A stanchion is a sturdy upright fixture that provides support for some other object. It can be a permanent fixture.
Types
In architecture a stanchion is the upright iron bars in windows that pass through the eyes of the saddle bars or horizontal irons to steady the leadlight. 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 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.
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.
Metal mounts securing the headrest to the seat in a car.
In association football and other goal-based sports, horizontal or diagonal extensions to the goalposts that prevent the goalnet from drooping.
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.
