FLOOR SAWING (JOINT CUTTING)

Floor sawing is the most common method of cutting with machines using diamond saw blades. This method is typically applied for cutting joints on level surfaces like floors, bridges, and pavements. The process of sawing such surfaces is carried out using a floor saw machine, equipped with a diamond saw blade appropriate for either dry or wet cutting.

Applications:

• Cutting off reinforced concrete floors to facilitate demolition of old building sites.
• Cutting expansion joints in large floor plane surfaces and airfields.
• Single or double cutting (using two saw blades at the same time) depending on the specific requirements of the work in progress.

WALL SAWING

Another type of cutting machine using diamond saw blades and commonly utilized in construction works is the wall saw

The wall sawing technique employs the use of a saw blade powered from a machine which moves on a rail. The rail may be attached on a wall or an inclined surface, where the use of a floor saw is not possible. Wall sawing is the most suitable technique for creating door and window openings with high dimensional accuracy on existing walls.

Applications:

• Creating various types of openings on walls, roofs and floors.
• Creating openings for windows on existing walls with high dimensional accuracy, so that no extra work is required for fitting the window frame.
• Cutting on inclined surfaces (e.g. on a ramp or a staircase).

DRILLING

Drilling techniques are used whenever accurate circular cutting is required. Cylindrical holes of 20mm to 500mm diameter may be drilled in order to be used as passages for hydraulic piping, electrical cabling, ventilation, heating pipes and chimneys. Drilling is performed using core drilling machines equipped with diamond core bits (hollow drills).

Drilling techniques may also be used when the thickness of reinforced concrete volumes to be removed exceeds the range of saw blades, while wire sawing (see below) is not applicable. In such cases multiple overlapping holes are drilled successively to create a bigger opening with dimensions as required. This technique may also be applied to create circular openings with diameter greater than 500 mm, e.g. when it is required to create a staircase passage through a concrete slab floor.

WIRE SAWING

Wire sawing is the newest cutting technique using diamond tools applied in construction works. This technique is fast, cost effective, safe and provides an alternative to typical demolition methods.

A wire sawing system utilizes a number of driving pulleys in order to route a closed loop of wire carrying diamond beads through a pair of holes penetrating the volume to be removed. As the diamond wire runs through the holes a cut is created between them.

A wire sawing system may perform cutting in irregular shapes, may work in confined spaces and is ideal for cutting volumes of reinforced concrete thicker than 60 cm.

This technique may be applied in:

• Dangerous areas, e.g. nuclear power stations, confined spaces, underwater surfaces, demolition of bridges and buildings from a safe distance.
• Removal of large reinforced concrete volumes.
• Cutting volumes of reinforced concrete with no practical limitations considering volume thickness.

SELECTIVE DEMOLITION

In cases where it is desired to perform selective demolition of certain constructional elements without affecting the rest of the building, a special skid-steered robot moving on rubber tracks is utilized. Having small weight and width of only 90 cm, this robotic machine may execute demolition works in confined and not easily accessible spaces. Using the robot in the interior of buildings is not a problem, since it is electrically powered (does not generate any fumes and operates with low noise levels).

The demolition robot is equipped with either a hydraulic breaker or a hydraulic crusher, depending on the requirements of the demolition work to be done. The robot is controlled using a wireless remote control set, ensuring safe, precise and timely execution of selective demolition projects.

Applications:

• Robot equipped with hydraulic breaker: selective demolition of constructional elements (e.g. concrete slabs, concrete walls, masonry) in confined and not easily accessible spaces, in the interior of buildings where use of pneumatic breakers is inconvenient or impossible, while precise and fast work is a must.
• Robot equipped with a hydraulic crusher: use of the hydraulic crusher instead of the hydraulic breaker is preferable in certain works, especially where shock and vibration caused by selective demolition works should be minimized in order to ensure that the rest of the building remains intact.