In the field of construction demolition, one of the principal measures of performance is the amount of scrap material that can be moved from a demolition site within a given period of time. Several factors affect this work rate. One factor is the ability of demolition equipment to shear and transport scrap metal material which may vary in size, thickness and weight. Generally, it is most advantageous to use the largest shearing tool or pulverizer head possible to provide the greatest amount of cutting force and lifting capability. Typically, however, such larger shearing tools or pulverizer heads are provided only on larger tracked vehicles.
Another factor is access and mobility within a demolition site that is typically a complex landscape of constantly changing and disorganized piles of material. It is most beneficial to be able to create and negotiate paths through the material. This requires demolition equipment to be as mobile as possible to be able to navigate the downed building material, and to be able to move and remove waste from the demolition site.
Larger demolition equipment, while providing greater capacity to hold larger shearing tools or pulverizer heads, have the disadvantage of being unable to move effectively and efficiently within the demolition site landscape. Smaller demolition equipment, while more nimble and mobile, lack the larger cutting force tools or pulverizer heads to be able to shear or demolish and move the largest and heaviest pieces of concrete or demolition scrap metal.
Accordingly, there remains a need for demolition equipment and methods able to address the concomitant problems of the need for high performance cutting and pulverizing tools within a complex and variable demolition site landscape, to be able to increase demolition site clean-up in terms of the amount of scrap material that can be processed and removed from a demolition site per unit time, as well as to provide lower operational costs.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds