Wrecking ball

A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball. An early documented use was in the breaking up of the SS Great Eastern in 1888-1889, by Henry Bath and Co, at Rock Ferry on the River Mersey.

In 1999, the wrecking ball was described as "one of the most common forms of large-scale coarse demolition." Although the wrecking ball is still the most efficient way to raze a concrete frame structure, its use is decreasing. With the invention of hydraulic excavators and other machinery, the wrecking ball has become less common at demolition sites as its working efficiency is less than that of high reach excavators.

Construction and design

Modern wrecking balls have had a slight re-shaping, with the metal sphere changed into a pear shape with a portion of the top cut off. This shape allows the ball to be more easily pulled back through a roof or concrete slab after it has broken through.

Wrecking Ball

A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball suspended from a crane that is used for building demolition.

Wrecking ball may also refer to:

Music

Albums

Songs

Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus song)

"Wrecking Ball" is a song recorded by American singer Miley Cyrus for her fourth studio album Bangerz (2013). It was released on August 25, 2013, by RCA Records as the album's second single. The song was written by MoZella, Stephan Moccio, Sacha Skarbek, Lukasz Gottwald, and Henry Russell Walter; production was helmed by the last two. "Wrecking Ball" is a pop ballad which lyrically discusses the deterioration of a relationship.

"Wrecking Ball" received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who appreciated its lyrical content and overall production. However, some critics questioned if Cyrus' emotional delivery was genuine, since she had recently generated controversy for her increasingly sexual image. It debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number fifty, and later became Cyrus' first number-one single in the United States after the release of its controversial music video; it retained the peak position during the following week. Nine weeks later, the track returned to number one, and consequently had the largest gap between number-one sittings in Billboard Hot 100 history. As of January 2014, "Wrecking Ball" has sold three million copies in the United States. Internationally, the song charted strongly; it topped the charts in Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom, and charted in the top-ten throughout much of Europe and Oceania.