Patent Grant
9061396
An object of the present invention is a method of controlling or adjusting a surface treatment effected by abrasive blasting by means of abrasion agents leaving an abrasive blasting wheel.
Known in the art are abrasive blasting wheels including (a) blades advantageously extending between two parallel flanges or disks, (b) a support on which the flanges and blades of the wheel are rotatably mounted, (c) an abrasives distributor placed at the centre of the wheel and fastened to the wheel, and (d) a control member that is not driven in rotation during rotation of the wheel and is placed around the distributor, said control member having a slot or opening for controlling the exit of the jet of abrasives from the wheel after said abrasives have been moved along the blades by centrifugal force, said control member being mounted to be movable relative to the support to enable adjustment of the position of the slot or opening of the control member relative to the support to control the exit of the jet of abrasives.
The orientation of the slot in the control member makes it possible to define or modify the exit of the shower of abrasives or abrasion agents. The shower of abrasives does not have a constant density of abrasives over all of its extent. In or near the central part of the shower the density of the sprayed abrasives is higher, which therefore creates on the part to be treated an area with a maximum impact density and maximum temperature rise. The direction of abrasives of the shower having the highest density of sprayed abrasives is the principal direction of the abrasives of the shower. The area with the highest impact density thus constitutes the hot spot of the abrasive blasting wheel. General information relating to the abrasives, their direction, their density, the hot spot, etc. is given in volume II of “Blast Cleaning and Allied Processes” by H. J. Plaster, first published in 1973 by Industrial Newspapers Limited, The Garden City Press Limited, United Kingdom.
Controlling the position of the ideal hot spot of an abrasive blasting wheel before carrying out an abrasive blasting operation is important for adapting the position of the control member to check the principal direction of the shower of abrasives on the target or the object to be abrasive blasted, to check effective abrasive blasting of the object to be abrasive blasted, and also to check that the abrasives do not damage the lining of the wheel, of the walls of the cabin, etc.
The hot spot of an abrasive blasting wheel depends on the wheel, in particular the position of its control member, the friction of abrasives in the wheel, etc., and also on the abrasives used (for example their shape, their hardness, the nature of the alloy of the abrasives, steel, stainless steel, ceramic, etc.). The ideal hot spot of an abrasive blasting wheel is that producing the maximum impact energy on the target to be treated. A few applications demand hot spots departing little from the ideal hot spots. The geometry of the parts to be abrasive blasted, the disposition of the wheels in the cabin, sometimes require hot spot adjustments different from the ideal hot spot of each wheel. Reference will then be made to the “required hot spot”, which is different from the ideal hot spot, the position of which is linked to the characteristics of the wheel. Thus for a particular type of abrasive, each wheel has a unique ideal hot spot.
All these parameters are adjusted by controlling the angular position of the control member.
To determine the hot spot of an abrasive blasting wheel using particular abrasives, it is known to place wood planks in the area of the shower of abrasives leaving the wheel. The area of the plank most attacked by the abrasives is the hot spot of the wheel. Using predefined curves or formulas it is then possible to determine the rotation that the control member must undergo for the hot spot to move toward the required hot spot.
This operation takes time, as it is necessary to place the plank or planks correctly in the abrasive blasting cabin and to hold them in position during abrasive blasting and then to remove the planks from the cabin and analyse them. Once this analysis has been effected, the optimum position of the control member can be determined.
If the plank is not thick enough, there is a risk of the abrasives damaging the interior faces of the cabin.
Such determination necessitates stopping the abrasive blasting of the parts or objects to be abrasive blasted. Moreover, a large quantity of wood dust is generated.
Visual inspection of abrasive blasting via a porthole in the cabin or a video camera situated in the cabin might also be considered. Given the quantity of dust generated during abrasive blasting, however, the porthole or the video camera would quickly become soiled, preventing a correct view and thus preventing any inspection.
Also known is a method for evaluating the jet of abrasives in which a series of reference test pieces (Almen strips mounted on a support bar) is disposed in the jet of abrasives. When these reference test pieces are subjected to a jet of abrasives they deform as a function of the impact energy of the jet of abrasives. One such reference test piece is described in the document U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,509.
Once these test pieces have been subjected to abrasive blasting, it is necessary to remove the bar provided with them from the cabin and to analyse each deformation to determine a map of the deformation.
