The invention relates to a pneumatic hammer of the kind mentioned in the precharacterizing part of claim 1.

Such pneumatic hammers are used for ground or rock drilling. They may be implemented in connection with drilling machines that advance and rotate drill rods with a drill bit ±rom a boring frame. In this case, the pneumatic hammer is generally designed as a in- hole hammer which is arranged immediately behind the drill bit in the drill rods. Further, pneumatic ham¬ mers may be designed as hand-held hammers, so-called compressed air hammers, which are operated by hand in order to do demolition work or ground and rock work. With a hand-held hammer, the drill bit generally is a simple trepan.

In pneumatic hammers with pin drill bits, the impact energy supplied by the working piston is transmitted to the hard metal pins or bezels for cleaving rock via the drill bit. The impact frequency is determined by the quantity of compressed air supplied or by the quantity transmitted by the pneumatic hammer. By ro¬ tating the entire drilling tool, the bottom of the bore hole is cleft and stripped and the drilling ma¬ terial is transported to the outside by the relaxing and outflowing discharge air in the annular gap be¬ tween the drill rod and the inner wall of the drill rod.

The drilling capacity is chiefly determined by the following factors:

The single impact energy imparted on the drill bit by the working piston during every blow;

the number and the surface of the drill bit pins on which the impact energy is distributed and which transform that energy into penetration and cleaving work;

the impact frequency;

the pressure of the drilling tool on the bottom of the bore hole;

the removal of the drillings or the purging or rinsing of the bottom of the bore hole to clean the same of the drillings.

The drive energy required for pneumatic hammers is supplied by compressors. Normally, the supply pressure

is about 7 to 10 bar and the supply quantity is about im ³ /min.

Recently, high pressure compressors are used on build¬ ing sites that supply a pressure in the magnitude of 20 bars. Such high pressure compressors are also used to drive the pneumatic hammers used on a building site, even if these pneumatic hammers were originally designed for pressures between 7 and 10 bars. For such high pressure operation, the principle of these pneu¬ matic hammers has not been changed; only certain ele¬ ments of the hammer have been provided with a greater strength or a greater thickness. This results in the same pneumatic hammers being operated in a wide range of supply pressures between 7 and 25 bars. With a higher supply pressure, the impact frequency and the impact energy will increase, but the drilling capacity is not enhanced correspondingly. This is due to the fact that the impact energy per drill bit pin is es¬ sential for the drilling capacity. The drilling capa¬ city will only be optimal, if the impact energy per drill bit pin is maintained in a certain range. Above this range, the cleaving depth of the rock (cleaving work) is not substantially improved, although the con¬ sumption of compressed air increases vastly. Thus, the actual drilling capacity is far behind the installed power of the compressor, which results in a low effi¬ ciency. Additionally, a high impact energy of the work¬ ing piston generates a jarring blow on the anvil. Such jarring blows cause an enormous stress on the drill bit shaft and the working piston, often resulting in ruptures of shafts and pistons. In manually operated pneumatic hammers, the jarring blows caused by an ex¬ cessive supply pressure entail serious physical stres-

ses on the operator, including the risk of detrimental effects on his health and in particular on the skele¬ tal structure.

The operator of a drilling device will usually obtain the drilling tools, the compressor, the pneumatic ham¬ mer and the drill bit from different manufacturers, respectively. As a rule, this leads to an untuned com¬ bination of elements being implemented. The operator is not able to select the components such that an op¬ timal drilling capacity with a high efficiency can be obtained with a simultaneous low stress on the mate¬ rial.

It is an object of the invention to provide a pneu¬ matic hammer that may be operated at different supply pressures and, in a wide range of supply pressures, yields a high drilling capacity with a high efficien¬ cy, while simultaneously keeping the stress on the material low.

The object is solved according to the invention with the features of claim 1.

