As part of a plant re-organisation, a number of substantial reinforced concrete plant support plinths at Tarmac's Buxton quarry became redundant, and needed to be removed.

Tarmac called upon Ram Services Limited's Diamond Division to remove the plinths with the least disruption to ongoing quarry operations, and following a detailed assessment of the site and the logistics involved, the decision was made to cut the plinths up in the least number of solid blocks that could be safely handled, rather than to break the concrete up using more conventional demolition techniques.


As even the largest available diamond wall sawing blades were not enough to cut through the concrete plinths, diamond wire sawing was chosen as the best means to cut the plinths up into blocks that could be lifted out for disposal.

Wire sawing was used to form a series of vertical cuts, dividing the plinths into sections, and to sever the plinth blocks from their foundation slabs. Diamond drilling techniques were used to form holes through the blocks for subsequent lifting by crane, which was considered safer than attaching around the blocks or to anchors drilled into the surface of the concrete.

Diamond wall sawing techniques were also employed to cut less substantial elements of the concrete plinths.

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