Placing the bar provided with these test pieces in an abrasive blasting cabin and removing it therefrom are operations that are often unpleasant, given the ambient temperature of 60° C. to 80° C. in the cabin. This often leads to inadequate or non-optimum placing of the test pieces and/or incorrect measurement of the hot spot, or even failure to measure the hot spot. Thus a method of this kind requires time to carry it out, so that in general scrupulous companies carry out a hot spot test only at intervals of one working week or longer. In most cases the hot spots are tested during major servicing, i.e. two or three times a year in the best case scenario.
Also known is a method for determining the hot spot of an abrasive blasting installation in which a reference plate is used the face of which opposite that which is exposed to abrasive blasting is provided with a series of temperature sensors (FR2885311, EP1332348). This method thus makes it possible to produce a map of the heating of the reference plate.
The determination of the hot spot by this method cannot be carried out during the abrasive blasting of a part. This method therefore does not make it possible to determine whether abrasive blasting is optimized during abrasive blasting.
To prevent excessive deformation or wear of the reference plate associated with the sensors, it is necessary to remove the reference plate after the test. Placing the reference plate in an abrasive blasting cabin or removing it therefrom is often unpleasant, given the high ambient temperature in the cabin, which makes adequate or optimum placement of the test piece and thus correct measurement of the hot spot unpleasant and difficult. Given this high ambient temperature, operators often fail to carry out the hot spot measurements.
EP1915963 relates to a method of force estimation for a minimally invasive medical system comprising a robot manipulator. The manipulator has an effector unit equipped with a 6 degrees-of-freedom (DOF) force/torque sensor and is configured to hold a minimally invasive instrument having a first end mounted to the effector unit and a second end located beyond an external fulcrum that limits the instrument in motion. The robot manipulator is adapted for chirurgical or medical operation, not for being submitted to the action of a jet of abrasives or abrasive particles, i.e. not adapted for the method as claimed in the attached claims (if in the method of EP1915963, the force is of a few grams, during a blasting operation, the forces are more than about 1000 times higher). In the manipulator of EP1915963, the sensor is in direct and permanent contact with the body of the patient, and the force and torque are measured at said contact point.
An object of the present invention is a method for controlling or adjusting an abrasive blasting operation enabling:
The invention provides a method of controlling or adjusting a surface treatment effected by abrasive blasting by means of abrasion agents from a surface treatment device including an abrasive blasting wheel driven in rotation about an axis and emitting a jet of abrasion agents, said abrasion blasting wheel including (a) blades advantageously extending between two flanges or disks, (b) a support on which the wheel is rotatably mounted, (c) an abrasives distributor placed at the centre of the wheel and fastened to the wheel, and (d) a control member that is not driven in rotation during rotation of the wheel, placed around the distributor, said control member having a slot or opening controlling the feeding of abrasives to the blades and the exit of the jet of abrasives from the wheel after said abrasives have been moved along the blades by centrifugal force, said control member being mounted movably with respect to the support to allow adjustment of the position of the slot or opening of the control member relative to the support (for example by angular adjustment of the control member about the rotation axis (X) of the wheel) to control the exit of the jet of abrasives.
In this method a control device (10) is used including at least one swing-arm (13) mounted movably relative to a wall (5b) protected by a lining (9) of a wheel casing or an abrasive blasting chamber, said wall and lining (5b, 9) having a first face facing toward the jet of abrasives leaving the wheel (1) and a second face opposite said first face, said second face facing toward an area protected from the abrasives, said swing-arm (13) being mounted movably relative to said first face between a first position (
The method of the invention includes at least the following steps:
the movement of the swing-arm is controlled from outside the casing of the wheel or from outside the abrasive blasting cabin via a placement device, from its first rest position protected from the abrasives, to move said swing-arm or an element thereof into a portion of the jet of abrasives leaving the wheel;
at least one system, for example a torque measuring system or an on/off system, determines at least one parameter as a function of any rotation torque generated and/or as a function of any rotation of the swing-arm, i.e. measures the action of the abrasives on said swing-arm or element thereof;
there is determined as a function of said parameter or the measurement a parameter as a function of the hot spot and/or a parameter for adjusting the position of the control member of the wheel to obtain a required hot spot;
the position of the control member of the wheel is corrected if necessary; and
the swing-arm of the control device is moved from its second position toward its first position to move said swing-arm or an element thereof out of the jet of abrasives leaving the wheel. The position of the control member is generally corrected when the control device is removed from the jet of abrasives, but this is not obligatory. For a control member driven by an electric or pneumatic actuator, for example, it is entirely possible to effect the correction of the angle of the control member while the measuring system (swing-arm or part thereof) is in the jet of abrasives during the measuring phase.
