Chimney specifications:
Construction year: 1961
Height: 105 meters
Weight: 1.700 tons
Material: reinforced concrete
Thickness of the wall: 25 to 35 cm
Diameter base: 7,76 meters
Diameter at the top: 4,24 meters

This 105 meter high and 1700 ton heavy chimney was located at the concrete works Mainz-Weisenau on the Rhine bank and close to a dock

If the chimney had been detonated, the dock walls would have been endangered thru tremendous destabilization.

To avoid this risk, it was decided to use a dismantling method with less destabilization. A procedure was chosen, which was developed more and more in the last years by the company MB Barnsteiner. Today this is a leading method in the chimney demolition technique.

First an opening at the chimney foot was done to remove the down falling material.  

Chimney 105 meter high

A 400 ton crane lifted a special excavator on top of the chimney. The special adjusted feet and some other details made other safety arrangements unnecessary. The excavator can remain on top of the chimney.

Excavator

Excavator being lifted on top of the chimney

 
Excavator being lifted on top of the chimney

Start: 16-05-2006

On some days it was so windy and safety reasons did not allow us to work.
The excavator works his way down meter after meter. (zum Video)

After 15 working days the chimney was dismantled to a height of 30 meters.
Now the excavator was lifted onto the ground again with a crane.

On the remaining chimney we carved a notch in the foot and fastened a rope. An excavator then pulled the rope.

17000 tons reinforced concrete remained, which we disposed environment friendly.