Apparatus and method for cleaning surfaces by removing and containing waste

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for cleaning industrial and commercial operations hard surfaces, e.g., concrete and asphalt slabs, walls, tanks, grates, and ship hulls, contaminated by oil and chemical spills or barnacles. The methods and apparatus of the present invention produce a high velocity airflow about only the periphery of the area being cleaned by the device to provide improved entrainment and removal of cleaning fluid and dislodged debris. High velocity streams of cleaning fluid are directed against the surface from nozzles disposed on rotating arms of a hub suspended within the portable housing of the slab cleaner. The spent cleaning fluid and dislodged debris are removed by the application of a vacuum to a chamber extending about the periphery of the housing to create the high velocity airflow. Thus, high velocity airflow is developed without fear that the slab cleaner will be sucked down and become temporarily stuck on the surface being cleaned. Control of the airflow through the central housing also may be achieved through adjustment of an air vent therein, together with the action of a flexible skirt or seal about the exterior of the peripheral chamber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.