Author : Dr. E. Daniel Kirby 1
Date of Publication :16th March 2017
Abstract: Grit blasting is a common and reliable method for surface preparation of aerospace metal components for subsequent operations. Unfortunately, the complex nature of aerospace components creates difficulty in providing sufficient cleaning of surfaces within tight cavities and intricate geometries. Manufacturers of grit blasting equipment have created different media types and sizes, along with different nozzles and blasting parameters, in order to provide a large variety of capabilities within this technology. This investigation of different nozzle designs and parameters, involved the use of quantitative methods, developed to evaluate the effectiveness of grit blast surface cleaning. The most critical aspect of grit blasting is the erosion effect on surface of the material, and therefore the amount of material removed is used as the response parameter for this study. This analysis will show amount of material removal and recommendations as to which method provides the safest parameters before significant amount of material is removed
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