Project description
A novel solution for breaking down concrete piles
The safe connection between the concrete piles and the pile cap is crucial for the stability of a construction project, especially for heavy structures such as bridges and high-rise buildings or structures built on non-cohesive soils (sand, gravel, water). Damaging the steel reinforcement bars during pile head removal can cause financial losses and, importantly, compromise the safety of the entire structure. Today's solutions cannot guarantee secure and efficient pile head removal as they all apply vertical forces, endangering the concrete structure. The EU-funded BRC project unveiled Brextor, an innovative concrete pile milling head that applies horizontal forces to the pile and minimises energy losses. The new solution guarantees up to four times faster pile breaking at an up to 3.5 times lower OPEX.
Objective
The safe connection between the concrete piles and the pile cap is crucial for the stability of a construction project, especially for heavy structures as bridges and high-rise buildings and/or projects in non-cohesive soils (sand, gravel, water). Damaging the reinforcement bars during the pile head removal can result in high financial loss, time waste and therefore, danger for the overall construction safety. Today’s solutions cannot guarantee a secure and efficient pile head removal, as they all apply vertical forces endangering the concrete structure. On top of that, high amounts of energy are lost during the operation and OPEX is very high.
With Brextor we want to revolutionize the construction industry, by offering an innovative concrete pile milling head which applies horizontal forces to the pile and can thus control 100% the applied energy for an accurate and secure pile head removal minimizing the energy loss. Moreover, our method can guarantee an up to 4 times faster pile breaking at an up to 3.5 times lower OPEX. We also minimize the human risk factor as minimum worker intervention is required. We started working on Brextor since 2007, and our current prototype has attracted the interest of the largest Swiss construction companies, having already used the first version of our technology in >100 sites in the country, including important construction as the Roche Tower in Basel in 2018. It has also been pilot used in Germany and Philippines.
We will sell Brextor to construction companies and building contractors via direct sales for the Swiss region and distributors. With an additional investment of €2.5 million, we aim to sell ~1,100 units in a 5-year period (2022-2026) creating a business opportunity of €81.5 million and generating an astonishing ROI2026 of 5.52
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
6026 Rain
Switzerland
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.