Rotary hammer

Last updated
Ramset 342 Dyna Drill and Chipping Hammer, shown with chipping chisel. Ramset Dyna Drill.jpg
Ramset 342 Dyna Drill and Chipping Hammer, shown with chipping chisel.

A rotary hammer, also called rotary hammer drill [1] is a power tool that can perform heavy-duty tasks such as drilling and chiseling hard materials. [2] It is similar to a hammer drill in that it also pounds the drill bit in and out while it is spinning. However, rotary hammers use a piston mechanism instead of a special clutch. This causes them to deliver a much more powerful hammer blow, making it possible to drill bigger holes much faster. Most rotary hammers have three settings: drill mode, hammer drill or just hammer, so they can act as a mini jackhammer. [3]

Contents

Function

Compared to less advanced power units known as hammer drills, rotary hammers tend to be larger and provide a bigger impact force by utilizing a technology called the "electro-pneumatic" (EP) hammering mechanism, because it is powered directly by electricity instead of a separate air compressor. Rotary hammers have two pistons – a drive piston, and a flying piston. An electric motor turns a crank, which moves the drive piston back and forth in a cylinder. The flying piston is at the other end of the same cylinder. The pistons do not actually touch, but the air pressure in the EP cylinder allows for a much more efficient transfer of hammering energy than springs in the cam-action style hammer drills. The majority of modern rotary hammers as well as all electric-powered chipping guns or jack-hammers all utilize this EP technology. Modern units allow the hammer and rotation functions to be used separately or in combination, i.e., hammer mode, drill mode, or both. When used in the hammer mode, the tool provides a drilling function similar to a jackhammer. [4] Rotary hammer drills have an oil filled gearbox, which allows them to operate durably despite the large forces and shocks they receive and the grit-filled environments where they are often used.

The type of work they do means that they require a "slip-clutch" which engages when the drill bit jams and sufficient torque is put onto the "slip-clutch" mechanism. This stops the violent wrenching motion that a drill without a clutch would cause when stopped suddenly from full speed, protecting the drill from damage. The slip-clutch also protects the operator, but does not always prevent injury. Some manufacturers have introduced additional technology to protect the operator. Hilti has a technology called "ATC" or "Active Torque Control" [5] which works by disengaging the drive from the motor when the tool body begins to rotate excessively through the action of a secondary magnetic clutch in addition to the standard slip-clutch. DeWALT has a related system called "CTC" or "Complete Torque Control" [6] which utilizes a two-position slip-clutch so that the operator can select the lower torque setting for greater safety.

A number of "special shanks" have been developed by various manufacturers. Over the years a fair number of these proprietary systems evolved, but the remaining shanks in use today are: SDS+, SDS-MAX, and SPLINE SHANK. These shanks were developed in order to allow for the bit to "slide" back and forth while rotating, so that the drill bit can efficiently transfer the force of the electro-pneumatic hammering mechanism to the working surface.

Use

A rotary hammer drill used in construction Bosch GBH5-40 LargeDrill.jpg
A rotary hammer drill used in construction

Rotary hammers can be used for "doweling" (repetitive drilling of large rebar anchor holes), and drilling through-holes in concrete and masonry walls. The hammering action helps break up the masonry so that it can be removed by the drill bit's flutes. Apart from their main function of drilling concrete, the rotary action can be switched off and use is made of just the percussive force. Chisel and point accessories are used for small chipping jobs.

Special chuck

Worn masonry drill bit having a Slotted Drive Shaft (SDS) Worn masonry drill.jpg
Worn masonry drill bit having a Slotted Drive Shaft (SDS)

Rotary hammers have such force that the usual masonry bits are no longer adequate. Their smooth shanks would be pounded loose from the tool's chuck in a few seconds. Rotary hammers require special bits with an SDS shank (which can stand for Slotted Drive Shaft or Special Direct System), which locks into the rotary hammer without the need for a chuck. The hammer strikes the drill directly, instead of a chuck holding the drill.

Jams

Jams are most often caused by hitting reinforcing steel or by a worn bit. In both cases the drill must be disengaged from the bit and the jammed bit backed out of the hole with vise grips or monkey wrench. Some bits utilize a full carbide "four-cutter" head with a geometry that makes jamming less common - even when rebar is present. These full-carbide "four-cutter" bits can even, in some instances, drill through rebar, although this should be done with caution. A worn drill bit will still drill a horizontal hole, although of a slightly smaller diameter than one created when it was new. When a drill like this is used to drill holes down into a concrete slab, the flutes are so worn that they can no longer lift the dust out of the hole; the concrete dust packs up in the hole and jams the bit.

