Abstract:
This invention is directed to a cyclonic power system and method of using the system to clean flat surfaces. The cyclone power system includes a driven spindle that is mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis. There are a plurality of radially extending straight rod extending from the spindle. Curved blades are connected at one end to the spindle and at their other end to the free end of a straight rod. The centrifugal force, generated as a result of the rotation of the driven spindle is not effective to cause the straight rods, which are constructed of stainless steel, to lengthen and since the curved blades are connected to the straight rods, the centrifugal force is not effective to lengthen the curved blades. In an embodiment of the invention a perforated disc is secured to the bottom surface of the spindle and to the free ends of the straight rods. In this embodiment the water and debris is pulled up through the perforations in the disc. The perforated disc protects the rotary member from heavy projectiles that are lifted from the surface to be cleaned, adds to the stability to the rotary member and has eliminated of the need for the supports extending between the mid-portion of the curved blades and the straight rods. In addition to the above improvements the flow through the perforations in the disc is limited to the upward flow and once water laden with debris has passed through the perforations in the disc it remains above the disc and is swept to the discharge.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/663,243 filed Sep. 15, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,967, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/615,797 filed Mar. 14, 1996, now abandoned, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/343,193 filed Nov. 22, 1994, now abandoned, which is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/118,139 filed Sep. 8, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,976. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     2. Discussion of Background and Prior Art 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,976, and its divisional applications, disclosed a mobile cyclonic power wash machine that includes a water reclamation system and a rotary union that functions and has the structural integrity to survive in the operating environment of this machine. This machine operates at a rotary speed of about 2,000 rpm and water pressure of about 4,500 psi. Prior to the introduction of machines of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,976 (“the &#39;976 patent”), water dispensing cyclone surface cleaning machines operated at slower revolutionary speeds and lower pressures. The &#39;976 patent includes a vacuum system carried by the component carrying vehicle that functioned to retrieve water that had been sprayed on the surface to be cleaned along with debris from the surface. The vacuum retrieval system of this machine was satisfactory, however, it has low efficiency and does not retrieve all the water that is dispensed. Also, this machine was susceptible to damage from heavy retrieved objects such as stones and bolts. 
     The component carrying vehicle of the &#39;976 patent carried a water storage means for holding the water to be used for cleaning, a water pumping system for pumping and pressurizing the water from the storage means and a water heater for heating the water. Water from this storage means is pumped under pressure to the cyclone sprayer which sprayed the water onto the surface to be sprayed. The cyclone sprayer includes a mobile base and a handle to allow an operator to move the sprayer over the surface to be cleaned. The water and debris that is picked up by the vacuum retrieval system is directed to a water reclamation system that is carried by the component carrying vehicle. The water reclamation system included a filtration tank to which the vacuum source was connected. The filtration tank included a downward sloping receiving trough for catching large debris. At the lower end of the downward sloping trough, there is a screen through which the liquid passes into a settling tank that includes a series of cascading chambers. The water successively fills each chamber and then flows over to the next adjacent chamber, such that some debris and particles present in the water are deposited in the chamber and cleaner water is passed to the next chamber. The cleaned water from the last chamber is then transported to the water storage means where it is available for reuse by the cyclone sprayer. 
     The &#39;976 patent is hereby incorporated by reference as a part of this application. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,396 (“the &#39;396 patent”), which is a divisional application of the &#39;976 patent, discloses a rotary union through which water under high pressure can flow for sustained periods from a non-rotating conduit to a conduit rotating at high speed without developing leaks. 
