Professional pile breaking is an important step in the construction industry, especially for the foundations of buildings. It must be ensured that the piles provide a level and load-bearing surface, which is essential for the subsequent construction. Depending on the structure, the piles must be able to absorb either compressive or tensile forces, or even both. The process begins with careful planning and the selection of suitable tools and methods.
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Why pile breaking
Contamination: When creating bored piles, a drilling rig is used to drill a hole in the ground, which is then filled with concrete and a reinforcement cage. This creates a mixture of dirt, earth and concrete which settles on the surface of the pile. This mixture impairs the quality of the pile heads. These layers must be removed to ensure that the pile head is made of solid and clean concrete.
Exposure of the reinforcing bars: Another important reason for cutting the pile heads is to expose the reinforcing bars. These iron rods, which are anchored in the concrete, must be made accessible for the subsequent construction process. They play an important role in connecting the pile to the structure above, which is why their exposure is essential.
Avoid damaging the reinforcing bars: Special care must be taken when cutting bored piles to avoid damaging the reinforcement bars. These iron bars are critical to the structural integrity of the pile and must remain in perfect condition. Damage could impair the load-bearing capacity of the pile and lead to structural weaknesses.
Creating a clean pile shoulder: for the subsequentIt is important that the shoulder of the pile is clean and level during the construction work. A clean pile shoulder enables a precise and stable connection with the structure above. This is particularly important for the safe and durable construction of foundations and other load-bearing structures.
Ensuring high-quality concrete: The concrete used in the area of the pile head must be of high quality. By removing the top layer and exposing the concrete underneath, it is possible to ensure that the pile head is made of solid and strong material. This contributes to the overall safety and durability of the construction.
Pile breaking – but how?
After the curing time, the pile head is exposed and the excess concrete of the pile heads is cut (removed). Manual working with pneumatic hammers, also known as hand chiseling, pointing or raising, is a traditional method used in civil engineering to shorten pile heads to the required height. The concrete is removed using hand-held pneumatic hammers.
This method is relatively gentle on the pile and the reinforcement. However, it poses major health risks for employees. Pneumatic hammers generate strong vibrations, which can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) if used regularly. HAVS is a disease caused by prolonged exposure of the hands and arms to vibrations (read more about this topic here ).
Pile breaking – duration
Pile breaking by manually using pneumatic hammers is a complex process, the duration of which depends on several factors. This includes the diameter and the extraction length of the pile, with larger diameters and extraction heights requiring more time to cap. Concrete quality and age also play a role. The working speed is also influenced by the conditions on site, such as the weather conditions.
Pile breaking with an innovative solution
Brextor® is an efficient, safe and high-quality method for pile breaking. With this method, not only single piles, but also all types of pile walls (tangent, secant or contiguous) are processed gently by machine. The work is done by one person and one machine. The weather conditions have no influence here.
Brextor® offers the following advantages:
🏗 Increased construction quality
Perfect pile breaking without cracks in the pile body or spalling on the pile outer skin, no bent or torn reinforcements and a height accuracy of +/- 1cm.
💵 Reduced construction costs
The demolition material consists of 80% gravel 0-30mm and can therefore be reused directly on the construction site. In addition, Brextor® requires less working space than conventional mining methods. This means that not only expenses for transportation and disposal incl. fees are saved, but the purchase and supply of replacement material is also eliminated. Furthermore, the preparatory work eliminates the need for a separating diamand cut at the final extraction level and the cleaning effort is massively lower than with conventional extraction methods.
⏱ Shortened processing time
For example, a pile with a diameter of 1 m and a height of 1 m can be processed within 40 minutes. A daily output of up to 16 piles is possible. In addition, Brextor® provides reliable performance and therefore increased planning security.
♻️ Environmentally friendly
With Brextor®, the demolition material (80% gravel 0-30mm) can be reused directly on the construction site. In addition, Brextor® requires less working space. This saves excavation and replacement material. Due to the direct reuse of the demolition material on the construction site and the saving of excavation and replacement material, transports can be saved. In addition, landfills are less burdened.
👷 Increased health & safety at work
No heavy physical work is required for pile cutting, which massively reduces the risk of health hazards such as HAVS syndrome. In addition, Brextor® avoids working in danger zones.
Find out more about Brextor® here:
Contact us for more information and find out how you can benefit from this revolutionary pile breaking method.
Call us on +41 41 495 05 20 or send an e-mail to info@brc.swiss. We look forward to working with you and taking your projects to the next level.