How to Demolish a Building-Haiti Earthquake.

How to Demolish a Building.
Building demolition has become common now that roads are being expanded and earthquakes are beginning to hit cities such as in Haiti.

1.Pneumatic and Hydraulic Breakers

These are suitable for demolishing pavements, roads and reinforced concrete slabs.

They can be mounted on the back-hoe Excavator or hand held.
Factors such as the size of the hammer and strength of the reinforced concrete will determine how fast the demolition work will be performed.

2. Pressure Bursting, Mechanical Bursting and Chemical Bursting

In urban areas where dust and noise are not desired, this is the method of choice.
Holes are drilled in the concrete slab at a spacing of roughly 50 to 100mm wide. The holes are drilled along the line that you want to split.
A mixture of the concrete-splitting chemical and water is then poured in to fill the drilled holes.
The chemical expands and within 24 to 48 hours, will have exerted pressure enough to crack the slab along the pre-set line.

3. Dismantling

This is done by slicing concrete elements and then removing them with the excavator or crane. This method is good for demolishing part of a building since it does not structurally affect the remaining structure.

By cutting concrete elements, and then removing them by crane, the demolition of an entire concrete structure may be carried out with a minimum of noise, dust, and impact on surrounding structures.

Frank Gichuhi
Architect.
www.a4architect.com