Concrete structures may need regular maintenance procedures, such as resurfacing or patching, especially when they have superficial cracks or erosion problems. However, when the surface of the concrete is too damaged, you will probably need to replace the entire piece of concrete immediately. You need to hire a professional expert, like Apex, for any concrete replacement on your property.
Some conditions that require you to have a complete concrete replacement include sunken concrete slabs, frost damages on the concrete surface, deep cracks, construction additions, severely damaged concrete surface, faulty concrete, etc. Some of these concrete issues require you to replace the whole concrete slab immediately. The concrete needs to be demolished when it is completely damaged.
Some Methods of Concrete Demolition
This bursting method can be done chemically or mechanically. Holes are going to be drilled into the concrete. Then, the lateral forces are applied to the concrete.
In the mechanical bursting method, the concrete is split with a powerful hydraulic pressure machine. In the chemical bursting, the concrete will be split with an expansive slurry. Once the concrete is spit, it can be removed by hand manually or with a crane.
Pneumatic and Hydraulic Breaker
This method is usually used in any demolition projects for destroying any pavement, bridge decks, or other properties. The complexity of this method will strongly depend on the concrete strength, the steel reinforcement, the hammer, and also the working conditions.
Machine-mounted breakers will perform demolitions in the range of 100 – 20,000 foot-pounds with 300 – 800 blows every minute. Some breakers are also designed for underwater demolition.
Ball and Crane Method
This is one of the oldest concrete demolition methods. In this method, a crane will use a 13,500 + pound wrecking ball to start demolishing the concrete structure. The ball will be dropped or swung to the concrete structure. Only professional and high-skilled operators can perform this ball and crane concrete demolition.
Concrete can be demolished easily with this method. However, this method will produce a lot of noises, vibrations, and dust. There are many factors that will determine the success rate of this demolition process, such as the crane size, the working area, and the proximity to the nearest power lines.
Explosives can also be used to destroy large volumes of concrete. They are usually inserted in some predefined boreholes on the concrete structure. They will cause the whole structure to break into several small pieces. This method is flexible and versatile, but it will result in damage around the building.
Before you can perform this method, you need to have permits from the local governments or authorities for performing this concrete demolition process. There are some requirements that you need to follow, so you can perform this method safely.
This is another common method that can be used to demolish concrete structures. The concrete structure can be cut with a saw, thermal lance, or high-speed water jets. The concrete pieces will be removed by the crane. Therefore, the complete demolition process will result in less noise and dust.
This method doesn’t put a lot of impact on the surroundings. This method is very beneficial, especially when the building structures are being removed completely. Some building portions, such as walls or slabs, need to be removed before this concrete dismantling process can be done.
Those are some concrete demolition methods that are popular among many contractors today. Concrete demolition can be necessary in some situations, for example, major renovation projects or heavily damaged concrete. Each method has its own benefits and disadvantages for all people. Therefore, you have to take a look at all available methods before you decide to choose the best demolishing service for your needs.
For any concrete services in North Carolina, contact Apex Concrete & Hauling today!