No Hammering? No Blasting? No problem... when you have a Rockwheel

Just last week I was in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on the western shore of Lake Ontario. Beautiful part of the world. Much of Hamilton is perched on karst topography which involves geological formations with  subsurface drainage, caverns and passages caused by dissolving rock, especially prevalent in limestone formations like the Niagara Escarpment. We were at a site where underground infrastructure was being installed for water and sewer services. This means trenching and where the shelf rock was not very deep. Where it was permitted the contractor was blasting the rock. Elsewhere hydraulic hammers were in use along with excavator mounted Rockwheels. 

In some areas of the site, due to the presence of underground karst features, blasting and hammering was explicitly prohibited. In these areas the only option was the Alpine Rockwheel drum cutter. Rockwheels are the lowest vibration method of rock removal. Precise and rapid grinding of the rock limits the disturbance to the surrounding rock mass. A Rockwheel model G40 (200hp) was utilized. Production rates varied depending where we were on the site.  Rockwheel rock grinders excel where there are natural fractures and weakness planes but even in the solid rock the rock cutting attachment got the job done. The trench was cut to exact specifications with no overbreak, which is a problem with hammers. Cuttings could be reused as backfill saving hauling costs. 

Rockwheel Americas has a large inventory of units for rental and purchase.  Call 1-814-466-7134 or email info@rockzoneamericas.com to get more information.  

You can alwasy find us online at rockzoneamericas.com