     U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,601,659 and 5,718,015 disclose a method and apparatus for use with the machine of the type disclosed in the &#39;976 patent of placing a polypropylene filled bag in the chamber of the cascading settling tank for absorbing hydrocarbons suspended in or floating on the reclaimed water. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,298 (“the &#39;298 patent”), which issued on Oct. 27, 1998, discloses an improvement to the machine disclosed in the &#39;976 patent. The &#39;298 patent has replaced the vacuum system that retrieved water and debris with a power driven retrieval rotor having curved blades that functions as a fan to pick-up the water sprayed to the surface to be cleaned along with the debris from the surface being cleaned. The retrieved water is collected in a tank carried by the cyclone sprayer and a positive displacement pump, carried by the cyclone sprayer, functions to convey the retrieved material to the reclamation system carried by the component carrying vehicle. In the machine disclosed in the &#39;298 patent, centrifugal force developed by the high rotating speeds causes the curved blades to straighten and thus elongate. This causes the free ends of the blades to interfere with the disk-shaped shroud. Also, the curved blades were susceptible to damage by heavy debris, such as rocks and bolts, that was picked up by the driven rotor. 
     The &#39;298 patent is hereby incorporated by reference as a part of this application. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This application relates to a power wash and reclamation machine for cleaning flat surfaces. High pressure water is directed at the surface to be cleaned from nozzles located at the periphery of a rotating pick-up member that is mounted for rotation centrally of a disc-shaped housing of the cyclone sprayer. The periphery of the disc-shaped housing is formed with an annular channel. The cyclone sprayer includes a spindle formed from stainless steel that is mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis centrally thereof. A driven portion of the spindle extends through the disc-shaped housing such that it is located externally of and above the housing. A longitudinally extending bore is formed in the spindle from its upper driven portion toward its lower portion along the spindle&#39;s longitudinal axis. This longitudinally extending bore does not extend through the bottom end of the spindle. A power source is connected to the driven portion to rotate the spindle relative to the housing. The spindle includes a hub contained within the housing that is located at the lower portion of the spindle. There are a plurality of radially extending bores normal to the spindle&#39;s longitudinal axis formed in the hub. Some of these radially extending bores intersect with and open into the longitudinally extending bore of the spindle. The remainder of the radially extending bores stop short of the longitudinally extending bore and, thus, there is no fluid communication between these bores and the longitudinally extending bore. A straight rod is received in each of the radially extending bores, extends outwardly and terminates in the annular channel formed in the periphery of the housing. Curved blades are connected to the spindle hub and to the free end of a straight rod. The outer ends of the curved blades are shaped to closely fit into the annular channel formed in the housing. In a first embodiment, braces are provided at the mid-points of the curved blades that connect to the associated straight rod. The centrifugal force, generated as a result of the rotation of the rotating pick-up member, is not effective to cause the straight rods, which are constructed of stainless steel, to lengthen and, since the curved blades are connected to the straight rods, the centrifugal force is not effective to lengthen the curved blades. As a result, the expansion of the curved blades such that they would interfere with the peripheral edge of the housing has been eliminated. 
     In a second embodiment of Applicants&#39; invention, a perforated disc has been secured to the bottom surface of the spindle and to the free ends of the straight rods. The curved blades of the driven rotary member create a tremendous suction that lifts the water and debris from the surface to be cleaned. It was found that objects as large and heavy as man-hole covers were being lifted and colliding with the rotary member. This often damaged the rotary member and required repairs to maintain the efficiency of the system. In this embodiment, since the curved blades are located above the perforated disc, the water and debris is pulled up through the perforations in the disc. The disc is provided with openings that are aligned with the nozzles to permit the uninterrupted flow of water from the nozzles to the surface to be cleaned. The perforated disc was added to protect the rotary member from heavy projectiles that are lifted from the surface to be cleaned, and has succeeded in this intended function. However, in addition, the disc has added greatly to the stability to the rotary member and has eliminated the need for the supports extending between the mid-portion of the curved blades and the straight rods. In this embodiment, all rotary pick-up connections are made through screw threads and welded connections have been completely eliminated. This embodiment has greatly facilitated maintenance of the rotary pick-up member since there are now fewer parts and, as a result, disassembly and assembly can be done with simple tools and only damaged parts need be replaced. 
