Inventors:
Gary Sheesley - Levittown PA
Assignee:
Empire Abrasive Equipment Corporation - Langhorne PA
International Classification:
B24C 306
Abstract:
Apparatus for blast-cleaning the interior surface of a pipe includes a main housing that travels the length of the pipe, and rotatably supports a blast nozzle. A nozzle support shaft carried by the housing rotates freely, reactively to air carrying abrasive media and forced through the nozzle under high pressure. Since the air is directed through a non-rotating conduit to the shaft, a gasket is interposed between the rotating and non-rotating components. To prevent the abrasive media from penetrating the shaft support bearings of the housing with obviously destructive effects, a gap is maintained between the housing and a junction housing in which the non-rotating conduit is mounted. Leakage that does occur past the gasket is dispersed to the ambient atmosphere through the gap, before it can impinge upon the bearings. The non-rotating conduit is threadedly advanceable within the junction housing, so as to correspondingly, selectively adjust the extent to which the gasket is compressed.