Versatility

While all of the Vulcan air/steam hammers have the same basic operating principle, there are variations within the various lines that enable the contractor to select the optimum hammer for the application. These variations are as follows:

Three (3) Foot Stroke Hammers: This includes hammers with 36" (914mm) stroke. These are the original Vulcan air/steam hammers; they combine a heavy weight with a low striking velocity, and are especially apt for concrete piles where tension cracking is always a danger. These include the #1, 306, 08, 010, 012, 014, 016, 320, and 330 hammers.

Five (5) Foot Stroke Hammers: These all have a stroke of 60" (1524mm). These were designed to give the contractor a relatively light hammer and thus enable the contractor to use lighter piling rigs. They are also effective with steel piling. These include the 505, 506, 508, 510, 512, 520, 525, 530 and 535 hammers.

Operating Principle

The cycle begins at impact, the valve is rotated in such a way as to admit steam or air into the cylinder and below the piston. This accelerates the ram upward as shown in View 1. This continues until the exhaust wedge on the slide bar actuates the trip and rotates the valve to close off the steam or air inlet and opens the area of the cylinder below the piston to the atmosphere where the compressed air or steam is exhausted. The ram continues its free rise upward, decelerating with gravity until the top of the piston passes the relief ports and closes in the dashpot at the top of the cylinder. This trapped air, shown in View 2, compresses and brings the rising ram to a halt. The ram then makes a free drop to impact. Shortly before impact the intake wedge rotates the valve to admit steam or air to the cylinder and the cycle starts once again.

Features

Vulcan hammers include many features that are designed into the hammers to make them simple to use and maintain. Following are some of these features:

• Vari-Cycle II: The Vari-Cycle II allows the operator to change the stroke (and thus the energy setting of the hammer) from the hammer operator's station during driving, thus minimizing problems from both downtime and pile soil freeze.
• Traverse Trip: This performs the same features as the Vari-Cycle but allows the user to change the energy setting manually at the hammer.
• Cable Ties (Cylinder to Base): These replace the column keys on the hammer, to provide a low maintenance method of holding the hammer together through the high impact environment of pile driving.
• Cable Ties (Cylinder Head to Base): The same as the other cable ties, except that the cables go all the way to the top of the hammer, which is advantageous in many situations (such as mandrel driving).
• Nylon Slide Bars: Designed to actuate the valve during operation, these are both lighter and more durable then their steel predecessors.