METHOD OF CLEANING SURFACE OF METALLIC ARTICLE IN ELECTROLYTE Russian patent published in 1998 - IPC

FIELD: metal working. SUBSTANCE: invention aims at treating metallic objects in electrolytes for degreasing surfaces and removing oxide films from metals, for example, iron oxides, hematite, magnetite, dross, etc. formed upon cold and hot rolling as well as on heat treatment and corrosion process. Method consists in continuously feeding alkaline electrolyte into interelectrode space onto surface to be cleaned, polarizing surface by applying potential difference between the object and electrode, formation, from electrolyte vapors and hydrogen, of gas-vapor layer near the surface being cleaned, and subsequent breakdown of this layer by micro-spark discharges caused by variation of interelectrode voltage. Thickness of this layer is confined within 0.3 -3 ml range using electrolyte-permeable porous gas-vapor layer localizing means. EFFECT: intensified process. 2 cl, 3 dwg