# US 11,027,306 B2 · Compact ultrasonically pulsed waterjet nozzle

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- Number: US 11,027,306 B2
- Document ID: US11027306B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/935,073
- Filed: 2018-03-26
- Published: 2018-09-27
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2017-03-24
- Assignees: VLN Advanced Technologies Inc.
- Applicants: Vln Advanced Technologies Inc.
- Inventors: Mohan M. Vijay; Andrew H. Tieu; Wenzhuo Yan; Bruce R. Daniels; Meishing M. Xu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027306B2

## CPC

- B05B 17/0653: {Details}
- B05B 1/083: {the pulsating mechanism comprising movable parts}
- B05B 1/24: incorporating means for heating the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. electrically
- B05B 1/30: designed to control volume of flow, e.g. with adjustable passages {(B05B11/0094 takes precedence)}
- B05B 3/02: with rotating elements (electric spraying discharge apparatus characterised by having rotary outlet or deflecting elements B05B5/04)
- B05B 11/0002: {incorporating means for heating or cooling, e.g. the material to be sprayed}
- B05B 3/06: by jet reaction
- B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D)

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

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 comprising a main body and a microtip connected to the main body 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 from the ultrasonic nozzle and a water inflow inlet axially aligned with the exit orifice to convey water along a central axis of the ultrasonic nozzle via a central bore in the main body of the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the ultrasonic nozzle comprises a water bypass channel to guide the water around the microtip, and wherein the water bypass channel is an obliquely angled bore extending through the main body of the ultrasonic transducer, and wherein the ultrasonic transducer comprises a piezoelectric stack mounted on a shaft and connected to the main body such that a downstream face of the piezoelectric stack abuts an upstream face of the main body.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The pulsed waterjet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the microtip is axially aligned with the exit orifice and the water inflow inlet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The pulsed waterjet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic signal is a 40 kHz signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The pulsed waterjet apparatus of claim 1 wherein the main body comprises three angled bores providing water bypass channels.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The pulsed waterjet apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main body, the shaft, and the microtip are all tuned to half the wavelength of the piezoelectric stack.