Ultrasonic assisted protective coating removal
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
InventorTheodore J. Reinhart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A paint or other protective coating removal arrangement involving the use of reciprocal motion ultrasonic frequency mechanical energy applied to the coating by a variety of tool and abrasive substrate members in the company of surface preparation agents such as coolant, heating, softening, and/or abrasive agents. The invention is particularly applicable and disclosed in terms of protective coating removal from aircraft, such as is often necessary for replacement or in the reutilization of aircraft with different identification markings. The coating removal arrangement is environmentally and human operator safe in comparison with presently used coating removal arrangements such as abrasive blasting and chemical solvent removal.
Claims20
Vibratory mechanical energy apparatus for removing hardened tenacious polymeric resin coatings from the exterior of an aircraft with minimal damage to the smooth and fragile flight surfaces of the aircraft comprising the combination of:
- a coating engagement tool member having a shaped working edge portion engageable in large kinetic energy transferring compression, impacting, scraping, and shearing relationships with a work area region of said aircraft polymeric coating and in low energy transferring sliding relationship with said smooth and fragile underlying aircraft flight surfaces;
- a source of vibratory motion mechanical energy fixedly connected with said tool member and connected with an exciting source therefor, said vibratory motion mechanical energy source having an ultrasonic vibration frequency of at least twenty kilohertz and imparting movement at said frequency to said tool member along an axis having predetermined alignment with respect to said working edge portion thereof;
- coating layer presence sensing means for sensing the absence of a coating immediately adjacent said working edge portion;
- and
- means responsive to for urging said tool member working edge into moving continuing travel contact with a receding removed coating edge of said polymeric coating as removal progresses.
Protective coating removal apparatus for a physical damage susceptible workpiece surface covered with a coating layer to be removed comprising:
- transducer means for generating reciprocal motion mechanical energy of at least twenty kilohertz ultrasonic movement frequency;
- a coating engagement tool physically connectable with a mechanical energy output portion of said energy transducer means at one tool end and receivable at the opposite tool end on said damage susceptible workpiece surface in ultrasonic energy transferring mechanical engagement with said coating layer and in sliding relationship with said workpiece surface;
- coating layer presence sensing means for sensing the absence of coating immediately adjacent said working edge portion;
- moving means responsive to for moving said ultrasonic frequency mechanical energy excited coating engagement tool over the surface of said workpiece in engagement with successive portions of said coating layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.