In the pneumatic hammer of the present invention, an adjusting means is provided at the rear cylinder cham¬ ber of the working cylinder, which serves to change the .stroke of the working piston. Thus, the impact energy imparted on the anvil by the working piston may be kept substantially constant in a wide range of supply pressures. At high supply pressures of the com¬ pressed air, the piston stroke is reduced so that the piston will hit on the anvil at substantially the same speed as it will at low supply pressures. Despite the

great acceleration caused by a high supply pressure, the impact speed on the anvil is not substantially higher than at a low supply pressure. Of course, a high supply pressure and a correspondingly shortened stroke of the working piston will result in a higher impact frequency than would be obtained at low supply pressures. This increases the drilling capacity with¬ out reducing the efficiency. The volumetric consump¬ tion of compressed air is even reduced.

Preferably, the adjusting means changes the beginning of the compression period at the return stroke of the working piston. Thus, the length of the return stroke is changed by changing the volume of the rear cylinder chamber in which an air cushion forms.

In general, it is possible to provide a pneumatic ham¬ mer with an adjusting means that is either mounted directly on the hammer housing or may be remote-con¬ trolled by means of a transmission device. It is also possible to provide a pneumatic adjusting means, the pressure of which may be adjusted manually irrespec¬ tive of the supply pressure of the compressed air. Such manual adjusting means allow a user to influence the stroke of the working piston.

In many instances, the operator is not able to adjust the correct stroke length. According to a preferred embodiment it is therefore provided to automatically control the stroke length depending on the supply pressure. This automatic adjusting means is arranged within the pneumatic hammer so that all pressure los¬ ses in the conduit system or the rods leading to the pneumatic hammer are taken into account. The supply

pressure actuating the adjusting means is not the pres¬ sure supplied by the compressor, but the pressure im¬ mediately present at the pneumatic hammer, which also causes the acceleration of the working piston.

The supply pressure at the pneumatic hammer does not have to be used unchanged for controlling the djusting means. It is also possible to effect a proprtional pressure transformation, for instance, and to control the adjusting means with a pressure depending on the supply pressure.

In addition to the automatic control of the adjusting means, a manual adjusting means may be provided, for instance, in order to adjust the impact energy to the number drill bit pins.

Preferably, the invention is applicable with in-hole hammers that are arranged in a drill rod, as well as with hand-held hammers and demolition hammers. With the latter, maintaining the single-impact energy pre¬ vents the transfer of reflected energy into the wrists and arms of the user and the occurrence of damages to the user's health.

In compressors having no adjustable air pressure, or in compressors connected to a plurality of air consu¬ mers that require air pressure, the pneumatic hammer automatically adapts itself to the supply pressure, which results in a substantially constant impact energy regardless of the supply pressure and that a high supply pressure merely increases the impact fre¬ quency. The elements of the pnmeumatic hammer are sub¬ jected to lesser stresses and their service life is prolonged.

The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the Figures

Fig. 1 shows the front portion of a pneumatic hammer as a deep-hole hammer in a drill rod,

Fig. 2 shows the rear portion of the in-hole hammer of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows the front portion of the in-hole hammer with the working piston located in the rear end position,

Fig. 4 shows an embodiment in which the adjusting means commonly adjusts a control tube and a control wall of the working piston,

Fig. 5 shows an embodiment with a pressure-depending reversing valve for achieving a higher number of impacts,

Fig. 6 shows an embodiment similar to that of Fig. 5, but, in addition, with a working piston reduc¬ ing the size of the rear cylinder chamber,

Fig. 7 shows an embodiment similar to that of Fig. 4, however, with an differntly constructed pres¬ sure-depending reversing valve,

Fig. 8 shows an embodiment, wherein the adjusting pis¬ ton of the adjusting means supports the stroke,

Fig. 9 shows an embodiment, wherein the adjusting means only displaces the rear end wall of the cylinder chamber,

Fig. 10 shows an embodiment with a control tube enter¬ ing the working piston for reversing the work¬ ing piston, and

Fig. 11 shows the embodiment of Fig. 10 with the work¬ ing piston being in the rear end position.

