[Background Art] Generally, a masonry structure constructed with bricks, different from a brick-reinforced concrete structure, is constructed such that a plurality of bricks are accumulated from the ground and mortar is placed between the bricks to join the bricks together, and joints between the bricks of an outer wall are decorated by being filled with mortar.

According to the conventional method of repair and maintenance, when separating a damaged brick to be replaced from a wall for repair and maintenance, as shown in Fig. 1, the mortar between the bricks is drilled by a drilling machine such that the mortar around the damaged brick becomes sufficiently weakened to allow the damaged brick to be removed from the wall and the damaged brick is separated from the wall. Moreover, a striking member inserted into a chuck of the drilling machine is used to easily strike the mortar.

However, according to the conventional art, in the event that a drill or the striking member of the drilling machine digs into and gets struck in the mortar, since broken mortar may attach and coagulate around the tools, and fills a space where the tools travel, it is difficult for the tools to travel. At this time, since it is hard to withdraw the tools from the wall or to move them laterally, the damaged brick cannot be efficiently removed'from the wall. Further, if the tool is moved by force, the brick may

be damaged so that it is hard to recycle the removed brick.

In order to overcome this problem, compressed air or water is occasionally jetted around the mortar where the tool is located. However, since a separate device or tool is used in every conventional manner, it is difficult to solve the inconvenience to work, inaccuracy to work, and the difficulty to manipulate the device. In order to solve the problem, it is necessary to prevent the striking member from getting struck in the dense mortar or to prevent the broken mortar from being gathered around or adhering to the tool.

[Disclosure] [Technical Problem] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a mortar breaking device to remove mortar in joints between bricks without damaging the bricks.

[Technical Solution] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by the provision of a mortar breaking device for removing mortar without damaging bricks in a brick wall, including a base having a striker part to strike the mortar, an adapter inserted into a tool chuck of a hammer drill and coupled with the base, and a connecting cylinder surrounding the coupled body of the base and the adapter.

Preferably, the base moves a predetermined distance in the length direction of the connecting cylinder and the adapter. The base includes a longitudinal slit formed in the length direction, and the adapter includes a pinhole penetrating the adapter at the position corresponding to the position of the slit, so that a coupling pin penetrates the slit and the pinhole and the connecting cylinder surrounds and fixes the coupling pin.

Preferably, the striker part provided to the base includes at least one claw having a sharpened leading end,

and further includes an air introducer to introduce compressed air, and at least one passage connected to the air introducer and formed in the base, the passage extended to a portion contacting the striker part so that the compressed air supplied through the passage flows through the striker part and is jetted to the broken mortar.

[Brief Description of Drawings] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a view schematically illustrating a conventional removal of mortar by drilling between bricks; Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention ; Fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating use of the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention ; Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention ; Figs. 6 and 7 are horizontal sectional views illustrating the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a base of a mortar breaking device according to another embodiment of the present invention ; and Fig. 9 is a view illustrating operation of a striker part when mortar is broken and compressed air is jetted by the mortar breaking device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Best Mode]

Hereinafter, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating use of the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawings, the mortar breaking device 100 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a base 120 having a striker part 122 to strike the mortar, an adapter 160 receiving and fixing the base 120 and inserted into a chuck 52 of a hammer drill, and a connecting cylinder 140 to wrap a joint where the base 120 is joined with the adapter 160 and to prevent the base 120 from being moved in right and left directions with respect to the adapter 160. The base 120 is made of a wide plate having a width less than that of the mortar 20 between the bricks 10.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 4, the mortar breaking device to breaking joints between bricks has a structure that the base 120 is coupled with the adapter 160 by a coupling pin 170, the coupled body of : the adapter 160 and the base 120 is wrapped by the connecting cylinder 140, and the connecting cylinder 140 is fixed to the adapter 160 by a fastening bolt 175.

Since the base 120 having a striker part 122 and the adapter 160 having a tool chuck insertion shaft 166 are provided as separate components, only the base 120 need be replaced without replacing the adapter 160 and the connecting cylinder 140 when the striker part 122 becomes blunt. Since the base 120 has the plate shape, the striker part 122 is transported and ground easily.