     In addition to the above improvements that are attributable to the perforated disc, a new and completely unexpected result has also been found. Without the rotary disc, some of the water and debris that was lifted by the rotary member was deflected back to the surface being cleaned. Some of the deflected material would be picked up a second time or multiple times, and some would be left on the surface that was being cleaned as the cyclone sprayer advances to new areas of the surface being cleaned. It has been found that the flow through the perforations in the disc is limited to the upward flow and once water ladened with debris has passed through the perforations in the disc, it remains above the disc and is swept to the discharge. The phenomena of the retrieved materials remaining above the perforated disc is a result of material that is deflected downwardly toward the perforated areas of the disc being deflected by the stream of material flowing upward through the perforated openings of the disc and causing it to impinge on the solid areas of the perforated disc. This deflected material then joins with deflected material that would have impinged on the non-perforated areas of the disc. The sum of this deflected material is decelerated as a result of being deflected and joins the centrifugal flow of material created by the curved blades of the rotary member. As a result, the percent of the water sprayed to the surface that is recovered is increased substantially and the efficiency of the rotary member with the perforated disc is considerably greater than a rotary member without the perforated disc. 
     In a third embodiment of Applicants&#39; invention, the perforated disc and the rotary curved blades have been cast as an integral unit. This embodiment enables a damaged rotor to be replaced at a worksite quickly and expediently by the operators of the equipment. This in the field repair entails nothing more than removing a single element and replacing the removed element with a spare unit that is carried with the equipment to the worksite. This is extremely important for the type of work that is performed with this equipment. Most clean up projects are performed when the area to be cleaned is either shut down for the clean up project or during off or non-working periods. It is important that the clean up project be completed in minimum times or by a specific time. As a result, long down periods for repairs cannot be tolerated and must be performed by the personnel who are operating the equipment. With this invention, a personnel operating the equipment in the field can make the repair in the field by simply removing and replacing the single unit cast rotor and disc  200 . 
     Applicants have found that, in the embodiments of this invention, in which a perforated disc is used, that the size, shape and pattern of the perforations are important. Applicants have used perforations that are shaped as circles and as slots. The slots are orientated such that they extend generally concentric to the center of the disc. The liquid flowing along the upper surface of the disc is flowing in a generally radial direction from the center of the disc toward the periphery. Thus, this orientation of the disc has the liquid flowing across the width of the slots rather than longitudinally of the slots. Applicants have found that half inch circles and slots having a half inch width perform excellent in most situations. However, when cleaning runways, the half inch perforations get plugged by crumb rubber balls picked up from the runway. This has been eliminated by increasing the diameter of the circular perforations and the width of the slots to one inch. The unexpected advantage of retaining a greater percentage of the liquid that is picked up has been retained and the plugging problem has been eliminated. 
     This invention has been found to be very useful around airports. In the loading and unloading areas, there is often oil and fuel, and other debris, including nuts and bolts spilled on the tarmac. It is important for the safety of the airport personnel, as well as passengers as they embark and egress aircraft, that these areas of the airport be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. It is also important that the runways be cleaned to avoid dangerous situations. When an aircraft touches down for a landing, the tires must instantly begin turning at a peripheral speed equal to the speed of the aircraft. While the tires are accelerating to reach this speed, they leave rubber deposits on the pavement much the same as a race car under extreme acceleration. Over time, this deposit build-up becomes very thick and, when wet, a dangerous situation exists. Airports must maintain a friction level on runways that will insure safe and skid-free landings regardless of the weather conditions. This rubber debris is called crumb rubber and, under some conditions, forms into small balls about the size of a marble. In a recent runway cleaning project, 55 gallon drums of crumb rubber weighing 6,500 pounds was collected from the runways. 