The pneumatic hammer illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is a in-hole hammer with an elongated tubular hammer casing

10 from the front end of which the head 12 of a drill bit 11 protrudes. The drill bit head 12 is provided with hard metal pins (not illustrated) . The shaft 13 of the drill bit 11 extends into the hammer casing 10. Through, a key toothing, the shaft engages an adapter

14 screwed into the hammer casing 10, in order to transmit the rotation of the hammer casing to the drill bit 11. The drill bit shaft 13 is guided for limited longitudinal displacement so that, in case of impacts on the rear end of the shaft 13, the drill bit

11 can shoot forward with respect to the casing 10. The rear end of the drill bit shaft 13 forms the anvil

15 on which the working piston 16 beats. The working piston 16 consists of a piston body 17 with sealing grooves, and the adjoining cylindrical shaft 18 of reduced diameter that beats against the anvil 15 with its front face. A bore 19 extends through the entire length of the piston 16, which is aligned with a lon¬ gitudinal bore 10 of the drill bit II. The head 12 of the drill bit is provided with outlets 21 that are connected with the longitudinal bore 20. The expanded

discharge air of the pneumatic hammer escapes from these outlets for washing back the drilling material from the bottom of the bore hole.

The piston 16 is guided for longitudinal displacement within the tubular inner cylinder 22, the front cylin¬ der chamber facing the drill bit 11 being designated bythe reference numeral 23, while the rear cylinder chamber facing away from the drill bit bears the re¬ ference numeral 24. The inner cylinder 22 is enclosed by an annular channel 25 through which the compressed air is transported over the entire length of the inner cylinder 22. The inner cylinder 22 has radial control bores 26 and 27, the control bore 26 cooperating with a front control surface 28 and the control bore 27 co¬ operating with a rear control surface 29 of the cylin¬ der body 17. Moreover, the rear end portion of the inner cylinder 22 is provided with a support bore 30 through which compressed air reaches the rear cylinder chamber 24.

Provided at the front end of the working cylinder, there is a guide sleeve 31 fixedly mounted in the ham¬ mer casing and having longitudinal grooves 32 that connect the annular channel 25 to an annular channel

33 surrounding the drill bit shaft 13. Throttle bores

34 lead from this annular channel 33 to the longitudi¬ nal bore 20 of the drill bit shaft in order to lead a part of the compressed air past the hammer into the flushing channel. The guide sleeve 31 provides a sealed guiding of the shaft 18 of the working piston. The end of the shaft is provided with short longitudinal grooves 35.

The rear cylinder chamber 24 is limited to the rear by an insert 36 that receives the adjusting means 37. The adjusting means 37 includes the adjusting piston 38 displaceable in a control cylinder 39 of the insert 36 and from which a control tube 40 projects forward which extends through a bore of the front cylinder wall 41. The channel 40a of the control tube 40 is always in pneumatic communication with the longitud¬ inal bore 20 and the inside of the control cylinder 39 so that the low relaxed pressure always prevails in the control cylinder 39. A spring 42 is provided in the control cylinder 42 that presses the adjusting piston backward. The rear end of the adjusting piston 38 is connected to a pressure chamber 43 in which the supply pressure constantly prevails.

According to Fig. 2, a check valve 44 is arranged be¬ hind the pressure chamber 43, which, in case that pres¬ sing water should rise from the drill bit against the compressed air supplied, will block the path of such water. The check valve 44 is actuatable only in the direction from the drill rod 45 to the bottom of the bore hole, but not in the reverse direction.

The rear end of the hammer casing 10 is connected to the front end of the drill rod 45 through an insert member 46, a key toothing 47 of the insert member 46 engaging with a key toothing of a sleeve 48 screwed into the hammer casing. The key toothings permit a limited axial displacement of the hammer casing with respect to the drill rod 45. A spring 49 is supported on a support ring 50 which in turn is supported on the end of the key toothing of the sleeve 48. The spring 49 presses the fixed inner casing parts of the hammer

axially together and permits displacements of these parts due to vibrations.

From the drill red 45, the compressed air supplied reaches the pressure chamber 43 and the annular chan¬ nel 25 through the hollow insert 46 and via the check valve 44.

