Darda ROCK SPLITTERS

Application Report - Demolition of heavily reinforced concrete

Cutting concrete pillar heads - concrete pillars shortened, costs saved

The Job:
The task was to remove the heads from 59 reinforced concrete pillars measuring 1.2 - 1.7 in diameter, at Amstelveen (near Amsterdam).

The requirements:
The tops of the pillars, 20 - 30 m in height, which projected out of the 6th floor of the building, had to be shortened by a precise amount without damaging the reinforcing rods.

The solution:
Pneumatic demolition hammers were used initially to remove the outer, relatively soft concrete layer. Following this, four horizontal holes were drilled in each pillar, i.e. two each in opposing sides. Two C 11 S splitting cylinders, powered by a diesel power unit, separated the heads quickly and cleanly, leaving the rest of the pillar and the steel reinforcement unscathed. The splitter was then used to break down the head into a number of smaller sections, facilitating their removal from the site.