Cats crush concrete car park

Suffolk-based CDC Demolition is using two Caterpillar 325L demolition specification hydraulic excavators to undertake a controlled dismantling of a concrete cancer- ridden car park in Colchester.

The excavators, supplied by Cat dealer Leverton, are armed with 6.48m straight demolition booms and hydraulic concrete crushing and cutting attachments.

Their task is to dismantle most of the five storey structure to ground level as part of a œ320,000 project to make the local bus terminus safe.

Whilst the 29t Cat machines are being used to cut each floor deck from the supporting lift shafts, smaller machines have been used to dismantle the building's uppermost storeys.

'The floors are in a terrible condition,' said CDC Demolition md David Clarke and added:'Our structural engineers have recommended that we use machines of not more than 27kg/cm2 ground pressure lest they fall through the floor.'

The uppermost floor, according to CDC, has already been demolished by a 1.5t mini excavator equipped with a boom mounted hydraulic breaker. 'We daren't use more than one machine on a single level' said Clarke 'The whole building vibrates when the mini tracks across the floor.'

Working from either end of the 66m long building, the two Cat machines are said to be making swift progress. Each floor is taking approximately seven days to dismantle. 'Using the Allied UP20 universal attachment, our operators not only crack the concrete, they can lower the steel reinforcing bar safely to the ground.' explains Clarke.

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