The pneumatic hammer depicted in Figs. 1 to 3 operates as follows:

In Fig. 1, the piston 16 is illustrated as being in its front end position in which the shaft 18 abuts the anvil 15. The front cylinder chamber 23 is reduced to a minimum and is connected to the pressure in the an¬ nular channel 25 through the control bore 26. In this situation, the return stroke of the working piston 16 begins since the rear cylinder chamber 24 is connected to the pressureless longitudinal bore 20 of the drill bit through the bore 19. During the return stroke, the working piston 16 experiences an acceleration phase. The pressure preavailing in the front cylinder chamber 23 and acting on the front control surface 28 accelerates the working piston. This acceleration phase will last until the rear ends of the lon¬ gitudinal grooves 35 have reached the rear end of the guide sleeve 31. The corresponding acceleration sec¬ tion BA is marked in Fig. 1. After this, the cylinder chamber 23 is connected to the pressureless axial bore 20 by the grooves 35. The acceleration is followed by an idle phase in which the return stroke of the work¬ ing piston is not driven. The air displaced from the rear cylinder chamber 24 is discharged through the bore 19 in the working piston.

When the rear control surface 29 of the working piston reaches the front end of the control tube 40, the idle phase is ended. Next to follow is the compression phase in which the air in the annular chamber of the working cylinder surrounding the control tube 40 is compressed. The control tube 40 now closes the opening of the bore 19.

Fig. 3 depicts the state in which the working piston has reached its rear end position. The air in the cy¬ linder chamber 24 is strongly compressed. This air cushion has slowed down the rearward movement of the working piston. Now the working stroke is effected in which the air cushion compressed in the cylinder cham¬ ber 24 expands and drives the working piston in the direction of impact. This driving force is even aug¬ mented by the air passing through the support bore 30. The drive phase ends when the rear control edge 29 of the working piston has passed the front end of the control tube 40. The drive section, in which the work¬ ing piston is accelerated in the direction of the im¬ pact, is indicated by AA in Fig. 3.

At the end of the working stroke the shaft 18 of the working piston hits the anvil 15, an air cushion hav¬ ing been formed in the front cylinder chamber 23 short before the impact.

The operation described before refers to cases where the supply pressure of the compressed air has a compa¬ ratively low value of about 7 to 10 bar. Such a pres¬ sure in the pressure chamber 43 is overcome by the spring 42 so that the adjusting piston 38 is moved into its rear end position against this pressure and

that the control tube 40 also takes its rear end posi¬ tion.

If the control pressure is higher, the adjusting pis¬ ton 38 is advanced together with the control tube 40, the distance of advancement being dependent on the supply pressure. With a higher supply pressure, the idle phase is shortened. This has the effect that the control surface 29 reaches the front end of the con¬ trol tube 40 earlier and that the compression phase will begin earlier. This reduces the stroke of the piston (return stroke) so that the following working stroke of the working piston begins at a location closer to the front side. On the other hand, the com¬ pression in the rear cylinder chamber 24 is lower, due to the larger volume, than when the control tube is withdrawn. The stroke of the working piston is thus reduced so that, despite the higher supply pressure, the speed at which the working piston hits on the an¬ vil is substantially the same as the impact speed that is obtained at a lesser supply pressure and with the control tube 40 withdrawn.

The advanced position of the control tube 40 may be selected such that, during the return stroke, the ac¬ celeration phase and the compression phase follow each other immediately or even overlap without an interme¬ diate idle phase.

The embodiment of Fig. 4 corresponds to that of Figs. 1 to 3 so that the following will only explain the differences. Fixed to the control tube 40 there is a disc 70 that moves along with the control tube in its pressure-depending movement caused by the adjusting

