StoneAge Releases the Blackhawk™ Concrete Hydro-Demolition Tool
Durango, CO (PRWEB) February 20, 2014 -- StoneAge is pleased to announce the release of the BLACKHAWK BHK-100 hydro-demolition unit, a hydraulic attachment that is compatible with any type of maneuvering equipment. It can be used in both vertical and horizontal concrete removal applications.
Hydro-demolition, the process of removing concrete utilizing high pressure water jets, has many benefits when compared with mechanical removal. Unlike jackhammers, hydro-demolition does not produce vibrations throughout a structure and therefore does not introduce fracturing or otherwise negatively affect the integrity of remaining concrete. The International Concrete Repair Institute states that hydro-demolition “is effective in removing concrete from around embedded metal elements such as reinforcing steel, expansion joints, anchorages, conduits, shear connectors, and shear studs. This technology can also be used to remove existing coatings from concrete.”
The Blackhawk system leaves reinforcing structure grids (rebar) undamaged. In fact, pressurized water effectively cleans embedded metal surfaces. The water jet can be precisely placed for accurate localized removal of deteriorated concrete without affecting uncompromised surrounding concrete. When preparing large areas for bonded overlay, the resulting surface texture provides excellent adhesion for new concrete. Noise and debris emissions are greatly reduced while eliminating operator health hazards associated with repetitive strain and dust inhalation.
“The country’s infrastructure needs updating. Most of our highways, bridges, spillways, and parking garages are in need of some level of repair. The Blackhawk lets you selectively remove the worn concrete and replace it very quickly and efficiently,” says Bill Shires, Director of Business Development at StoneAge. “The Blackhawk offers an entry level model for concrete contractors as well as Departments of Transportation to rebuild those bridges and highways at a fraction of the cost of percussion methods.”
The Blackhawk unit is designed to accommodate a wide variety of hydraulic machines in terms of attachment and flow (standard flow skid steers, telehandlers, etc.), offering considerable cost savings, flexibility and simplicity over robotic machines with built-in drive systems. All the controls are integrated into the hydraulics of the implement, giving the operator independent control of rotation and traverse speeds to match the variable removal rates of concrete from the safety of the cab. The unit can be positioned horizontally or vertically for effective concrete removal on bridges, roadways, garages, and difficult to reach locations.
“It was pretty self-explanatory,” offered Derrell Dennison, Superintendent at Weeminuche Construction Authority, after completing a concrete removal project on a 15-inch thick section of spillway. “I thought there was going to be a long training period involved. Well, it took about five minutes.” Dennison’s team removed 240 square feet of concrete in approximately 20 hours. “With the jackhammer method I had planned on using, we were looking at about 80 hours, so it was about a quarter of the time.”
StoneAge will be presenting the Blackhawk BHK-100 concrete hydro-demolition unit at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo (February 24-27) in Indianapolis, IN and CONEXPO-CON/AGG (March 4-8) in Las Vegas, NV.
For more information, visit our website: http://www.stoneagetools.com/blackhawk.
Bill Shires, StoneAge, Inc., http://www.stoneagetools.com, +1 1-866-795-1586 Ext: 1019, [email protected]
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