Product category:
Plant Inspection and Cleaning
News Release from: WRAP | Subject: Recycled glass grit
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 09 December 2005
US Army salutes UK recycled glass
initiative
The US Army has completed a major manoeuvre by switching to environmentally friendly grit blast media, made from recycled glass, at its Field Support Battalion base near Southampton
The US Army has completed a major manoeuvre by switching to environmentally friendly grit blast media, made from recycled glass, at its Field Support Battalion base near Southampton Glass grit, sourced from reprocessor Krysteline, is being used to refurbish military equipment - including land vehicles, generators and watercraft - at the site in Hythe after the army switched from using traditional copper slag
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 2 Mar 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Grit blasting involves abrasive particles being powered onto a surface using high pressure air and is often the fastest and most thorough means of cleaning, descaling, deburring and removing oxides or other surface contaminants.
The process is widely used in many industries, including aerospace, construction and transport.
In addition to helping environmental sustainability, the main benefits of recycled glass grit are that it is non-toxic, inert and does not cause respiratory or environmental problems.
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It contains negligible levels of chlorides and salts that can corrode clean surfaces and its residue being classed as a nuisance dust, rather than hazardous waste, means disposal costs can be lower.
The introduction of US Hazmat regulations, governing the use of hazardous materials, was another factor in the unit reconsidering its choice of abrasive.
Colin Buchanan, Paint Supervisor and Hazmat Officer at the US Army Field Battalion, said: "The unit has been particularly impressed that glass grit creates significantly less dust during the blasting process, which had been a problem for us in the past, and any it does generate is easily controlled.
Another benefit we have identified is that, in addition to complying with Hazmat regulations, the glass grit can be disposed of in a number of ways, without presenting an environmental hazard.
It has also proved more cost-effective than many of the alternative materials we investigated".
The eleven-acre army site offers facilities tailored for the maintenance, overhaul and storage of forward deployed combat equipment.
Many of the vehicles have suffered significant war damage, making it necessary to strip back all paint on the chassis and bodywork, to determine what metal damage has been caused.
Once stripped to bare metal, the parts are blasted with TruGrit recycled glass blast media in preparation for repairs and re-painting, in the appropriate camouflage colours, ready for release back into service.
Mr Buchanan said: "By sharing the results of the tests here, we hope to encourage other army sites across the world to consider switching to glass grit.
The benefits it offers in terms of cleanliness, ease of control, cost effectiveness and environmental performance all add up to make it an ideal product for blasting." At Hythe, two types of equipment are used during the blasting process, a standard shot blast system and a portable, lightweight blasting gun, which enables paint to be stripped layer-by-layer.
Currently the unit uses four tonnes of medium grade (0.75 - 1.5mm) glass grit every week, at a pressure of 200 psi.
Bronnie Allen, Materials Development Manager (Glass) at WRAP, said: "Recycled glass grit has been proved in the USA to achieve a suitable surface profile on steel for paints and coatings.
It has been used for cleaning many different surfaces very successfully in this country but, up to now, usually in environmentally sensitive locations, such as near watercourses.
We hope that trials such as this will prove the commercial and operational benefits of glass grit and encourage specifiers and contractors to use it more widely.
We're delighted that the US Army has made the decision to switch to the new medium and we hope others will sit up and take note of the benefits it has to offer".
Recycled glass is available manufactured to BSI PAS 102 specifications, meaning buyers can procure material confident it is fit for use.
Any companies interested in setting up a trial or learning more about recycled glass grit applications should contact Bronnie Allen at WRAP.
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