EP3787837B1 - Traitement de jet de fluide - Google Patents

Traitement de jet de fluide Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3787837B1
EP3787837B1 EP19718840.2A EP19718840A EP3787837B1 EP 3787837 B1 EP3787837 B1 EP 3787837B1 EP 19718840 A EP19718840 A EP 19718840A EP 3787837 B1 EP3787837 B1 EP 3787837B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
fluid
jet
cavity
workpiece
treatment
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EP19718840.2A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP3787837A1 (fr
Inventor
Anthony Beaucamp
Tomoya KATSUURA
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Zeeko Innovations Ltd
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Zeeko Innovations Ltd
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Publication of EP3787837A1 publication Critical patent/EP3787837A1/fr
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24C—ABRASIVE OR RELATED BLASTING WITH PARTICULATE MATERIAL
    • B24C1/00—Methods for use of abrasive blasting for producing particular effects; Use of auxiliary equipment in connection with such methods
    • B24C1/04—Methods for use of abrasive blasting for producing particular effects; Use of auxiliary equipment in connection with such methods for treating only selected parts of a surface, e.g. for carving stone or glass
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B3/00—Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
    • B08B3/02—Cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24C—ABRASIVE OR RELATED BLASTING WITH PARTICULATE MATERIAL
    • B24C3/00—Abrasive blasting machines or devices; Plants
    • B24C3/02—Abrasive blasting machines or devices; Plants characterised by the arrangement of the component assemblies with respect to each other
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24C—ABRASIVE OR RELATED BLASTING WITH PARTICULATE MATERIAL
    • B24C5/00—Devices or accessories for generating abrasive blasts
    • B24C5/005—Vibratory devices, e.g. for generating abrasive blasts by ultrasonic vibrations
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24C—ABRASIVE OR RELATED BLASTING WITH PARTICULATE MATERIAL
    • B24C5/00—Devices or accessories for generating abrasive blasts
    • B24C5/02—Blast guns, e.g. for generating high velocity abrasive fluid jets for cutting materials
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24C—ABRASIVE OR RELATED BLASTING WITH PARTICULATE MATERIAL
    • B24C5/00—Devices or accessories for generating abrasive blasts
    • B24C5/02—Blast guns, e.g. for generating high velocity abrasive fluid jets for cutting materials
    • B24C5/04—Nozzles therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24C—ABRASIVE OR RELATED BLASTING WITH PARTICULATE MATERIAL
    • B24C7/00—Equipment for feeding abrasive material; Controlling the flowability, constitution, or other physical characteristics of abrasive blasts
    • B24C7/0007—Equipment for feeding abrasive material; Controlling the flowability, constitution, or other physical characteristics of abrasive blasts the abrasive material being fed in a liquid carrier
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B08—CLEANING
    • B08B—CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL
    • B08B2203/00—Details of cleaning machines or methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam
    • B08B2203/02—Details of machines or methods for cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
    • B08B2203/0288—Ultra or megasonic jets

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to methods and apparatus for processing workpieces using a fluid jet.
  • the invention relates to a fluid jet treatment apparatus according to the preamble of independent claim 1, a fluid jet treatment tool according to the preamble of independent claim 5 and a treatment process comprising using such a fluid jet treatment apparatus.
  • a fluid jet treatment apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1 and a fluid jet treatment tool according to the preamble of claim 5 are known from document US 5,154,347 .
  • the workpiece may be subjected to shaping and polishing workpieces using a jet of fluid in which abrasive particles are suspended.
  • the workplace may be subjected to cleaning or heat transfer processes (heating or cooling) by directing a fluid jet onto the workpiece surface.
  • Fluid jet polishing is a versatile polishing process mainly used for ultra-precision finishing of small and complex surfaces such as optical components and artificial joints.
  • a pre-mixed slurry of carrier fluid and abrasive particles is pressurized and ejected as a jet from a nozzle onto a workpiece.
  • the typical pressure of the inlet slurry is from 0.2 to 2.0 MPa, and the outlet diameter of the nozzle from 0.1 to 2.0 mm.
  • Impingement of the jet onto a workpiece surface results in material being removed from a "footprint" in a time-dependent fashion, i.e the longer the jet impinges on a particular footprint, the more material is removed from that footprint.
  • the slurry jet can generate sub-millimetre polishing footprints, which makes it possible to reach difficult areas such as corners and cavities.
  • the process may be used to remove machining marks on a workpiece caused by earlier treatment processes without generating additional traces.
  • the process accuracy can be predictively controlled because tool wear is usually limited to the slow and progressive breakdown of abrasive particles. Due to these advantages, the FJP process is mainly used for super-smooth finishing of small and complex components in various industries such as optics and the medical field (for example the surfaces of artificial joints).
  • the conventional FJP process provides a controllable sub-millimetre polishing footprint and almost no tool wear, but a disadvantage of the technique is its low material removal rate.
  • Typical surface roughness of some additively manufactured components made by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) method can be about 10 ⁇ m Ra, so a processing method for efficiently finishing such a rough surface is required.
  • magnetorheological jet finishing in which the fluid contains micrometre-scale ferromagnetic particles.
  • the apparent viscosity of the fluid greatly increases when exposed to an external magnetic field.
  • this fluid is used as a carrier fluid in an FJP process, the jet is stabilized and stiffened by the application of a magnetic field.
  • the lower likelihood of the jet collapsing enables precise processing of more remote and difficult areas, while increase of the apparent viscosity improves removal rate.
  • the handling and recycling of magnetorheological fluid requires highly specialized equipment and know-how, which makes the implementation of a magnetorheological fluid assisted FJP inconvenient and costly.