History

Company Hilti had the first "electro-pneumatic" rotary hammer on the market in 1967, the Hilti TE 17 [7]

Types

The perforating devices differ, basically, depending on the intended use, which leads to the appropriate size, weight and impact force when applied: [8]

Operation of perforating equipment is associated with much noise. Only in the last 20 years it became possible to decrease the noise level to about 100 dB(A); [10] earlier levels over 125 dB(A) were common.

Related Research Articles

Router (woodworking) Woodworking power tool

The router is a power tool with a flat base and a rotating blade extending past the base. The spindle may be driven by an electric motor or by a pneumatic motor. It routs an area in hard material, such as wood or plastic. Routers are used most often in woodworking, especially cabinetry. They may be handheld or affixed to router tables. Some woodworkers consider the router one of the most versatile power tools.

Chisel Tool for cutting and carving

A chisel is a tool with a characteristically shaped cutting edge of blade on its end, for carving or cutting a hard material such as wood, stone, or metal by hand, struck with a mallet, or mechanical power. The handle and blade of some types of chisel are made of metal or of wood with a sharp edge in it.

Screwdriver Hand-tool

A screwdriver is a tool, manual or powered, used for turning screws. A typical simple screwdriver has a handle and a shaft, ending in a tip the user puts into the screw head before turning the handle. This form of the screwdriver has been replaced in many workplaces and homes with a more modern and versatile tool, a power drill, as they are quicker, easier, and can also drill holes. The shaft is usually made of tough steel to resist bending or twisting. The tip may be hardened to resist wear, treated with a dark tip coating for improved visual contrast between tip and screw—or ridged or treated for additional 'grip'. Handles are typically wood, metal, or plastic and usually hexagonal, square, or oval in cross-section to improve grip and prevent the tool from rolling when set down. Some manual screwdrivers have interchangeable tips that fit into a socket on the end of the shaft and are held in mechanically or magnetically. These often have a hollow handle that contains various types and sizes of tips, and a reversible ratchet action that allows multiple full turns without repositioning the tip or the user's hand.

Drill Tool used to create holes

A drill is a tool used for making round holes or driving fasteners. It is fitted with a bit, either a drill or driverchuck. with hand-operated types dramatically decreasing in popularity and cordless battery-powered ones proliferating.

Drill bit Type of cutting tool

Drills are cutting tools used to remove material to create holes, almost always of circular cross-section. Drills come in many sizes and shapes and can create different kinds of holes in many different materials. In order to create holes drill bits are usually attached to a drill, which powers them to cut through the workpiece, typically by rotation. The drill will grasp the upper end of a bit called the shank in the chuck.

Drilling Cutting process that uses a drill bit to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials

Drilling is a cutting process that uses a drill bit to cut a hole of circular cross-section in solid materials. The drill bit is usually a rotary cutting tool, often multi-point. The bit is pressed against the work-piece and rotated at rates from hundreds to thousands of revolutions per minute. This forces the cutting edge against the work-piece, cutting off chips (swarf) from the hole as it is drilled.

Jackhammer Pneumatic tool

A jackhammer is a pneumatic or electro-mechanical tool that combines a hammer directly with a chisel. It was invented by William Mcreavy, who then sold the patent to Charles Brady King. Hand-held jackhammers are generally powered by compressed air, but some are also powered by electric motors. Larger jackhammers, such as rig-mounted hammers used on construction machinery, are usually hydraulically powered. These tools are typically used to break up rock, pavement, and concrete.

Hammer drill Power tool

A hammer drill, also known as a percussion drill or impact drill, is a power tool used chiefly for drilling in hard materials. It is a type of rotary drill with an impact mechanism that generates a hammering motion. The percussive mechanism provides a rapid succession of short hammer thrusts to pulverize the material to be bored, so as to provide quicker drilling with less effort. If a hammer drill's impact mechanism can be switched off, the tool can be used like a conventional drill to also perform tasks such as screwdriving.

Chuck (engineering) Clamp used to hold an object with radial symmetry, especially a cylinder

A chuck is a specialized type of clamp used to hold an object with radial symmetry, especially a cylinder. In a drill, a mill and a transmission, a chuck holds the rotating tool; in a lathe, it holds the rotating workpiece.

Machine taper

A machine taper is a system for securing cutting tools or toolholders in the spindle of a machine tool or power tool. A male member of conical form fits into the female socket, which has a matching taper of equal angle.

