IMPROVEMENT OF DESIGN OF PNEUMATIC HAMMER FOR DRIVING VERTICAL PIPES WITH LARGE DIAMETER INTO SOIL
A brief description of the equipment used for trenchless pipe laying is given. The basic parameters of a pneumatic hammer designed for driving pipes into soil with an open end greater than 426 mm in diameter are substantiated. The description of the device and operating principle of a pneumatic hammer with an air distribution system using an elastic circular valve as the main element is presented. Based on the analysis of many-year operation of equipment for trenchless pipe laying and driving vertical pipes, the frequency and sequence of crack appearance, destruction and failure of the main parts of the pneumatic hammer are determined. New principles of calculation and design of a pneumatic hammer with a large mass of the striking part without loss of work performance are proposed. The solution to the problems associated with fatigue failure of the main parts is a decrease in striking velocity.