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Hydraulic Hammers
What is Hydraulic Hammer and how
does it work?
Ramjatab pandit
engineeringinsider.org
The
Hydraulic hammer is a construction equipment that is used for the demolition of
a structure and breaking rocks into smaller sizes.
It is an
attachment on an excavator and works on the principle of hydraulics.
It
applies high pressure from its small canister which has pressurized hydraulic
oil stored in it.
They are
much more powerful than other hand-held hammers and its force is varied based
on the force of piston strokes and its size.
The
hydraulic hammer is of two types namely – inner valve type and outer valve
type.
Both
types have mostly same components, such as a cylinder which is the most
important part of the hydraulic system.
A piston
is also present in both types of a hydraulic hammer which converts kinetic
energy into hammering energy and a front head is featured to support the
machine, and one back head which contains the nitrogen gas.
Most
applications for hydraulic hammers are for mining, rock breaking, concrete
breaking and demolition.
Many are
designed as attachments to mobile equipment such as backhoes and diggers.
Working
of a Hydraulic Hammer
Hydraulic
hammer works on the principle of hydraulics by Blaise Pascal which states
that “applying pressure on one part of a fluid transfers that pressure
to all areas of the fluid, allowing for a multiplication of force”.
Since the
oil used is incompressible, it allows the transfer of power instantly with
negligible loss.
The
hydraulic hammer starts with its main valve in the cylinder.
When
upward stroke takes place, the pressure in the upper chamber is released by the
main valve and through the outlet.
Then the
high pressure in the lower chamber pushes the piston upwards.
As the
piston reaches the upper end of the stroke, the main valve directs the flow to
upper chambers that make it high-pressure chamber.
This
causes the piston to move downward because of accumulated energy from the gas
chamber, hence creating the impact stroke cycle.
The
energy is transferred to the tool that uses it to do various tasks.
At the
point of impact, the main valve shifts and the pressure from upper chamber is
released, enabling the upper stroke to take place.
Most of
the hydraulic hammers come with fully enclosed housing over their parts not
only to protect them from other materials but to ensure that they last longer.
To
increase the safety of equipment on which the hydraulic hammer is attached, the
models comprise of shock absorbers at the top that absorbs all the impact and
recoil energies.
Moreover,
the shock absorber also helps to protect the parts of the hydraulic hammer.
Some of
the hydraulic hammers are equipped with steel bushing in their bottom that
isolates them from vibration.
Hydraulic
hammers are environment-friendly because they produce less noise and
pollutants. They are preferred in the places that are sensitive to vibration
and noise, as a vibratory hammer may damage the existing structures.
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