Aquajet hydrodemolition equipment at work in Chile

Chile's newly completed Santiago Southern Approach (SSA) highway suffered from the effects of a recent earthquake, which damaged two of the bridges in the network. This meant that a number of concrete beams had to be removed and replaced.

To carry this out, specialist contractor Isotec Ltda used an Aquajet HVD-6000 Robot to remove the concrete from above the rebar in the beams, with the rebar then being retained for use in the installation of replacement beams. The Robot operated to a depth of up to 20 cm (8 inch), exposing the rebar without any damage. The contract was completed within 20 days, with the damaged beams lifted clear and replaced in two over-night operations by main contractor ICAFAL.

The SSA is a recently completed 46 km (29 mile) highway that was designed to relive traffic flow in the Chilean capital's southern approaches that can handle up to 25 million vehicles per year.