Thus the method of the invention allows controlling of the jet of abrasives leaving the wheel without obliging an operator to enter the abrasive blasting cabin.
Such a method is simple to implement and very reliable.
One embodiment of the invention advantageously determines a control parameter and/or a correction parameter for the control member of the wheel as a function of one or more parameters as a function of any rotation torque and/or any rotation of the swing-arm of the control device and as a function of the required hot spot, and the position of the control member of the wheel is adjusted by rotation as a function of said control parameter and/or said correction parameter of the control member of the wheel.
According to a detail of the method of the invention, for an abrasive blasting wheel having a given ideal hot spot:
According to another detail of the method of the invention, if the parameter as a function of any rotation torque generated and/or any rotation of the swing-arm is no longer included in a range of permissible values:
The range of permissible values is advantageously a range of values determined relative to the required or ideal hot spot of the wheel, in particular a range of values offset relative to the range of values determined relative to the ideal hot spot.
The control member is generally adjusted manually by simply unscrewing clamping claws retaining it and the control member is generally rotated manually although this adjustment rotation may also be carried out by a pneumatic actuator or ideally by an electric actuator.
In one advantageous embodiment of the invention, for a wheel having an ideal plane (V1) in which abrasives or abrasion agents are moved toward a target plane (PC) perpendicular to said ideal plane (V1) with maximum impact energy, said swing-arm (13) is placed so that its rotation axis (C) is situated in or substantially in said ideal plane (V1).
According to particular features of methods of the invention:
When the control member is actuated by an electric actuator or any other device, for example gears, the hot spot controlling device of the invention allows adjustment of the control member and continuous automatic tracking of the target to be abrasive blasted via an electronic module controlled by the hot spot controlling device.
At least one step of controlling the exit of the jet of abrasives by a control method of the invention is advantageously carried out at least at the beginning of abrasive blasting of an object.
In a method in which a series of objects is treated successively, continuously or semi-continuously by abrasive blasting, at least one step of controlling the jet of abrasives is carried out at least once per abrasive blasting period of one week or ideally every 24 hours or even less, (for example every eight hours), when the degree of wear of component parts of the wheel is high. According to a detail of a method in which the parts are abrasive blasted in an optimum and ideal manner with a jet of abrasion agents leaving the wheel whose maximum density strikes the target plane perpendicularly or in a less than ideal manner that is made necessary by the abrasive blasting requirements, at a predetermined angle relative a straight line substantially perpendicular to the target plane. After an operation of controlling the exit of the jet of abrasives from the wheel, there is determined a corrective parameter of the position of the slot or opening of the control member and the position of the slot or opening is modified during abrasive blasting or between the abrasive blasting of two successive parts, to obtain a jet of abrasives whose maximum and ideal impact density strikes the target plane perpendicularly or at an angle other than a right angle necessitated by the abrasive blasting requirements or the wheel positioning geometry.
The invention also provides a device adapted to control or adjust the exit of the jet of abrasives in a method according to the invention, said device including:
(a) a support adapted to be mounted on and fixed to a wall protecting against the jets of abrasives or simply on the exterior wall of the casing of the wheel;
(b) a swing-arm mounted movably relative to the support between a first position so that when said support is mounted on the protecting wall or the wall of the wheel casing the swing-arm is not situated in the jet of abrasives leaving the wheel and a second position in which the swing-arm or an element thereof is away from the support, the swing arm of the element thereof is then situated in a part of the jet of abrasives leaving the wheel; and
(c) at least one system or measuring system adapted to measure or estimate at least one parameter or one measurement of the action of the abrasives on said swing-arm or element thereof.
The swing-arm is advantageously mounted to rotate freely relative to the support and the measuring system is advantageously adapted to measure or estimate a parameter as a function of the rotation torque generated by the abrasives on the swing-arm and/or as a function of the rotation of the swing-arm generated by the jet of abrasives.
The measuring device preferably includes at least a rod or a shaft sliding in a guide system fastened to the support to guide the movement of the swing-arm between its first position and its second position.
According to one feature, the device includes:
The invention further provides an assembly selected from the group comprising an abrasive blasting wheel casing, an abrasive blasting wheel and an abrasive blasting cabin, said assembly being associated with at least one control device of the invention.
In particular, the invention provides an abrasive blasting wheel one wall of the casing of which is associated with a device of the invention and an abrasive blasting cabin associated with a control device of the invention, advantageously with an abrasive blasting wheel where a wall of the casing of the wheel is associated with a device of the invention.
