Improved Safety in Concrete Finishing Industry with Sonic Hydraulic Vacuum Blowers

Overview

Penhall, a leading provider of concrete finishing, cutting, and grinding services since 1957, has been utilizing Sonic Air Systems' hydraulic-driven vacuum blowers since 1993. With a focus on various driving surfaces such as freeways, bridge decks, roadways, tunnels, airport runways, and racetracks, Penhall sought an alternative to their previous positive displacement/rotary lobe blowers. Sonic's blower solution proved to be a game-changer in terms of size, weight, and maintenance efficiency.

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Solution

Sonic Air Systems collaborated with Penhall to address their specific needs by testing Sonic's 6-7" Hg vacuum and higher inlet CFM to achieve the same effectiveness in picking up concrete debris and water slurry. The Sonic vacuum blowers, integrated into Penhall's equipment, eliminated the need for additional in-line filtration. With the cyclone separator effectively removing bulk water and heavy particulate matter, the remaining concrete fines and water vapor passed through the Sonic blowers without filtration, ensuring safe and efficient operation. Sonic's blower assembly's compact size and lightweight design occupied less than 2 ft² of platform space. They reduced the weight by over 600 lbs (272 kg) compared to the previous blowers, providing additional space and increased maneuverability for Penhall's grinding operations.

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Result

By adopting Sonic's hydraulic-driven vacuum blowers, Penhall experienced significant improvements in its concrete finishing and cutting processes. The elimination of filtration and reduction in blower size and weight streamlined their equipment, resulting in enhanced efficiency and maneuverability. The Sonic blowers are seamlessly integrated into the grinding platform, providing effective concrete slurry pick-up without compromising the overall performance of the equipment. Additionally, the Sonic blowers operated at a sound level comparable to the grinder, maintaining a safe and comfortable working environment.