A stanchion () is a sturdy upright fixture that provides support for some other object. It can be a permanent fixture.

Types

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

stanchions are the upright iron bars in windows that pass through the eyes of the saddle bars or horizontal irons to steady the

leadlight Leadlights, leaded lights or leaded windows are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came to be known as came glasswork. The term 'leadlight' could ...

. The French call the latter ''traverses'', the stanchions ''montants'', and the whole arrangement ''armature''. Stanchions frequently finish with ornamental heads forged out of the iron. Stanchions are also the metal supporting members of lighting mounted from a lower elevation. This includes the metal inclined member for mounting a streetlight to a telephone or power pole, and the dedicated metal vertical support of a self-supporting or bottom-fed streetlight. In this case, the stanchion pole may double as the raceway for the electrical feed to the lighting. In industrial installations, walkway lighting may be mounted with a stanchion that is secured to a hand-rail. Stanchion lights are typically spaced 50' along walkways, such as conveyor platforms. Stanchions (

baluster A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its c ...

s or

bollard A bollard is a sturdy, short, vertical post. The term originally referred to a post on a ship or quay used principally for mooring boats. It now also refers to posts installed to control road traffic and posts designed to prevent automotive ...

s) are also the upright posts inserted into the ground or floor to protect the corner of a wall. In event management a stanchion is an upright bar or post that includes retractable belts, velvet ropes, or plastic chains, sometimes in conjunction with wall-mounted barrier devices, barricades, and printed signage and often used for crowd control and engineering people flow and construction site safety.

Uses

Stanchions are used for many different purposes, including crowd control and waiting lines. Many different places use stanchions, including banks, stores, hotels, museums, restaurants, concert venues, trade shows, and other events. * Portable posts used to manage lines and queues. ** Fixed posts with decorative ropes, custom printed belts, or metal wires. Often available in single, double, and triple belt/wire configurations. ** Retractable belt stanchions, often with a slow retract belt mechanism for safety. *** Using a spring mechanism *** Often using a heavy low-profile base to offset possible trip hazard and stanchion tipping. *** In

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...

s, stanchions are used to protect items, and remind the person that the items are not to be touched. *** Belt end types differ between models unless supplied with a "Universal Belt End", allowing for connectivity between multiple brands. Cupik kayak stanchions

* Around construction work sites where hazardous areas need to be clearly marked. Stanchions used for this purpose are usually seen in bright safety colors, like orange or yellow, and often come with attachments for safety signs, warning passersby of the danger in the area. * Retracting belt barriers affixed to traffic cones with reflective print. * Vertical support for chains or ropes, as in marine applications (lifelines on

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

s are supported by stanchions). * Metal mounts securing the headrest to the seat in a car. * In

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and other goal-based sports, horizontal or diagonal extensions to the goalposts that prevent the goalnet from drooping. * In

military aircraft A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing or rotorcraft, rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat: * Combat aircraft are ...

, the vertical supports for troop seating temporarily installed in

cargo aircraft A cargo aircraft (also known as freight aircraft, freighter, airlifter or cargo jet) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is designed or converted for the carriage of cargo rather than passengers. Such aircraft usually do not incorporate passenger a ...

. * On board most buses and trams/subways, vertical supports to provide stability when passengers are standing. They are located throughout most city buses and are connected to seats, floor, roof, etc. * The metal head bails in dairy barns that lock the cows in place while they are milked. * The two upper members of a suspension bicycle fork that connect to the crown (also called fork legs). * In yachting, metal bars that hold the life-lines around a boat's perimeter. * In river rafting, metal bars that hold the yokes for oars. * A common vernacular in

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

where on the dasher boards it is used to describe the posts used to hold panes of glass in place. In the industry they are simply called posts. * The upright part of the frame around a windscreen (the A pillar).

Side stakes

* Short or tall, removable, stanchions in pockets on

flatcar A flatcar (US) (also flat car, or flatbed) is a piece of rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck mounted on a pair of trucks (US) or bogies (UK), one at each end containing four or six wheels. Occasionally, flat cars designed to carry ...

s or flat wagons * Short or tall, removable, stanchions in pockets on

flatbed truck A flatbed truck (or flatbed lorry in British English) is a type of truck which can be either articulated or rigid. As the name suggests, its bodywork is just an entirely flat, level 'bed' with no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy loa ...

s or flatbed semi-trailers

References

{{reflist Windows Association football terminology

Types

Uses

Side stakes

See also

References