See below video and job report from Antraquip dealer RMS and the customer where the AQ-4XL transverse cutter was successfully utilized on a challenging under water project in Illinois. No modifications are needed to run Antraquip drum cutters under water, making them the ideal tool for rock dredging and underwater demolition. Contact us today to discuss your rock excavation and demolition needs 301-665-1165.
No two jobsites are alike, but they usually have one thing in common: they are above water. That wasn’t the case for Helm Civil when it tackled a lock and dam rebuild for the Army Corps of Engineers on the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Ill.
Lock and Dam 15 was built in 1931 on wood cribbing and wood piling. Over the years, consistent barge traffic caused the old foundation to fail on the lower guide wall that the barges use to come in and out of lock chamber.
Helm Civil, an East-Moline, Ill-based firm, won a best-value contract with the Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, to remove twelve 30-foot monoliths and install 63 drilled shafts.
“The section we had to grind was 360 feet long and five feet tall,” noted Helm Civil Senior Project Manager Clint Zimmerman. “All of it was about seven to eight feet under water, which obviously posed a unique challenge.”
To complete the job, Zimmerman had to get the proper equipment. First, he needed a grinder that would work underwater. Second, he required technology that allowed the operator to accurately maintain grade when grinding under water. He turned to Road Machinery & Supplies Co. for help.
The result was to use a Komatsu intelligent Machine Control PC490LCi-11 excavator with integrated GPS technology and an Antraquiq AQ-4XL grinder. This would allow Helm Civil to use a 3D model to control its depth and maintain accuracy while grinding, even as the river levels fluctuated.