The contract for the dismantling works was awarded to Bohrex AG from Subingen. The dismantling required a number of core drills and horizontal, as well as vertical cuts, by wire saw, all of which were carried out with Tyrolit products. As a consultant, Dominique Haegele from Tyrolit supported the dismantling work with his comprehensive experience. The diving company TAF Taucharbeiten AG supervised and supported the underwater work. The diver was equipped with radio and an underwater camera for controlling the cuts, and even carried out some of the cutting work with the help of instructions from the team onshore.

Customised solutions for an extraordinary project

In a first step, various holes were drilled using Tyrolit core drill bits in order to feed the saw wire for the vertical cuts and to secure and recover the dismantling elements. Half of the drilling was carried out in the dry basin. However, for the second half of the drilling works, the basin was flooded and the drilling was carried out under water. After that, several vertical cuts had to be made with using the WCU17 wire saw from Tyrolit. The major challenge was the final 25m horizontal cut, which could not be carried out with standard machines due to the required machine power and the enormous cutting length under water. The project team therefore used a special construction in the form of two connected Tyrolit ‘SB’ wire saws. Bruno Fale from Bohrex AG managed the demolition work and was very appreciative of the support: “Thanks to the advice from Tyrolit, we were able to develop the right solution for this special project and successfully carry out the demolition work. All parties worked very well together.”

No project is without its challenges

The heavily reinforced concrete, the loose material and the strong water flow caused by heavy rainfall made the work a challenge for all parties involved. The fact that a large part of the dismantling work was carried out under water also made this project very special. Safety was also a top priority during the cutting work. The operators were always secured by a safety line and the cut elements were additionally secured to prevent them from being carried away by the current. Last but not least, the time factor had to be taken into account, as a specially booked crane was needed to remove the old wall.

Of the equipment used, diamond saw wires ‘DWL’ (ID 981831) and ‘DWM’ (ID 1965451) are said by Tyrolit to have a robust construction, high cutting performance and long lifetime, making them the ideal tools for the cutting works in Flumenthal. The cutting in the unusual setting required a special construction of two connected Tyrolit SB wire saws, whilst the WCU17 wire saw was used together with the attachment kit for the WSE1217 wall saw. A four stage control powerpack (PPH40RRP) drive was used to ensure optimum cutting speeds. In addition, the potentiometer of the radio remote control proved ideal, being designed for a wire friendly soft start.