CRYSTALLINE ICE PARTICLE MIXTURE FOR OPTIMUM ICE BLAST SURFACE TREATMENT

摘要

A crystalline ice particle mixture for use in an ice blast nozzle (30) to achieve optimum surface treatment by air blasting, the ice particle mixture at a surface coating substrate comprises: i) individualized chips (100) having a consistent thickness in a Z dimension and variable length and with in an X and Y dimension. The Z dimension is selected from the range of 0.5 mm to 2 mm for a desired mixture and the X and Y dimensions varying in the range of 2 mm to 10 mm for any desired mixture of the selected Z particle dimension; ii) the ice particle (100) when blasted onto a substrate (90) being at a temperature near the melting point of ice to enable the ice particles to deform on impact against the substrate (90), such lateral plastic displacement of the particles effecting a scrubbing action on a substrate surface; iii) the particle mixture of variable size when blasted against the substrate (90) performs a combination of surface coating rupture and/or surface debris removal to optimize thereby surface treatment.