Pneumatic motor Compressed air engine

A pneumatic motor, or compressed air engine, is a type of motor which does mechanical work by expanding compressed air. Pneumatic motors generally convert the compressed air energy to mechanical work through either linear or rotary motion. Linear motion can come from either a diaphragm or piston actuator, while rotary motion is supplied by either a vane type air motor, piston air motor, air turbine or gear type motor.

The shank is the end of a drill bit grasped by the chuck of a drill. The cutting edges of the drill bit contact the workpiece, and are connected via the shaft with the shank, which fits into the chuck. In many cases a general-purpose arrangement is used, such as a bit with cylindrical shaft and shank in a three-jaw chuck which grips a cylindrical shank tightly. Different shank and chuck combination can deliver improved performance, such as allowing higher torque, greater centering accuracy, or moving the bit independently of the chuck, with a hammer action.

Core drill Drill specifically designed to remove a cylinder of material

A modern core drill is a drill specifically designed to remove a cylinder of material, much like a hole saw. The material left inside the drill bit is referred to as the core.

Hilti Multinational company

Hilti Corporation is a Liechtenstein multinational company that develops, manufactures, and markets products for the construction, building maintenance, energy and manufacturing industries, mainly to the professional end-user. It concentrates mainly on anchoring systems, fire protection systems, installation systems, measuring and detection tools, power tools and related software and services.

Hole saw Cylindrical saw used to quickly cut holes

A hole saw, also known as a hole cutter, is a saw blade of annular (ring) shape, whose annular kerf creates a hole in the workpiece without having to cut up the core material. It is used in a drill. Hole saws typically have a pilot drill bit (arbor) at their center to keep the saw teeth from walking. The fact that a hole saw creates the hole without needing to cut up the core often makes it preferable to twist drills or spade drills for relatively large holes. The same hole can be made faster and using less power.

Drifter drill

A drifter drill, sometimes called a rock drill, is a tool used in mining and civil engineering to drill into rock. Rock drills are used for making holes for placing dynamite or other explosives in rock blasting, and holes for plug and feather quarrying.

Screw gun

A screw gun is similar to a power drill, but designed specifically for driving screws. A screw gun looks like a drill, but has a "nose" instead of a chuck. The nose holds an interchangeable 0.25 inches (6 mm) shank bit, commonly known as a tip. The most common types of tips are 1 inch (25 mm) #2 phillips, T25 Torx, and flatheads. The nose on either type of screw gun can be adjusted to countersink screws to the desired depth. The user must apply pressure to the bit to engage the clutch and drive the screws.

Down-the-hole drill

A down-the-hole drill, usually called DTH by most professionals, is basically a jackhammer screwed on the bottom of a drill string. The fast hammer action breaks hard rock into small cuttings and dust that are evacuated by a fluid. The DTH hammer is one of the fastest ways to drill hard rock. The system is thought to have been invented independently by Stenuick Frères in Belgium and Ingersoll Rand in the USA in the mid-1950s.

Torque screwdriver

A torque screwdriver is a screwdriver with components that ensure tightening to a specified torque, ensuring tightening which is sufficient, but not excessive. An insufficiently tightened screw connection may loosen in operation, and excessive tightening can damage parts; for example, if the nuts holding the wheel of a car in place are too loose, or damaged by overtightening, a wheel may come off at speed. Torque screwdrivers are used in mechanical production, manufacturing, and maintenance; their use is part of quality assurance.

Ice drilling Method of drilling through ice

Ice drilling allows scientists studying glaciers and ice sheets to gain access to what is beneath the ice, to take measurements along the interior of the ice, and to retrieve samples. Instruments can be placed in the drilled holes to record temperature, pressure, speed, direction of movement, and for other scientific research, such as neutrino detection.

References

  1. "Differences Between a Hammer Drill and Rotary Hammer". 26 November 2019.
  2. "Rotary hammer". DIY Knowledge. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  3. "Differences Between a Hammer Drill and Rotary Hammer". 26 November 2019.
  4. "How's It Work? Rotary Hammers". Pro Tool Reviews Magazine. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  5. "Hilti Online - Active Torque Control (ATC)". Hilti.com. 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  6. "D25712K 1-7/8" SDS Max Combination Hammer with SHOCKS - Active VibrationVibration Control & 2 Stage Clutch". Dewalt.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  7. "Hilti Online - History". Hilti.com. 29 January 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  8. "Differences Between a Hammer Drill and Rotary Hammer". familyhandyman.com. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  9. "Pneumatic perforator". concretecuttingmelbourne.net.au. December 15, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  10. "Noise management: Electric drills". commerce.wa.gov.au. Retrieved July 11, 2022.