     A further use of Applicants&#39; reclamation machine is for recovering liquid that was not deposited by Applicants&#39; machine. One application of this use is to recover liquid that has been used to de-ice aircraft, such as ethylene glycol. This liquid is toxic and it is unlawful to permit it to drain into the sewer systems. Applicants&#39; machine has the capacity to pick-up the de-icing liquid quickly before it can drain to the sewer system. Another application of this use is to pick-up the standing water on athletic fields, such as football and baseball fields. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the power wash and the reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 1A is a plan view of the reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the power wash and reclamation machine taken along lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the spindle; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the spindle taken along lines  5 — 5  of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is an isolated exploded view of one of the arms; 
     FIG. 7 is an isolated view of one of the arms; 
     FIG. 8 is an isolated view of a straight rod on which a nozzle will be carried; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine that is similar to FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 10 is a bottom view of a perforated disc used in the second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 11 is a bottom view of the power wash and reclamation machine shown in FIG. 9 with the perforated disc removed; 
     FIG. 12 is a front view of the isolated spindle for the second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 13 is a top view of the spindle shown in FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the spindle shown in FIG. 11 taken along lines  14 — 14  of FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 15 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the hub portion of the spindle shown in FIG. 12 taken along lines  15 — 15  of FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 16 is a bottom view of a spray bar that is used in the second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 17 is a side view of the spray bar seen in FIG. 16; 
     FIG. 18 is a bottom view of a non-spray bar that is used in the second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 19 is a side view of the non-spray bar shown in FIG. 18; 
     FIG. 20 is a bottom view of a second embodiment of a perforated disc used in the second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 21 is a bottom view of a third embodiment of a perforated disc used in the second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 22 is a bottom view of a fourth embodiment of a perforated disc used in the second embodiment of the power wash and reclamation machine; 
     FIG. 23 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention in which the rotor and disc are a unitary casting; 
     FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of the housing shown in FIG. 23 with the upper and lower halves of the housing separated from each other; 
     FIG. 25 is a top perspective view of the unitary casting that includes the rotor and disc for the third embodiment; and 
     FIG. 26 is a bottom view of the disc portion of the unitary casting seen in FIG.  25 . 
     FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the stationary unit. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the power wash and reclamation machine  10 . As seen in this view, the machine  10  is supported on four ground engaging caster wheels  20 . The caster wheels  20  are secured to the ends of forward frame members  22  and rearward frame members  24 . A pair of fore and aft extending channel members  26 , see FIGS. 1A,  2  and  3 , interconnect the frame members  22  and  24 . In FIG. 1, a cowling  30  is carried on the top surface of frame members  22  and  24  and encases the channel members  26 , as well as the machine&#39;s drive mechanism. The cowling  30  is releasably connected to the channel members  26  and/or the frame members  22 ,  24 . 
     A generally disc-shaped housing  40  is carried by and extends downwardly from the channel members  26 . Portions of a handle  32  are shown in FIG. 1 which are provided for use with the walk behind embodiment of the machine. 
     FIG. 1A is a plan view of reclamation machine  10  with the cowling  30  removed. An engine or power source  11  is mounted on the channel members  26  through elongated slots  21  which enables the tension on the drive belt  16  to be adjusted. The engine  11  can be a gas internal combustion engine, a hydraulic motor, an electric motor or an air motor. A double drive pulley  12  is carried by the engine output shaft. One groove of the double drive pulley  12  receives the spindle drive belt  16  and the other groove receives the water pump drive belt  18 . A top bearing plate  13  extends transverse to and is secured to the channel members  26 . A top bearing  14  is mounted on the bearing plate  13  and receives the upper portion of spindle  60 . As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 9, lower spindle bearings  42  and  142  are secured to the upper outside surface of the disc-shaped housings  40  and  140  that receive a lower portion of spindles  60  and  160 . A drive pulley  15  is keyed to the spindle between the upper and lower bearings. The drive pulley  15 , carried by spindle  60 ,  160 , receives the spindle drive belt  16  which is driven by the drive pulley  12 . Tension on drive belt  16  can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the engine  11  through the engine adjustment slots  21 . The rotating pick-up members  50  and  150 , see FIGS. 2,  3  and  11 , are carried by the driven spindles  60 ,  160  that cause the recovered material to be discharged through discharge  41 . A water pump  17  is mounted on the rear frame member  24  that functions to pump the water and refuse that has been recovered by the reclamation machine  10  to the water reclamation system that is carried by the component carrying vehicle. A pump drive belt  18  is driven by the engine drive pulley  12  and provides rotary drive to the water pump  17 . A belt tensioning mechanism  19  is provided to adjust the tension in pump drive belt  18 . Not shown in this application but fully disclosed in the previously identified U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,298, is a tank carried by the cyclone sprayer that receives the reclaimed material from discharge  41 . A removable screen is supported within the tank below the discharge from discharge  41 . Large debris is collected on the upper surface of the removable screen and the remaining liquid and collected matter passes through the screen. Thus, the screen functions to remove large debris, such as nuts, bolts or nails, that could damage the pump  17  or other downstream mechanisms. The tank includes a sump pump that collects the filtered liquid and material which is discharged to the water reclamation system through a conduit that is connected to pump  17 . 
