66
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER2014
d
&
ri
IN ACTION
OilQuick
time for
AR
A
tBridgnorthAluminium in
Shropshire,Nuneaton-basedAR
Demolition faced the challengeof
internal demolitionof a400m (1,300 ft) by
10m (33 ft)wide aluminium lithography
stripproduction linewhereheight restrictions
meant that the largestmachine that could
beusedwas a20 tonne excavator. Thework
involved thebreakingout of a strongly
reinforced concretemezzanine ceiling at 10
mwhile retaining the externalwalls of the
structure. Theworkwas further complicated
by theneed to remove several heavily
reinforced concretebases that protruded from
the floor byup to2m (6.6 ft) to allow further
access into the structure.
With access so tight and compact, theonly
logical sequence for thedemolitionwas to
pulverise, shear andbreak alternately in small
sections,whichmeant frequent attachment
changes. The first stageof thework saw the
useof aVTNFP24 concretepulveriser to
remove theheavily reinforced concreteof
themezzanine floor andbring it down to
ground levelwhere itwas furtherprocessed
into smallerpieces and rebar removed.As the
rebarwas over 25mm (1 inch) thick itwas
not possible tobundlewith thepulveriser.
Theoperator therefor changedover to aVTN
MT20multiprocessor fittedwith steel jaws to
cut the rebar intomanageable lengths. Itwas
thennecessary to swap to a sortinggrab to
load the rebar into a scrap skip for recycling.
Thebroken concretewas left on the floor so
the excavator could track forwardonto the
next sectionof thebuilding.
When facedwith the first raised concrete
platform aFurukawaF27XPhydraulicbreaker
wasused tobreak into this base andmake
room toproceed into thenext stage to repeat
theprocess over again.
Caterpillar has introduced two new
wheeled excavators, the 19.7 tonne
M318F and 21 tonneM320F, which it
says havemade use of extensive customer
feedback during their design. Heading
the customer wish list were initial quality
and reliability, low operating costs,
operator comfort and safety, simplicity of
operation andmaintenance, durability and
environmental friendliness.
Bothmachines are powered by a Cat
C7.1ACERT Tier 4 Final/Stage IV diesel
delivering 126 kW (169 hp) and retain the best features of their predecessormodels,
including the Cat Smartboom, ride control, load sensing hydraulics, dedicated swing
pump, hydraulically driven cooling fan, large working envelopes and configuration/work tool
versatility.
The exterior has been given a completely new styling, including a new operator’s cab with
greater pressurisation, larger door with increased glazing, newwindowwith parallel wipers,
new rain visor and light protectors, a larger skylight and a standard rear view camera with
a separate in-cabmonitor.
Cats onwheels
