Write Up Reports On Building Demolition: Surigao State College of Technology

Surigao State College of Technology
Narciso St., Surigao City Main Campus
Write Up Reports
On Building Demolition
Submitted by:
Reymart B. Cabajes
BSCE - 4B Student
Submitted to:
Engr. Vernie Purtugues
Instructor
The Science of Demolishing a Building
Date: June 5, 2020
The Science of Demolishing a Building
Demolition is probably one of the most interesting parts of construction work. As we build more
structures, there comes a point where we need to demolish old ones, either for safety reasons or to
make room for newer buildings.
Demolition is the process of dismantling a building by pre-planned or controlled methods. However,

there’s more to demolition than swinging a wrecking ball — it involves highly trained experts working
with debris, weather conditions, materials, mass, and physics.
As the construction industry continues to see growth, demolition work is expected to grow at a rate of
3.3% through 2022. Read on to learn about the science behind demolishing a building and why it’s an
important part of our communities. Jump to our infographic below to see a summary of the entire
demolition process.
Pre-demolition Process
Before a demolition is executed, the experts must consider several different factors. A demolition
process is customized for each project and typically involves the following steps.
 Building Survey
 Removal of hazardous materials
 Demolition plan
 Safety measures
Building survey: Experts examine the different characteristics of a building, such as the materials,
building usage, method of construction, condition, draining conditions, traffic conditions, building codes,
and neighboring communities. A study of these parameters will help to dictate the best demolition
method.
Removal of hazardous materials: Specialized personnel is called upon to remove dangerous materials
from the building prior to demolition, such as asbestos minerals, radioactive substances, flammable
materials, and petroleum contamination.
Demolition plan: Experts craft a detailed plan illustrating what will be involved in the demolition, how it
will be carried out, the equipment that will be used, and how much debris they will need to clean up.
Safety measures: Site workers, supervisors, operators, and engineers are advised of potential hazards
such as flammable materials and exposure to noise and dust. The demolition company must also secure
the proper permits.
The next step is to select the safest and most efficient demolition method that stays within budget. Not
all demolitions end in explosions — methods can range from devastating blasts to non-explosive piece-
by-piece removals. Some include implosions, excavators, wrecking balls, bulldozers, and selective
demolition.
Building Implosion
Implosion is by far the most impressive method of demolishing a building. However, due to their
specialized nature, implosions are used in less than 1% of demolition projects. Implosion is the process
of using explosives to knock out a building’s main supports, causing the building to collapse from the
inside out.
Buildings are imploded in one of two ways. If space permits, explosives are fitted into the building’s left
columns, making it fall to the side when detonated. Cables are often used to control the building’s
collapse, making this method a safer option. If space is limited, the second method involves placing
explosives in the building’s lower support system and middle sections, causing the building to fall onto
itself.
Implosions require the knowledge of experts called “blasters” and are often used to demolish large
structures in urban areas. A successful implosion requires the following steps:
Blueprint examination: Blasters study blueprints of a building to determine which areas need to be
blasted.
Site preparation: Crews prepare a site by taking out the non-load-bearing walls, weakening supporting
columns, and wrapping columns with fencing for a cleaner fall with less flying debris.
Determine explosives: Blasters select an explosive based on the building’s materials. Dynamites release
shockwaves and are best used to obliterate concrete columns. RDX can expand up to 27,000 feet per
second to slice through steel structures.
Load explosives: The explosives are bored into columns, generally in support columns and a few upper
stories to make it easier to break the building into smaller pieces.
Time detonation: Blasters first build up an electrical charge. When the current is sent through the wire,
it heats up and ignites the flammable substance, setting off the main explosives. Blasters can time their
detonations by setting slow-burning materials to delay the explosions.
Excavator Demolition
For smaller buildings like homes and offices, an excavator is often used to dismantle the structure.
However, buildings over 60 feet tall, as well as those made of masonry, concrete, and steel, will require
a more heavy duty machine like a high reach excavator. High reach demolition is considered a cleaner,
safer way to dismantle structures, as it causes less flying debris, dust, noise, and risk to the operator.
The building itself is demolished mainly from the attachments affixed to the excavator. The most
common are shears, crushers, and hydraulic hammers. The tool-equipped arm pulls down and breaks
the structure from the top down. Special ground crews then use hammers, sledgehammers, and
crushers to reduce the pieces to rubble.
The right boom size will depend on the building. High-rise buildings like a hotel often have lighter steel
at the top, so a taller boom height should be prioritized over a heavy tool. An industrial building, on the
other hand, will require a heavy tool to remove thicker materials and thus a boom that can handle more
weight instead of height.
Wrecking Ball Demolition

A wrecking ball is the classic icon of demolition. A massive ball of steel weighing up to 12,000 pounds is
suspended from a crane and swung into a building, with its sheer weight, inertia, and gravity doing the
work to bring down a building.
There are a few methods to release the ball. It can either be dragged back and released, hoisted to a
great height and dropped, or whipped from a spinning a crane. Swinging precision is required, as the
ball’s trajectory cannot be controlled once it breaks the structure.
A wrecking ball works like a pendulum. When in rest, the ball contains gravitational potential energy
stored in its massive weight. As its weight is released, the energy is converted into motion. To create the
amount of force necessary, the crane operator must create momentum. As gravity pulls on the ball, its
highest point of velocity is achieved at the bottom point of the pendulum arc. Thus, the weight is
released from a higher point to create greater velocity.
While wrecking ball demolitions are relatively inexpensive and quick, this method causes a lot of debris,
dust, and safety hazards. As a result, it is seldom used on sites today.
Selective Demolition
Selective demolition is gaining popularity in today’s eco-conscious world. Rather than destroying the
building in one swoop, this method involves removing specific sections of a building while retaining the
structure. It’s a great choice for building remodels, upgrades, and extensions, where recycling and
reusing are desired to lessen the demolition’s environmental impact.
Similar to any kind of demolition, this method involves a thorough survey of the building’s structure,
removal of hazardous materials, and determining potential recyclable materials. These are the steps of a
selective demolition process:
Prepare the site: Mechanics, electricians, and plumbers cut off the power, shut down HVAC systems,
and cap open piping. Crew members also install a temporary lighting system and add a trash chute to
maximize sorting of recyclable goods.
Strip away nonstructural components: Labor forces dismantle the architectural, mechanical, and
electrical elements of the structure, leaving the building’s shell.
Remove materials and shore up building: Structure shoring and temporary supports are added. Crews
remove floor beams, load-bearing walls, columns, and floor slabs of external sections of the building
that require demolition.
Sort debris: The team places the deconstructed building materials into recycle, reuse, sell, or donate
bins and then begins new construction.
When it comes to structures, whatever goes up must someday come down. When buildings have run
the course of their lifetime, they must be demolished in a way that is efficient and non-hazardous. To
some, seeing a demolition is an awe-inspiring experience. However, there is a lot of expertise and
precision that goes into pulling off a successful demolition.
Demolitions are important to the growth and revitalization of our communities and are continually
evolving to become more cost-effective, safe, and environmentally friendly.

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Surigao State College of Technology

Narciso St., Surigao City Main Campus

The Science of Demolishing a Building

Demolition is the process of dismantling a building by pre-planned or controlled methods. However,

Wrecking Ball Demolition

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