is a type of fencing usually used in security applications, or to prevent extremely stubborn livestock from escaping. It is similar to barbed wire in construction, but features sharp razor like shapes cut from steel tape, rather than barbs. Although the words ?azor wire?conjure up an image of fencing festooned with razors, the name is actually taken from an early brand name, ?azor Ribbon,?which was used to distinguish the fencing from barbed wire.
Manufacture of
began in the First World War, when several German companies realized that cutting steel tape with dies was cheaper and more efficient than making barbed wire. This early product was called razor tape, and was actually weaker and easier to pass through than barbed wire, as a set of shears could quickly cut through it. In the 1980s, razor wire with a reinforced core of steel wire began to be offered. This type of razor wire is made by crimping razor tape onto the wire core.
Typically,
is used to top security fences. An unprepared individual attempting to get into or out of a secured area will have difficulty getting around razor wire, especially if the concertina configuration is used. Commonly, security fences are also curved, to make climbing even more difficult, and determined security companies may also electrify the wire. It is also used on livestock fences, as some livestock will crash through barbed wire fencing, but not razor wire.
