Home Forums General Discussion Shot Peening Process, Intensity, Coverage Media flow rate

Hi, does anyone have information on max. flowrates of steel shot or cut wire shot at given pressure and given nozzle diameter?
I am facing problems getting a stable media flow using 8 kg/min cut wire shot #23 (=0,8 mm) at 6 bar through a 6 mm nozzle. All machine settings are correct and media flow is stable until 4 kg/min. After increasing the flow, the flow starts to get unstable.

Any recommendations and/or info is welcome.

Marco,
Go to shotpeener.com and then "Learning". From there go to "Graphs/Charts/Tools. From there click on first entry under "Air Peening Applications". This document will give you some guidance on flow rates and air pressure etc.
Your alternative is to continue to experiment and note the maximum flow rate achievable for a given air pressure. The nozzle and hose size are also important factors to keep in mind.

Steel media is difficult to suspend evenly in blast hose over long distances. Steel media needs realitively high velocities to remain evenly suspended in blast hose. Sharp bends in blast hose causes coagulation of media and resulting flow problems. Smaller diameter hose will increase the velocity of the air and media reducing the uneven flow rates. It's best to use the shortest hose length with the shallowest bends possible.