Need To Make Building Changes? Learn About Concrete Cutting Methods And Their Uses
After concrete is cast, it may fail or you might need to adjust it in order to make renovations or changes to certain aspects of the building. With the right cutting methods, you can make many different changes without having to resort to demolition and replacement, saving you time and money, especially on larger infrastructure.
Here are some different concrete cutting methods and their uses in concrete moving, repair, and change.
Flat Saw Cutting
Flat saw cutting uses a large power saw to cut horizontally into slab concrete like sidewalks or driveways. This method of cutting is helpful for fixing uneven pavement. Flat sawing can also be used to remove sections of slabs to lay pipes or electrical lines before filling the area in again with newly poured cement. Flat sawing is common for people who are trying to reroute basement plumbing or for larger industrial buildings than may have shifting or cracking in the level warehouse floor surface.
Wall Cutting
Wall cutting is used to crete openings in concrete structures. Most commonly, people need to cut through concrete walls in order to install doors and windows. For homes, many people need wall cutting in order to instal egress windows in houses that were build before those become standard in unfinished basement spaces. Other uses for wall cutting include:
- Tunneling. In thick walls or in walls that need suspended pipe, you need to tunnel through the existing without compromising it.
- Extended industrial storage. Many modern grain silos are made at least partially from concrete. Expanding these is often easier than building additional units.
- Modifications to infrastructure. If a bridge needs work or repair, it's simpler to cut into the concrete and make changes without damaging the structure itself.
Many people, from homeowners to industrial planners, may wonder why hiring specialized services for cutting is necessary. Using standard masonry cutting tools for wall work is risky because specialized concrete cutting tools reduce vibrations during cutting, helping to preserve the structural integrity of the concrete itself. This is not an area where DIY expertise is enough to get the job done.
Hand Cutting
In tight spaces and small work areas, the larger equipment needed for wall and slab cutting will not work. Hand cutting takes more time and is not as efficient, but it's necessary, especially in areas where detailed, precision outcomes are required. For example, if you need small vent spaces in a crawl space, a concrete hand saw is the only option. These vary in size and capability. Some are powered with gas, but others may even use hydraulic power depending on the type of work and the amount of power needed to complete it.
Core Drilling
Core drilling is what allows you to puncture through a slab to access beneath it. Sometimes coring is needed for city ground testing, but more often it is used to thread electrical lines through horizontal slabs. Large drills can also create manholes in concrete or asphalt pavement, or form drains on overpasses in areas where flooding can be a problems.
Wire Cutting
In some cases, using any type of saw is impractical. Normal saws have diamond coated tooth blades and use water to assist in making clean, sharp cuts without harming the concrete itself. In areas where maneuvering the saw is dangerous or where a saw cannot access, wire cutters can also do the job. Wire cutting is especially effective making through cuts, such as cutting a concrete pillar in half. The diamond-coated wire wrapped entirely around the concrete and gradually moves through it.
For more information on types of concrete cuts and how they can be useful for your project, contact a professional near you.
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