Did You Know These Mind-Blowing Scientific Facts Behind Demolishing A Building?

I am sure you have heard the news about the demolition of the Supertech twin towers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It's the highest concrete structure to be demolished in India. Let's learn about concrete structure demolition, which is the process of destroying or collapsing a large concrete structure with the help of some equipment and techniques.  You can demolish a brick wall just by using a sledgehammer, and it's considerably easy to level a five-story building by using excavators and breaking balls. But if you want to demolish a 40-story skyscraper, you must take out the big guns. Now maybe your curious mind has a question about how a building is demolished. Or want to know some scientific facts or physics laws in a structure demolition. This article will explain the science behind an implosion or structure demolition.

The Science of Demolition of a Building

• Pre-demolition Survey and Disposal of all the Hazardous Material

Its name maybe not sound scientific, but it's the first step to starting the demolition process of a building. Pre-demolition or building survey is done to study the materials used, the type of method chosen to build the structure, and the physical condition of the building. This survey also aims to find and identify hazardous materials in building construction materials, for example, Asbestos (friable and non-friable), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), Synthetic Mineral Fibres (SMFs), and lead(in paints and lead dust).

Once you have identified all the hazardous materials, disposal of these elements should be done per the government's rule. 

• Store the hazardous materials in a proper container.
• You should identify a local disposal facility or recycling facility.
• You should transport all these disposal containers to the facility.

Prepare a Demolition Plan

Sometimes, it's necessary to demolish a building due to illegality (like the Noida Supertech twin tower) or old age (once it has no room for reconstruction or new room for development). Demolition is the quickest phase of any construction process because it can be in a short time. But it needs a comprehensive planning and demolition strategy. 

The first big hurdle is choosing the demolition method. Let's look at some building demolition techniques

• Interior Demolition

Interior demolition is the method of taking apart all the interior structures of the building while preserving the exterior. Usually, this method is chosen for the renovation of the project.                                                                                                                        

• Selective Demolition

A selective demolition process involves the removal of a specific portion of the building (interior or exterior) while protecting remaining and nearby structures.

• Dismantling or Deconstruction

As the name suggests, this method involves the demolition of structures carefully to preserve components for reuse, recycling, or refurbishment. 

• Total demolition

It's self-describing that this process involves the complete demolition of the structure using the methods listed below.

• Crane and Wrecking Ball

This is the earliest method to demolish a building. These wrecking balls act like giant pendulums. The crane operator swings the ball to a point where the ball stops and then falls back with great rotational kinetic energy and hits the structure.

• Mechanical Demolition

This method involves highly specialized machines and equipment to demolish a building. This equipment includes hydraulic excavators equipped with specialized tools that can tear apart concrete.

• Implosion

This method is considered the most precise demolition technique with minimal physical damage to the immediate surroundings. In this technique, the explosives are strategically placed to undermine the structural support so that it collapses within its footprints.

After choosing the appropriate demolition method, experts develop a detailed plan for how it will be carried out, the equipment used, and how much debris will be needed to clear out. 

3. Safety Measures During the Demolition of a Building

Before starting any demolition work, it is essential to consider what needs to be done and the impact on the surrounding area. We recommend hiring a professional to complete a risk assessment form that guides how to conduct demolition and the risks involved safely. Site workers, supervisors, operators, and engineers are warned of hazards such as flammable materials and exposure to noise and dust. Demolition contractors must also obtain all the necessary permits. 

Science Behind Demolition of a Building

Implosion Technique

Implosion is a process in which objects are torn down by themselves by collapsing on themselves. Simply put, an implosion is the opposite of an explosion, the collapse of matter and energy inward, and all implosion is caused by some form of pressure acting on an object from the outside. If it exceeds the pressure, the object will collapse without proper support.

On the other hand, The transition from combustion to explosion is caused by an acceleration of the reaction caused by an increase in temperature or an increase in the length of the reaction chain. The first is a thermal explosion, and the second is a chain explosion. 

Summary

Now you know all about building demolition. Regarding physical structures, whatever goes up indeed comes down someday. If following norms do not make a structure, or it has completed the course of time, it must be demolished nonhazardous. Building implosions cause a lot of air pollution. To deal with that, experts should opt for more eco-friendly demolition methods.