Impact device

An impact tool comprising, in combination:

• a housing having a hollow cylindrical portion having a longitudinal axis;
• a rotatable member comprising first and second circular end elements of smaller diameter than the cylindrical portion of said housing axially spaced on a common central axis, at least three shafts each fixedly secured at their respective ends to said first and second end elements and spaced radially from, parallel to, and equiangularly about said central axis, an annular ring captively mounted on each shaft at a position between said end elements, the diameter of the central opening of each ring being larger than the diameter of the shaft on which it is mounted, means for locating said rings at different axial positions along said central axis, and means including said end elements for supporting said rotatable member within the cylindrical portion of said housing for rotation about said axis;
• and
• at least three groups of impact elements each including at least one impact element, and means on said housing for supporting said groups of impact elements each in radial alignment for coaction with a respective annular ring for guided movement of said impact elements such that rotation of said rotatable member causes each annular ring to rotate bodily about the shaft on which it is captively mounted and to strike an adjacent end of the impact element or elements of the group or elements aligned with such ring.