CONFINED PENCIL BLASTING APPARATUS
A blasting apparatus includes a first conduit for directing an abrasive stream to a workpiece, and a second conduit for providing a suction force at an outlet of the first conduit and for sucking away particles, the second conduit being disposed substantially surrounding and in parallel to the first conduit.
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This application claims priority to Singapore Application No. 10201400211U filed on Feb. 26, 2014 and titled Confined Pencil Blasting Apparatus, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELDThe present disclosure relates generally to sand-blasting devices, and, more particularly, to a confined pencil-type sand-blasting device.
BACKGROUNDForeign object damage (FOD) is a significant issue to aircraft engine operation. Damages caused by FOD can directly and indirectly result in costs to engine operators in terms of flight delays, unscheduled maintenance, etc. Furthermore, FOD can also affect flight safety. Foreign objects can come from many sources. One source of FOD may be engine maintenance. During engine maintenance, grit or sand blasting is widely used to remove sulfur corrosion (sulfidation) on surfaces of various engine components. Conventional grit blasting discharges grit from a nozzle at high velocity without containment. The discharged grit scatters to surrounding areas, and may adhere to engine components. During subsequent engine run/test, adhered grit will fall off and cause FOD to the engine. What is desired is a blasting apparatus that can effectively contain discharged grit. There is also desire to overcome one or more drawbacks of conventional blasting.
SUMMARYDisclosed and claimed herein is a blasting apparatus. In one embodiment, a blasting apparatus includes a first conduit for directing an abrasive stream to a workpiece, and a second conduit for providing a suction force at an outlet of the first conduit and for sucking away particles, the second conduit being disposed substantially surrounding and in parallel to the first conduit.
In one embodiment, an opening of the second conduit at an end thereof is circumferential to the outlet of the first conduit.
In one embodiment, the outlet of the first conduit is withdrawn from the opening of the second conduit by a predetermined distance.
In one embodiment, the opening of the second conduit is an elastic material.
In one embodiment, the second conduit is concentric to the first conduit.
In one embodiment, the second conduit has an elongated portion configured for handheld operation.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a stream generator connected to the first conduit for generating the abrasive stream and a dust collector external to the workpiece for providing the suction force to the second conduit and for collecting the particles sucked in by the second conduit.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a valve for adjusting the abrasive stream, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a valve for adjusting the suction force of the dust collector, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a switch for controlling the abrasive stream.
One embodiment is directed to a blasting apparatus including a first conduit for directing an abrasive stream to a workpiece and a second conduit for providing a suction force at an outlet of the first conduit and for sucking away particles, wherein the first conduit is disposed inside the second conduit with an opening of the second conduit at an end thereof being circumferential to the outlet of the first conduit, and the first conduit and the second conduit run substantially parallel to each other.
In one embodiment, the outlet of the first conduit is withdrawn from the opening of the second conduit by a predetermined distance.
In one embodiment, the opening of the second conduit is an elastic material.
In one embodiment, the second conduit is concentric to the first conduit.
In one embodiment, the second conduit has an elongated portion configured for handheld operation.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a stream generator connected to the first conduit for generating the abrasive stream and a dust collector for providing the suction force to the second conduit and for collecting the particles sucked in by the second conduit, wherein the dust collector does not enclose the workpiece.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a valve for adjusting the abrasive stream, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a valve for adjusting the suction force of the dust collector, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
In one embodiment, the blasting apparatus includes a switch for controlling the abrasive stream.
The foregoing features and elements may be combined in various combinations without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated otherwise. These features and elements as well as the operation thereof will become more apparent in light of the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, the following description and drawings are intended to be exemplary in nature and non-limiting.
The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification are included to depict certain aspects of the present disclosure. A clearer conception of the present disclosure, and of the components and operation of systems provided with the present disclosure, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings, wherein like reference numbers (if they occur in more than one view) designate the same elements. The present disclosure may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the description presented herein. It should be noted that the features illustrated in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.