  • the present invention seeks to provide a FJP process in which small footprints of the workpiece may be treated accurately, with an efficacious treatment process.
  • the treatment process may be a shaping or polishing process using a treatment fluid containing abrasive particles and providing an improved material removal rate without compromising the surface finish, or may be a cleaning or a heat transfer process using a treatment fluid without abrasive particles with improved cleaning performance and heat transfer rates, respectively.
  • the present disclosure in one aspect provides fluid jet treatment processes in which a jet of fluid is directed at the workpiece, the fluid jet including discrete regions of fluid having different density and/or viscosity properties from the remaining treatment fluid.
  • regions of reduced fluid density are produced by generating or injecting micro-bubbles in the fluid.
  • regions of different fluid density are produced by injecting micro-droplets of a second fluid into the treatment fluid.
  • the material removal rate is improved as compared to conventional FJP, and the accuracy and surface finish obtainable by the process is maintained or improved.
  • the present disclosure seeks to provide a fluid jet treatment process in which heat transfer between a workpiece and the fluid is improved, to provide an effective cooling or heating of a workpiece by the application of a fluid jet.
  • the present disclosure seeks to provide a fluid jet treatment process in which a workpiece can be effectively cleaned by using a fluid jet to remove surface impurities.
  • a jet of treatment fluid is directed at a workpiece to impact on the workpiece at a treatment footprint, the process being characterised by the jet of fluid having regions of different density and/or viscosity. These regions are produced by applying ultrasonic vibrations to the fluid such that cavitation bubbles are periodically formed in the fluid and are entrained in the fluid jet to form regions of reduced density. Most preferably, the cavitation bubbles are transported by the fluid jet to the point of impact with the workpiece.
  • the regions of different density and/or viscosity within the jet may be produced by periodically generating or injecting micro-bubbles into the treatment fluid, such that groups of micro-bubbles are entrained in discrete regions of the jet.
  • regions of different viscosity may be produced by periodically injecting into the treatment fluid micro-droplets of a second fluid, having a different density from the treatment fluid, so that the micro-droplets are entrained in discrete regions of the jet.
  • the application of ultrasonic vibrations to the treatment fluid may be performed in combination with the injection of micro-bubbles or micro-droplets into the treatment fluid.
  • a second aspect of the invention provides a fluid jet treatment apparatus in accordance with claim 1 hereto.
  • the apparatus comprises:
  • the means for forming the regions of different density and/or viscosity comprises an ultrasonic vibration generator for generating ultrasonic pressure waves within the fluid to cause cavitation bubbles to form periodically within the treatment fluid and pass in groups along the fluid jet, forming regions of reduced density.
  • the treatment head is configured to be held sufficiently close to the workpiece that cavitation bubbles impact on the workpiece surface.
  • the treatment head includes a cavity having an inlet duct through which fluid may be supplied to the cavity and an outlet passage from which fluid can exit the cavity in the form of a jet.
  • the cavity has one or more resonant frequencies at which "standing" acoustic waves may be generated by driving the vibration generator at or near those frequencies.
  • the ultrasonic vibration generator is preferably operable at a number of frequencies, including one or more resonant frequencies of the cavity.
  • the shape of the cavity is conical, with the outlet passage arranged axially at the narrower end of the conical cavity and the vibration generator positioned at the larger axial end of the cavity.
  • the vibration generator comprises a concentrator plate having a concave face directed towards the passageway, to concentrate the waves at a focus point adjacent the passageway. The intensity of pressure waves at the focus point should exceed the pressure of the fluid in the cavity.
  • the travel time of the fluid from the focus point (cavitation area) to the workpiece surface is preferably lower than the average lifetime of the cavitation bubbles.
  • the frequency of the pressure waves maybe adjusted to provide a sufficient average lifetime for the cavitation bubbles for them to reach the workpiece surface.
  • the shape and size of the cavity within the polishing tool may be arranged such that it has a resonant frequency which, when the fluid is vibrated at the resonant frequency, result in the formation, at a cavitation area within the cavity, of cavitation bubbles having an average lifetime equal to or greater than the time taken by the fluid to travel from the cavitation area to the workpiece.
  • the means for forming the regions of different density and/or viscosity also comprises means for periodically injecting or generating micro-bubbles within the fluid such that groups of micro-bubbles are entrained in the jet to form the discrete regions.
  • the means for forming regions of different viscosity may also comprise means for periodically injecting into the treatment fluid micro-droplets of a second fluid, having a different density from the treatment fluid, so that the micro-droplets are entrained in discrete regions of the jet.
  • a third aspect of the invention provides a fluid jet treatment tool for generating a fluid jet including regions of different density and/or viscosity, in accordance with claim 5 hereto.
  • the tool comprises:
  • the means for forming regions of different density and/or viscosity in the jet comprises an ultrasonic actuator for applying ultrasonic vibrations to the fluid in the polishing head, such that cavitation bubbles are generated periodically within the fluid and are entrained in the jet.
  • the treatment head includes a cavity into which the pressurised fluid is supplied, and a passageway leading from the cavity through which the fluid exits to produce the jet.
  • the ultrasonic actuator is preferably operable at one or more frequencies which produce resonant standing waves within the cavity.
  • the means for forming the regions of different density and/or viscosity may also comprise means for periodically injecting or generating micro-bubbles within the fluid such that groups of micro-bubbles are entrained in the jet to form the discrete regions, or means for periodically injecting into the treatment fluid micro-droplets of a second fluid, having a different density from the treatment fluid, so that the micro-droplets are entrained in discrete regions of the jet.
  • a pump means may be used to supply a pressurised fluid to the treatment head. Treatment fluid which has impacted on the workpiece may be collected and recirculated.