     FIG. 27 shows a stationary unit  80  that is used to cooperate and support the power wash and reclamation machine  10 . The stationary unit  80  has a receiving and recycling facility  81  that is connected to the power wash and reclamation machine  10  by a flexible conduit  89 . The flexible conduit  89  is connected to the discharge  41  (see FIG. 1A) of the power wash and reclamation machine  10 . Water and debris is conveyed from the power wash and reclamation machine  10  through the flexible conduit  89  to the receiving and recycling facility  81 . The recycled water is transferred from the receiving and recycling facility  81  to the water storage unit  86  that is also carried by the stationary unit  80 . Water from the water storage unit  86  is pressurized by a pump  87  and conveyed through a flexible conduit  51  to the rotary union  23  (see FIG. 3) of the power wash and reclamation machine  10 . A water heater  88  is carried by the stationary unit  80  and can be used to heat the water prior to it being conveyed through flexible conduit  51  to the power wash and reclamation machine  10 . 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the power wash and reclamation machine. The caster wheels  20 , forward and rearward frame members  22 ,  24 , channel members  26  and disc-shaped housing  40  are all visible in this view. The cowling  30  has not been shown in this view. The rotating pick-up member  50 , rotates in the direction indicated by arrow A, causing the retrieved material to be discharged through discharge member  41 . The rotating pick-up member  50  includes a spindle  60  that is formed from stainless steel and is mounted for rotation on the disc-shaped housing  40  about the spindle&#39;s longitudinal axis X—X. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, there are eight arms  52  carried by and extending outwardly from the spindle  60 . Each arm  52  includes a straight rod  54  that is secured to spindle  60  and extends normal to the longitudinal axis of the spindle and a curved blade  56 . The curved blades  56  are secured at one end to the spindle  60  and at their other end and centrally thereof to its associated straight rod  54 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 2, there are nozzles  58  on the free ends of two of the straight rods  54 . The two straight rods  54  that carry the nozzles  58  are hollow and are in fluid communication with a central or longitudinal bore  62  (see FIGS. 4 and 5) formed in the spindle. The free ends of the straight rods that carry the nozzles  58  are plugged. As shall be discussed in greater detail, water under high pressure flows through bore  62  in spindle  60  and the hollow straight rods  54  that carry the nozzles  58 , and is dispensed toward the ground through nozzles  58 . The straight rods  54  for the arms  52  that do not carry nozzles  56  could be hollow, but they need not be. The free ends of the straight rods  54  are formed such that they fit flush against the concave surface of the associated curved blades  56 . 
