1

A
Technical Paper
On
Implosion of Structures

ganesh_cek2006@yahoo.com patilvijay2006@rediffmail.com
2
Implosion of Structures
by
Mr. Narbat Ganesh S Patil Vijay P
B.E.Civil B.E.Civil
G.C.E.Karad G.C.E.Karad
ganesh_cek2006@yahoo.com patilvijay2006@rediffmail.com

Abstract

With increase in population, society demands vertical growth of structures and removal of those structures,
which hampers the growth and is not capable of accommodating the burgeoning population. Besides this,
with due to consideration to the safety reason and to avoid expensive retrofitting, which is nothing but a
temporary remedial measure, old structures must be replaced.
This technical paper introduces us to different techniques of implosion.. Prime intention of this paper is to
introduce civil engineers to Implosion technique of demolition.
Introduction
Demolition is an activity in which construction process is reversed that is the building or part of it is
disassembled and removed. Today structures are carefully dismantled and not demolished.
Demolition has evolved since its inception, form wrecking ball to explosives. During its evolution it
has become faster and safer and more cost effective.
Need for demolition
As a civil engineer why should I demolish a structure? This is the first question that comes in our
minds. A civil engineering structure has an in built life of 50 to 200 years. Structure needs extensive
restoration work after its design period. Structures also get damaged during natural calamities like
earthquake, cyclone etc. It is very costly to repair this kind of structure.
In light of this it is advisable to go for complete reconstruction of the structure. This brings in
current best technologies in construction in place of the older techniques. For this to happen we
need to bring down the structure, we need to demolish the structure.
Demolition by explosives (Implosion)
Explosives are used to assist demolition of a building.
The act of imploding, or precisely controlling the exploding of a building from within, may only
require a few seconds to physically place the building on the ground is known as implosion.
Planning
However, several months of careful planning must be accomplished before an implosion can be
done. In addition, depending upon size, the actual preparation of the building may take several
weeks. Careful, precise planning with all parties involved in the process is mandatory in insuring a
successful implosion.
3
Demolition Method
Feasibility studies should be undertaken by the construction manager to examine the cost
effectiveness of imploding compared to the wrecking ball method. In some cases, the wrecking ball
method will be considerably cheaper. Factors which influence these costs will be building size,
asbestos abatement, type of construction, proximity to other buildings and thoroughfares, and
exposure of the general public to the building during demolition, all potential sources of liability.
Owners may choose implosion as a method by which to lessen exposure to the local press and
media when buildings have historical or sentimental significance to the community. Implosion may
also be chosen when costs are found to be comparable to or even more expensive then the wrecking
ball due to the convenience associated with the implosion process.
Permissions and Regulatory Requirements
The construction manager must immediately begin the process of managing a demolition once this
method has been chosen by the owner. Early on, local governmental officials must be involved in
the planning process. The construction manager must call meetings with officials of agencies which
include, but are not limited to, the following: Building regulations, police, utilities, fire, public
works, air pollution control, and the natural resources departments. The officials must be directly
involved in the planning and coordinating process as each will be affected to one degree or another
by the implosion. In most locales, building regulation officials will also require a demolition permit.
Asbestos abatement permits will also be required if asbestos is present in the structure. The media
may also become involved at this point at the discretion of the owner. In some cases the media are
not notified until a day before the implosion, in order to limit spectators around the job site.
Pre Blast Precautions
The construction manager must also arrange for pre-seismic and post-seismic surveys around the
site. Pre- and post implosion video-surveys should be made of adjacent structures, sidewalks,
basements, sewer and water lines, and on exterior skins and roofs of adjacent buildings. This could
eliminate any liability claims after the implosion. Also, owners of adjacent and area businesses
should be notified of the date and time of the implosion, and what is being done to protect their
structures. In some cases, plywood barriers are constructed and placed between the site and the
businesses as a precautionary measure. Semi-trailers have also been utilized as a protective barrier,
but are used primarily as a psychological boost for the adjacent owners.
Preparation of Building For Implosion
The building itself is prepared for implosion by basically removing the contents of the building,
salvageable fixtures, and non-load bearing partitions in the basement and lower level floors.
Utilities are disconnected, and the building itself is wrapped in a chain link fence. Testing of
concrete is done to ascertain on site strength of it. This is done with the help of NDT (Ultrasound
test, Impact hammer test). Also test blasting of selected columns is carried out to ascertain in situ
concrete strength and to determine amount of explosives to be used per column. Structural columns
are drilled for explosive charges which are loaded approximately twenty-four hours prior to the
scheduled blast time. The demolition contractor is generally responsible for the preparation of the
building as part of the contractual agreement.
4
Risks Management
Columns are wrapped with meshes and geosynthetic materials so as to contain the flying debris.
Explosives used per columns are carefully computed. A berm of earth and demolition debris is
placed against the first floor in order to contain flying debris during the blast. Protective sheathing is
provided on neighbouring building so as to protect them in case some debris fly and impact it.
Falling debris creates mini earthquake which if not managed properly can cause damage to
neighbouring buildings. For this building is allowed to fall in a sequence so as to channelize energy
into ground at different time intervals. Security guards patrol the premises after the building has
been loaded.
Timing of Blasting
Ideal weather conditions for the blast are a light breeze and a cloud ceiling minimum of 1500-2500
feet. Low cloud ceiling levels will present dispersal of dust, so normally a blast will be postponed
for low ceiling levels or thunderstorms. Blast times are normally set up very early on a Saturday or
Sunday morning to lesson inconveniences to the general public, especially if main thoroughfares
have to be temporarily closed. Police departments help with crowd control and safety barriers prior
to and during the blast.
Cleaning
Immediately following the implosion, construction and City Street cleaning crews will clean and
water down the adjacent street, removing any dust or debris. Depending on the situation, most roads
are open within one to two hours. Cost of the city street cleaning crews is charged directly to the
owner via the construction manager.
Waste Management
Debris removal from the site is usually contacted on a per cubic yard basis by an excavating
contractor. During this time, an owner may chose to recycle aluminium, copper, and steel to the
area reclamation centre. All combustible and non-combustible materials must be discarded in
accordance with local, state, and federal laws. Every year, the disposal of construction debris and
trash becomes more of an expense and problem to the contractor. Careful planning, prior to an
implosion, can actually help to reduce expenses of debris removal.
Test Blasting of Columns