  • the treatment applied using the apparatus and process of the present invention may be a shaping treatment to shape the workpiece, a polishing treatment to polish the surface of the workpiece, or a cleaning treatment to remove impurities from the surface of the workpiece.
  • FIG 1 is a perspective diagram of a polishing machine which is the treatment apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • the polishing machine comprises a table 1, on which there is mounted an X-slide mechanism 2 for movement in the x-direction.
  • the turntable 4 is mounted on the Y-slide mechanism 3 via a Z-movement mechanism (not shown) for movement of the turntable 4 in the z direction (the vertical direction as seen in the Figure).
  • the turntable 4 has a support surface onto which a workpiece 5 is mounted and held.
  • this arrangement provides for motion of the workpiece 5 in four axes - namely x, y, z and c.
  • the polishing machine is also provided with a back member 6 on which is mounted a pivot arrangement for pivotally moving a polishing head 7.
  • the polishing head 7 is arranged to direct a jet 8j of polishing fluid 8 on to the workpiece 5 from a lower axial end (as seen in the Figure) of the polishing head 7, for polishing or abrading the workpiece 5. After impinging on the workpiece 5, the polishing fluid 8 runs under gravity off the workpiece 5 and is collected for recirculation.
  • the pivot mechanism mounted on the back member 6 comprises a first pivot member 700 mounted in an arm for pivoting the polishing head 7 about a pivot point in a first plane, so that the jet 8j may be directed onto the workpiece.
  • the first pivot mechanism 700 is mounted on a second pivot mechanism 800 which provides for the pivoting of the polishing head 7 about a pivot point in a plane perpendicular to the plane of pivoting of the first pivot mechanism 700 in the arm.
  • these two orthogonal pivoting mechanisms provide two further axes of control, namely a and b, for controlling the angle at which the jet 8j is directed towards the workpiece 5.
  • the back member 6 of the polishing machine also houses a computer control system 9 which includes a display 10 and control inputs 11. This allows a user to input data or commands to control the motion of the workpiece 5 and of the polishing head 7 and to view displayed information regarding the abrading, polishing or cleaning process.
  • a computer control system 9 which includes a display 10 and control inputs 11. This allows a user to input data or commands to control the motion of the workpiece 5 and of the polishing head 7 and to view displayed information regarding the abrading, polishing or cleaning process.
  • Each of the axes of motion x, y, z, c, a and b is driven by respective drive actuator (not shown).
  • Sensors are also provided for sensing the positions of the actuators to provide position information for use by the computer control system 9 to control the polishing or abrading process.
  • the computer control system 9 is also provided with further axes of control related to the polishing head 7. These include the pressure of the fluid, and control of an ultrasonic actuator acting on the fluid within the polishing head 7. These additional axes of control will be described below in more detail, in relation to the polishing head 7.
  • the computer control system 9 operates an algorithm to control these axes (or parameters) in order to clean, abrade or polish the workpiece 5 mounted on the turntable 4, to achieve the desired surface profile and/or surface quality (such as smoothness).
  • the polishing machine can be used to treat any desired surface profile including a surface profile containing both concave and convex areas.
  • the computer control system 9 is arranged to control the relative movement of the polishing head 7 and the workpiece 5 so that the jet 8j is arranged to impinge on the workpiece at a treatment region or "footprint" which is moved relative to the workpiece so as to follow a tool-path over the surface of the workpiece 5, and controls the amount of polishing over the surface by: (i) varying the time spent at each point along the tool-path (the dwell time), (ii) varying pressure of the jet 8j at points along the tool-path, and/or (iii) varying ultrasonic energy (frequency and/or power) applied to the fluid forming the jet 8j at different points along the tool path.
  • the relative movement may be produced by keeping the workpiece 5 stationary and moving the polishing head 7, by keeping the polishing head 7 stationary and moving the workpiece 5, or by a combination of movement by the polishing head 7 and the workpiece 5.
  • the tool path may be a raster, a spiral, or any other convenient tool path.
  • the use of a pseudorandom tool-path can avoid the formation of polishing artefacts that may be generated using a periodic spiral or raster tool-path.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of the polishing tool 7.
  • the tool comprises a tool body 70 formed from steel or other suitable material, within which is formed a conical cavity 71.
  • a narrow outlet passage 72 leads axially from the narrower end of the conical cavity 71 to the front face 73 of the tool.
  • the diameter of the passageway is typically about 1 mm, but may be from 0.5 mm to 2 mm or more.
  • the passageway may be formed in a an insert 70a of hard, wear-resistant material, such as sapphire, ruby, or a wear-resistant metal, set into the leading end of the tool body 70.
  • a vibrator plate 74 which can be caused to vibrate in the axial direction of the conical cavity 71 by an actuator 75.
  • the vibration frequencies of the actuator 75 are in the ultrasonic frequency range, from about 15 to about 150 kHz.
  • a concave-faced concentrator plate 76 is mounted on the face of the vibrator plate 74 which faces toward the cavity.
  • An entry duct 77 leads radially into the cavity, for the supply of polishing fluid 8 to the interior of the cavity 71.
  • a jet of polishing fluid 8j issues from the passageway 72.
  • a pressure sensor 79 and a temperature sensor 80 detect the pressure and temperature, respectively, of the fluid in the entry duct 77, and relay this information to the control system 9.
  • the pressure and/or temperature may alternatively be sensed at points within the cavity 71.
  • the vibrations induced in the vibration plate 74 by the actuator 75 are transmitted to the fluid by the concentrator plate 76 as a series of curved wave fronts W, which travel through the fluid in the axial direction of the cavity, and are further concentrated by the converging conical sides of the cavity 71 so that at a focus point F within the cavity 71 adjacent the entrance of the passage 72, the pressure waves caused by the vibrator plate 74 are of sufficient magnitude as to cause cavitation bubbles 78 to form within the polishing fluid.
