From 1985 to 1995, waterjet cleaning of reusable rocket motor hardware was accomplished using high flow (10 to 20 gpm), lower pressure (10,000 to 15,000 psi), fixed nozzle systems. Preliminary testing of ultra-pressure (40,000 psi), multi-orifice, rotary nozzle, waterjet systems showed significant improvement in removal rates for thin adhesives and paint systems. Prior to implementation of this new technology, testing was conducted to quantify erosion rates on steel substrates. This paper details erosion data from three different test plans and quantifies erosion rates of steel substrates when exposed to ultra-pressure waterjet cleaning systems. Data includes erosion rates from exposure to various possible failure modes of an automated cleaning system.
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