When I was contacted by Adam Philippini, the Construction Coordination Officer for Energex (an Australian energy provider) to remove a concrete plinth from their basement yard, I knew that Expando Expansive Mortar was the perfect solution for the job. Demolishing a concrete slab was a breeze for Expando.
The concrete plinth needing removal was being used as a base for a transformer; the slab itself was approximately 1 metre thick by 3 metres wide and 10 metres long.
Given the location and size of the plinth, removal was not going to be a straight forward demolition job. This is one of the reasons that Expando was an excellent choice.
Demolishing a concrete slab
The slab was between two buildings where there could be no vibrations, minimal dust and no airborne concrete chips. This meant that traditional demolition methods such as pounding the concrete with an evacuator was not an option.
After researching alternative solutions, Energex decided to use the unique non explosive demolition method that Expando Expansive Mortar provides. It was also chosen due to the cost saving it provided over other demolition options.
Drilling the holes
To carry out the concrete demolition, Energex loaded Expando SCA-2 into holes drilled 38mm wide, approximately 450mm apart and around 850mm deep.
The chemical started to crack the slab early on the second day after application – the weather was warm which helps with a quicker concrete burst.
Saw cuts not needed
To further speed the process and to ensure the reinforcing was cut, Energex decided to run diamond saw cuts along the slab, as you can see however in the images below, these cuts were not necessary as the job was completed entirely by the chemical expansion.
Expando Expansive Mortar ensured a safe and effective means of demolishing the concrete slab, with none of the usual concerns that need to be considered with demolition in a busy area.
Energex have been very happy with the result and will continue to use Expando in future jobs.
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