German demolition company makes fast work of motorway junction: Armed with ten Epiroc hydraulic hammers, Mexner GmbH dismantled the A60/A63 north bridge overnight.

September 4, 2023

Using ten Volvo crawler excavators each fitted with an Epiroc hydraulic breaker, local demolition company Mexner dismantled the Mainz South motorway interchange overnight during the weekend of 7 – 10 July 2023. Critical to completing the demolition in the shortest possible time was the power of the Epiroc hydraulic attachments, manufactured in the Epiroc factory in Essen since 1963.

The high volume of traffic using the motorway interchange every day – approximately 180,000 vehicles - posed a challenge to the construction service providers to complete the demolition of the freeway as quickly as possible, limited to overnight working, without causing damage to other carriageways. Thanks to the right equipment, the job was completed within a very short time.

The contract to demolish the north bridge of the well-used motorway interchange, which was built 60 years ago, was awarded to Mexner GmbH, a demolition company based in Bischofsheim, by Autobahn GmbH. Mexner had previously demolished the south bridge of the Mainz South interchange in 2017, which has subsequently been rebuilt. As a result of this work, they knew that the north bridge would also contain an extremely large amount of prestressed steel, so would require a large number of machines to handle this.

After the demolition company had filled a drop bed to protect the roadways under the bridge, ten track excavators equipped with hydraulic hammers set to work on Friday evening and successfully completed the demolition of the bridge within the tightly scheduled time window during their nighttime operation. Nothing now stands in the way of the new bridge's construction.

Epiroc's heavyweight hydraulic breakers, the HB series

From the HB 3100 to the HB 5800, all hammer sizes were in use

For the demolition of the North Bridge, the demolition company relied exclusively on hydraulic breakers from premium supplier Epiroc, whose regional distributor is Bischoff GmbH in Frankfurt am Main. From the HB 3100 to the HB 5800, all hammer sizes were in use. Managing Director Thomas Mexner comments: "We have deconstructed many highway bridges in the past. When faced with such high concrete grades with strong reinforcement, the hydraulic breakers from Epiroc are ideally suited. For us, they are the most powerful breakers in the industry," Mexner says, explaining his choice of the combination of high performance and low operating costs that characterise the Epiroc hydraulic breakers.

Top-of-the-range ruggedness and efficiency

Epiroc's heavyweight hydraulic breakers, the HB series, are specifically designed and engineered for primary demolition of massive reinforced concrete structures such as highways, primary rock excavation, and secondary crushing on construction sites and in quarries. The patented Intelligent Protection System (IPS) facilitates positioning and provides maximum idle protection by automatically adjusting the start-up and shut-down behavior during operation. This allows maximum efficiency to be retrieved with minimum risk, even under difficult conditions. Overall performance is optimised by the integrated AutoControl system by automatically adjusting and matching impact energy and impact rate during operation.

Hydraulic breakers mounted on the excavators

Ten Volvo crawler excavators each fitted with an Epiroc hydraulic breaker

Anja Kaulbach

Head of Strategic Communication

Phone: +49 (0)201-633-2233

Email: anja.kaulbach@epiroc.com

Epiroc is a vital part of a sustainable society and a global productivity partner for mining and infrastructure customers. With ground-breaking technology, Epiroc develops and provides innovative and safe equipment, such as drill rigs, rock excavation and construction equipment and tools for surface and underground applications. The company also offers world-class service and other aftermarket support as well as solutions for automation, digitalization and electrification. Epiroc is based in Stockholm, Sweden, had revenues of SEK 50 billion in 2022, and has around 17 000 passionate employees supporting and collaborating with customers in around 150 countries. Learn more at www.epirocgroup.com.

Epiroc’s Tools & Attachments division develops, manufactures and markets tools for rock drilling, exploration drilling and ground support, as well as hydraulic attachment tools. The products are used for rock excavation, mining, exploration, construction, demolition and recycling. The division also provides related service. It has production facilities on five continents, including major facilities in Sweden and Germany. Please see www.epiroc.com for product offerings.

Demolition International 2023 Customer story HB hydraulic breakers

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German demolition company makes fast work of motorway junction: Armed with ten Epiroc hydraulic hammers, Mexner GmbH dismantled the A60/A63 north bridge overnight.

Top-of-the-range ruggedness and efficiency

Anja Kaulbach