Back to results
US 12,215,480 B2Granted
Reciprocating impact hammer
AssigneeTerminator IP Limited
InventorAngus Robson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An impact hammer for breaking a working surface, the hammer including a drive mechanism and a housing with an inner containment surface and a reciprocating hammer weight. A reciprocation cycle of the hammer weight includes an upstroke and a down-stroke, the hammer weight respectively moving upwards and downwards. On the down-stroke the hammer weight impacts a striker pin with a driven end and a working surface impact end. A vacuum chamber in the housing is formed by the containment surface, upper vacuum sealing coupled to the hammer weight and lower vacuum sealing. The hammer weight is driven toward the striker pin by the pressure differential between atmosphere and the vacuum chamber formed on the upstroke. A down-stroke vent permits fluid egress from the vacuum chamber on the down-stroke.
Claims20
An impact hammer for breaking a working surface, the impact hammer comprising:
- a housing with at least one inner side wall forming at least part of a containment surface;
- a drive mechanism;
- a reciprocating hammer weight, at least partially located within the housing, with the reciprocating hammer weight capable of reciprocating along a reciprocation axis, wherein a reciprocation cycle of the reciprocating hammer weight, when the reciprocation axis is on an approximately vertical axis, comprises:
- a) an up-stroke, during which the drive mechanism moves the reciprocating hammer weight upwards along the reciprocation axis;
- and
- b) a down-stroke, during which the reciprocating hammer weight moves downwards along the reciprocation axis;
- a striker pin having a driven end and a working surface impact end, the striker pin located within the housing such that the working surface impact end protrudes from the housing;
- a shock-absorber coupled to the striker pin;
- and
- a variable volume vacuum chamber comprising:
- a) at least a portion of the containment surface;
- b) at least one upper vacuum sealing coupled to the reciprocating hammer weight;
- c) at least one lower vacuum sealing;
- and
- at least one down-stroke vent, operable to permit fluid egress from the variable volume vacuum chamber during at least part of the down-stroke;
- wherein the variable volume vacuum chamber is configured to have a sub-atmospheric pressure during at least part of the up-stroke such that the reciprocating hammer weight is driven toward the striker pin by a pressure differential between an atmosphere and the sub-atmospheric pressure during the down-stroke, and
- wherein said at least one upper vacuum sealing comprises one or more seals, said one or more seals comprising:
- an exterior first layer, formed with a first layer exterior surface configured and oriented to come into at least partial sliding contact with the containment surface during a reciprocating movement of the reciprocating hammer weight, and
- an interior second layer, located between the exterior first layer and the reciprocating hammer weight, the interior second layer at least partially formed from a shock-absorbing material.
16 more elements
A method of operating an impact hammer having
- a) a drive mechanism,
- b) a housing,
- c) a variable volume vacuum chamber,
- d) a reciprocating hammer weight, at least partially located within the housing and capable of reciprocating along a reciprocation axis,
- e) a striker pin having a striker pin longitudinal axis extending between a driven end of the striker pin and a working surface impact end of the striker pin,
- f) a nose block formed from a portion of the housing and positioned substantially about the striker pin between the driven end and the working surface impact end with respect to an impact axis that is coaxial or parallel to the reciprocation axis,
- wherein a said at least one upper vacuum sealing comprises:
- an exterior first layer, formed with a first layer exterior surface configured and oriented to come into at least partial sliding contact with the containment surface during a reciprocating movement of the reciprocating hammer weight, and
- an interior second layer, located between the exterior first layer and the reciprocating hammer weight, the interior second layer at least partially formed from a shock-absorbing material,
- a preload, biasing the exterior first layer into contact with the containment surface, and
- wherein the striker pin is located within the housing such that the working surface impact end protrudes from the housing and wherein the striker pin is positioned to move substantially along a linear impact axis that is coaxial or parallel to the striker pin longitudinal axis and coaxial or parallel to the reciprocation axis, the method comprising:
- a) contacting the working surface impact end of the striker pin to a working surface to be broken;
- b) operating the drive mechanism to begin lifting the reciprocating hammer weight such that a volume of the variable volume vacuum chamber increases and a pressure differential between an atmosphere and the variable volume vacuum chamber is created;
- c) causing an up-stroke stage, in which the reciprocating hammer weight is moved along the reciprocation axis for a distance equal to a hammer weight up-stroke length from a lower start initial position with a minimum hammer weight potential energy to an upper position at an upper distal end of the housing with a maximum hammer weight potential energy;
- d) causing an upper stroke transition, in which hammer weight movement halts before reversing direction along the reciprocation axis;
- e) releasing the reciprocating hammer weight, wherein the pressure differential acting on the reciprocating hammer weight drives the reciprocating hammer weight toward the driven end of the striker pin, and wherein the reciprocating hammer weight moves back along the reciprocation axis for a distance equal to a hammer weight down-stroke length from the upper position to the lower start initial position;
- f) transmitting an impact force from the striker pin to the working surface to be broken;
- and g) repeating steps a) through f).
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.