Abstract:
A pulsed waterjet apparatus comprising a water pump for generating a pressurized waterjet, an ultrasonic signal generator for generating an ultrasonic signal and an ultrasonic nozzle comprising an ultrasonic transducer for converting the ultrasonic signal into vibrations that pulse the pressurized waterjet to generate a pulsed waterjet, an exit orifice through which the pulsed waterjet exits and an inflow inlet axially aligned with the exit orifice.
Abstract:
An integrated liquidjet system capable of stripping, prepping and coating a part includes a cell defining an enclosure, a jig for holding the part inside the cell, an ultrasonic nozzle having an ultrasonic transducer for generating a pulsed liquidjet, a coating particle source for supplying coating particles to the nozzle, a pressurized liquid source for supplying the nozzle with a pressurized liquid to enable the nozzle to generate the pulsed liquidjet to sequentially strip, prep and coat the part, a high-voltage electrode and a ground electrode inside the nozzle for charging the coating particles, and a human-machine interface external to the cell for receiving user commands and for controlling the pulsed liquidjet exiting from the nozzle in response to the user commands.
Abstract:
An integrated liquidjet system capable of stripping, prepping and coating a part includes a cell defining an enclosure, a jig for holding the part inside the cell, an ultrasonic nozzle having an ultrasonic transducer for generating a pulsed liquidjet, a coating particle source for supplying coating particles to the nozzle, a pressurized liquid source for supplying the nozzle with a pressurized liquid to enable the nozzle to generate the pulsed liquidjet to sequentially strip, prep and coat the part, a high-voltage electrode and a ground electrode inside the nozzle for charging the coating particles, and a human-machine interface external to the cell for receiving user commands and for controlling the pulsed liquidjet exiting from the nozzle in response to the user commands.
Abstract:
A method of stripping, prepping and coating a surface includes first stripping the exiting coating from a surface, using continuous or pulsed fluid jet, followed by prepping the surface by the same fluid jet. The method also provides entraining particles into a fluid stream, if desired to generate a particle-entrained fluid stream that is directed at the surface to be stripped and prepped. The particles act as abrasive particles for prepping the surface to a prescribed surface roughness required for subsequent application of a coating to the surface. The method then entails coating the surface by electrically charging particles having the same chemical composition as the particles used to prep the surface. Finally, a charged-particle-entrained fluid stream is directed at high speed at the charged surface to coat the surface. The particles form both mechanical and electronic bonds with the surface.
Abstract:
A method of prepping a cylindrical inner surface of a bore using a high-frequency forced pulsed waterjet apparatus entails generating a pressurized waterjet using a high-pressure water pump, generating a high-frequency signal using a high-frequency signal generator, applying the high-frequency signal to a transducer having a microtip to cause the microtip to vibrate to thereby generate the high-frequency forced pulsed waterjet, and rotating the rotatable ultrasonic nozzle inside the bore to prep the inner cylindrical surface of the bore using the high-frequency forced pulsed waterjets exiting from the angled exit orifices of the rotatable ultrasonic nozzle.
Abstract:
A landmine-neutralization system has a vehicle including a water supply tank and an electrical power supply and an electro-discharge apparatus. The electro-discharge apparatus includes one or more electro-discharge nozzles each having a discharge chamber that has an inlet for receiving water from the water supply tank and an outlet, a first electrode extending into the discharge chamber and being electrically connected to one or more high-voltage capacitors that are connected to, and chargeable by, the electrical power supply, a second electrode proximate to the first electrode to define a gap between the first and second electrodes and a switch to cause the one or more capacitors to discharge across the gap between the electrodes to create a plasma bubble which expands to form a shockwave that escapes through one or more exit orifices of the one or more nozzles ahead of the plasma bubble to thereby neutralize a landmine.
Abstract:
Prepping a surface entails entraining a coating particle into a fluid stream, directing the fluid stream containing the coating particle at the surface to be prepped to thereby prep the surface using the coating particle. The prepped surface can then be coated using the same or substantially similar coating particle. This technique can be used with a continuous airjet, a forced pulsed airjet, a continuous waterjet or a forced pulsed waterjet as the carrier stream. This invention solves the problem of foreign blasting particles becoming embedded in the atomic matrix of the surface to be prepped, which can result in unpredictable behavior of the surface properties and even catastrophic failure.
Abstract:
An ultrasonic waterjet apparatus (10) has a mobile generator module (20) and a high-pressure water hose (40) for delivering high-pressure water from the mobile generator module (20) to a hand-held gun (50) with a trigger and an ultrasonic nozzle (60). An ultrasonic generator in the mobile generator module (20) transmits high-frequency electrical pulses to a piezoelectric or magnetostrictive transducer (62) which vibrates to modulate a high-pressure waterjet flowing through the nozzle (60). The waterjet exiting the ultrasonic nozzle (60) is pulsed into mini slugs of water, each of which imparts a waterhammer pressure on a target surface. The ultrasonic waterjet apparatus (10) may be used to cut and de-burr materials, to clean and de-coat surfaces, and to break rocks. The ultrasonic waterjet apparatus (10) performs these tasks with much greater efficiency than conventional continuous-flow waterjet systems because of the repetitive waterhammer effect A nozzle with multiple exit orifices or a rotating nozzle (76) may be provided in lieu of a nozzle with a single exit orifice to render cleaning and de-coating large surfaces more efficient. A water dump valve (27) and controlling solenoid are located in the mobile generator module (20) rather than the gun (50) to make the gun lighter and more ergonomic.
Abstract:
A landmine-neutralization system has a vehicle including a water supply tank and an electrical power supply and an electro-discharge apparatus. The electro-discharge apparatus includes one or more electro-discharge nozzles each having a discharge chamber that has an inlet for receiving water from the water supply tank and an outlet, a first electrode extending into the discharge chamber and being electrically connected to one or more high-voltage capacitors that are connected to, and chargeable by, the electrical power supply, a second electrode proximate to the first electrode to define a gap between the first and second electrodes and a switch to cause the one or more capacitors to discharge across the gap between the electrodes to create a plasma bubble which expands to form a shockwave that escapes through one or more exit orifices of the one or more nozzles ahead of the plasma bubble to thereby neutralize a landmine.
Abstract:
A method of prepping a cylindrical inner surface of a bore using a high-frequency forced pulsed waterjet apparatus entails generating a pressurized waterjet using a high-pressure water pump, generating a high-frequency signal using a high-frequency signal generator, applying the high-frequency signal to a transducer having a microtip to cause the microtip to vibrate to thereby generate the high-frequency forced pulsed waterjet, and rotating the rotatable ultrasonic nozzle inside the bore to prep the inner cylindrical surface of the bore using the high-frequency forced pulsed waterjets exiting from the angled exit orifices of the rotatable ultrasonic nozzle.