Bridge, Deck & Structural Steel Demolition: The Right Air-Tool Kit

Two tools carry the job

For hand-tool bridge and structural work, two heavy air tools do the bulk of the work: the pavement breaker for concrete and the rivet buster for steel. Everything else in the kit is bits and support gear for those two. Get the pairing right and a crew can strip a span methodically; bring the wrong tool and you either stall on thick reinforced deck or try to cut steel with a hammer that was never built for it.

Breaking the concrete deck

Bridge decks, curbs, and parapets are thick and heavily reinforced, so this is not sidewalk work - plan on a 60-lb class pavement breaker for general deck removal and step up to the 90-lb class for the thickest or most heavily reinforced sections. The technique is the same one that works on any slab: start each break with a moil point to punch through and start the cracks, then switch to a wide chisel to open the break and work around the rebar. Work back toward a free edge so the concrete shears loose in manageable pieces rather than burying the bit. The reinforcing steel itself is cut once the surrounding concrete is broken away.

Cutting the structural steel

Once the deck is off, the steel comes apart with a rivet buster - a heavy pneumatic hammer purpose-built to shear rivet heads and cut structural steel. On a riveted bridge that means driving out or shearing thousands of rivet heads; on welded or bolted steel, a cutting bit lets the rivet buster cut plate and shapes. Champion builds open-handle rivet busters in two strokes: the 11-inch AT-RBA11-OH delivers the longest, most powerful stroke for the heaviest cutting and averages about 50 CFM at 90 PSI through a 1/2-inch air inlet, while the 8-inch AT-RBA08-OH is lighter and easier to handle in confined or overhead spots. Both take jumbo-shank cutting and chisel bits, and the open-handle design gives operators the unobstructed two-hand grip they want for cutting and prying.

The support bits and consumables

Beyond the two main tools, a bridge kit needs the right consumables staged: moil points and wide chisels in the breaker's shank; jumbo cutting and chisel bits for the rivet buster; and a supply of SAE 10W-20 oil and an in-line oiler so tools that run for hours never starve. On elevated and over-water work, tool lanyards and secure staging matter as much as the steel - a dropped 60-lb breaker is a serious event. Keep spares of the fast-wearing bits on site so a dull moil point never stops a crew.

Sizing the air for a multi-tool crew

The compressor is the constraint on a demolition crew, because these are the thirstiest tools Champion makes. Size to the tools that run at once, not one at a time, and add 25 to 50 percent headroom on top.

Two 60-lb breakers and a rivet buster running together, for instance, is well over 160 CFM before headroom - so a large tow-behind compressor, sized to hold 90 PSI at every inlet under load, is what keeps the whole crew at rated performance. If the pressure sags at the tool, every tool on the manifold slows down at once.

American-made tools for infrastructure work

Bridge and structural demolition is unforgiving on tools, and downtime on a lane closure or a staged span is expensive. Champion has built pneumatic breakers, rivet busters, and the steel that goes in them in Rock Falls, Illinois since 1968 - made in the USA, rated at 90 PSI, and backed by a 180-day air-tool warranty. Tell us the structure, the deck thickness, and how many tools you run at once, and a real person will help you build the kit and size the air.

Frequently asked questions

What tools are used for bridge demolition?

Hand-tool bridge and deck demolition runs on two heavy pneumatic tools: pavement breakers to break out the concrete deck, curbs, and parapets, and rivet busters to shear rivet heads and cut the structural steel underneath. Breakers use moil points and wide chisels; rivet busters use cutting and chisel bits on a jumbo shank. Larger structures also bring in excavator-mounted breakers, but the air tools do the selective and finish work.

What is a rivet buster used for in steel demolition?

A rivet buster is a heavy pneumatic hammer built to shear off rivet heads and cut structural steel - the standard tool for taking apart riveted bridges, steel structures, tanks, and boilers. Fitted with a cutting or chisel bit it also busts concrete and does general heavy demolition where a chipping hammer is too light. Champion's open-handle 11-inch AT-RBA11-OH hits hardest; the 8-inch AT-RBA08-OH is lighter for confined work.

What size breaker do you need to remove a concrete bridge deck?

Concrete bridge decks are thick and heavily reinforced, so plan on a 60-lb class breaker for general deck work and a 90-lb class for the thickest or most heavily reinforced sections. Start each break with a moil point to punch through and start cracks, then switch to a wide chisel to open the break and work around the rebar, which is cut separately once the surrounding concrete is broken away.

How much air do bridge demolition tools use?

Size the compressor to the thirstiest tool running plus headroom. Champion figures at 90 PSI: an 11-inch rivet buster (AT-RBA11-OH) about 50 CFM, a 60-lb pavement breaker about 59 CFM, and a 30-lb breaker about 49 CFM. If several tools run at once, add their draws together. Each tool has to hold 90 PSI at the inlet under load for rated performance.

Champion Chisel Works, Inc. - family-owned and American-made in Rock Falls, Illinois since 1968. Tough Jobs. Tough Tools. One Source.