  • the actuator must be driven with sufficient power that the maximum negative pressure caused by the ultrasonic pressure waves in the fluid is sufficiently greater than the fluid pressure generated by the pump 17, such that regions within the fluid experience sufficient negative pressure to form cavitation bubbles.
  • the concentrator plate 76 causes these pressure waves to be curved, and the conical shape of the cavity concentrates these pressure waves so that at a point on the axis of the cavity adjacent the entrance to the passage 72, the fluid experiences large periodic variations of pressure.
  • the power applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 75 is such as to produce a variation in pressure within the fluid which causes cavitation bubbles 78 to be formed periodically in the fluid 8.
  • a standing wave may be produced within the cavity, which results in the formation of cavitation bubbles but at reduced power levels to the transducer as compared to non-resonant frequencies.
  • the frequency at which the ultrasonic vibrator 75 is driven determines the periodicity of formation of the cavitation bubbles 78.
  • the fluid 8 in the cavity 71 pressurised by the operation of the pump 17, exits through the passage 72 to form the jet 8j.
  • the cavitation bubbles 78 which are periodically formed adjacent the inlet to the passage 72, are entrained in the fluid and pass out of the cavity through the passage 72 and into the jet 8j.
  • the bubbles 78 are formed periodically, resulting in the jet 8j being formed from alternate sections of fluid with cavitation bubbles 78, and sections where there are no bubbles 78.
  • the cavitation bubbles are a transient phenomenon, and the size of each bubble and its "lifetime" are dependent on the frequency of the ultrasonic vibrations.
  • the average lifetime of the cavitation bubbles is about 200 pressure cycles of the ultrasonic vibrations, when the frequency is 20 - 200 kHz.
  • the bubbles have a longer lifetime when the frequency of vibration is lower, lasting for about 7.2ms when the acoustic frequency is 26kHz, and lasting for about 1.4ms when the acoustic frequency is about 130kHz.
  • the bubbles 78 are formed within the fluid 8 and are immediately entrained in the fluid passing down the passage 72 and into the jet 8j.
  • the speed of the fluid exiting in the jet 8j is controlled by controlling the pressure exerted by the pump 17 supplying the fluid 8 to the entry duct 77. In the preferred embodiment, the speed is controlled such that cavitation bubbles 78 pass through the passageway 72 and are emitted within the fluid jet 8j.
  • the front face 73 of the polishing tool 7 is positioned sufficiently close to the workpiece 5 that the cavitation bubbles 78 are still present in the jet when the jet strikes the surface of the workpiece 5.
  • This "stand-off distance" between the front face 73 of the polishing tool 7 and the surface of the workpiece 5 being treated is typically 1.5 mm but may be in the range from 1 to 3 mm or more.
  • the cavitation bubbles 78 are not required to persist in the jet 8j long enough to reach the surface of the workpiece, in order for the improvement of material removal to be achieved.
  • the generation of cavitation bubbles 78 depends on the frequency and power of the ultrasonic vibrations applied by the actuator 75, the angle of the conical cavity 71, the diameter of the passageway 72, and the pressure of the fluid supplied to the entry duct 77.
  • the conical angle and the diameter of the passageway are fixed by the structure of the tool, and thus control of the generation of cavitation bubbles and their delivery in the jet 8j is effected by controlling the pressure of the fluid and the frequency and power of the vibrations applied by the vibrator plate 74 and the concentrator plate 76.
  • the treatment fluid 8 is preferably water, but may be a mixture of water and a solvent such as alcohol, or water and a detergent or surfactant. In further alternatives, a solvent such as alcohol may be used alone.
  • the treatment fluid contains abrasive particles such as Al 2 O 3 whose average particle size ranges from 0.1 to 5 ⁇ m, in the amount of approximately 20 g of particles per litre of fluid.
  • the frequency of the actuator 75 is preferably modulated so that the cavitation bubbles produced in the polishing fluid are of a similar size to the abrasive particles, in order to maximise material removal.
  • the polishing head 7 may be configured such that the cavity 71 has a resonant frequency which corresponds to the frequency required to produce cavitation bubbles of a particular size, the polishing fluid may include abrasive particles of a similar size, and the pump pressure may be arranged such that the speed of the fluid in the jet is sufficient for the cavitation bubbles to travel from their creation point to the point of impact of the jet on the workpiece within their lifetime.
  • FIG 2A is an enlarged view showing the formation and transportation of the cavitation bubbles.
  • the ultrasonic vibrations in the fluid give rise to periodic generation of cavitation bubbles, as the concentrated pressure waves alternately produce high and low pressures at the entrance to the passageway 72.
  • the cavitation bubbles 78 are thus produced in "clouds" at a frequency roughly equal to the frequency at which the transducer 75 is driven. These clouds of bubbles are then carried by the fluid 8 into the passageway 72, and exit the passageway as the jet 8j.
  • the cavity has an axial height of approximately 35 mm, and a diameter at its large end of about 30 mm.
  • the concentrator plate 76 may have a diameter of about 25 mm and a radius of curvature of 35 mm, corresponding to the axial length of the conical cavity 71.
  • the illustrated embodiment provides improved material removal rates when operated with pump pressures of from 0.1 to 1.5 MPa, and at ultrasonic frequencies of from 20 to 130 kHz using an input power to the ultrasonic transducer 75 of 50W.
  • Lower or higher input power may be used, provided that the combination of input power and frequency to the transducer 75, the pump pressure, and the distance from the tool 7 to the workpiece 5 results in the formation of cavitation bubbles 78 and their transportation through the jet 8j to impinge on the workpiece 5.