     The stainless steel spindle  60  of the rotating pick-up member  50  is mounted for rotation in bearing  42 , about its longitudinal axis X—X, centrally of the housing  40 . As best seen in FIG. 3, a lower bearing  42  is carried by the housing  40  which, in the preferred embodiment, is connected to housing  40  by countersunk bolts. As seen in FIGS. 1A and 3, spindle  60  is also carried by an upper bearing  14  that is secured to the upper bearing plate  13 . A driven portion  61  of the spindle  60  extends upwardly through the housing  40  such that it is located externally of and above the housing  40 . A longitudinally extending bore  62  is formed in the spindle from its upper driven end toward its lower portion along the spindle&#39;s longitudinal axis X—X. This longitudinally extending bore  62  does not open through the bottom end of the spindle  60 . A power source  11  is connected to the driven portion to rotate the spindle relative to the housing. 
     A rotary union  23  is connected to the uppermost portion of the spindle  60 . The rotary union  23  is connected to the source of water that is to be dispensed through the nozzles  58 . The source of the water is not rotating and the spindle  60  is rotating at a high speed. Also, the water is at high pressure and can be at an elevated temperature. The rotary union  23  must have the capability to allow water at high pressure and temperature to flow from the non-rotating source to the spindle that is rotating at high speeds. Reference is hereby made to the &#39;396 patent that discloses a rotary union of this type. The &#39;396 patent is hereby included by reference as a part of this disclosure, A brush seal  44  is shown in FIG. 3 that is secured to the housing  40  along its lower edge. Seal  44  functions to curtail the flow of air from outside the housing  40  into the interior of housing  40 . This allows a vacuum to be created within the hollow of housing  40  which enhances the ability of the system to pick up debris that lies in housing  40 . The brush seal  44  accommodates unevenness in the surface being cleaned. It should be noted that, although seal  44  is not shown in FIG. 1, Applicants&#39; preferred embodiment includes this feature. 
     The spindle includes a hub  64  that is located at the lower portion of the spindle contained within the housing  40 . There are a plurality of radially extending bores  65 ,  66  that are normal to the spindle&#39;s longitudinal axis X—X, formed in the hub  64 . As best seen in FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of the spindle, taken along lines  5 — 5  of FIG. 4, some of the radially extending bores  65  intersect with and communicate with the longitudinally extending bore  62 . Also, as best seen in FIG. 5, the remainder of the radially extending bores  66  stop short of the longitudinally extending bore  62  and, thus, there is no communication between these bores  66  and longitudinally extending bore  62 . The straight rods  54  that carry the nozzles  58  are inserted into the bores  65  such that the hollow rods  54  are in fluid communication with a central bore  62  formed in the spindle  60 . As a result, water, under high pressure, flows through bore  62  into the hollow straight rods  54  and is discharged through the nozzles  58 . The straight rods  54  that do not carry nozzles  58  are inserted in the bores  66  which are not in fluid communication with the spindle bore  62 . All of the straight rods  54  are releasably secured in the bores  65  and  66  by set screws  59  that are received in apertures  67  formed in the hub  64  of the spindle  60 . 
     The spindle  60  has an upper flange  68  and a lower flange  69  for each of the arms  52 . As shall be further discussed, fastening means  70 , such as nuts and bolts, secure the curved blades  56  to the hub  64  of the spindle  60  through holes  71  formed in flanges  68  and  69 . 
     FIG. 6 is an exploded view of one of the arms  52  as seen from the back. As the rotary pick-up member  50  rotates, the surface of the curved blade  56 , seen in this view, is the trailing surface and the surface not seen is the leading surface. A pair of apertures  72  are formed in the central end of the curved blade that align with the holes  71  formed in flanges  68  and  69 . Fastening means  70  pass through the aligned apertures and holes to thus secure the curved blade to the spindle  60 . A central aperture  73  and a free end aperture  74  are formed in the curved blade for the purpose of connecting the curved blade to the straight rod  54 . A fastening means,  75  such as nuts and bolts, pass through apertures  73  and  74  to secure the curved blade  56  to the straight rod  54 . 
