Air drills, also known as jackhammers, are large, portable compressed air drills used for construction and salvage work. They rely on air pressure from diesel-powered compressors to move the bits up and down. Air drills are efficient, but noisy and require training to operate safely. They consist of an outer casing, handle, hoses, drill bit, pipe network, valve, and pile driver. The high pressure of the air from the compressor drives the pile driver into its pipe, hitting the drill bit, which is forced into the ground. Air drills can cause carpal tunnel or negatively affect arm circulation.
An air drill is a type of large, portable compressed air drill used to break up or dig into hard surfaces, such as concrete. Also called jackhammers, air drills are mostly used for construction and salvage work. As the term “pneumatic” suggests, these drills rely on air pressure, supplied to them by diesel-powered air compressors, to move the bits up and down. Air drills often require training to operate and should only be used by professionals.
An air drill consists of the outer casing, a handle, thick hoses that connect the drill to the air compressor, and a drill bit, which starts inside the casing and can be changed depending on the job. Also inside the casing is a simple pipe network, a valve, and a pile driver. Pressurized air is pumped through the tubes into the drill’s inner tubes. The pile driver, a heavy metal rod, rises or falls depending on the pressure of the air entering the pipe, repeatedly striking the drill bit and driving it into the ground. The air flow is controlled by the valve, which alternately blocks one of the two pipes, depending on its position.
The process begins when the drill operator presses the handle. This allows the highly pressurized air from the compressor to be pushed into the drill. That high pressure drives the pile driver into its pipe, hitting the drill bit, which is then forced into the ground. The impact of the drill, combined with the vibrations created by two hard surfaces colliding hard, causes the valve to change position, blocking the other pipe and displacing the air in a different direction. The air then forces the driver back up which causes the valve to change position again and the process repeats.
Pneumatic drills are extremely efficient. A sledgehammer can hit the ground five or ten times a minute, but a pneumatic drill can hit the ground 25 times a second. With 1,500 strokes per minute, air drills create a force that allows their operators to break large chunks of concrete in seconds.
For this reason pneumatic drills are also very noisy and operators must wear hearing protection. Also, the severity of the vibrations requires a firm grip and strength to control the hammer. Too much time working with an air drill can cause carpal tunnel or negatively affect arm circulation.
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