BLASTING ENGINEERING CONGRESS enthrals audience

“Blasting is safe, economical and up-to-date,” this became clear at the CONGRESS ON BLASTING ENGINEERING – “FACHKONGRESS SPRENGTECHNIK – ABBRUCH EXPLOSIV” on 14.11.2024 in Cologne. In lectures on special building demolitions, renowned experts presented their expertise. The necessary extensive planning of blasting aroused great interest among industry and government representatives.

“You will only experience so many blastings in one day here,” said Martin Hopfe, opening the Congress of Blasting Engineering in Cologne on November 14, 2024. After Andreas Pocha, managing director of the DA, had welcomed the almost 100 participants, Martin Hopfe, chairman of the specialist committee on blasting technology of the German Demolition Association (DA), led the way through the varied lecture program of the congress on special procedures for demolition.

Clarissa Rapps, head of the structural dynamics business unit at Wölfel Engineering GmbH, opened the event with a presentation on the various blasting strategies. She showed vivid simulations of building demolitions. In her lecture, the engineer answered the key question “How do you find the right blasting strategy?” With the help of consulting, feasibility studies and simulations, the optimal blasting strategy can be found for every structure, according to her.

Successful blasting relies on the cooperation of all parties

Michael Schneider, head of blasting technology at Richard Liesegang GmbH, also works with corresponding blasting simulations. In his lecture, he presented the demolition of the Rahmedetalbrücke. The successful blasting of the dilapidated motorway bridge was only possible thanks to the perfect coordination of all parties involved. As with all blasting operations, safety was the top priority here. Animal protection was also taken into account in this spectacular blasting project. In the end, more than 100 barrier posts provided the necessary security on site. The desired blasting result was achieved to the satisfaction of all involved.

Dr. Ulf Lichte from the engineering firm Lichte discussed the prognosis of blast vibrations in chimneys, cooling towers, bridges and bunkers in his lecture. Michael Böhme from MOBILER BILD- UND MESSDIENST used a challenging example from Leipzig to show how he carried out the taking of evidence in the vicinity of a planned blasting object.

Digitization has also arrived in the field of blasting technology. Stefan Gräßle, managing director of 3D-Soil GmbH, a subsidiary of Lothar Rapp GmbH, presented examples of blasting operations in which digital processes have made a huge contribution to making work easier. “Digitization is the future and comes in handy in the right place,” said Gräßle.

The four-eyes principle and experience are of crucial importance

In the further course of the afternoon, André Schewcow, managing director of Deutsche Sprengunion GmbH, discussed the steel blasting of a loading crane. Ulrike Matthes, a demolition engineer at Thüringer Sprenggesellschaft, and Gerd Vogel, a demolition expert with many years of experience in the field of demolition, gave a vivid explanation of the most important protection and safety measures to be observed when demolishing a structure. As the two speakers showed the audience, the four-eyes principle and accumulated empirical values are particularly helpful for large-scale projects.

In his lecture, Johannes Hubrich of Regrata Abbruch und Recycling GmbH presented the blasting variants for towers of wind energy plants. With the help of videos, he showed how the various plant types can be brought down. Finally, Eduard Reisch, managing partner of Reisch Sprengtechnik GmbH, highlighted the sustainability aspect of building demolition using the example of the blasting of the foundations of wind power plants. His comments on the CO₂ footprint of a controlled blasting using explosives, compared to a fictitious mechanical demolition, were extremely interesting. Reisch agreed with the previous speaker and concurred with his conclusion that “blasting is safe, economical and contemporary”.

Accompanying exhibition of companies

During the breaks, the participants had the opportunity to visit the small accompanying exhibition. The companies Austin Powder Germany GmbH, Bergauer Regenerierung GmbH, Lothar Rapp GmbH, Sandvik Mining and Construction Central Europe GmbH, Schütz Erschütterungsmesstechnik GmbH, Svantek Deutschland GmbH, T Tec Hydraulik GmbH and Wölfel Engineering GmbH presented their products and services related to the topic of building demolition. There was also plenty of time to exchange ideas with the speakers and other trade visitors.

At the end of the event, the specialist audience was very impressed by the wide range of technical information, the clear and interactive presentation and the opportunity for discussion. This positive feedback paves the way for a further continuation of the event of the German Demolition Association in blasting technology.