Reinforced Concrete (before)

Reinforced Concrete (after)

Experienced contractors worldwide know that it is a challenging task to drill through the reinforcing grid, which is designed to support the high Mpa concrete, which clings onto the reinforcing steel bars as the design intended.

The task is further complicated by the fact that drilling is a hit-and-miss affair determining a pattern, not by choice, unless diamond core drills are used at very high cost, which cut and penetrate the steel reinforcing bars as well as the concrete.

It’s a fact that cutting the reinforcing makes the task easier. The gas pressure then forces the concrete off the free face end where it was cut, easily. It is seldom possible to gain access and do that, however, so plan B is usually adhered to.

Drill and charge as best possible, crack the concrete with Nonex, then use mechanical means such as an machine mounted hydraulic hammer or a heavy duty, pneumatic pavement breaker to remove the cracked concrete; an almost impossible task unless the concrete is first cracked.

Finally, professional demolition contractors will use non-explosive technology as one of their options. It is not intended to be an exclusive demolition solution, would not be considered for hi-rise building or stack implosions and would feature along with other mechanical demolition tools of the trade.