Wire Sawing
Wire sawing is best used for removal of thick sections of concrete or steel. The diamond wire sawing process uses a multi-strand wire-cable with embedded industrial diamonds and uses a series of pulleys to guide the wire through the concrete. Wire sawing equipment can cut in any orientation and in any location. Because the wire sawing cable can be of virtually any length, cutting depth and width are unlimited. Since no structure or cross-section is too large to cut, wire sawing is used where other cutting methods are impractical. Wire sawing is ideal for removing large sections of heavily reinforced concrete such as bridge piers and columns, abutment walls, press bases, building/footing separation, and cutting concrete and steel in areas where work space is restricted. Diamond's wire sawing systems can even be used to cut precise circular openings through walls and floors ranging in diameter from 2 feet to 11 feet.
Please see the related case studies on wire sawing and the Project Portfolio section of our site which illustrate many of the capabilities and uses for wire sawing. Please click here if you have a special wire sawing project or desire specific information on wire sawing.
Wire Sawing, Coal Fired Generating Facility
Client
Leland Olds Station—Basin Electric Power Cooperative—Stanton, ND
Project
Basin Electric Power needed to make improvements on their existing coal feed system located under a 200 ton coal storage silo. In order to install the new feed system an opening measuring15.5 feet by 19.3 feet had to be cut through a six foot thick concrete floor that separated the coal storage unit from conveyors below. Additionally, Diamond had to section an 8 foot diameter 10 foot high steel tube filled with concrete for removal from the coal feed area. The client only had three-weeks to saw and remove the concrete for the installation of the new feed system.
Process
Before beginning the work, Diamond visited the site to collect aggregate samples to accurately determine the hardness of the concrete to be cut. Also, because of the conveyor system located below the floor it was not possible to shore the concrete and Diamond engineered a cutting sequence that allowed removal of the 21 pieces to begin at the center of the opening by overhead crane. Because the concrete could not be shored it was important that the cut sequence would allow the floor to support its own weight during the precision demolition process. On average, each of the pieces cut weighed in at 13,000 pounds and Diamond placed all the anchors for lifting and removal.
Outcomes
Working 12 hour shifts, six days a week the Diamond five-man crew was able to complete the work ahead of schedule and on budget. According to Dick Schaffer, Project Manager for Basin Electric Power Cooperative, “There were no contractors in the Dakotas who could provide a workable solution to the challenge. Diamond’s representative visited, reviewed our needs and the work to be completed, and submitted a proposal that made sense. Then their team came and completed the job.”