Air hammer
Encyclopedia
An air hammer, also known as an air chisel, is a pneumatic hand tool
used to carve
in stone
, and to break or cut metal
objects apart. It is designed to accept different tool
s depending on the required function.
Universal joint and tie-rod tool: Used to separate universal joint
s and tie-rod ends.
Ball joint separator: Used to separate ball joint
s.
Shock absorber chisel: Used to break loose shock absorber
nuts.
Exhaust pipe cutter: Used to cut through exhaust pipe for disassembly.
Tapered punch: A general tool that can be used to free frozen nuts, insert pins, and align holes.
Rubber bushing splitter: Used to remove rubber bushings.
. They are also used for smoothing metal that has already been roughed, shaped or formed.
, as the 1930s saw the advent of monocoque
aluminum aircraft. The other new device, hitting at twice or three times the speed of the rivet gun, was the stone carver's hammer – a great blessing for smooth and rapid dressing of granite and marble.
In 1930 F.J. Hauschild adapted the original stone carver's hammer into a portable hand-held steel tube frame
for the purpose of straightening auto bodies. For the next 25 years his "Ram's Head Body and Fender Machine" improved and increased production for auto body work men all over the U.S. Copying Hauschild’s patented design, a pneumatic tool
company in Chicago marketed a number of "destined-to-be-classic" pneumatic planishing
hammers, both hand-held for auto body work, and also free-standing ones, with a variety of throat depths for industry and manufacturing.
By World War II
, rivet guns were used widely in U.S. aircraft factories both for riveting aluminum sheets, and for flow forming, the process of working aluminum sheet into and over wooden forms by the application of the pneumatic rivet gun.
Post-war industry brought many new applications for the "air hammer" technology. Among these were:
Each of these tools has a different purpose despite nearly identical appearance in many cases.
Hand tool
A hand tool is a device for performing work on a material or a physical system using only hands. The hand tools can be manually used employing force, or electrically powered, using electrical current...
used to carve
Stone carving
Stone carving is an ancient activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, evidence can be found that even the earliest societies indulged in some form of stone work....
in stone
Dimension stone
Dimension stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and fabricated to specific sizes or shapes. Color, texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are also normal requirements...
, and to break or cut metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
objects apart. It is designed to accept different tool
Tool
A tool is a device that can be used to produce an item or achieve a task, but that is not consumed in the process. Informally the word is also used to describe a procedure or process with a specific purpose. Tools that are used in particular fields or activities may have different designations such...
s depending on the required function.
Tools
The following are various tools that can be used in the air hammer:Universal joint and tie-rod tool: Used to separate universal joint
Universal joint
A universal joint, universal coupling, U joint, Cardan joint, Hardy-Spicer joint, or Hooke's joint is a joint or coupling in a rigid rod that allows the rod to 'bend' in any direction, and is commonly used in shafts that transmit rotary motion...
s and tie-rod ends.
Ball joint separator: Used to separate ball joint
Ball joint
In an automobile, ball joints are spherical bearings that connect the control arms to the steering knuckles.More specifically, a ball joint is a steel bearing stud and socket enclosed in a steel casing. The bearing stud is tapered and threaded. It fits into a tapered hole in the steering knuckle. A...
s.
Shock absorber chisel: Used to break loose shock absorber
Shock absorber
A shock absorber is a mechanical device designed to smooth out or damp shock impulse, and dissipate kinetic energy. It is a type of dashpot.-Nomenclature:...
nuts.
Exhaust pipe cutter: Used to cut through exhaust pipe for disassembly.
Tapered punch: A general tool that can be used to free frozen nuts, insert pins, and align holes.
Rubber bushing splitter: Used to remove rubber bushings.
Free-standing style
Free-standing air hammers are an adaptation of the hand-held version. An air hammer can stretch or shrink (shape) a variety of metals, from thin aircraft aluminums, all the way down to 10-gauge steelSteel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
. They are also used for smoothing metal that has already been roughed, shaped or formed.
History
In the 1920s, two pneumatic devices were invented that would permanently change the way metal and stone were hammered. The pneumatic rivet gun was originally developed to set hot rivets on girder bridges and high steel buildings. This tool was later scaled down for sheet metalSheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
, as the 1930s saw the advent of monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
aluminum aircraft. The other new device, hitting at twice or three times the speed of the rivet gun, was the stone carver's hammer – a great blessing for smooth and rapid dressing of granite and marble.
In 1930 F.J. Hauschild adapted the original stone carver's hammer into a portable hand-held steel tube frame
Superleggera
Superleggera is an automobile chassis construction technology developed by Felice Bianchi Anderloni of Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring. The company was located just north of Milan, near Alfa Romeo, Italian Citroen, and the former Isotta-Fraschini plant...
for the purpose of straightening auto bodies. For the next 25 years his "Ram's Head Body and Fender Machine" improved and increased production for auto body work men all over the U.S. Copying Hauschild’s patented design, a pneumatic tool
Pneumatic tool
A pneumatic tool or air tools is a tool driven by a gas, usually compressed air supplied by a gas compressor. Pneumatic tools can also be driven by compressed carbon dioxide stored in small cylinders allowing for portability...
company in Chicago marketed a number of "destined-to-be-classic" pneumatic planishing
Planishing
Planishing is a metalworking technique that involves finishing the surface by finely shaping and smoothing sheet metal...
hammers, both hand-held for auto body work, and also free-standing ones, with a variety of throat depths for industry and manufacturing.
By World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, rivet guns were used widely in U.S. aircraft factories both for riveting aluminum sheets, and for flow forming, the process of working aluminum sheet into and over wooden forms by the application of the pneumatic rivet gun.
Post-war industry brought many new applications for the "air hammer" technology. Among these were:
- sand rammers and tampers for sand castingSand castingSand casting, also known as sand molded casting, is a metal casting process characterized by using sand as the mold material.It is relatively cheap and sufficiently refractory even for steel foundry use. A suitable bonding agent is mixed or occurs with the sand...
metal - plating rack scalers
- weld chippers
- destruction guns for cleaning up concrete
- needle scalers
- pavement breakers
- metal chisels.
Each of these tools has a different purpose despite nearly identical appearance in many cases.