The base 120 includes the saw-toothed striker part 122 formed at one side thereof and an adapter coupling part

124 that is inserted into an insertion recess 162 formed in the adapter 160. The appearance, when the adapter coupling part 124 of the base 120 is inserted into and coupled with the insertion recess 162 of the adapter 160, is a cylindrical shape, and its outer diameter is substantially identical to the inner diameter of the connecting cylinder 140. Thus, when the base 120 is inserted into the adapter 160 and its outer side is wrapped by the connecting cylinder 140, the base 120 is fixed and does not move in right and left directions.

The adapter coupling part 124 formed in the base 120 is formed with a longitudinal slit 125 formed in the length direction of the base 120, and the adapter 160 is formed with a pinhole 164 penetrating the adapter 160 perpendicular to the. insertion recess 162. When the coupling pin 170 is inserted into the slit 125 and the pinhole 164, the base 120 is coupled with the adapter 160 by the coupling pin 170 such that the base 120 can move forward and-rearward with respect to the coupling pin 170 with a clearance corresponding to the length of the slit 125. Since the coupling pin 170 is simply inserted into the pinhole 164 and the slit 125, in order to prevent the coupling pin 170 from being separated from the pinhole 164 and the slit 125, the portion of the adapter 160 where the coupling pin 170 is inserted is wrapped by the connecting cylinder 140 that is connected to the adapter 160 by the fastening bolt 175.

The connecting cylinder 140 has a plurality of through holes 142 formed on the circumference at angular intervals of 90 degree, while one of them serves as a setting hole into which the fastening bolt 175 is inserted and the other three through holes 142 serve as windows through which a worker confirms the location of the connecting cylinder 140. In order to fix the connecting cylinder 140 firmly, additional fastening bolts 174 may be used. If the through holes 142 located at the side in the drawing are located at both sides of the base. 120, the through holes 142 at the upper and lower sides are

positioned perpendicular to the base 120 and aligned with a screw hole 165 formed in the adapter 160.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the connecting cylinder 140 wraps the coupling pin 170 penetrating the slit 125 of the base 120 and the pinhole 164 of the adapter 160 so as to prevent the coupling pin 170 from being separated therefrom.

Since the size of the pinhole 164 formed in the adapter 160 exactly corresponds to the outer diameter of the coupling pin 170, the coupling pin 170 is fixed to the adapter 160 and does not move with respect to the adapter 160. Since the slit 125 of the base 120 is formed in the length direction of the base 120, the base 120 can slide with respect to the coupling pin 170 in the length direction.

In other words, the base 120 can move forward and rearward within the clearance without moving the coupling pin 170.

Thus, it can be readily appreciate by one of ordinary skill in that art that the coupling pin 170 serves as a stopper or a guide to restrict the movement of the base 120.

Since the connecting cylinder 140 is coupled with the adapter 160 by the fastening bolt 175, the fastening bolt 175 is unfastened to separate the connecting cylinder 140 and the coupling pin 170 is removed to replace the base 120 when the striker part 122 formed at the front side of the base 120 is dull.

Figs. 6 and 7 are horizontal sectional views illustrating the mortar breaking device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Since the mortar breaking device according to the present invention is a tool to break the mortar in the brick wall, the base 120 is frequently caught in the mortar due to the load of the brick wall when breaking the mortar.

According to the conventional art, in order to solve this problem, a worker strikes the conventional mortar breaking device using a hammer to withdraw the mortar breaking device from the mortar and uses the mortar breaking device

again.

Since, in the mortar breaking device according to the present invention, the base 120 has the clearance corresponding to the length of the slit 125 with respect to the adapter 160, the base 120 can move forward and rearward within a range depicted in Figs. 6 and 7. Thus, since the base 120 receives shock due to only the forward and rearward movement of the hammer drill 50 (See Fig. 3), the base 120 caught in the mortar can be easily withdrawn from the mortar.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a base of a mortar breaking device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

A mortar breaking device according to this embodiment has a structural feature that a base 220 is integrally formed with a compressed air jetting device.