Particular features and details of the invention emerge from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention given by way of example only and with reference to the appended drawings.
In the drawings:
bis is a simplified view of a measuring device similar to that from
The angular orientation (relative to a reference plane V passing through the rotation axis X of the wheel 1, in particular relative to a vertical plane) of the slot or opening 8 (the shape of which may be diverse, for example square, rectangular or trapezoidal) defines the shower G of abrasives thrown off by the wheel. This shower G of abrasives does not have a constant density over the whole of its extent, for example between the points A and B. The hot spot is the area in which the impact energy is at a maximum. Under normal conditions of adjustment of the control member 7, the hot spot of the wheel 1 corresponds to the point H in
The adjustment of the hot spot or the maximum impact area is important to ensure that the energy of impact on the part to be abrasive blasted is substantially at a maximum, and thus to ensure effective abrasive blasting, but also to prevent too much abrasives being directed directly onto linings of the wheel or the blasting cabin.
This adjustment is obtained by adapting the angular position of the slot or window of the control member relative to a reference plane, here the vertical plane V passing through the rotation axis X of the wheel 1.
The control member 7 is not driven in rotation during rotation of the wheel, with the result that the adjustment (by rotation) of the position of the control member relative to the plane V modifies the exit direction of the portion of the jet J of abrasives that has the highest density. In
The abrasive blasting wheel driven in rotation in the direction of the arrow ω1 is associated with a control device 10 which comprises (see
The axial displacement Z of the shaft 12 moves the portion 18 of the swing-arm 13 into a small portion of the shower G of abrasives leaving the wheel 1. This axial displacement of the shaft 12 is effected against the action of the spring 15. Thus in a rest position the spring 15 ensures that the swing-arm 13 is not in the shower G of abrasives leaving the wheel 1. The spring 15 also ensures that, as soon as no pressure is exerted on the button 14, the swing-arm 13 returns to and is retained in its rest position (the position in
The button 14 is advantageously outside the casing or the wall of the blasting cabin so that displacement of the shaft 12 is controlled from outside the blasting cabin during and/or after a blasting operation.
The swing-arm 13 comprises:
By appropriately combining the masses of the strip 18 and the counterweight half-disk 16, the centre of mass of the swing-arm 13 is on the axis C. The positions in space of the swing-arm 13 are thus immaterial.
The swing-arm 13 or at least the element 18 is advantageously produced in a manner resistant to abrasion by the abrasives leaving the abrasive blasting wheel 1. The swing-arm 13 is made in one piece, for example, but may equally be produced in a number of parts. For example, the part 18 of the swing-arm 13 subjected to the action of the abrasives during a control or measuring operation may be provided with a protective covering, for example one or more plates with high abrasion resistance, for example plates of tungsten carbide or other ultra-hard alloys offering exceptional resistance to wear (tungsten carbide, nitride, ceramic, etc.).
The part 18 of the swing-arm subjected to the action of the abrasives may be removable and produced in a high-hardness alloy such as tungsten carbide. This strip 18 is then fixed by screws embedded in the support of the swing-arm 13.
The placement button 14 must be mounted freely on the shaft 12. To this end, the button is mounted on a bearing the interior race of which is fastened to the shaft 12. A return spring 15 bearing on the exterior race of the bearing returns the shaft 12 to the rest position as soon as pressure is no longer applied to the button 14.
This rest position,
In the embodiment shown, the shaft 12 has in its part situated between the walls 11A and 11B a milled flat 23 which defines a flat-bottom channel intended to receive a bar 24. The bar 24 bears on the bottom of the flat 23 and is fixed to the shaft 12 by two, three or four screws 25.
When the swing-arm 13 is in its control or measuring position (
If the resultant of the momentum (m·v) forces of the abrasives on the swing-arm is a vector passing through the rotation axis of the swing-arm (which is the rotation axis C of the shaft 12), no rotation torque is generated on said shaft. This position is considered the ideal adjustment of the hot spot of the wheel 1 or possibly as a reference point. It is obvious that the measuring device must be placed at the ideal distance “dp” in
If this resultant of the forces is not on the rotation axis of the swing-arm (the axis of the shaft 12), the rotation of the shaft 12 then causes pivoting of the swing-arm 13 and the bar 24 that is fastened to it or a rotation torque on the swing-arm 13 and the bar 24, indicating the value of the displacement and the direction of the hot spot. The bar 24 then has one end bearing on a load cell or sensor, for example a piezo-electric sensor 26A or 26B, according to the direction of rotation of the swing-arm. The value measured by the load cell or sensor 26A or 26B is then a function of the direction and the density of the distribution of the abrasives and makes it possible to determine the position of the hot spot or of an area containing the hot spot.
