A tamper is a device used to compact or flatten an aggregate or another powdered or granular material, typically to make it resistant to further compression or simply to increase its density.

Examples

* Small, handheld tampers are used to compress ground

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

into a puck to prepare

espresso Espresso (, ) is a concentrated form of coffee produced by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Originating in Italy, espresso has become one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods worldwide. It is cha ...

. * Manual or powered tampers compact

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

before laying a concrete or brick

patio A patio (, ; ) is an outdoor space generally used for dining or recreation that adjoins a structure and is typically paved. In Australia, the term is expanded to include roofed structures such as a veranda, which provides protection from sun ...

walkway In American English, walkway is a composite or umbrella term for all engineered surfaces or structures which support the use of trails. '' The New Oxford American Dictionary'' also defines a walkway as "a passage or path for walking along, esp. ...

so that the underlying gravel layer does not settle over time, or compress the fill in a utility trench as seen in the illustration. * Self-propelled, mechanised

ballast Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within ...

tamping machines, which compact the ballast underneath

rail tracks Railway track ( and UIC terminology) or railroad track (), also known as permanent way () or "P way" ( and Indian English), is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers ( railroad ties in American ...

. * Preparing some firearms and

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

pieces for firing may involve tamping the charge, such as explosive material or a projectile, into the barrel. For example, muzzle loaders. * A

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design. ...

can be tamped with a

poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...

or similar tool to compress the material being burned (wood, coal, peat etc...). This improves the heat/burning efficiency, by reducing the volume of burning material that is exposed to

airflow Airflow, or air flow, is the movement of air. Air behaves in a fluid manner, meaning particles naturally flow from areas of higher pressure to those where the pressure is lower. Atmospheric air pressure is directly related to altitude, temperat ...

. This is often confused with

damping In physical systems, damping is the loss of energy of an oscillating system by dissipation. Damping is an influence within or upon an oscillatory system that has the effect of reducing or preventing its oscillation. Examples of damping include ...

- which involves reducing the intensity of the burn by restricting the

flue A flue is a duct, pipe, or opening in a chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace, furnace, water heater, boiler, or generator to the outdoors. Historically the term flue meant the chimney itself. In the United States, they a ...

or by the use of any fire retarding material such as water.

Tampers in construction

Within the construction field, different types of tampers can be used for different purposes, spaces, and materials. * A jumping jack, or rammer, is a relatively small, hand-operated compactor. It uses ''vibratory force'', which is when mechanical force is used in addition to the machine's weight to compact the materials. The jumping jack is composed of a motor, handle, and head. When the motor is started, the head is moved up and down, and the operator steers the machine around the desired area. Jumping jacks work well in small areas and are good for ''cohesive soil'', or soil with a large clay content. The video shows a jumping jack being used in construction to prepare for paving. * A plate compactor, or plate tamp, is another hand-operated compactor that also uses vibratory force. The plate compactor consists of a handle and head that holds the motor. When started, the plate moves up and down within the head, and the operator pushes the compactor around the desired area. Plate compactors work best with granular soils, such as gravel and sand. They come in a variety of sizes due to the flexibility of the push motion. Vibratory plate compactors are the lightest and best for smaller projects, while heavy-duty plate compactors exert the most force and work well for large-scale projects, such as paving. * A handheld tamper is a small compactor that utilizes ''static force'', which is when only the dead weight of the equipment and pressure the operator applies to it compact the materials. These tampers do not have a motor, only a flat plate attached to a handle. The plate is placed on the material the operator wishes to compact and pressed down. Handheld tampers are best used with soil and other small-scale projects due to the lack of great force from mechanical elements.

References

Tools Articles containing video clips {{tool-stub

Examples

Tampers in construction

See also

References