  • a pump pressure of 0.8 MPa and a distance of 1.5 mm between the tool and the workpiece, improved material removal rates, as compared to using the fluid jet alone, were obtained when the transducer 75 was driven with a frequency of 78kHz and a power of 50W.
  • FIG. 2B is a partial sectional view of the polishing head 7, and illustrates an alternative embodiment of the invention.
  • a hollow injection needle 90 is supplied with pressurised gas, and injects micro bubbles 78 of pressurised gas into the treatment fluid within the cavity 71.
  • the micro-bubbles preferably have a diameter of from 10 to 100 ⁇ m
  • the injection needle 90 is provided in addition to the ultrasonic transducer 75, and the tip of the injection needle 90 may be positioned at or near the focus of the ultrasonic waves produced by the transducer 75.
  • the micro-bubbles are injected simultaneously with the application of ultrasonic waves, the micro-bubbles are broken down so that they have a diameter of between 1 and 10 ⁇ m.
  • the gas pressure applied to the injection needle 90 may be controlled by a valve 92 such that groups of micro bubbles 78 are injected into the treatment fluid at intervals, to form discreet clouds of micro bubbles adjacent the tip of the injection needle 90. These clouds are entrained in the treatment fluid and carried through the jet 8j is the treatment fluid flows out of the cavity 71 through the passageway 72.
  • the gas injected through the injection needle 90 may be air, supplied either from a high-pressure reservoir 91, or directly from a compressor fed from the atmosphere, through the valve 92.
  • the injected gas may be an inert gas such as nitrogen, injected from the high-pressure reservoir 91 and controlled by the valve 92.
  • the valve 92 may be controlled by the control system 9 of the apparatus, and may be synchronised with the operation of the ultrasonic transducer.
  • the valve 92 may be periodically opened and closed, and ultrasonic vibrations may be applied during the intervals where the valve 92 is open.
  • the valve 92 may be periodically opened and closed, and the ultrasonic vibrations may be applied all of the time.
  • a third alternative is to open and close the valve 92 periodically, and apply vibrations when the valve is closed.
  • a plurality of micro-needles may be provided, for example extending radially relative to the conical cavity 71 and having their discharge ends arranged in a circle surrounding the focal point F of the cavity.
  • the gas may be supplied to the injection needle 90 via a positive-displacement pump which can deliver a predetermined quantity of gas.
  • Figure 2C is a partial sectional view of the polishing head 7, and illustrates a further alternative embodiment of the invention.
  • the body 70 of the polishing tool 7, which is provided with the ultrasonic transducer 75 is formed from an insulating material, and a metallic bead 93 is mounted within the cavity 71, supported by one or more struts 94.
  • the metallic bead 93 is preferably positioned immediately upstream of the entrance to the passageway 72.
  • An induction coil 95 is mounted within the body 70 adjacent the bead 93, and a power supply 96 supplies power to the induction coil 95. The power supply is controlled by the control system 9.
  • the metallic bead 93 when power is supplied to the induction coil 95 by the power supply 96, the metallic bead 93 is heated and the treatment fluid adjacent the surface of the bead 78 is caused to boil, forming micro-bubbles of vapour on the surface of the bead. These micro bubbles are entrained in the treatment fluid and are carried through and out of the passageway 72 to form regions in the jet 8j of reduced density, due to the presence of the clouds of micro bubbles in discreet regions of the jet.
  • a beam 97 from a laser 98 may be directed at the bead 93, and pulsed to provide a localised heating to generate micro-bubbles.
  • the laser 98 may be mounted within the tool body 70, as shown in Figure 2C , so that the beam 97 enters the cavity 71 through a window 99 in the wall of the cavity 71.
  • the laser 98 may be mounted coaxially with the conical cavity, and the laser beam 97 may enter the cavity through a window formed in the centre of the ultrasonic transducer, and travel axially through the cavity to strike the bead 93.
  • the bead 93 may be omitted, and the laser 98 may be mounted coaxially with the conical cavity with the laser beam 97 entering the cavity through a window formed in the centre of the ultrasonic transducer, and travelling axially through the cavity to exit the cavity coaxially with the passageway 72, and impinge on the workpiece surface at the point of contact of the jet 8j.
  • Pulsing the laser will cause localised heating of the workpiece surface, and micro-bubbles may be generated by localised boiling of the fluid adjacent the impact point of the laser.
  • the pulsed laser may be operated in conjunction with the ultrasonic transducer, so that micro-bubbles are generated at the workpiece surface in addition to cavitation bubbles generated at the upstream end of the passage 72 by the ultrasonic transducer.
  • an internal heating element may be provided within the bead 93, in order to heat the bead 93 and cause micro-bubbles of vapour to be formed.
  • Other suitable means for heating the bead 93 will be apparent to the skilled man.
  • the heated bead may be used in conjunction with the ultrasonic transducer, in which case the bead 93 is preferably positioned at or close to the focus position F of the ultrasonic vibrations produced by the transducer 75.
  • the heating of the bead may be synchronised with the application of ultrasonic vibrations.
  • the bead 93 may have a smooth polished surface, or may have a textured surface to provide nucleation points for boiling of the liquid.
  • Figure 3 schematically illustrates the polishing apparatus of Figure 1 , showing the main components of the fluid jet polishing apparatus.
  • the workpiece 5 is mounted on the turntable 4, which is itself mounted on the Y-slide mechanism 3.
  • the Y-slide mechanism 3 is mounted on the X-slide mechanism 2.
  • the polishing head 7 is positioned above the workpiece 5 and aligned so that the fluid jet 8j issuing from the polishing head 7 impinges on the workpiece 5.
