h a l f b a k e r yA riddle wrapped in a mystery inside a rich, flaky crust
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Jackhammers, or pneumatic breakers, are extremely useful devices.
There are electro-pneumatic types like the Kango, but for real power an air compressor is needed.
Compressors are bulky, very heavy, require fuel and servicing, and are not easily transportable offroad.
BorgCo engineers have
now developed a highly portable alternative.
The unit closerly resembles a cross between a regular jackhammer and a Vickers medium machine gun. There is a good reason for this; it actually is a cross between a regular jackhammer and a Vickers medium machine gun*.
The compressed air supply is replaced by the gas produced by belt-fed blank cartridges, ranging from 7.92mm K for the small units to 7.62mm for the large type.
It is entirely independent of external power.
It's stupidly expensive to run, but makes a lovely noise.
* In an emergency, the hammer mechanism can be detached and a standard water-jacketed barrel installed. This can be quite useful if anyone objects** to the deafening noise from an explosively-powered hammer.
** Since the unit is intended for use in remote areas, that's unlikely but not impossible.
"Jumping jack" compactor
https://en.wikipedi...nstruction_industry
Useful [8th of 7, Jun 12 2017]
Sten_20Submachine-Hammer
shameless elf promotion [FlyingToaster, Jun 13 2017]
[link]
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So, I'm guessing a jackhammer operates at something like 10Hz. Are the blanks fired at a 1:1 ratio with the jackhammering, or do they instead eject their gas into a reservoir (not unlike a bagpipe player in general concept)? |
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Also, it occurs to me that blank-powered bagpipes are an opportunity that one should not fail to miss. |
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Certainly not. That's why the unit can be rapidly converted back to a functional weapon. |
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Consider: You are working in a lonely scotch glen using your BorgCo pyrotechnic jackhammer. In a break from work, you remove your ear defenders and then immediately replace them, because you've heard the terrifying racket of bagpipes.
Without losing a moment, you swap the hammer attachment for the barrel, load a belt of live rounds, and set off in search of the offender. When you find him, simply take aim and let fly with 300 rounds of full-jacketed ammunition. Et viola ! The problem is solved. |
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A Vckers fires at 600 RPM; ten rounds a second. Yes, a 1:1 ratio. |
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So, thirty minutes worth of jackhammering is a mere 18,000 rounds. Excellent. |
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This Idea kind-of makes me wonder why there is none (that I
know of) powered by an internal-combustion engine. It
would be a variation on the theme of an IC-powered pogo
stick, but the piston-strokes would be shorter and more
rapid. |
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In a similar vein, why is there no such thing as a petrol-powered machine gun? ([8th], please stop drooling. And put that tongue away.) |
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Crew-served weapons using liquid propellants have been investigated for over a century, but so far they're nowhere near as effective and - most importantly - consistent in performance. |
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Petrol-fuelled jackhammers ? Well, there are vertical compactors that work on that principle. <link> |
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would make a nice complement to a Sten submachine hammer <link> |
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