home > explosives > general explosives > back

Advantages:

Equipment:

Cost Saving:

Safety:

Reduction of handwork.

Specialised explosives.

Short programmes, minimal disruption.

Work conducted on intact structures.

In the eyes of the public "explosives" conjures up images generated by the special effects on T.V. This is not our aim, we use explosives
as a tool.

There are four basic applications of explosives in demolition. They can be used for cracking and shattering, for removal of structural members, as propellant charges and as cutting charges. With the cracking and shattering this is usually to "loosen up" large pieces of concrete so that they can be dealt with later by machinery. Removal of structural members is generally employed to take out columns, so that a previously prepared building can be collapsed or toppled. It can then be further reduced by machinery working at ground level. Propellant charges are generally employed on steel structures, where a previously prepared framework has selected pre-cut legs driven out to bring about collapse. Cutting charges, also known as shaped charges, are used as the name implies to cut through steelwork. While some preparation may be done by removing redundant parts, the structure is completely intact until detonation. It then collapses to ground level for further processing.