Breaking up concrete is never an easy project. Noise, dust, and vibrations are all part of the equation, not to mention required manpower and time. Where once jackhammers and hydraulic powered demolition machines were the standard, and still are to some extent, there are better alternatives out there – hydrodemolition being one of them. We would even go so far as to call it the best way to break up concrete. Why? Continue reading to find out.

What is concrete hydrodemolition?

Concrete hydrodemolition refers to the process of utilizing high-pressure or ultra high-pressure water jet equipment to remove concrete as well as other materials. It has come to be known as one of the best ways to break up concrete because of the many advantages it provides as it can cut the concrete without affecting steel substructures and other important parts of the structure.

Advantages of hydrodemolition

Hydrodemolition offers multiple technical, environmental, safety, as well as financial benefits of traditional concrete removal methods such as jackhammers or hydraulic power tools.

Technical benefits

Not only does it maintain the structural integrity of the reinforcing steel, helping extend the useful life of the structure, it also helps clean it during the process. Chlorides and other invisible contaminations are eliminated, where it also leaves a clean surface ideal for bonding with new concrete. Not to mention that it also allows for both non-selective and selective removal of defective concrete, allowing unflawed concrete to remain.

Safety benefits

Hydrodemolition is essentially vibration free. As such, it completely removes the risk of injuries associated with hand-arm vibration syndrome. Hydrodemolition also reduces the amount of noise and dust dramatically, protecting the workers hearing and health.

Environmental benefits

The elimination of noise and dust is not only beneficial for the workers, but also for the environment around the project. And the water used can easily be captured after operation, thus eliminating the risk of contamination.

Financial benefits

Last but not least, the financial benefits of hydrodemolition. It is often many times quicker than conventional methods, resulting in a shorter process time and as such, reduced costs.

Conjet’s ACR™ hydrodemolition robots – The best way to break up concrete

Where hydrodemolition as a method on its own can be considered the best way to break up concrete, we’ve taken it one step further with our automated hydrodemolition robots – we call it ACR™.

Our concrete hydrodemolition robots use a high-pressure water jet which travels over the concrete surface at a constant speed, taking advantage of the concrete’s permeability to create an overpressure that breaks it apart. The automation of the robots allow operators to easily execute both selective and non-selective removals at a safe distance.

One Conjet robot can do the work of around 25 workers with jackhammers, with both better precision and better result, thus reducing both costs and increasing productivity.

Superior bonding, selective and non-selective removal, no micro-cracks, preserves and clean rebars, miniscule noise and dust pollution, essentially vibration free. If you still wonder why we call hydrodemolition the “best way to break up concrete”, feel free to contact us and we’ll tell you more, or read more about our automated hydro demolition robots!
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