This makes it possible to determine the adjustment of the control member to obtain the ideal hot spot. This determination of the adjustment parameter will take into consideration the type of abrasives used, the dimensions of the wheel, the rotation speed of the wheel, the friction of the abrasives in the wheel, the distributor and the control member and their degree of wear.
The device of the invention makes it possible to measure the resultant of the forces substantially instantaneously. This further makes it possible to determine any variations in the direction of the jet of abrasives, for example because of a defect in a blade 4, the distributor, etc. Such analysis is not possible with the prior art methods.
The swing-arm 13 is advantageously placed relative to the wheel so that its rotation axis C (the rotation axis of the shaft 12) is parallel to the rotation axis X of the wheel. The rotation axis C of the swing-arm is advantageously in a plane V1 perpendicular to the target plane and passing through the ideal hot spot H of the wheel. The rotation axis C is then in the line of the resultant speed vector of the abrasives perpendicular to the target plane PC. The distance “dp” is a characteristic of the blasting process, to be more precise of the constructional parameters of the wheel and the abrasives thrown off the wheel.
The control device makes it possible to determine if the control member 7 of the wheel 1 placed in its reference position still allows a dense jet of abrasives to be produced in the direction of the ideal hot spot H and/or correction of the angle of the control member 7 to obtain a dense jet of abrasives in the direction of the ideal hot spot H. Once this adjustment has been effected, the adjustment of the control member 7 to obtain for the abrasives a hot spot H′ or H″ different from the ideal hot spot H may be determined by means of curves, charts or formulas, advantageously by computer. To reach a point H′, the vector J must turn through an angle ‘alpha’, for example; the control member 7 must therefore be turned through the same angle ‘alpha’ for the required hot spot different from the ideal hot spot to be at H′. These curves, charts or formulas make it possible to determine the rotation in degrees of the control member to obtain a hot spot offset relative to the ideal hot spot.
For example, if for the requirements of abrasive blasting the desired hot spot is H′, to arrive at H′ the speed vector J must turn 8° to the right, for example. When the control member is adjusted to reach the ideal hot spot H, it will suffice to turn the control member 8° relative to the preceding position in the direction of rotation of the wheel 1 to reach the hot spot H′, the required but not ideal hot spot. The measuring device thus makes it possible to determine the original angle of the control member 7 ensuring the ideal adjustment of the hot spot, giving a zero torque on the swing-arm, and also to determine the adjustment of a required but not necessarily ideal hot spot. This desired new hot spot H′ does not cancel the torque exerted by the jet of abrasives on the measuring swing-arm.
Once this angular position of the control member has been determined, the options are:
This is because the adjustment of the hot spot to be used depends on detecting the correct positioning of the control member 7 ensuring the ideal hot spot at the distance “dp” relative to the orthogonal projection of the rotation axis X of the wheel 1.
In various embodiments it is possible to replace the load cells or sensors 26A and 26B from
During the measurement phase, if the hot spot is adjusted to the ideal position, no tilting torque is exerted on the bar 24, no switch is actuated and no current flows in any of the switches. In this case, the hot spot controller will indicate, via a signalling device such as an indicator lamp, for example a green indicator lamp (green lamp 100), that the adjustment of the ideal hot spot has been done. As soon as the hot spot is not ideal, a tilting torque appears immediately and one of the switches is actuated. A red indicator (red lamp 101 or 102) is then lit and the position of this red indicator indicates to which side the hot spot has moved, to the left or right of the ideal (
In the measuring position of the swing-arm 13, a portion of it is in the jet of abrasives leaving the wheel 1. If the bar 24 does not come into contact with the abutments/switches, no red lamp is lit and/or one or more green indicator lamps is/are lit (in
This simplified device therefore facilitates finding the ideal or reference hot spot H and, using charts, curves or formulas, determining the rotation of the control member 7 required to obtain a desired hot spot H′ for abrasive blasting of the part to be abrasive blasted that is different from the ideal hot spot.
With such a device it is possible during abrasive blasting to control the appropriate positioning of the jet of abrasives toward the part to be abrasive blasted.