Described in detail, the mortar breaking device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the quadrangular plate base 220, a striker part 222 connected to the leading end of the base 220, and an air introducer 300 extended from the rear side of the base uprightly. The air introducer 300 communicates with an air-introducing pipe 310 that is connected to a compressor C via, for example, an air-conveying pipe. A valve (not shown) is installed between the air-introducing pipe 310 and the air introducer 300 and has a lever 320, installed at the outside of the valve, to open and close the valve.

The compressed air supplied from the compressor C passes through the air-introducing pipe 310 and the air introducer 300, while two branches (not shown) are preferably installed at the intermediate portion of the components to be connected to passages 340 described later.

The base 220 includes a pair of passages 340 formed in the length direction of the base 220 to be connected to the air introducer 300. The passages 340 have openings 350 facing the striker part 222 and formed at the front ends thereof.

The striker part 222 includes expanding parts 225

expanded to the right and left sides of a window 360 formed in front of the openings 350, and a plurality of claws 223 having sharpen triangular leading ends and disposed between the expanding parts 225. The base 220 of the mortar breaking device according to the embodiment of the present invention is made of stainless steel, and it is advantageous that strikers 227, made of a high-strength alloy containing tungsten, are installed at a distance from the leading ends of the claws 223. This is because the strikers 227 are members to firstly collide against and strongly strike the mortar.

The striker part 222 includes recess-shaped channels 370 that are diverged from the center and corner of the front of the window 360 and extended between respective claws 223, and said channels 370 are exposed to the outside.

The channels 370 serve as passages to guide the compressed air to flow therethrough.

Fig. 9 is a view illustrating operation of a striker part 222 when the mortar is broken and compressed air is jetted by the mortar breaking device according to this embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, operation of the mortar breaking device according to this embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 8 and 9.

First, the base 220 shown in Fig. 8 is coupled with the adapter and the connecting cylinder in the previous embodiment to be coupled with the chuck of the hammer drill.

Then, when the lever 320 is moved to open the valve, the compressed air is jetted through the openings 350 via the compressor C, the air-introducing pipe 310, the air introducer 300, and the passages 340. Next, when the mortar breaking device according to the present invention contacts and presses the mortar, the mortar is broken due to vibration and strike of the striker part 222, especially, the claws 223 and the hard strikers 227. At that time, the high-pressure compressed air that is jetted through the openings 350 is uniformly jetted forward between the claws 223 through the window 360 via respective channels 370.

The high-pressure compressed air is jetted through the channels 370 and jetted upward and downward through the window 360. The high-pressure compressed air flows along the upper surfaces of the claws 223 and is jetted to the front side and the lateral sides. As such, the overall leading ends of the striker part 222 form a main passage through which the high-pressure compressed air is mainly jetted to the front side through the channels 370 and open air-jetting regions through which the high-pressure compressed air is jetted in several directions. Thus, since the mortar present in front of and at the sides of the striker part 222 is broken and scattered when the striker part 222 is inserted into and strikes the mortar, the striker part 222 is prevented from being caught in the mortar and the movement of the mortar breaking device can be easily and exactly moved. The device to supply the compressed air used in the mortar breaking device according to the present invention may be used alone or in combination with the mortar breaking device of the present invention.

As described above, it may be readily understood by one skilled in the art that the structure and shapes of the striker part, the base, and the components related to the introduction the compressed air may be changed or modified within the spirit of the present invention, and for example, changes/modification such that the passages in the base is extended to a place of the striker part, all or some of the channels are eliminated, and/or the window is eliminated are also possible within the scope of the present invention.

(Industrial Applicability] As described above, according. to the present invention, the mortar breaking device includes the plate-shaped base having the striker part, the adapter having the tool chuck insertion shaft that is inserted into the chuck of the hammer drill, and the connecting cylinder to connect the base to the adapter while the base, the adapter, and the connecting cylinder are provided separately, so that the

base only is changed when the striker part becomes blunt, and thus waste of the components can be prevented.

Since the base is coupled with the adapter with a predetermined clearance with respect to the adapter, the striker part can be easily withdrawn from the mortar when the striker part is caught in the mortar.

Moreover, the compressed air conveying device employed in the mortar breaking device according to the present invention is integrally coupled with the base to supply the compressed air to the striker part, so that the mortar breaking device according to the present invention breaks the mortar around the striker part and scatters the broken mortar, which prevents the striker from being caught in the mortar.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.