5

CASE STUDY
KINGDOME IMPLOSION
This particular structure was located in Seattle, USA. This structure use to house a football stadium.
It was constructed in 1976 at the cost of 67 million dollars. It was imploded on March 24 2000 at
8.50 am on Sunday. In place of this stadium a new stadium was to be constructed. Following are
some of specifications of this structure.
COMPONENTS VALUE
Site Area 23.9 acres
Building Area 9.34 acres
Roof Area 7.85 acres
Height 250 feet
Width 660 feet
Volume 67 million cubic feet
Structural Steel used 443 tons
Concrete used 52800 cubic yards
Explosives 445 tons of dynamite
Pre demolition Preparation 3 months
Time taken for implosion 16.8 seconds
Cost of Implosion 430 thousand dollars

Implosion Procedure
The roof of the Kingdome is the largest concrete dome in the world, spanning 660 feet. It is
held up by a balance of pressure between its inner and outer rings. The compression ring in the
middle anchors the tops of the ribs, while the encircling tension ring keeps the ribs' bases in place.

The key to the implosion is to release this pressure by breaking the ribs in the middle. When
this happens, most of the structure will collapse inward. The strategy is to take down the dome in a
two step fashion.

6


Step 1:
Small explosions in the first three sections will fracture the concrete in the ribs, columns, and
supporting tension ring. The flexible rebar that runs through the concrete will remain intact. As the
heavy concrete roof drops, the rebar will act like ropes pulling the columns down and toward the
centre.

Step 2:
As the first sections fall, the next three sections will be detonated and collapse, bringing the
centre compression ring down with them.

7
Step 3:
Gravity takes over and brings the dome down in a pile of rubble placed under the structure to
absorb some of the impact of the roofs heavy landing. The entire process estimated to happen in
approximately 20 secs, proves successful!

Risk management
Concrete slabs were placed at bottom of dome to reduce the impact of falling debris but then
also an earthquake of magnitude 2.3 was measured.
Explosives were placed inside columns 24hours prior to blasting.
Neighboring buildings were wrapped with protective plastic sheathing.
Safety zone was clearly demarcated and cleared off people, vehicles.

Sirens were blown 15 minutes prior to blasting.
8
Conclusion
It is seen that implosion is a superior technique of demolition than wrecking ball and
hydraulic breakers. It costs less for a multistoried structure. It is fast and causes least discomfort to
the neighbors. Various kinds of pollutions are limited only for a brief period of time. It is safer for
workers. Therefore this technique is recommended for modern redevelopment of cities.
REFERENCES
Websites
www.Howstuffworks.com

www.Findarticles.com

www.historylinks.org

www.implosionworld.com

www.home.earthlik.com

www.seattlepi.com

www.seattletimes.com

www.phillyblast.com

www.usgs.gov

This document was created with Win2PDF available at http://www.daneprairie.com.
The unregistered version of Win2PDF is for evaluation or non-commercial use only.