     At the central portion of the straight rod  54 , a hole is bored and a hollow tube  76  that extends through the bore is welded to the straight rod  54 . The free end of the straight rod  54  is machined on one side such that it fits flush with the curved surface of the curved blade  56 . A hole is bored in the free end of the straight rod  54  and a hollow tube  77  is welded to the straight rod  54 . The end of the hollow tube  77  that abuts the curved surface of the curved blade  56  is machined to fit flush against the blade&#39;s curved surface. The fastening means  75  extends through hollow tubes  76  and  77  and the aligned apertures  73 ,  74  to thus secure the curved blade  56  to the straight rod  54 . The central end  78  of the straight rod is inserted in bore  66  formed in the hub  64  of the spindle  60 . A hole  79  is formed in the central end  78  of the straight rod that aligns with the tapped apertures  67  formed in the hub  64  of the spindle. A set screw  59 , that is received in the tapped apertures  67 , extends through the hole  79  to positively lock the straight rod  54  to the spindle  60 . 
     As seen in FIG. 7, the straight rod  54 , seen in FIG. 6, has been secured to the curved blade  56  by the fastening means  75  that extend through the hollow tubes  76  and  77 . Considerable torque can be applied to the fastening means  75  without placing stress on the straight rod  54  or tending to collapse it since the pressure is borne by the tubes  76  and  77 . 
     FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a straight rod  54  that will carry a nozzle  58 . Since water under high pressure will flow through this straight rod  54 , its free end has been plugged by welding a solid rod  82  to its free end. As previously stated, the free ends of the straight rods  54  are formed such that they fit flush against the concave surface of the associated curved blades  56 . In this view, the formed surface is seen and has been identified as  83 . In this version of the straight rod  54 , the formed surface is formed on the solid rod  82 . A short tube  84  is welded to the straight rod  54  adjacent its free end. Short tube  84  has internal threads formed therein for reception of the nozzle  58 . The hollow tube  76  in this version of the straight rod  54  is identical, as is the straight rod that does not carry a nozzle. The central end of this straight rod  54  includes a hole  79  for receiving a set screw  59 . There is shown in this view an annular rubber seal  90  that is placed in the bore  65  that receives the straight rods through which high pressure water is dispersed. The end of the straight rod is then inserted into the bore  65  and secured by a set screw  59  from the bottom of the spindle  60 . This design allows a damaged straight rod  54  to be replaced without removing the spindle  60 . The seal  90  can withstand pressures up to 4,000 psi. A tube  85  extends transverse to the longitudinal axis of straight rod  54  at the hole  79  to prevent the loss of water through hole  79  and to prevent the stressing of the straight rod  54 . 
     The curved blades  56  of the rotating pick-up member  50  create a tremendous updraft that recovers the water that has been dispensed through the nozzles  58 , as well as any debris from the surface to be cleaned. This retrieved material moves outwardly as a result of the centrifugal force acting upon it. As the retrieved material reaches the outer free ends of the curved blades  56 , it is confined to the annular channel formed along the periphery of housing  40 . The free ends of curved blades  56  are shaped to closely follow the shape of the annular channel  43 . The retrieved material is retained by the leading surface of the curved blades  56  and the annular channel  43 . When the retained material reaches the discharge  41 , it exits the housing  40 . The discharge  41  is connected by a conduit to the pump  17  which provides the necessary power to quickly discharge the retrieved material from the housing and to eliminate resistance to retrieved material exiting the housing. 
     A second embodiment of Applicants&#39; power wash and reclamation machine is shown in FIGS. 9 through 19. This embodiment is similar to the first embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 1 through 8 but has several important improvements over the first embodiment. In this embodiment, all welding has been eliminated in the assembly of the rotating pick-up member. As a result, when it is necessary to repair or rebuild the rotor, only the damaged part must be replaced and, thus, most of the replacement parts are nuts and bolts. Since all nuts and bolts used in the assembly are standard off the shelf items, this has reduced the cost of repair and rebuilding considerable. This has also reduced the required hardware inventory by over 60%. 