One aspect of the disclosure relates to a blasting apparatus. In one embodiment, a cylindrical suction channel surrounding a nozzle of the blasting apparatus is provided for collecting discharged grit. Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings.
For better sealing, conduit 110 may be particularly close to the opening 115 and can be made of an elastic material, such as rubber, so that the conduit opening 115 can better conform to a contour of the workpiece surface 210.
As shown in
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the grit in-flow through the tube 102 and the grit's out-flow through the conduit 110 are monitored. In case the in-flow outpaces the out-flow, there must be grit left in the conduit 110, on the workpiece surface 210 or escaped to the environment. In response, more suction force should be applied to the conduit 110. In case the out-flow outpaces the in-flow, then the blasting effect may be nullified by the suction force. In response, the suction force applied to the conduit 110 should be reduced. In both cases, adjusting blasting force to the tube 102, instead of the suction force, can also achieve the goal of substantially equalizing the grit in-flow and out-flow. In other embodiments, the blasting force and the suction force are synchronized, e.g., increasing the blasting force will automatically cause a proportional increase of the suction force.
In one embodiment, blasting apparatus 100 can be made of flexible materials or a structure so that a shank of the blasting apparatus 100 can be bent so that an abrasive stream can be directed to more restricted areas. The blasting apparatus 100 may also be equipped with an on-and-off switch to be easily controlled by an operator.
While this disclosure has been particularly shown and described with references to exemplary embodiments thereof, it shall be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the claimed embodiments.
Claims
1. A blasting apparatus comprising:
- a first conduit for directing an abrasive stream to a workpiece; and
- a second conduit for providing a suction force at an outlet of the first conduit and for sucking away particles, the second conduit being disposed substantially surrounding and in parallel to the first conduit.
2. The blasting apparatus of claim 1, wherein an opening of the second conduit at an end thereof is circumferential to the outlet of the first conduit.
3. The blasting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the outlet of the first conduit is withdrawn from the opening of the second conduit by a predetermined distance.
4. The blasting apparatus of claim 2, wherein the opening of the second conduit is an elastic material.
5. The blasting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second conduit is concentric to the first conduit.
6. The blasting apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second conduit has an elongated portion configured for handheld operation.
7. The blasting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
- a stream generator connected to the first conduit for generating the abrasive stream; and
- a dust collector external to the workpiece for providing the suction force to the second conduit and for collecting the particles sucked in by the second conduit.
8. The blasting apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a valve for adjusting the abrasive stream, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
9. The blasting apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a valve for adjusting the suction force of the dust collector, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
10. The blasting apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a switch for controlling the abrasive stream.
11. A blasting apparatus comprising:
- a first conduit for directing an abrasive stream to a workpiece; and
- a second conduit for providing a suction force at an outlet of the first conduit and for sucking away particles,
- wherein the first conduit is disposed inside the second conduit with an opening of the second conduit at an end thereof being circumferential to the outlet of the first conduit, and the first conduit and the second conduit run substantially parallel to each other.
12. The blasting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the outlet of the first conduit is withdrawn from the opening of the second conduit by a predetermined distance.
13. The blasting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the opening of the second conduit is an elastic material.
14. The blasting apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second conduit is concentric to the first conduit.
15. The blasting apparatus of claim 11, wherein second conduit has an elongated portion configured for handheld operation.
16. The blasting apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:
- a stream generator connected to the first conduit for generating the abrasive stream; and
- a dust collector for providing the suction force to the second conduit and for collecting the particles sucked in by the second conduit, wherein the dust collector does not enclose the workpiece.
17. The blasting apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a valve for adjusting the abrasive stream, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
18. The blasting apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a valve for adjusting the suction force of the dust collector, so that an in-flow of the abrasive stream is substantially equivalent to an out-flow of collected particles.
19. The blasting apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a switch for controlling the abrasive stream.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 19, 2015
Publication Date: Aug 27, 2015
Applicant: United Technologies Corporation (Hartford, CT)
Inventor: Kim Wei CHEAH (Singapore)
Application Number: 14/626,203