Making
Room for the New–
Demolition
of Old Pier Is Work for the Powerful V55
From
our May 2002 newsletter
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The
"waterproofed" V55 breaks down pilings and seawall
on the century-old pier.
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New
London, CT has one of the biggest and busiest ports in the world.
Founded in 1646 as a whaling port it was home to as many as 80
whaling ships during its early years. Whalers no longer tie up
in New London but freighters, ferries and fishing boats do.
Today the New London State Pier is made up of two 1100' piers
serving barge, truck and rail transportation and two 50,000 sq.
ft. warehouses. Large cargo ships pull into the two berths carrying
mostly lumber, as well as steel and paper materials.
The turn-of-the-century piers had become dilapidated and were
eventually condemned. The east pier was completely rebuilt several
years ago and the west pier is currently being demolished and
reconstructed. Blakeslee-Arpaia-Chapman, Inc. of Branford, CT
was awarded the $10 million project of demolishing the old and
constructing the new west pier. We spoke to Lou West, Equipment
Supervisor, and Project Supervisor John Fucci about the 18-month
project.
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V55
Specifications:
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| Recommended
Carrier Weight (US tons) |
35-65 |
Working
Weight (lbs.)
|
7,010 |
| Flow
Range (gpm) |
63-84 |
| Striking
Rate (bpm) |
440-1045 |
Adjusted
Breaker
Pressure (psi) |
2400 |
Tool
Diameter (in.)
|
6.7 |
Overall
Height w/Tool
& Bracket (in.) |
126 |
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Breaking
Up Seawall
The old piers were made of timber and concrete with
an earth-filled center. The concrete footings, timber pilings,
and a 12'-14' high, 6' wide stone seawall running along both sides
of the pier all had to be demolished. Gary Grana, Sales
Rep. at W.I. Clark, Wallingford, CT, recommended a John
Deere 370LC carrier equipped with a V55 breaker to break up the
existing masonry seawall.
The
rocks were broken into 300 lb. pieces. These are being used as
rip rap to reinforce the new wall and help protect the new pilings
from erosion. The pilings (18" in diameter and up to 40'
long) are being driven right through the rock debris.
The
demolition took approximately 3 months to complete and, according
to West, the V55 made easy work of the task.
Underwater
Challenge
Timing is almost everything on a job like
this: Fucci explained that most of the rock breaking was done
during low tide so the breaker wouldn’t be submerged too
deeply in the water.
To make sure that water did not get into the oil and the hydraulics,
the V55 was fitted with a Tramac Underwater Pressurization Kit.
This is an easy-to-install accessory that attaches to a port on
the upper part of the breaker with a unique and convenient swivel
connection. A hose is threaded down the boom to an air compressor
which continually flushes air through the circuit. The hose from
the kit connection to the lower part of the boom is internal and
protected.
