Design and performance of a gas actuated impact hammer

Impact excitation continues to be a very popular method for measuring the frequency response characteristics of structures. There are a variety of commercially available hammers ranging from tiny micro hammers to large sledgehammers. In addition many experimentalists have constructed their own home grown versions to meet specific test requirements. This paper will present the design and performance characteristics of a gas actuated impact hammer. A hammer of this type could be used in an automated testing system to provide a stable repeatable impact to a structure under test. The design parameters of the hammer are presented along with a comparison of its performance relative to a standard manually swung hammer.