Developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, the winning invention is a quieter, safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional jackhammer. Brookhaven Laboratory and its industrial partners are improving people's lives by developing technology that not only is quieter, safer and more environmentally friendly, but can revolutionize the construction industry. This rapidly compressed helium drives the projectiles.
Researchers are confident that the device can be scaled up for even thicker concrete demolition.
Conventional jackhammers run on air supplied by a compressor, which uses gasoline or diesel fuel, while the new device runs on environmentally benign compressed gas. Expected to be at least 25 percent faster than the jackhammer, it is also safer and more worker-friendly. James Powell, a nuclear engineer from Brookhaven Lab, conceived the original idea for breaking concrete with high-speed projectiles, but has since retired. Ciccarelli came up with the concept of using a free-piston gas gun for accelerating the projectiles, resulting in a more practical and less costly device. GRI holds the license to the technology, which the company projects will be marketed this year.