What Effect Does Waterjet

Cleaning Have on the Surface?

Thirty Years Perspective

Lydia Frenzel
Advisory Council
San Marcos TX
www.advisorycouncil.org
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Change introduced by High Pressure
Waterjet Cleaning of coatings
 Refresher on the changes over the past 30
years (Water Blasting to Water Jetting)
 What I guessed and predicted in 1976
 We had a great tool-how could we use it
 The development of what we mean by a
“CLEAN SURFACE” today
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 References
 JPCL Ebook on Waterjetting
 Blogs by Dr. David A. Summers
– bittooth.blogspot.com (10 years of WJ blog)
– waterjetparts.com/h2o/blog/
 David Summers, “Waterjetting Technology”
 Andreas Momber, “Hydroblasting and
Coatings of Steel Structures”
 Paintsquare.com
 Advisorycouncil.org or flashrust.org
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 JPCL Webinars
• Joao Azevedo, Paint Manufacturer, 2014-11-25
Considerations for UHP WJ
• Peter Ault, Specifier, Inspector, 2014-09-02
Performance
• Richard Dupuy, Contractor, 2013-05-20,
Operations, Equipment
• Richard Burgess, Inspector, 2012-07-09
WaterJet Standards
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Clean means “Creating the situation
so a coating will perform as expected.”
What kind of surface do we need to
make the paint stick?
 What we mean by “clean” has changed over the
past 30 years.
 We used to think that “clean” was to make a
visual appearance with a profile.
 Now we understand that we can “clean” a surface
without changing the profile.

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 Dynamics- Abrasives Compared
to Water
 Solids hits from the TOP.
abrades-erodes-erases-moves metal around-gets
embedded- makes hackles
 Changes the profile- Always?
 Water drills into crevices and shears to the sides.
 Waterjetting can change the character of the surface
while the profile remains the same.

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John Keane, Surface Profile for Anti-Corrosion Paints
SSPC 74-01, 1976
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1970’s-1980’s
Abrasive blast

Normal
appearance for
clean steel

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Top view- abrasive blast

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Cross view- abrasive blast

Rust-Back

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Abrasive blast cleaning, multiple passes

Courtesy, Bill Hitzrot, Chesapeake Specialties, 1975 11

Change of profile with overblasting

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 White Metal -Abrasive Blast
Rust Back- White one day-
Black areas- formed overnight

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 Typical abrasive plowing of
surface
 Courtesy of High Pressure Waterjet Lab, Missouri Institute
of Science and Technology, Rolla. Dr. David Summers

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 What did we see in 1976-1980
for high pressure waterjetting?
Waterjet cleaned surface looked DIFFERENT
from an abrasive cleaned surface.
 10,000 psi (50-70 MPa) did not deliver
enough energy to surface to disrupt old rust
bond to surface.
 Appearance opposite to abrasive blast.
 Water wetted the entire surface.
 Surface turned blue to golden instantly.

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20,000 psi
140 MPa
(1983)
Dull gray.
Continue to
see “paint”
stain

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 140 MPa (20,000 psi)- Top view
pattern under corrosion
Sharp and
“clean”

Orginally rounded profile?

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 140 MPa (20,000 psi) Top View
pattern under corrosion.
The “profile” produced at the
beginning affects the future.

Originally
Angular grit
profile

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140 Mpa (20,000 psi) Side View
Waterjet Cleaning

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Flue gas scrubber which has
failed

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Abrasive Cleaning –very slow
Looks good underneath

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Waterjet (Fan Jet) is about 20 times faster.
Reveals that the entire surface is corroded.

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Cross section of flue gas
substrate after cleaning.

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Three basic “terms” of rust found in
standards
 Flash Rust is an oxidation of the steel that occurs as wetted carbon
steel dries OR rusting that occurs when a thin coat of waterborne paint is
applied over blast cleaned steel. Often looks like rust bloom.
 Rust-Back (rerusting) is rusting that occurs when freshly exposed,
dry, bare steel is exposed to conditions of high humidity, moisture, or a
corrosive atmosphere. It is the term used when steel cleaned by dry abrasive
blasting, power tools, or wet abrasive blasting begins to rust after the steel
surface has completely dried.
 Rust Bloom is somewhat uniform rust spread evenly over a large
section of the surface.
 Long term corrosion is not flash rusting.

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 You must get the energy to the surface
to disrupt the bond.

