Atlas Copco: Technology for big boys

On the island of Madeira a new road is to be built connecting the port of Funchal with the Cuota 400, the island’s central expressway which links the tourist resort Ribeira Brava with the airport. A 600 m tunnel will lead through the mountainous region shortening the distance between the port and the villages and towns in the middle of Madeira.

The coastal areas of Madeira are heavily built-up. 23 silos unused for 12 years must give way to the tunnel. The island’s Road Traffic Authority is located in the immediate vicinity of the silos so that blasting is out of the question. A demolition using a hydraulic breaker would cause too much noise. A job tailor-made for the DP 2800 demolition pulverizer.

Attached to a crane the pulverizer is steered from different control stands. A banksman helps the crane operator to position the demolition pulverizer. The operator can also rely on a camera filming the work from above. The pulverizer jaw is opened and closed by radio control. That’s the way to do a neat bit of work.

The demolition company Tecnovía Madeira has been granted three months to tear down the 23 silos each 25 m high. „The concept works. The first tests after the pulverizer was attached already showed that we can work successfully. The project is quite demanding and the pulverizer is the crucial element of the whole operation. We are very satisfied“, says Alvaro Castillo, managing engineer.