Crane solution for German demolition challenge

In a rare European outing, SAT Industrie-Abbruch GmbH used a Liebherr HS 895 HD crawler crane equipped with a wrecking ball during the demolition of a chimney and batch tower at the Budenheim glass factory of behalf of Grunstueckverwaltung Rheinufer Budenheim GmbH.

In total, the factory had a total volume of 400,000 m³ (523,000 yd³), with the chimney standing 80 m (263 ft) high while the batch tower stood at a height of 60 m (197 ft). The site was in close proximity to a nearby chemical supply depot, which required that the demolition be carried out with minimal vibration and dust.

The crane was equipped with a demolition package and rigged with an 88 m (289 ft) main boom and 3.5 tonne drop weight. The batch tower, with a volume of 7,200 m³ (9,414 yd³), took one month to bring down, with dust from the demolition suppressed using vertical water curtains 30 m (98 ft) in height. For the chimney, a man basket was first lowered by the crane into the chimney, from which the inner lining and rock wool insulation were removed. Using the drop weight, the chimney was then demolished in a single day, during which operation care had to be exercised to avoid a nearby overhead power line.