10,000 psi
20,000 psi

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1983, approximately 1/3 meter x 1/3 meter
Manually held fan jet. Appeared to be “instant” conversion
to inert golden color. Stays that way for days.

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The yellow- golden color is a “Thin Film” refraction.

Courtesy of Union of American Hebrew Congregation

Temple Israel WRJ, Colonial School for the Visually Impaired 27
 Light flash rust

USS Boxer, LHD 4 San Diego 2002

Courtesy: Y & T Consulting
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 Typical waterjet response
 Now let’s move to re-rusting on steel after
cleaning.
 Grade BC steel – cleaned January 1997 as
part of WJ standards preparation.
 Put over water in 2000.
Photo taken June 2006
 Still looks the same

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 Test- Wet Abrasive Blast

SB 1999-10-16 SB 1999-10-25

SB 1999-11-01 1999-11-11 1999-12-04

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 What happens to corrosion sites?
 Take panels from same source
 Blast one with abrasive
 Pressure wash one, followed by abrasive
 Blast one with UHP WJ
 Dry with compressed air
 Put inside over water. Leave alone.
 Observe.

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 Abrasive blast- 6 years
 Blasted 2000 to white metal. Placed over water.

Typical original May 2006

plate- 2000

1. 32
 WJ- cleaned in 2000-
placed over water.

June 2006 WJ Close UP

Water dripped on the surfate
left gelatinous rust

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AB steel –cleaned with UHP WJ- June 2006
 Stain
stayed
on.
Light
Flash
Rust.
2006-Nov

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 WJ plate re-cleaned June 2006
June 2006
Cleaned with
280 MPa
UHP WJ

After cleaning with

UHP WJ.
2006-Nov

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 Direct impact - side shear forces

Vertical
Velocity-
pressure

Horizontal-
Shear-
volume

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 Water Surface
Diagram - Roland Lever, 1995, NACE Infrastructure- Baltimore

Streamlines change direction due to spinning nozzle

Flexing Action
Impact Induced
Cohesion Erosion
Shear
Loading
Horizontal flow over irregular surface & rapid changes in flow direction
as nozzle spins & moves induces high shear loads at base of any protrusion
and high bending moments. 37
Thick abrasion-resistant nonskid.
Effect of pressure to drill through
coating

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Removal of coating from cabinet
uses mass-flow-hydraulic shear

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 Focused path of multi-orifice
rotating nozzle
 View of flat surface treatment using rotary
head equipped with two water nozzles

P. Borowski, 2005 WJTA Conf., Rotation Water Jet Kinematics; photo-G. Kuljian 40
 Wetting characteristics of surface
change significantly

WJ

Degreased
Degreased

McGaulley, W, Shepperson, W., & Berry, Fred, “Comparison of Secondary Surface

Preparation over Water Jetted Surface and Effect on Coatings Performance”, SSPC 2001
Conference
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 Waterjet peening

WJ cleaning
can influence
the energy of
the substrate
surface and
enhance
fatigue
strength.

Kunaporn, WJTA Proceedings 2001, 2003

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“Erosion of steel substrates when exposed to
Ultra-Pressure waterjet cleaning systems”
 Material (steel)
is eroded during .700
the first two
passes.
Subsequent
passes do not 1 2 3 6
.009 .017 .018 .018
remove more
material.
 DON’T let the
nozzle stop!
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Miller & Swenson, WJTA Proceedings, 1999
 Influence of depainting method on substrate
surface profile- WJTA, 2011

Original topography before coating

After paint stripping with grit- overblast

After paint stripping with WJ. Return to original profile 44

Profile. Bronze William Penn Statue
(Boot)- Philadelphia City Hall
Before Cleaning

After Cleaning

Photo courtesy of Rod Draughon- 1989 NACE Corrosion 119

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 Microscopic View
Bronze statute -white corrosion
UHP WJ can be used on “soft” metals.

Photo courtesy of Rod Draughon- 1989 NACE Corrosion 119

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Lawrence Crum, Univ of Wash, ACS
“Chemistry,” Summer, 2000, p. 20,
Sonochemistry

Cavitation near a solid surface can induce a microjet of

liquid that stream through the bubble upon implosion.
A 100 micron droplet can get into a 10 micron crack.
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 SonoChemistry
 www.scs.uiuc.edu/suslick, “The Chemistry of
UltraSound,” by Kenneth S. Suslick
 The time of impact is short – so power level
is high.