  • the polishing fluid 8 flows down to a collection vessel 15.
  • the fluid simply flows down over the turntable 4 and slide mechanisms 3 and 2 to the collection vessel 15.
  • suitable means may be provided to collect the polishing fluid 8 so that it does not flow over the turntable and slides.
  • the polishing fluid flows through a filter 16 to a pump 17 which returns the fluid to the polishing head 7.
  • the ultrasonic actuator 75 drives the vibrator plate which is in contact with the polishing fluid.
  • the movements of the turntable 4, the X and Y slides 3 and 2, and the movements of the first and second pivot mechanism is 700 and 800 are controlled by a processor unit 12 within the control system 9, as are the operation of the pump 17, the ultrasonic actuator 14 and the motor 19 driving the agitator 18.
  • the processor unit 12 includes a processor 121 which provides output signals to controllers for the individual elements of the system, namely a pump controller 122, an ultrasound controller 123, an agitator controller 124, a turntable controller 125, X and Y slide controllers 126 and 127, and controllers for the first pivot mechanism 128 and the second pivot mechanism 129.
  • the processor unit may also include controllers for controlling the operation of the valves 92 for injecting air or gas into the treatment fluid, and a controller for controlling the power supply 96 to the induction coil 95.
  • the processor unit 12 also includes a tool path memory 130 which stores the parameters for the tool path to be followed when moving the polishing head 7 over the workpiece 5.
  • the pump controller 122 controls the operation of the pump 17 to deliver the required pressure to the fluid 8 within the cavity 71 of the polishing head 7.
  • the ultrasound controller 123 controls the operation of the ultrasound generator 75 to produce vibrations at a particular frequency and power.
  • the agitator controller 124 controls the motor 19 of the agitator to agitate the polishing fluid as required, in order to keep the abrasive particles in suspension.
  • the turntable controller 125, and the X and Y slide controllers 126 and 127, and the first and second pivot mechanism controllers 128 and 129 control the relative movement of the polishing head 7 and the workpiece 5 in order to move the polishing footprint over the workpiece surface.
  • the tool path memory 130 stores data relating to the tool path which will be followed by the polishing head 7.
  • Figure 5 illustrates the form of data stored in the tool path memory, which is in the form of a table.
  • the first column of data headed L represents each successive point on the tool path which is to be followed by the polishing head 7.
  • the remaining columns of the table define the pump pressure P, the ultrasonic power and frequency U, the on/off state of the agitator motor A, the turntable position T , the X slide position X , the Y slide position Y, the position of the first pivot mechanism M1 and the position of the second pivot mechanism M2 which are required at that point on the tool path.
  • the tool path data may also include data for setting the valve 92 and for operating the power supply 96.
  • the successive points on the tool path may be visited at a constant rate, the speed of the jet over the surface of the workpiece being controlled by the spacing of the points on the tool path.
  • the tool path may be based on a number of equally spaced points, and may include a further column indicating the amount of time to be spent at each of the tool path points.
  • the operation of the various elements is constant except that the X slide is moved from position 42 to position 44.
  • the processor 121 reads each line of data in succession, and sends the required setting to each of the controllers 122 to 129 so that each element is operated in accordance with the tool path data as the tool is moved along the tool path from the first to the last position.
  • the tool path data is compiled by measuring the workpiece to determine its actual surface form, comparing this with the required surface form to develop a map of the surface showing how much material is to be removed from each point, determining the material removal profile of the tool footprint based on parameters including the polishing fluid to be used and the material of the workpiece, determining a tool path which is a series of locations to be visited by the tool to treat the entire surface, and then compiling a tool path table which provides, for each location, a control parameter for each element of the apparatus. The moves the fluid jet over the surface of the workpiece, removing an appropriate amount of material at each point to bring the surface of the workpiece to the desired profile.
  • the parameters of pump pressure and ultrasound power may be varied, keeping the ultrasound frequency constant, to ensure that cavitation bubbles formed within the cavity 71 are entrained in the jet and impinge on the surface of the workpiece.
  • the pump pressure may be increased and simultaneously the ultrasound power may be increased to ensure that cavitation bubbles are still formed within the cavity, even at the increased pump pressure.
  • the ultrasound frequency may be kept constant, and may be set at a resonant frequency of the cavity, in order to generate standing waves in the cavity which ensure that cavitation bubbles are generated for the least amount of power applied to the ultrasound generator 75.
  • both the frequency and power of the ultrasound generator 75 may be varied, as well as the pump pressure, at points along the tool path.
  • the frequency of the ultrasound generator 75 may be lowered in order to produce cavitation bubbles having a longer lifetime, so that they persist within the jet of fluid until the fluid reaches the workpiece surface.
  • the pressure of the injected gas and/or the operation of the valve 92 may be arranged so that the injected bubbles are larger or formed,, so that they persist within the jet.
  • the power supply 96 may be controlled so that the power provided by the induction coil 95 is greater, and micro-bubbles of larger diameter are formed to be entrained into the jet.
  • the needle may be used to inject micro-droplets of a liquid having different properties from the treatment fluid.
  • the needle 90 may inject microdroplets of a denser liquid such as a saline solution, or may inject a less dense liquid such as a light oil, in order to produce within the jet 8j regions of micro-droplets of the injected fluid.
  • Inputting of the data for the tool path memory is preferably performed using the input means 11, which may be a keyboard, a disk drive or a connection to a communications network such as a LAN or the Internet.
  • the tool path data may be computed or compiled at a remote location and sent to the apparatus via a communications link, to be stored in the tool path memory 130.
  • a treatment head may provide an array of fluid jets which impinge on the workpiece at the same position, or at a number of adjacent positions, to effect a treatment process on the workpiece.
