ball breaker


ball breaker

[′bȯl ¦brāk·ər] (engineering) A steel or iron ball that is hoisted by a derrick and allowed to fall on blocks of waste stone to break them or to swing against old buildings to demolish them. Also known as skull cracker; wrecking ball. A coring and sampling device consisting of a hollow glass ball, 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 12.5 centimeters) in diameter, held in a frame attached to the trigger line above the triggering weight of the corer; used to indicate contact between corer and bottom.

wrecking ball, skull cracker

A heavy steel ball used in structural demolition; usually swung or dropped from a crane or derrick.