Food & Beverage

WORK PERFORMED

Inspection of chimney exterior
Adjacent building protected with scaffold and netting

Installation of access door for debris
Stack demolition

SUMMARY

TIME

4 weeks for strategic demolition

COST

Cost-effective strategy with no shutdown

SAFETY

Completed with no safety compromises

CLIENT NEED

A food manufacturing company in New England first contracted Industrial Access (IA) to inspect their out-of-service brick masonry chimney, 145’ high and 14’ in diameter at base. A thorough visual inspection of the chimney exterior and a drone inspection of the interior were conducted and signs of severe deterioration were observed. The crew identified large cracks, bulging and damage in the brickwork, softening or missing mortar throughout the chimney as well as degradation of the interior gunite liner.

The condition assessment concluded the chimney to be structurally unsound and thus posing a safety hazard to the surrounding area. Under sustained high winds the chimney risked collapse and damage to adjacent structures. It was IA’s immediate recommendation that the area be barricaded and the personnel near the chimney be relocated to safety until the hazard can be addressed. The client considered IA’s recommendations and agreed that the chimney should be dismantled.

Brick chimney in question

Extensive damage on stack exterior

Interior liner deteriorated

ACCESS

IA planned out access for the crew and demolition debris removal. To facilitate the daily debris cleanout, IA technicians cut an engineered 8’x4’ cleanout opening at the base of the structure, thoroughly reinforced with structural beams. This reinforcement frame was necessary to prevent premature failure of the structure at the opening. Demolition itself was started using a crane and a man-basket, and once the top 20’ of the chimney was dismantled, a man-lift was utilized instead of a crane to expedite the chimney demolition process in a cost-effective manner.

Scaffold built to cover and protect the building

Access door installed for debris removal

Crane access

SOLUTION

Prior to demolition, safety precautions had to be taken to ensure safety to the surrounding area and the adjacent building. The grounds were barricaded and marked with warning signs. A portion of the roof of the building was protected with load-rated scaffold system, and a debris netting was installed from the scaffold to the ground to protect the side of the building. The existing breeching duct was also removed and a “blank” cover frame and plate were installed at the opening to prevent debris from exiting the interior of the chimney through the breeching opening.

On certain occasions like this one, demolition will require the stack to be dismantled piece by piece instead of toppled over by explosives or heavy equipment. So, in this case, the brick chimney was arranged to be taken down in a piecemeal manner using advanced, innovative machinery in addition to electric and pneumatic demolition hammers. The crew demolished the structure in 5’-7’ increments, and all of the bricks removed were safely dropped down the interior surface of the chimney. The approximate size of the pieces was small enough to prevent high levels of vibration. The breaching duct was removed and capped close to the building. IA saw-cut the brick base down to the concrete foundation was smoothly as it was possible.

IA took care of the collection and disposal of the chimney debris. An excavator was utilized to move the debris out of the chimney through the cleanout door. To minimize landscape damage, wooden matting was placed prior on the grassy areas. Once the demolition was complete, IA cleaned up all the debris and other materials from the site.