piston 38. A throttle channel 71 extends through or past this disc 70. In the chamber 72 behind this disc 70 and in before the insert 36, a chamber 72 is formed that becomes bigger or smaller depending on the supply pressure of the compressed ^• air. This chamber 72 is connected to the rear cylinder chamber 24 through the throttle channel 71. The pressure in the chamber 72 follows the pressure in the rear cylinder chamber 24 with a certain delay. Thus, an inert pressure cushion is formed in the chamber 72. The disc 70 reduces the volume of the working cylinder corresponding to the supply pressure of the compressed air. Thereby, the rear end of the cylinder chamber 24 is displaced for¬ ward in dependence on the supply pressure, whereby at higher supply pressures the return stroke of the pis¬ ton is reduced.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 also largely corre¬ sponds to the one of Figs. 1 to 3 so that the fol¬ lowing is limited to the explanation of the diffe¬ rences. At the rear end of the working cylinder, a pressure-dependent reverse valve 75 is arranged before the ad ustting means 37, the valve being embodied as a sleeve valve accommodated in the rear end wall 76 of the working cylinder. The valve 75 has a tubular valve body 77, one end 78 of which, is widened in a cuff-like manner. The widened end 78 alternately cooperates with one of two valve seats 79 or 80. The tube of the valve encloses the control tube 40 with a radial distance. It is axially displaceable, its end 78 either abutting the seat 79 or the seat 80. The inlet of the valve 75 is connected to an annular channel 81 in which the supply pressure prevails. One outlet of the reverse valve 75 is formed by the annular space 82 inside the

tube 77, while the other outlet is formed by the an¬ nular space 83 that encloses the tube 77 and is con¬ nected to the annular channel 25. The reverse valve is controlled by the pressures in the annular spaces 82 and 83. If the pressure in the annular space 83 is higher, the end 78 is pressed against the seat 80 and the annular space 83 (and the annular channel 25) are supplied with the supply pressure. If, however, the pressure in the cylinder chamber 24 (and thus in the annular space 82) is higher, the end 78 is pressed against the valve seat 79, whereby the cylinder cham¬ ber 24 is supplied with the supply pressure, while the annular space 83 becomes pressureless. The reverse valve 75 supports the working stroke and its action increases the impact frequency of the pneumatic ham¬ mer.

The embodiment of Fig. 6 differs from that in Fig. 5 in that the rear cylinder wall 76 includes a movable annular piston 85, the piston chamber 86 of which is in permanent connection with the cylinder chamber 24. Opposite the piston chamber 86, a further piston cham¬ ber 87 is provided that is connected to the annular space 83 through a throttle channel 88. In this way, the pressure of the cylinder chamber 24 will always prevail in the piston chamber 86, while in the piston chamber 87, the pressure of the annular channel 25 will always prevail which varies depending on the po¬ sition of the pressure-dependent reverse valve 75. In its advanced position, when the pressure in the piston chamber 86 is larger, the piston 85 protrudes into the cylinder chamber 24, while, in the retracted position, when the pressure in the piston chamber 87 is larger, it is flush with the cylinder wall 32. The piston 85

forms a part of the rear cylinder wall 76 arranged spaced from the drill bit. Due to the throttle channel 88, the piston 85 cannot follow the periodical pres¬ sure changes fast enough so that it adjusts itself to an intermediate position that depends on the magnitude of the supply pressure or the magnitude of the maximum pressure prevailing in the cylinder chamber 24. There¬ by, the volume of the working cylinder is changed in dependence on the pressure such that this volume de¬ creases at high pressures. This change of volume is performed in addition to the shortening of the stroke caused by the adjusting means 37.

The embodiment of Fig. 7 corresponds largely to that of Fig. 5, a lamella valve with a movable lamella is used as the reverse valve 75a, which may be alternate¬ ly set against the valve seats 79 and 80. The embodi¬ ment 75a of the reverse valve has the same effect as the reverse valve 75.

The embodiment of Fig. 8 is a further development of the one in Fig. 7 in that the adjusting piston 38a, connected to the control tube 40, simultaneously forms the rear end wall of the working cylinder. A change in the supply pressure will also change the position of the rear end wall so that the volume of the cylinder chamber is reduced when the supply pressure is in¬ creased. This pressure-dependent adjustment of the rear cylinder wall or a part of the cylinder wall sup¬ ports the effect of the adjusting means 37. In Fig. 8, the spring 42 is provided inside the rear cylinder chamber 24 and supported at an annular collar 91 of the inner cylinder 22.

