System for removing material with a high velocity jet of working fluid

Claim 1

A system for removal of workpiece material with a high velocity jet of working fluid, comprising: an ultra-high pressure pump including; an odd numbered plurality of low pressure fluid cylinders disposed radially outwardly of the axis of rotation of an eccentric crankshaft, said low pressure cylinders having longitudinal axes spaced equilaterally around said crankshaft axis in a common radial plane; a low pressure piston mounted for reciprocation between an inner end and an outer end of each of said low pressure cylinders and means interconnecting each low pressure piston and said crankshaft to reciprocate said low pressure piston back and forth in a respective low pressure cylinder on sequential pressure and exhaust strokes for each revolution of said crankshaft; a high pressure cylinder longitudinally aligned with and adjacent the outer end of each low pressure fluid cylinder having a high pressure piston reciprocally mounted therein and interconnected to reciprocate with the lower pressure piston in the adjacent low pressure cylinder; high pressure valve means for each high pressure cylinder including an inlet check valve for introducing working fluid into said high pressure cylinder upon an intake stroke of said low pressure piston and an outlet check valve for expelling said working fluid under high pressure from said high pressure cylinder upon an exhaust stroke of said low pressure piston; means for rotating said crankshaft about said axis to pressurize said working fluid in said high pressure cylinder; a high pressure manifold interconnecting the outlet check valves of each high pressure cylinder for providing a supply of high pressure working fluid; conduit means for carrying said high pressure working fluid to a high velocity jet forming nozzle, said nozzle including a body having an inlet in communication with said conduit means and an outlet for discharging a thin jet stream of high velocity working fluid against said material of said workpiece; suction hood means around said nozzle for carrying away material debris removed from said workpiece by the action of said high velocity jet stream of working fluid impinging thereof; and liquid spray means adjacent said hood means for wetting said debris to confine the material for pick-up by said suction hood means.

Claim 2

A system for removal of workpiece material with a high velocity jet of working fluid, comprising: an ultra-high pressure pump including; an odd numbered plurality of low pressure fluid cylinders disposed radially outwardly of the axis of rotation of an eccentric crankshaft, said low pressure cylinders having longitudinal axes spaced equilaterally around said crankshaft axis in a common radial plane; a low pressure piston mounted for reciprocation between an inner end and an outer end of each of said low pressure cylinders and means interconnecting each low pressure piston and said crankshaft to reciprocate said low pressure piston back and forth in a respective low pressure cylinder on sequential pressure and exhaust strokes for each revolution of said crankshaft; a high pressure cylinder longitudinally aligned with and adjacent the outer end of each low pressure fluid cylinder having a high pressure piston reciprocally mounted therein and interconnected to reciprocate with the lower pressure piston in the adjacent low pressure cylinder; high pressure valve means for each high pressure cylinder including an inlet check valve for introducing working fluid into said high pressure cylinder upon an intake stroke of said low pressure piston and an outlet check valve for expelling said working fluid under high pressure from said high pressure cylinder upon an exhaust stroke of said low pressure piston; means for rotating said crankshaft about said axis to pressurize said working fluid in said high pressure cylinder; a high pressure manifold interconnecting the outlet check valves of each high pressure cylinder for providing a supply of high pressure working fluid; conduit means for carrying said high pressure working fluid to a high velocity jet forming nozzle, said nozzle including a body having an inlet in communication with said conduit means and an outlet for discharging a thin jet stream of high velocity working fluid against said material of said workpiece; suction hood means around said nozzle for carrying away material debris removed from said workpiece by the action of said high velocity jet stream of working fluid impinging thereof; and liquid spray means adjacent said hood means for wetting said debris to confine the material for pick-up by said suction hood means.