Challenge
We wanted to maintain the integrity of the concrete wall. Therefore the cut was located to sever the flanges, the Nelson studs, and the edge of the concrete poured against the beam. Further challenging the Bluegrass team was finding solid material for the access holes. One had to be moved 5’ from the originally planned point. It was February, in Boston, and temperatures were freezing. At the surface, slurry froze into icicles on the spinning saw wheels.
Freeing the beam for extraction meant slicing through the inch thick flanges and adjacent concrete wall. To accomplish that, two 8” diameter pvc pipes grouted inside 12” diameter steel casings were augured 70’ down next to the I-beam to create access for the diamond wire. The wire rotated on wheels in the casings, then up and across the flanges and the edge of the column which were cut as the diamond wire pushed downward toward the endpoint 70’ underground.
Solution
Outcome
15 days, 30 shifts, and 720 man hours after our saws were mobilized, a 70 ton crane extracted the beam, exposing the ragged end where the hydromill chewed into it. Shortly after, the hydromill was successfully raised to the surface. Bluegrass innovation, rapid response time, and attention to safety provided the solution for our clients to get back on schedule.