Do you know what a “Spray Bar” is? How about a “Thru-Shaft”?

Like any industry, we in the water blasting equipment manufacturing business use specialty terms (jargon) to describe novel components and ideology. The below is by no means a COMPLETE list of all terminology, but provides a list of common terms you should be aware of when discussing water blasting equipment and implementation.

Check back often, as we will expand this resource regularly.

Glossary of Waterblasting Terminology

1 Micron cartridge Filter – Traps smaller particles that may come from the clean water tank and pass through the charge pump

10 Micron Bag Filter – Traps larger particles that may come from the clean water tank and pass through the charge pump

100 Micron debris bag – Installed in debris tank on hooks to collect debris

Ball Valve –that allows for quick draining of the clean water tank or debris tank

Basic training course – 5 days of onsite training to operate and maintain the Stripe Hog unit

Bilge Box – box beneath the ultra-high pressure manifold that collects excess lubrication and cooling water

Bilge Pump – pumps or removes the water from the bilge box to the debris tank

Blast Head – sits at the end of the Hog Arm and holds the spray bar

Blower – Pulls airflow through the vacuum system

Brush Assembly – Attaches to the bottom of the shroud providing a partial seal between the blast head and the road surface to reduce the amount of debris and water exiting during Waterblasting operations

Brush Clamps – clamps to the shroud to adjust the brush height

Burst Rating – the psi at which a component will rupture

Bypass Valve – Located on the ultra-high pressure pump and used to manually adjust pressure

Cam lock Connector – installed at the end of each vacuum hose to secure the hose to the Stripe Hog

Castor Plate – Supports the hog head and prevents the spray bar from touching the ground

Cavitation – occurs when liquid is subjected to rapid changes of pressure that cause the formation of cavities. These cavities immediately implode.

Charge Pressure – Approximately 60 psi is regular operating pressure

Charge Pressure Gauge – digital gauge that displays the charge pressure in psi

Charge Pump – centrifugal pump that supplies water to the ultra-high pressure pump

Chassis – rectangular frame that holds the body and motor of the Stripe Hog

Clean Water level sensor – Sensor that reads the level of water in the clean water tank and indicates the information on the PLC

Clean Water Tank – Forward modular tank located on the rear of the chassis used to store the clean water supply to provide to the charge water pump, can hold 1000 US gallons

Cutoff Ball Valve – located inside the debris tank as a safety feature to stop the flow of vacuum if the tank becomes full

Danger Statement – Immediate hazards which will result in severe personal injury or death as well as product and property damage

Debris – scattered remains of something broken or destroyed; rubble or wreckage

Debris Tank – Collects all debris removed from the road surface through the vacuum hose

Dirt Shield – threaded stainless steel flat washer that protects the lower radial bearing of the thru shaft from dirt and debris

Diverter Valve – safety feature on the ultra-high pressure pump that recirculates water to the blast head or back to the clean water tank

Double blast head design – allows two heads to be mounted on the Hog Arm and operate Simultaneously

Dwell Time – The amount of time water is making contact with the surface

Felt Gasket – attaches to the dirt shield to protect the shroud from damage while the spray bar is rotating

Fill Connection – located on the driver side of the truck and accommodates large hoses to fill the water tank

Fill Hose – Hose used to connect to clean water source

Fill Valve – Valve that accommodates larger size hoses for filling the clean water tank

Flapper – installed on the top of the silencer to keep water and debris from entering the system

Float Mode – The ability of the Hog head assembly to float over uneven surfaces to avoid damage to the blast head

Forward Tank – tank on the truck chassis reserved for the clean water tank

GPM – Gallons per minute of water produced by the ultra-high pressure pump

Head Rotation Speed Dial – controls the speed of the blast heads when operating in manual mode

Hg – symbol for mercury, vacuum is measured in inches of mercury. Maximum vacuum is -7 psi

Hog Arm – Either 3-axis or 5-axis and controls the area of movement capable by the blast heads

Hog Head Assembly – Attaches to the front of the chassis and consists of the hog arm, spray bar, shroud, wheels and casters

Holding Tank – area below the debris tank that catches the recovered water that drains from the 100 micron debris bag

Hog Arm – Attaches to the chassis on the front bumper of the truck and holds the blast head(s). It can be a 3 or 5 axis hog arm

Impeller – The rotating part of the charge pump that moves the water

Inlet Port on debris tank – Receives airflow, water and debris from the vacuum hose connected to the shroud

Joystick Console – console in the cab of the truck that houses the joystick, start/stop button, head rotation speed dial, truck speed dial, and digital high pressure and charge pressure gauges, float and forward rocker switches.

