Spray Lance Hard Material Tip for Abrasive Wear Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional spray lances used in the metalworking industry for removing debris from hard-to-reach places on workpieces have short service lives due to the abrasive nature of high-pressure washing fluids, particularly when processing silicon-containing aluminum alloys, leading to a loss of energy in the spray jet.
Innovation Solution
The spray lance system incorporates a spray head made from hard materials like solid carbide, with ultra-fine slits that are dimensionally stable under high pressures, and a modular design allowing for adaptation to individual requirements, ensuring the spray head can withstand abrasive particles and maintain energy over extended use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional spray lances are used with high-pressure washing fluid, then the spray jet can effectively remove debris, but the service life of the spray lance is short due to abrasive wear from particles in the washing fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The spray lance tip is made from a different material (hard material such as solid carbide, cermets, or coated materials) than the hollow shaft (stainless steel). This material parameter change at the critical wear zone provides resistance to abrasive particles while maintaining the overall system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The spray lance is constructed as a composite structure combining stainless steel hollow shaft with a hard material tip. This composite construction allows each component to be optimized for its specific function: the stainless steel provides structural integrity and corrosion resistance, while the hard material tip provides wear resistance against abrasive particles.
2Power
If the spray lance operates at high system pressures up to 2000 bar, then the energy of the spray jet is sufficient to remove residual chips, but the mechanical stress on the spray lance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spray lance is divided into functionally distinct segments: a hollow shaft for fluid transport and a separate tip for spray generation. This segmentation allows the tip to be optimized for withstanding high pressure and generating the spray, while the shaft handles fluid transport. The tip can be replaced when worn without replacing the entire lance.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite construction combines stainless steel (providing mechanical strength and pressure resistance) with hard materials (providing wear resistance). This allows the lance to withstand both the mechanical stress of high pressure operation and the abrasive wear from particles in the washing fluid.
3Power
If the fine slits are made very narrow to focus the spray energy, then the spray jet becomes more effective at removing debris, but the slits are more susceptible to clogging and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The material parameter of the tip is changed to hard materials that are highly resistant to wear. This allows the fine slits to maintain their narrow dimensions for focused spray energy while the material resists wear and clogging from abrasive particles in the high-pressure washing fluid.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The use of hard materials for the spray head, such as tungsten carbide, significantly increases the service life and maintains the energy of the spray jet, effectively removing debris from hard-to-reach areas even under high system pressures of up to 2000 bar.
Implementation Method 1
a high-pressure pump (12) which sucks the special detergent out of a container (14) and feeds it to the spray lance (10)
Implementation Method 2
a spray head (18), in which at least one ultra-fine slit (20) is formed, which protrudes into an inner recess (22) and is oriented in such a way that the high-pressure washing fluid which can be supplied via the hollow shaft (16) can leave the spray head (18) in the form of a fanned-out flat jet
Implementation Method 3
at least the area of the spray head (18) forming the ultra-fine slot (20) consists of a hard material, preferably solid hard metal
Data Source
Figure 1~2A
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a spray lance for removing shavings by means of pressurized washing fluid. Said lance comprises a hollow shank which can be coupled to a tool holder, said shank supporting a spray head that has an inner cavity. At least one extremely fine slot (20-1, 20-2) which cuts the inner cavity is configured within the spray head. Said slot (20-1, 20-2) is oriented in such a manner that the pressurized washing fluid supplied via the hollow shank can be discharged from the spray head in the form of a fanned-out planar jet. In order to reduce the downtimes of the spray lance, at least the region of the spray head forming the extremely fine slot, preferably at least the section of the spray head forming the slots, is made of a hard material, preferably a solid hard material. Preferably, the structure of the hard material, especially the solid hard metal, is optimized so as to optimize the resistance to wear and bending fatigue strength.