The annular space 81 is permanently connected with the supply pressure and the annular space 83 is constantly connected to the annular channel 25. The bore 92 of the control tube 40 is in permanent connection with a pressureless discharge channel (not illustrated) .

In the embodiment of Fig. 9, the adjusting piston 38b defines the rear end wall of the working cylinder without a control tube being present. The adjusting piston 38b on which the supply pressure coming from the pressure chamber 43 acts, is supported at an an¬ nular collar 91 of the inner cylinder 22 by means of a spring 42. An annular space 94 connected to a relief channel 93 is arranged on the side of the annular col¬ lar 94 of the adjusting piston 38b facing away from the pressure chamber 43. The working piston is solid, i.e. it does not have the bore 19 of the preceding embodiments.

The adjusting means 37 of Fig. 9 exclusively effects a pressure-dependent reduction of the volume of the work¬ ing cylinder, yet no other adjustment of control ele¬ ments.

In the embodiment of Figs. 10 and 11, a hollow working cylinder 16a is provided. In the longitudinal bore of the working piston 16a, there is arranged a control pin 100 having a longitudinally extending channel 101, aa well as control bores 26a and a control groove 27a. The rear end of the control pin 100 is connected with the adjusting pin 38c that is urged towards the pres¬ sure chamber 43 by the spring 42. If the pressure in the pressure chamber 43 exceeds the force of the spring 42, the control pin 100 is displaced forward,

i.e. towards the drill bit 11, inside the annular pis¬ ton 16a.

The control pin 100 extends into an extended portion 20 of the longitudinal bore 20 of the drill bit shaft 13. In this end portion 102, there are provided con¬ trol bores 26a that are permanently pressure-free, since they are connected to the longitudinal bore 20. Between the channel 101 and the longitudinal bore 20, a throttle opening 103 is arranged through which air may constantly flow out for supporting the flushing back of drillings.

The control pin 100 has an annular groove 104 connec¬ ted to the channel 101, in which the supply pressure constantly prevails, as well as a control groove 27a that is permanently pressure-free by virtue of a chan¬ nel 105. A transversal channel 106 is connected to the inside of the channel 101, the channel 106 being adap¬ ted to be aligned with a channel 107 of the annular piston 16a. A further channel 108 of the working pis¬ ton may alternately be aligned with the control groove 27a or the annular groove 104.

Fig. 10 depicts the state of the device at the begin¬ ning of the return stroke. Through the channel 101, the transversal channel 106 and the channel 107, pres¬ sure will reach the front cylinder chamber 23 so that the front end surface 28 of the working piston will be lifted from the anvil 15 and move backward. The ac¬ celeration phase ends when the front end surface 28 reaches the area of the control bores 26a. In this phase, the rear cylinder chamber 24 is pressure-free by virtue of the channel 108, the control groove 27a

and the channel 105. When the channel 108 has left the pressure-free control groove 27a, a pressure begins to build up in the rear cylinder chamber 24. The compres¬ sion phase begins in which the rear cylinder chamber 24 is increasingly reduced until the channel 108 will reach the area of the pressurized annular groove 105. In doing so, additional compressed air enters the cy¬ linder chamber 24. In the working stroke, the air in the cylinder chamber 24 relaxes, whereby the working piston can perform the drive phase until its end sur¬ face 28 finally hits on the anvil 15.

The effect of the displaceable control pin 100 is the following: With high supply pressures, the control pin is displaced forward. The advancing of the control bores 26a causes an earlier end of the acceleration phase so that the kinetic energy imparted to the pis¬ ton is less. The advancing of the control groove 27a effects an earlier cut-off of the rear cylinder cham¬ ber 24 so that the compression phase starts earlier. Both measures, namely the shortening of the accele¬ ration phase and the earlier beginning of the compres¬ sion phase, the length of the return stroke is reduced and the energy imparted to the working piston during the working stroke is reduced, too. In this way, the impact energy imparted to the anvil is substantially the same irrespective of the supply pressure per im¬ pact.