tunnel. Multiple blocks are positionable slidably on top of the ground side-against-side with their beams coupled longitudinally to one another at least approximately end-to-end. Retainer means can be used to block coupling means from entry into the tunnels. Forces from a vehicle collision or an explosive blast can cause barrier elements to rotate relative to one-another when the couplings between beams hinge or bend as the durable material that interferes with the rotation breaks away.

Abstract: Panels and their modules, such as for walls and roofs, are disclosed that provide armored shelter for protecting people and equipment from ballistic projectiles and mortar attacks. Each module is made from multiple co-parallel plates arranged in a stack, spaced apart, and held together along their sides by side elements. This is done in such a way that, when assembled side-by-side or end-to-end into panels, adjacent modules overlap one another to prevent straight-through seams yet allow any damaged module to be removed and replaced without moving adjacent modules. Space within a module, between plates and sides, can contain energy absorbing material in a variety of shapes. Plates serve as structural flanges, and side elements comprise structural webs, to permit each module to function as a structural beam. With such designs, the modules and panels are easily and quickly inserted and/or removed individually by a sequence of simple manipulations.

Abstract: Panels and their modules, such as for walls and roofs, are disclosed that provide armored shelter for protecting people and equipment from ballistic projectiles and mortar attacks. Each module is made from multiple co-parallel plates arranged in a stack, spaced apart, and held together along their sides by side elements. This is done in such a way that, when assembled side-by-side or end-to-end into panels, adjacent modules overlap one another to prevent straight-through seams yet allow any damaged module to be removed and replaced without moving adjacent modules. Space within a module, between plates and sides, can contain energy absorbing material in a variety of shapes. Plates serve as structural flanges, and side elements comprise structural webs, to permit each module to function as a structural beam.

Abstract: Barrier elements provide security from terrorist threats by ability to withstand both vehicle collisions and explosive blasts. Each barrier element is prefabricated to include a massive block of durable material, preferably of high strength concrete, with at least one tunnel extending at least partially between respective cavities in two opposite sides of the block. Each barrier element also includes at least one beam that is preferably made of steel and extends through one such tunnel. Multiple blocks are positionable slidably on top of the ground side-against-side with their beams coupled longitudinally to one another at least approximately end-to-end. Retainer means can be used to block coupling means from entry into the tunnels. Forces from a vehicle collision or an explosive blast can cause barrier elements to rotate relative to one-another when the couplings between beams hinge or bend as the durable material that interferes with the rotation breaks away.

Abstract: Barrier elements couple together into a longitudinal wall to provide security from terrorist threats by being able to withstand both vehicle collisions and explosive blasts. Each barrier element is prefabricated to include a massive block of durable material, preferably high strength concrete, cast about one or more beams that are preferably made of steel and extend longitudinally through the block. Multiple blocks are positionable on top of the ground with their beams coupled longitudinally to one another, end-to-end. Forces from a vehicle collision or an explosive blast can cause barrier elements to rotate relative to one-another when the couplings between beams hinge or bend as the durable material that interferes with the rotation breaks away. The barrier elements are transportable by truck, positionable using readily available heavy lifting equipment, and longitudinally inter-connectable hingedly or rigidly by means of field-installable mechanical fastening hardware.

Abstract: Masses of composite material are coupled together by means of one or more cables into a longitudinal barrier wall to provide security from terrorist threats by being able to withstand both vehicle collisions and explosive blasts. The one or more cables are routed through tunnels within the masses. The tunnels have tapered openings to protect cable from being sheared apart when adjacent masses slide relative to one-another. Some of the cable is anchored to some of the masses. Each mass that is located at an end of a barrier wall is used to support anchoring means to anchor some of the cable. Such barrier walls are supported by a surface such as a ground surface and can be dragged along such a surface since a ground anchoring means isn't required. Given sufficient cable, such a barrier wall can withstand great longitudinal tension, and can absorb and endure great amounts of mechanical and thermal energy.

Abstract: New methods of manufacture are disclosed for producing side-polished fiber-optic apparatuses, for use both singly and in compact arrays. These new methods involve process steps, many of which operate on many apparatus units simultaneously, with little additional manual labor over what is required to produce one unit at a time. High level assemblies of these fiber-optic apparatuses are also disclosed as compact arrays that not only save space but allow for easy interconnection. Examples of apparatuses that can be made with the disclosed integrated side-polished fiber-optic technology include, but aren't limited to, couplers, multiplexers, taps, splitters, joiners, filters, modulators and switches. By interconnecting elements within compact integrated arrays of these apparatuses, complicated photonic circuits can be readily constructed.