Publications / 2015 Proceedings of the 32nd ISARC, Oulu, Finland

Microwave-Assisted Removal of Tiles from Concrete Floors and Walls

Ali Akbarnezhad, KCG Ong
Pages 1-7 (2015 Proceedings of the 32nd ISARC, Oulu, Finland, ISBN 978-951-758-597-2, ISSN 2413-5844)
Abstract:

The renovation of the interior finishes of residential buildings starts with a soft strip stage involving the removal of the existing fittings, furniture, and finishes, especially floor and wall finishes. Ceramic and stone tiles are among the most common types of floor and wall surface finishes used. Such existing finishes are required to be removed before new ones are installed in their place. While equipment and furniture can be usually dismantled easily, removal of the floor and wall finishes is normally carried out through mechanical hacking and other similar demolition techniques. The latter is accompanied usually by noise and dust generation, disruptive to neighboring occupants and may even be hazardous to the health of affected persons. The present work addresses the need for methods that are able to remove the tiles attached to concrete floor and walls with minimal noise and dust generation. Present study proposes a method for the removal of ceramic and/or stone tiles from the floors and/or walls in the buildings, by exposing the tile and its interface with the floor/wall to microwaves and thereby generating a localized field of high thermal stresses to separate the tile from the floor/wall. Numerical simulation and experimental tests result verify the efficiency of the proposed method.

Keywords: Concrete, Finish Removal, Microwave, Automation