  • the fluid jets may impinge on the surface at spaced locations.
  • both the treatment head 7 and the workpiece 5 may be immersed in a bath of the treatment fluid.
  • additional drag on the fluid exiting the passageway 72 reduces the speed in the jet 8j, and consequently the workpiece may have to be positioned closer to the tool head.
  • the inventors have discovered that by directing a jet including regions of different fluid properties onto a workpiece, the liquid as it spreads out over the surface of the workpiece is a more effective heat transfer medium for drawing heat out of the surface into the fluid, or transferring heat to the surface from the fluid.
  • the regions of different fluid properties within the jet give rise to the formation of vortices in the regions of the liquid near to the workpiece surface, and this mechanism increases the heat transfer between the fluid and the workpiece surface.
  • the apparatus illustrated in the Figures may thus be used for directing a jet of liquid onto the surface of a workpiece in order to transfer heat into or out of the workpiece.
  • the treatment fluid may in these cases be water, glycol, or a mixture of water and glycol or a dielectric solution.
  • the novel process was found to significantly increase material removal rate by a factor of up to 380%, as shown in the histogram of Table 1 below. Furthermore, the final surface roughness was maintained or even slightly improved, a result in sharp contrast with other FJP enhancement systems such as airbubble injection. In the macro-scale hypothesis, the increase in material removal rate is theorized to issue from additional erosive action of the abrasive particles due to vibrations of the body of slurry in the UFJP impigement zone.
  • Such vibrations may come from two related sources: (1) a fi:action of the acoustic pressure waves escaping the nozzle cavity through the outlet instead of being reflected, and (2) the generation of shock waves at the nozzle outlet due to the periodic switching between disparate densities and dynamic viscosities of the ejected fluid, in the form of slurry and slurry/micro-bubble mixture.
  • Table 6 below shows typical results of force measurements in the lateral and normal directions, after subtraction of the DC component. While almost no vibration of the force was detected in standard FJP, vibrations of magnitude 0.5 - 2.0 N were detected at all operational frequencies of the ultrasonic FJP system. The strongest vibrations were recorded at 22 kHz, which is also the frequency producing the strongest material removal boost (see Fig. 2 ). Spectral analysis of the signals by Fourier transform revealed a strong peak at 22 kHz when using the associated frequency. Peaks at 71 and 127 kHz were less pronounced, as these frequencies are beyond the specification range of the dynamometer used in this experiment. A low frequency peak at 50 Hz was detected in all measurements, including standard FJP, and is assumed to relate to pulsations of the slurry pressuring system.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Grinding And Polishing Of Tertiary Curved Surfaces And Surfaces With Complex Shapes (AREA)
  • Finish Polishing, Edge Sharpening, And Grinding By Specific Grinding Devices (AREA)
  • Processing Of Meat And Fish (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Perforating, Stamping-Out Or Severing By Means Other Than Cutting (AREA)

Claims (14)

  1. Appareil de traitement à jet de fluide, comprenant :
    un support (1) pour une pièce de travail (5) ;
    une tête de traitement (7) pour la production d'un jet de fluide (8j) ; et
    un dispositif pour diriger le jet de fluide sur des emplacements successifs sur la surface de la pièce de travail ;
    la tête de traitement comprenant un dispositif pour la production, dans le jet de fluide, de zones de fluide présentant différentes propriétés de densité et/ou viscosité, comprenant :
    une cavité (71) présentant un conduit d'entrée (77) par lequel du fluide (8) peut être introduit dans la cavité ;
    un passage de sortie (72) par lequel le fluide peut sortir de la cavité sous forme de jet ; et
    un générateur de vibration ultrasonique (75) pour la génération d'ondes de pression ultrasoniques (W) au sein du fluide ;
    caractérisé en ce que la cavité est conique, et son passage de sortie (72) est agencé axialement à l'extrémité plus étroite de la cavité conique (71), et le générateur de vibration ultrasonique est positionné à l'extrémité axiale plus grande de la cavité, le générateur de vibration ultrasonique comprenant une plaque de concentrateur (76) dont une face concave est tournée vers le passage de sortie pour concentrer les ondes sur un point focal (F) adjacent au passage de sortie (72).
  2. Appareil de traitement à jet de fluide selon la revendication 1, le générateur de vibration ultrasonique pouvant être utilisé de façon à causer la formation de bulles de cavitation (78) au sein de fluide, et leur passage le long du jet de fluide (8j).
  3. Appareil de traitement à jet de fluide selon la revendication 1, la cavité présentant une ou plusieurs fréquences de résonance, et le générateur de vibration ultrasonique étant adapté pour fonctionner à des fréquences auxquelles des ondes acoustiques « stationnaires » sont générées au sein de la cavité.
  4. Appareil de traitement à jet de fluide selon une quelconque des revendications 1 à 3, la tête de traitement étant configurée pour être maintenue suffisamment près de la pièce de travail pour que des bulles de cavitation dans le jet de fluide viennent heurter la surface de la pièce de travail.
  5. Outil de traitement à jet de fluide pour la génération d'un jet de fluide comprenant des zones de fluide présentant différentes propriétés de densité et/ou viscosité, comprenant :
    une tête de traitement pour la production d'un jet de fluide (8j) ; et
    un dispositif pour la production, dans le jet de fluide, de zones de fluide présentant différentes propriétés de densité et/ou viscosité, comprenant :
    une cavité (71) présentant un conduit d'entrée (77) par lequel du fluide (8) peut être introduit dans la cavité ;
    un passage de sortie (72) par lequel le fluide peut sortir de la cavité sous forme de jet ; et
    un générateur de vibration ultrasonique (75) pour la génération d'ondes de pression ultrasoniques au sein du fluide ;
    caractérisé en ce que la cavité est conique, et est dotée du passage de sortie (72) agencé axialement à l'extrémité plus étroite de la cavité conique (71), et le générateur de vibration ultrasonique (75) est positionné à l'extrémité axiale plus grande de la cavité, le générateur de vibration ultrasonique comprenant une plaque de concentrateur (76) dont une face concave est tournée vers le passage de sortie pour concentrer les ondes sur un point focal (F) adjacent au passage de sortie.