If the control member can be adjusted during abrasive blasting by a system of gears or more generally by an electric actuator it is possible, at least in a discontinuous manner, to control the actual principal direction of the jet of abrasives relative to the required principal direction of the jet of abrasives, and to determine, for example automatically by means of a computer or processor, the corrective rotation angle to be applied to the control member to move the actual principal abrasive blasting direction toward the required abrasive blasting principal direction, ideal or otherwise, to ensure a consistent quality of abrasive blasting over time, which enables reduction of the risk of over-blasting of parts and/or an improved yield in terms of abrasive blasted parts and/or a more consistent quality of abrasive blasted parts.
In the
bis shows another manually controlled embodiment in which the shaft 302 is replaced by a screw 321 mounted on two bearings 323. On turning the thumbwheel 322 fastened to the screw 321 the shaft 12 carrying the swing-arm 13 is moved toward its measuring position; it is withdrawn from that measuring position to its rest position upon reverse rotation of the screw 321. The threaded shank of the screw 321 cooperates with a threaded hollow at one end of the rod 12 or a part 324 rotationally attached to the end of the rod 12, said part 324 being guided by one or more guides so that the rotation movement of the thumbwheel 322 drives translation movement of the part 324 and thus translation movement of the rod 12.
In the
The
As in the manual system shown in
The device 10 for controlling correct operation of the wheel 1 or correct adjustment of the position of the control member 7 of the abrasive blasting wheel 1 is controlled from outside the abrasive blasting cabin. The position of the swing-arm 13 is predefined so that the operator, whilst remaining outside the hot atmosphere inside the abrasive blasting cabin, can easily control the movement of the swing-arm 13 to control the principal direction of the jet of abrasives and/or to adjust the control member toward its position corresponding to the ideal or required hot spot of the wheel. Based on this control or correct positioning of the control member of the wheel, the operator can determine from curves or formulas the necessary angular rotation of the control member 7 to obtain the required hot spot for the abrasives leaving the wheel 1. This determination and correction of the position of the control member 7 may where appropriate be automatic or semi-automatic, for example controlled by a computer.
The position of the control member may be adjusted automatically, continuously, plateau by plateau or step by step, and may be controlled by an automaton programmable with pre-programmed control and/or correction parameters. The control device may also be remote-controlled.
The control device makes it possible during abrasive blasting of a part or between abrasive blasting of two successive parts to determine a parameter as a function of the torque generated or the rotation of the swing-arm (13). The control device is then advantageously associated with means for sending a signal as a function of this parameter to a device for comparing this signal to a permissible range or to non-permissible ranges, this comparator device then sending a signal warning of incorrect adjustment of the wheel and/or a signal for stopping operation of the wheel and/or a signal for correcting the position of the control member 7.
The control member 7 of the wheel is advantageously adjusted by means of a system (for example an actuator or gears) providing stepwise rotation of the control member 7 relative to the support or casing 5, especially during abrasive blasting. The system for rotating the control member may be motorised, for example by an electric actuator, enabling remote adjustment or determination of the hot spot.
Using a motorised system for adjusting the position of the control member during abrasive blasting enables variation of the principal direction of the jet, continuously, substantially continuously or stepwise, for example as a function of a target to be reached, for example as a function of the movement of a target to be reached.
The control device of the invention for correctly adjusting the position of the control member 7 of the wheel also enables controlling of the appropriate distribution of a manifold of abrasive blasting nozzles or any other device requiring controlling of parts of flows on either side of the axis C of the part or balance arm 13.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010/0225 | Apr 2010 | BE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/BE2011/000018 | 4/6/2011 | WO | 00 | 1/7/2013 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2011/123906 | 10/13/2011 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2385728 | Potter | Sep 1945 | A |
| 3521406 | Carpenter, Jr. | Jul 1970 | A |
| 4470292 | DeClark et al. | Sep 1984 | A |
| 4941297 | Carpenter | Jul 1990 | A |
| 5731509 | Thompson | Mar 1998 | A |
| 5779524 | Swain | Jul 1998 | A |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 86102068 | Oct 1986 | CN |
| 1166149 | Nov 1997 | CN |
| 10055974 | Oct 2001 | DE |
| 10332713 | Jul 2004 | DE |
| 1332348 | Nov 2001 | EP |
| 1915963 | Apr 2008 | EP |
| 2885311 | May 2005 | FR |
| H04315578 | Nov 1992 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Belgian Search Report dated Oct. 15, 2010. |
| International Search Report of PCT/BE2011/000018 dated Aug. 10, 2011. |
| Written Opinion of the International Searching Authority dated Oct. 8, 2011. |
| Plaster, H.J., “Blast Cleaning and Allied Processes,” vol. II. |
| Chinese Search Report. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130122781 A1 | May 2013 | US |
