Demolition by Implosion Method

Controlled demolition can be used on virtually any type of structure but is

commonly utilised on buildings of significant height, bridges, chimney stacks
and cooling towers. Tall buildings, such as tower blocks, are typically seen as
the main buildings demolished by controlled demolition. It is essentially more
cost and time efficient in bringing down a building of significant size and
height to use explosives. But the use of this method depends on the
surrounding area and whether there are other buildings in close proximity,
and tenants and/or residents occupying those buildings. There are several
methods adopted for controlled demolition, one such method is implosion.

Implosion is a method in which objects are destroyed by collapsing on

themselves. True implosion usually involves a difference between internal
(lower) and external (higher) pressure, or inward and outward forces, that is
so large that the structure collapses inward into itself, or into space, it
occupied if it is not a completely solid object.

In the controlled demolition industry, implosion is the strategic placing of

explosive material and timing of its detonation so that a structure collapses
on itself in a matter of seconds, minimizing the physical damage to its
immediate surroundings.

Building Demolished in Johannesburg

The Technique of implosion

Before the execution of demolition work, the careful study of site condition,
the type of structure, structural member, implosion range, rural or urban
area and frequency is important.

An implosion is simply the opposite of an explosion. In an explosion, matter

and energy fly outward, but in an implosion, matter, and energy collapse
inward. All implosions will need some sort of pressure from the outside
pushing in to cause the object to collapse. So in short, implosions are caused
by having greater pressure on the outside of an object than on the inside.
The technique is discussed below.

 The first step is to examine architectural blueprints of the building, if

they can be located, to determine how the building is put together.
Next, the blaster crew tours the building (several times), jotting
down notes about the support structure on each floor. Once they
have gathered all the raw data they need, the blasters hammer out
a plan of attack.
 Building implosion techniques do not rely on the difference between
internal and external pressure to collapse a structure. Instead, the
goal is to induce a progressive collapse by weakening or removing
critical support, therefore the building can no longer withstand
gravity loads and will fail under its own weight.
 Numerous small explosives, strategically placed within the structure,
are used to catalyze the collapse. Nitroglycerin, dynamite, or other
explosives are used to shatter reinforced concrete supports. Linear
shaped charges are used to sever steel supports. These explosives
are progressively detonated on support throughout the structure.
Then, explosives on the lower floors initiate the controlled collapse.
 A simple structure like a chimney can be prepared for demolition in
less than a day. Larger or more complex structures can take up to
six months of preparation to remove internal walls and wrap
columns with fabric and fencing before firing the explosives.
 Demolition blasters load explosives on several different levels of the
building so that the building structure falls down on itself at multiple
points. When everything is planned and executed correctly, the total
 damage of the explosives and falling building material is sufficient to
collapse the structure entirely, so cleanup crews are left with only a
pile of rubble.
 Blasters approach each project a little differently, but the basic idea
is to think of the building as a collection of separate towers. The
blasters set the explosives so that each “tower” falls toward the
center of the building, in roughly the same way that they would set
the explosives to topple a single structure to the side. When the
explosives are detonated in the right order, the toppling towers
crash against each other, and all of the rubble collects at the center
of the building. Another option is to detonate the columns at the
center of the building before the other columns so that the building’s
sides fall inward.
 Sometimes, though, a building is surrounded by structures that
must be preserved. In this case, the blasters proceed with a true
implosion, demolishing the building so that it collapses straight
down into its own footprint (the total area at the base of the
building). This feat requires such skill that only a handful of
demolition companies in the world will attempt it.

The recent case of implosion demolition India – Maradu implosion,

Kochi
Image Source- Hindu
Two of the four apartment complexes in Maradu in Kerala’s Kochi were
demolished in a controlled implosion on Saturday after the Supreme Court’s
order in May last year for violating the Coastal Zone Regulation (CZR) norms.

Described as the first such implosion in the country of this dimension two
luxury waterfront high-rises in the Maradu district of Kochi city were literally
razed to dust on Saturday.

Delayed by about 17 minutes according to what was on offer on television

within a few seconds after the trigger for the blast was pressed, at 11.17
a.m. the 19 storied H2O Holy Faith was raised to the ground as a huge cloud
of dust mushroomed up covering a huge area. The first block of AAlfa Serene
flats were also demolished and a minute later the second block followed it to
the ground.