Anti-gravity blast cleaning
AssigneeElectronics, Inc.
InventorJack M. Champaigne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A shot peening method and apparatus enables low intensity peening at a velocity which is equal to or less than the minimum velocity required to assure conveyance of the media through the transport hose in pneumatic systems or the minimum velocity necessary to project a coherent shot stream in the case of wheel systems.
Claims13
Shot peening method comprising the steps of conveying media into a transport hose at a predetermined mass flow rate, supplying gas under pressure to said hose through an inlet opening for accelerating said media to a conveyance velocity sufficient to convey the media through the hose, aiming said hose at a target workpiece, and discharging said media from a terminal end of said hose toward the target workpiece, orienting said terminal end of the transport hose upwardly to discharge said media upwardly against the force of gravity to form a fountain of media rising toward an apex in which the velocity of said media is a maximum as it is discharged from the terminal end of the hose and decreases until the velocity of the media is zero at the apex, and positioning said workpiece in said fountain at a point where the velocity of the media is no greater than the conveyance velocity.
Method of treating material comprising the steps of accelerating media to a desired velocity, directing said media after acceleration to said desired velocity through a directing means for directing said accelerated media upwardly against the force of gravity to form a fountain whereby said media travels upwardly to an apex in which the velocity of said media is a maximum as it leaves the directing means and decreases until the velocity of the shot is zero at said apex, and mounting a material target for treatment by said media within the fountain formed by said media at a point where the media has a predetermined desired velocity.
A shot peening apparatus, comprising:
- a holder containing shot;
- acceleration means connected to said holder for receiving shot from said holder and for accelerating and discharging said shot from said acceleration means;
- directing means for directing said shot out of said acceleration means, said directing means being oriented to discharge said shot upwardly against the force of gravity to form a fountain of shot rising toward an apex in which the velocity of said shot is a maximum as it is discharged from the acceleration means and decreases until the velocity of the shot is zero at said apex, and mounting means for mounting a material target at a point within said fountain where the velocity of said shot is equal to a predetermined desired velocity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.