This is taking place

In some of the areas of
The nozzle stream.
The result- That
“instant” gold Color-
Increases chemical
Reactivity.
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 VanKuiken Patent
5,380,564 (1995)
Aluminum
 Grit Blast
 Thermal Spray Coating
Adhesion 3000 psi

 Waterjet
 10-75 micron profile
 Thermal Spray Coating
Adhesion 6000 PSI

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VanKuiken Patent 5,626,674 (1995)
Aluminum
50,000 psi (350 MPa) 1 gallon (3.8 liters) per minute

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 Surface roughening of metallic substrate
by high pressure pure waterjet
 350 MPa (50,000 psi) (Steel alloy Threshold
pressure)
 “Excellent bonding of a thermal spray overlay was
obtained with this surface preparation having an
absolutely clean interface.”
 …the detail of the eroded surface increases with
increasing magnification, suggest the waterjet erosion
produces a fractal surface. … granular features of
about 2 microns … rather micro-faceted.
Surface and Coatings Technology, Vol 76-77, p. 95-100, 1995
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 Profiles in Steel
 Abrasive created WaterJet created

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What makes a good surface for coatings?

 Molecular bonding- mechanical bonding

 Expansion of surface area increase the
number of potentially reactive sites…for
primary or secondary bonding.
 The thin, impermeable oxide layer that
immediately reforms on newly bared iron
surface is .. adherent and suitable as a
substrate for good adhesion.
C. Hare- JPCL 1996 -1999 series 53
 – Reassurance –
In order to erode steel in a system
that is set up for cleaning, you would
need approximately 150 times more
energy density than is normally
found in the 280 MPa (40,000 psi)
system.

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Clean means “Creating the situation
so a coating will perform as expected”
 What kind of surface do we need to make the
paint stick?
– Maximum surface area
– Maximum Wetting Properties
– Lack of Embedded Material
– Removal of non-visible- oil, grease, dirt, salt
 Are we looking for longevity or short term
– Asset management

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 Abrasive Cleaning and Pressurized
Water Cleaning are Two Different Tools
 Dry or Wet Abrasive WaterJet
 New and Repair Repair
 Makes new profile Exposes profile
under paint or corrosion
 Erases from the Top Shears at interface
 Looks Uniform Exposes all problems
 Cleans top, leave Gets into crevices,
material in crevices Could leave top
(stain) material
 NO Rust Back Allowed (Dry) Flash Rust allowed
 Flash Rust Allowed (Wet)

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What kind of surface do we need to
make the paint stick?

A high ratio of surface area to unit

planar area
Reactive sites over the entire surface
Excellent Wetting Properties
Lack of embedded material
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 Summary
 Over the past 30 years, we have changed our concept of what
type of surface we must achieve in order to be “clean.”
 Surface Preparation- Creating the situation so the coating will
perform as expected.
 We used to talk about the “process” (abrasive blasting) for a
clean surface.
 Now we talk about the end result-performance for a “clean”
surface.
 Around 1994- the industry had the “AHA” moment
– It’s waterjetting, not abrasive blasting.
 WJ has fundamentally changed our language and concept of
what is occurring at the surface and what we are trying to
achieve.

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 Where to use Waterjetting?

See JPCL, Dec., 2002, p. 57-65 59

 Automation
 Major chemical manufacturers are advocating
that hand-held waterjetting cleaning is
minimized.
 Equipment will be shown WJTA- IMCA Bi-
Annual Conference- November 2-4, 2015 New
Orleans
 www.wjtaimca2015.com
 YouTube videos and “Basics” slides from
WJTA 2013 are online.
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 Industry Best Practices for
Hydroblast Hose Assembly
Applications
 NAHAD Hose Safety Institute Whitepaper (2014):
 Safety First…the New Normal in High Pressure
Hydroblasting
 Color Coding of Hoses
 http://www.wjta.org/images/wjta/hydroblast_whitepa
per.pdf 

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 Slide of inside corner – outside
corner cleaning heads wt vaccuum

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Under development- reported in March, 2015-
Fast, smooth coatings removal

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Hand tools with surface-
detection sensors

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No trigger pressure, no tumble box,
electronic on-off;
ergonomic design-used in Europe

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Early Days

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 Cut resistant
clothing is becoming
more operator
friendly

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Modular Units and Coveralls

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Eliminate the shredded boot!

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 Any questions??
www.paintsquare.com

Grade D
Optimized removal Parameters
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