The decision to demolish a building is not easy, as the developers have to look into many factors before demolishing. The main things that are considered are the location of the building as well as the materials that were used in the primary building construction. Then the developers have to find out the purpose of demolition and how to plan the disposal. There are in fact different methods to do it like one is a devastating blast and the other is a planned dismantling. Let’s find out more about them.
Implosion
This is one of the methods that are used for the demolition of a building. It includes the use of explosives. At first, the primary vertical supports of the building are demolished, so that the building collapses inside. This method is used when you want to bring down a 20 story structure like a skyscraper. It is considered to be a safe and efficient option for larger structures without damaging the neighboring structures.
In order to make the demolition process safe and successful, the explosives are placed in a sequence. There are blaster crews who are assigned the job to analyze a set of blueprints for the identification of the main components. This is how they determine whether the other areas also have to be demolished or not.
High Reach Arm
This is an alternative method almost like an implosion but is used on buildings that have reached a height of about 66 feet. In this method, there is a requirement of a base machine like an excavator that is fitted to the demolition arm. This consists of a telescopic boom that has three sections. It has a crasher, a hammer, and shears that are attached to the end of the arm. This method is very useful to break the structure from top to down. The machine then removes the large pieces of the structure after demolition and there is a special ground crew that breaks down them into small pieces making them ready for disposal.
This method is usually used in reinforced masonry or concrete or in structures where mixed material is used. This is considered to be safer by the developers unlike the traditional method of demolishing.
Wrecking Ball
The use of a crane or wrecking ball is one of the oldest ways of demolishing masonry structures. A wrecking ball weighs about 13,500 pounds and is suspended on a cable either from a crane or any other heavy equipment. The structure is demolished by dropping the ball or by swinging into it. This is used to crush the building with repeated blows.
This method is only possible by highly skilled and experienced demolition operators. It is very difficult to control the direction and smoothness of the swinging ball. If the target is missed, then it may overload the crane or hit another structure that was not meant to be demolished. The building that is crushed through this method is limited to the size of both the crane and the working area. However, this method of destruction with a wrecking ball does create a lot of dust, noise, and also vibration.
Selective Demolition
This is the kind of demolition that is actually gaining huge popularity. The reason is that it allows the developers to reuse or recycle the materials of the building. The main aim of this type of demolition is to recover the materials in a cost-effective and safe procedure.
The most interesting thing in construction work is demolishing buildings. It is considered to be the science of engineering. The structures that become old need to be demolished to create new ones. But it has to be done with proper planning and controlled methods. There can be several reasons for demolishing the structure, but it has to be done with controlled methods under the expert provision.
