Volvo Construction Equipment’s first EC480D HR has been deployed to demolish a NATO military base in Belgium.
The high-reach demolition excavator, which has been equipped with a short, straight boom-and-arm configuration, is being used by demolition firm, Aannemingsbedrijf Princen, to deconstruct a pair of heavily-reinforced storage tanks.
In addition, the contract necessitates the removal of other structures, buried cables, buried pump stations, and some remediation work to remove areas of contaminated soil.
“With the short boom, I have a pin height of 14m, and because of the machine’s weight of 63 tonnes, additional counterweight and four metre track width, I can work with a 4.8-tonne crusher with excellent stability,” commented Wesley Princen, owner of Aannemingsbedrijf Princen.
“I also like the hydraulically variable undercarriage and Volvo’s hydraulic joint, which makes equipment changes quick and easy,” he added.
The demolition is taking place as part of a Stevin project, which aims to upgrade the region’s electricity grid. Once the Cold War-era NATO base has been removed, a high-voltage substation will be erected in its place.
When fitted with its high-reach, 27m boom-and-arm configuration, the Volvo EC480D HR can carry an attachment of up to three tonnes. The machine’s safety features include boom-and-arm holding valves, forward- and rear-view cameras, and roof and front screen protection. The excavator also has a total moment indicator (TMI) that warns the operator if the unit approaches its safe working load.
When not required for high-reach work, the EC480D HR’s design allows for it to be switched from a demolition unit to a standard digging boom within just 90 minutes.
The levelling of the sloping site, which is located at the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, will involve the recycling of 12,000 tonnes of concrete, and 50,000m3 of earth. Owing to the clay conditions and high water table, the terrain will have to be prepared for the construction of the new substation. The entire site will be covered with sand 0.7m deep.
The project began in December 2015, and the demolition and clean-up phase will be completed shortly, according to Aannemingsbedrijf Princen.
