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High Temperature Material Processes (An International Quarterly of High-Technology Plasma Processes)

An International Journal

ISSN for PRINT: 1093-3611

Institutional price:	$604.00
Issues per year:	4

Best Paper Award Selection - Editorial Board Site

2007, Volume11

161 pages

DOI: 10.1615/HighTempMatProc.v11.i4

Issue price - $168.00

PLASMA PROCESSING OF CONCRETE AND RELATED MATERIALS

B. Dzur
Department of Plasma and Surface Technology, Technical University of Ilmenau, PO Box 10 05 65, D-98684 Ilmenau, Germany

ABSTRACT

The large number of ways to mix and use concrete and its reinforcement with steel is in contrast to the number of technologies for the destruction of old construction substances. Especially for buildings or constructions, made of heavy concrete with a high degree on steel-reinforcement (i.e. nuclear reactors, bunkers, industrial smoke stacks), the number of usable and affordable technologies is very small. Different from known technologies an additional/alternative method and technology was developed, which uses a DC-Plasma torch with non-transferred arc. As a first step of a project a special designed DC-plasma torch with a power of approx. 40 kW was used. To reduce the costs, the torch was runned with nitrogen only or mixtures of mainly nitrogen with a small amount of argon. The generated thermal plasma with its high kinetic energy was able to melt and cut any construction material, independent from the presence and degree of steel reinforcements up to large depths and with a high velocity. In various tests the destruction of steel-reinforced concrete plates up to a thickness of 200 mm was successfully demonstrated by continuous cutting or defined hole drilling. In the latter case the samples were finally deconstructed to small blocks by thermally induced cracks between the holes. Another tested application is the decorative treatment of surfaces of natural stones (i.e. Granite) or the selective separation of such materials by thermally induced cracks.