Investigation of Energy Consumption and Efficiency of an Electric Breaker Hammer

Abstract

Electrification of construction and demolition tools offers opportunities for higher efficiency, lower noise, and compatibility with battery-electric machinery; yet, the energy conversion characteristics of full-scale electric breaker hammers are poorly understood. This paper presents a complete, cycle-resolved analysis of a tubular linear permanent-magnet synchronous motor (L-PMSM) used as the actuator in an electric breaker hammer. Time stepped finite element method (FEM) simulations with specifically tuned control quantify copper, iron, and eddycurrent losses.The results show that the grid-to-load efficiency is 75%, much higher than that of modern hydraulic hammers. FEM simulations confirmed that stator winding Joule losses dominate during acceleration. The methodology demonstrates that assessing the efficiency of pulsed linear actuators accurately requires evaluation over the full operating cycle. The findings offer an approach for high-efficiency electric-hammer design and control. The methodology identifies clear improvement pathways, including current control strategies, optimized gas-spring design, and laminated mover sleeves. The FEM simulation framework is broadly applicable to pulsed linear actuators in energy-intensive equipment.