Hanger Hook Shot Blasting Machine for Steel Structure Cleaning
Steel structures are widely used in construction, bridges, wind energy, industrial plants, and offshore engineering due to their high strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness. However, during manufacturing, transportation, and storage, steel structures inevitably accumulate rust, oxide scale, welding slag, and oil stains. These contaminants not only affect the appearance of steel structures but also reduce their corrosion resistance and structural integrity, especially when exposed to harsh environments such as humidity, salt spray, or industrial fumes. The hanger hook shot blasting machine for steel structure cleaning is a specialized surface treatment equipment designed to address these issues, providing efficient, thorough, and uniform cleaning of steel structural components while preparing their surfaces for subsequent anti-corrosion treatments such as painting, galvanizing, or powder coating.
Unlike general shot blasting machines, this specialized equipment is engineered to accommodate the unique characteristics of steel structures—including large size, irregular shape, heavy weight, and varied surface configurations such as beams, columns, trusses, and connecting plates. The core design feature is its robust hanger hook system, which is capable of lifting and rotating steel structures to ensure 360-degree exposure to the shot blasting stream, eliminating cleaning blind spots. The hanger hooks are made of high-strength alloy steel经过 heat treatment to enhance load-bearing capacity, with each hook capable of supporting weights ranging from 1 ton to 50 tons, depending on the machine model. This allows the machine to handle small steel components such as connecting plates and large structural elements such as H-beams, box girders, and wind tower flanges with equal efficiency.
The shot blasting chamber of the machine is tailored to the dimensions of steel structures, with internal space ranging from 2m×2m×3m to 6m×6m×10m (length×width×height) for standard models, and customizable sizes for extra-large components. The chamber is constructed with thick steel plates (12-20mm) to withstand the impact of high-speed abrasives, and the inner walls are lined with wear-resistant manganese steel plates or rubber liners. These liners not only protect the chamber from abrasion but also reflect abrasives back toward the steel structure, improving cleaning efficiency and reducing abrasive waste. The chamber is equipped with large hydraulic or manual access doors to facilitate easy loading and unloading of steel structures, and the doors are sealed with high-performance gaskets to prevent abrasive leakage and dust emission during operation.
The shot blasting system of the machine is powerful and efficient, equipped with multiple high-power impellers (4-8 impellers, each with a power of 15-37kW) arranged in a circular array around the chamber. These impellers are made of high-chromium alloy steel, which offers exceptional wear resistance and can accelerate abrasives (steel shots, steel grit) to speeds of 70-90m/s. The high-impact force generated by the abrasives effectively removes rust, oxide scale, welding slag, and other contaminants from the steel structure surface, achieving a cleaning grade of Sa2.5 to Sa3.0 (in accordance with ISO 8501-1 standards)—the ideal surface condition for subsequent anti-corrosion coatings. The impellers are adjustable in angle, allowing operators to focus the blasting stream on hard-to-reach areas such as weld seams, corners, and recesses, ensuring thorough cleaning of complex steel structures.
To optimize the cleaning process for steel structures, the machine is equipped with an adjustable workpiece rotation system. The hanger hook is connected to a heavy-duty rotating shaft and drive mechanism, which enables the steel structure to rotate at a variable speed (0.5-5rpm). This rotation ensures that every surface of the steel structure—including the top, bottom, sides, and all irregular surfaces—is uniformly bombarded by abrasives. For long steel beams or trusses, the machine may also feature a translational mechanism that moves the hanger hook horizontally within the chamber, ensuring full coverage of elongated components. The combination of rotation and translation guarantees consistent cleaning results across the entire steel structure, avoiding uneven treatment that could compromise subsequent coating adhesion.
The abrasive recycling and dust collection system of the machine is scaled to handle the large volume of abrasives and dust generated during steel structure cleaning. The abrasive recycling system consists of a large-capacity screw conveyor, bucket elevator, and high-efficiency separator. Used abrasives and contaminants fall into the funnel-shaped bottom of the chamber, where the screw conveyor transports them to the bucket elevator. The elevator lifts the mixture to the separator, which uses a combination of air flow and magnetic separation to remove dust, rust, welding slag, and broken abrasives, returning clean abrasives to the impellers for reuse. This closed-loop system recycles over 95% of the abrasives, significantly reducing operational costs for large-scale steel structure cleaning projects.
The dust collection system is critical for maintaining a clean and safe working environment, especially when processing steel structures that generate large amounts of dust and debris. The system adopts a high-power pulse bag filter with a filtration area of 50-200m², capable of capturing over 99.8% of dust particles. The filter bags are made of high-temperature resistant, anti-static material to prevent clogging and ensure continuous dust removal efficiency. The collected dust is stored in a sealed bin for easy disposal, complying with strict environmental regulations such as EU CE standards and Chinese GB standards. This not only protects the health of operators but also prevents dust contamination of the surrounding environment.
In practical applications, the hanger hook shot blasting machine for steel structure cleaning plays a vital role in ensuring the longevity and safety of steel structures. For example, in bridge construction, it cleans steel girders and connecting components to remove rust and oxide scale, improving the adhesion of anti-corrosion coatings and extending the bridge’s service life to 50 years or more. In wind energy projects, it treats wind tower flanges and tower sections, ensuring they can withstand harsh outdoor conditions such as strong winds, rain, and salt spray. In industrial plant construction, it cleans steel columns, beams, and trusses, preparing their surfaces for fireproof coatings and ensuring compliance with building safety codes.
When operating the machine, several key considerations ensure optimal cleaning results. First, select the appropriate abrasive type and size based on the steel structure’s surface condition—steel grit is ideal for heavy rust and oxide scale removal, while steel shots are suitable for lighter cleaning and surface strengthening. Second, adjust the impeller speed and abrasive flow rate according to the thickness of contaminants and the desired cleaning grade. Third, ensure the steel structure is securely fastened to the hanger hook to prevent movement or slippage during rotation and blasting. Regular maintenance of the machine—including inspecting impeller blades for wear, cleaning the separator, and replacing filter bags—also ensures consistent performance and extends the machine’s service life.
In summary, the hanger hook shot blasting machine for steel structure cleaning is an indispensable piece of equipment in the steel structure manufacturing and construction industries. Its robust design, powerful shot blasting system, and efficient recycling capabilities enable thorough, uniform cleaning of steel structures, preparing them for subsequent anti-corrosion treatments and ensuring long-term structural integrity. As the demand for high-quality steel structures in infrastructure and energy projects continues to grow, this specialized machine will remain a key component in maintaining industry standards and project reliability.