  6. Outil de traitement à jet de fluide selon la revendication 5, le générateur de vibration ultrasonique pouvant être utilisé pour appliquer des vibrations ultrasoniques sur un fluide dans la tête de traitement, de façon à causer périodiquement la formation de bulles de cavitation (78) au sein de fluide, et leur entraînement dans des zones du jet.
  7. Outil de traitement à jet de fluide selon la revendication 6, le générateur de vibration ultrasonique pouvant être utilisé à une ou plusieurs fréquences produisant des ondes acoustiques stationnaires au sein de la cavité.
  8. Procédé de traitement comprenant l'utilisation d'un appareil de traitement à jet de fluide selon une quelconque des revendications 1 à 4 pour diriger un jet de fluide sur une pièce de travail de façon à heurter la pièce de travail en une empreinte de traitement, le jet de fluide comprenant des zones de fluide présentant différentes propriétés de densité et/ou de viscosité.
  9. Procédé de traitement selon la revendication 8, des zones à densité réduite du fluide étant produites en générant ou en injectant des microbulles dans le fluide.
  10. Procédé de traitement selon la revendication 8 ou la revendication 9, des vibrations ultrasoniques étant appliquées dans le fluide.
  11. Procédé de traitement selon la revendication 10, des vibrations ultrasoniques étant appliquées à une fréquence et une puissance déterminant la formation de microbulles (78) par la cavitation dans le fluide (8) et leur entraînement dans le jet de fluide (8j).
  12. Procédé de traitement selon la revendication 11, les microbulles étant transportées par le jet de fluide jusqu'au point d'impact avec la pièce de travail.
  13. Procédé de traitement selon une quelconque des revendications 8 à 12, le fluide contenant des particules abrasives, et les microbulles ayant une taille similaire à celle des particules abrasives.
  14. Procédé de traitement selon une quelconque des revendications 10 à 13, le jet de fluide étant dirigé depuis le passage de sortie partant de la cavité au sein de l'outil, et la fréquence des vibrations ultrasoniques correspondant à une fréquence résonante de la cavité.
EP19718840.2A 2018-04-20 2019-04-15 Traitement de jet de fluide Active EP3787837B1 (fr)

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GB1806475.8A GB2573012A (en) 2018-04-20 2018-04-20 Fluid jet processing
PCT/GB2019/051069 WO2019202299A1 (fr) 2018-04-20 2019-04-15 Traitement de jet de fluide

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CN112008614A (zh) * 2020-08-27 2020-12-01 天津大学 一种超声空化辅助多喷嘴射流抛光装置及抛光方法
CN115213822B (zh) * 2022-08-11 2024-06-07 江苏大学 一种非淹没式超声空化辅助水射流喷嘴结构

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CA2035702C (fr) * 1991-02-05 1996-10-01 Mohan Vijay Jet cavitant ou pulse genere par ultrasons
DE4428791C1 (de) * 1994-08-13 1996-02-01 Mtu Muenchen Gmbh Verfahren und Vorrichtung zur Verdichtung und Verfestigung von metallischen Bauteiloberflächen
US6729339B1 (en) * 2002-06-28 2004-05-04 Lam Research Corporation Method and apparatus for cooling a resonator of a megasonic transducer
JP4449391B2 (ja) * 2003-09-29 2010-04-14 パナソニック株式会社 二流体ノズル
JP2007090201A (ja) * 2005-09-28 2007-04-12 Fujifilm Corp ディスクの洗浄装置及び洗浄方法
JP5656245B2 (ja) * 2010-06-17 2015-01-21 芝浦メカトロニクス株式会社 洗浄方法及び洗浄装置
JP2012170849A (ja) * 2011-02-18 2012-09-10 Panasonic Corp 微細気泡生成ノズル
JP5736615B2 (ja) * 2011-04-26 2015-06-17 国立大学法人大阪大学 基板の洗浄方法
JP6232212B2 (ja) * 2012-08-09 2017-11-15 芝浦メカトロニクス株式会社 洗浄液生成装置及び基板洗浄装置
KR101607521B1 (ko) * 2014-07-08 2016-03-31 세메스 주식회사 기판 처리 장치 및 방법
WO2016088731A1 (fr) * 2014-12-02 2016-06-09 シグマテクノロジー有限会社 Procédé de nettoyage et dispositif de nettoyage utilisant des micro/nano-bulles
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CN105057250B (zh) * 2015-08-07 2017-03-15 河海大学常州校区 换能器嵌入式强化空化射流清洗装置
JP6744618B2 (ja) * 2016-04-19 2020-08-19 不二越機械工業株式会社 ノズルおよびワーク研磨装置
US10836012B2 (en) * 2017-08-31 2020-11-17 The Boeing Company Method and apparatus for fluid cavitation abrasive surface finishing
CN208467936U (zh) * 2018-07-03 2019-02-05 昆山科森科技股份有限公司 用于医疗器械零件的毛刺去除装置

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TWI818980B (zh) 2023-10-21
TW201945127A (zh) 2019-12-01
WO2019202299A1 (fr) 2019-10-24
EP3787837A1 (fr) 2021-03-10
GB2573012A (en) 2019-10-23

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