As time advances structures in Portuguese built areas start to show high levels of degradation. This suggests that when rehabilitation is no longer a viable option these structures need to be demolished.
The demolition of structures by the use of explosives is a technique more or less unknown in Portugal, however it starts to occur, even though in a small number and mostly done by foreign companies. Given the reduced knowledge of the use of demolition methods by explosives in Portugal, this study seeks to compensate existing flaws in the project and execution phases.
This study starts with a brief introduction, wherein the explosive demolition project methodology is analysed, highlighting the calculation method used which is the base of the software used to model the collapse mechanism, as well as the calculation of the explosive charges.
A case study is also analysed allowing understanding all the sequential work done prior to the demolition, in essence its planning and execution. The main impacts of this type of demolitions are also discussed and how these are both controlled and minimised. Finally, a comparative economic analysis between explosive demolitions and traditional demolitions is performed.
All demolition methods have their applications, advantages and disadvantages. However, the explosive demolition methods applied to high reinforced concrete buildings can be a viable solution due to the advantages they present in these situations when compared to other methods.
Bento Rodrigues, David José (2014) Demolição de Edifícios de Betão Armado por Métodos Explosivos, Dissertação para a obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Militar, Outubro 2014.