Kunkle Valves – vacuum safety relief valve that opens when there is excessive vacuum

Lateral Water Blasting – The method of removal that employs a perpendicular cutting path on runways.

Linear Water Blasting – The method of removal that employs a parallel cutting path on runways. (lengthwise)

Manhole – opening on the top of each tank that provides convenient access to the interior of the tank. This should always remain locked.

Manual Bypass Valve – manual adjustment valve that releases small amounts of water back to the clean water tank to adjust pressure

Manual High pressure needle gauge – manual gauge that displays the operating pressure for the ultrahigh pressure pump

Maximum operating pressure – 40,000 psi

Metering Valve – controls the flow of water to the stuffing box

Notice Statement – operational or maintenance information to assist in achieving the maximum life expectancy from the components of the Ultra high pressure Waterblasting unit

Operational Charge pressure – 60,000 psi

OSHA – Government agency in the department of labor to maintain a safe and healthy work environment

PLC – Programmable logic controller located in the cab of the truck and displays digital information on the 5 systems of the truck

Potable Water – Water that is suitable for drinking

Pressure switch 1/2 – Controls the head rotation hydraulic coils, if the charge water pressure drops below 30 psi the pressure switch will stop the heads from spinning

Pressure switch 18/30 – Controls the Omsi clutch, if the charge water pressure drops below 30 psi the pressure switch will disengage the clutch on the Omsi

PSI – pounds per square inch, a unit of pressure

Restriction – limit the amount of water that can pass through a given area

Retaining hooks – hooks on the top inside of the debris tank used to hold the 100 micron debris bag

RPM – Revolutions per minute, the number of times the crankshaft of an engine or the shaft of a motor rotates in one minute

Rupture Disc – pressure relief device to protect equipment from over pressurization

Shroud – The stainless steel circular component that protects the Spray Head from debris. It comes in sizes varying from 8” to 36”

Shutoff Cartridge – Component of the diverter valve that shuts off the flow of water

Silencer – muffles the sound of the airflow being pulled through the blower

Site Tube – clear pipe on side of the clean water tank and debris tank that indicates the level of the water

Spray Bar – Rectangle stainless steel component that attaches to the blast head and holds the nozzles

Spray Bar protector – cover for the spray bar that shields the nozzles and spray bar from damage caused by debris during blasting operations

Standoff Distance – Distance from the spray bar to the surface

Stripe Hog – Ultra High Pressure Water Blasting equipment manufactured by Waterblasting Technologies to remove paint and rubber from road surfaces

Supply Valve – located between the clean water tank and the charge pump that is used to control the flow of water

Swivel Nut – locks the ultra-high pressure hose onto the thru shaft

Swivel Seal – utilized to create the ultra-high pressure seal needed for the ultra-high pressure hose connection

T-handle adjustment rod – used to manually adjust the castors and wheels on the Hog Head assembly

T-handle pin lock system – used on the 5-Axis Hog arm as a safety feature to prevent the Hog arm from drifting downward while the Stripe Hog is in drive mode

Thru Shaft – hydraulic thru shaft motor that connects and rotates the spray bar on the Hog head assembly

Two stage filter system – process of the water passing through 2 filters prior to reaching the ultra-high pressure pump to reduce debris in the system

Two Way “Y” Connector – splitter that allows the use of two hoses from one source

Ultra high pressure hose – hose rated at 40,000 psi that connects to the thru shaft and the ultra-high pressure pump

Ultra High pressure pump – UHP pump – piston type positive displacement pump

Uni-valve – separates the high and lower pressure water by allowing the low pressure water from the charge pump to enter the stuffing box and the ultra-high pressure water to flow into the ultrahigh pressure side of the manifold.

Vacuum Filter – Filter cartridge inside the filter canister that traps debris before going into the blower

Vacuum Hose – 4” hose connects to the shroud at the blast head to transport airflow to the debris tank. 6” vacuum hose draws airflow from the debris tank to the filter canister

Wear points – areas on the vacuum hose that may be weaker caused from the high velocity of debris travelling inside the hose