Everything about Sandbag totally explained
A
sandbag (floodbag) is a sack made of
burlap or other materials that's filled with
sand or
soil and used for such purposes as
flood control, military
fortification, shielding glass windows in
war zones and
ballast.
Advantages are that burlap and sand are inexpensive, and that the bags can be brought in empty and filled with local sand or soil.
Sandbags may be used during emergencies when rivers threaten to overflood, or a
levee or
dike is damaged. They may also be used in non-emergency situations (or after an emergency) as a foundation for new levees, or other water-control structures. Sandbags are not always an effective measure in the event of flooding because water will eventually seep through the bags and finer materials, like clay, may leak out through the seams.
The military uses sandbags for field
fortifications, or as a temporary measure to protect civilian structures. Because burlap and sand are inexpensive, large protective barriers can be erected cheaply. The friction created by moving soil or sand grains and multiple tiny air gaps makes sandbags an efficient
dissipator of
explosive blast. The dimensions and weight of sandbags used in fortification are carefully calculated so that the bags can be interlocked like
brickwork and are not too heavy to lift and move around. They may be laid in excavated defences as revetment, or as free-standing walls above ground where excavations are impractical. As plain burlap sandbags deteriorate fairly quickly, sandbag structures that are meant to remain in place for a long time may be painted with a
portland cement slurry to reduce the effects of
rot and abrasion. Cotton Ducking sandbags last considerably longer than burlap and are hence preferable for long-term use. However, the vast majority of sandbags used by the US
Military and for flood prevention are made of
circular woven polypropylene. The easy availability to military personnel, size and construction of the bags led to the use of sandbags as makeshift hoods for prisoners.
Sandbags are also used for disposable ballast in
gas balloons, and as
counterweights for
theatre sets.
Until recently, sandbags have been filled manually, using
shovels. Since the 1990s, machine-filling has become more common, which allows the work to be done more quickly and efficiently.
Other uses
"Sandbag" can also refer to a crude
weapon consisting of a small bag filled with sand for use as a
cudgel typically by
criminals, or to the act of striking a person on the head with such a weapon. This usage is obsolescent in normal speech, appearing mainly in legal codes. However the verb form is extended
metaphorically in several
slang expressions.
Sandbags are also used in
weight training and put in the trunk of
rear wheel drive cars to increase traction in inclement weather.
In games and various kinds of adversarial settings, the term
sandbagging refers to the practice of purposely placing oneself in a weaker position so as to give the deceptive impression that one is less skilled than one truly is.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Sandbag'.
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