     Another significant improvement of the second embodiment over the first embodiment is the provision of a perforated disk to the bottom of the rotor. The perforated disk was initially applied to the bottom of the rotor to prevent debris such as nuts, bolts and sewer and manhole covers from being sucked up into the machine and destroying the rotating blades and bars. However, it was discovered that as a result of securing the free ends of the blade-bar assemblies to the disc, that the structural integrity of the entire rotor assembly has been greatly improved. However, an even more important and completely unexpected result has been discovered as a result of securing the perforated disc to the bottom of the rotor. The rotating blades force material out the discharge outlet and create a vacuum which causes water and debris to be lifted from the ground surface, spun around and discharged through the discharge outlet. Without the disc, some of the water and debris bounced back or fell as a result of gravity before it reached the discharge outlet. As a result, without the disc, less than all of the liquid and debris that was initially picked up was actually discharged. The liquid and debris that fell back to the surface being cleaned would be picked up a second or third time and would eventually be discharged. Applicants have found that, with the disc, the liquid and debris carried by the liquid flows along the upper surface of the disc bridging and detouring around the apertures formed in the disc and the efficiency of the power wash and reclamation machine has been significantly increased. 
     There is shown in FIG. 9 a cross-section view of the second embodiment of Applicants&#39; power wash and reclamation machine. A generally disc-shaped housing  140 , similar to housing  40  in the first embodiment, is carried by and extends downwardly from the channel or frame members as is disclosed in the first embodiment. A spindle  160 , similar but not identical to spindle  60  of the first embodiment, is supported for rotation on housing  140  by a bearing  142 . A rotor having eight arms  152  each comprised of a curved blade  156  and a straight rod  154  is disclosed, however the specific number of arms could be greater or less than eight. The curved blades  156  are essentially the same as curved blade  56  illustrated in FIG. 6 except that the central aperture has been eliminated. In this embodiment, two of the arms  152  carry nozzles  158  at their outer extremity for dispensing liquid to the surface to be cleaned. In FIG. 9, the two arms  152  that carry nozzles  158  are seen. The curved blades  156  are not shown in FIG. 9 but are shown in FIG. 11. A central bore  162 , through which liquid flows to the nozzles  158 , is formed in spindle  160 . Each of the arms  152  has a stand-off member  153  secured thereto. The stand-off members  153  extend downward and are tapped at  155  to receive bolts for securing the disc  175  to the rods  154 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 11, a plurality of tapped holes  176  are formed in the bottom surface of the spindle and function to receive bolts that mount the disc  175  to the spindle. 
     The un-mounted disc  175  is shown in FIG.  10 . In addition to the pattern of perforations  177  formed in disc  175 , there are two openings  178  through which the nozzles  158  dispense liquid and an elongated or slotted opening  179  for each of the arms  152 . To assemble the disc  175  on the rotor, dowels can be placed in the tapped holes  155  and  176  for aligning the disc with the spindle  160  and straight rods  154 . As the dowels are removed, they are replaced with bolts which secure the disc  175  to the bottom surface of the rotor. In the preferred embodiment of Applicants&#39; machine, this disc has a diameter of 34.625 inches. However, it should be understood that this dimension is not critical to Applicants&#39; invention, and machines designed to use discs of greater or lesser diameter can be built without departing from Applicants&#39; invention. The pattern of perforations  177  is formed to provide an approximate equal spacing between openings over the surface of the disc. There are over 300 perforations in the disc, and if the diameter of these openings is ½ inch, then the total open area of the disc is about 8% of the total area of the disc  175 . When the diameter of the opening is increased to 1 inch, then the total open area of disc is about 30%. 
     The spindle  160  of the rotating pick-up member  150  is formed from stainless steel and is mounted for rotation in bearing  142  about its longitudinal axis centrally of the housing  140 . Bearing  142  is carried by the housing  140 . Spindle  160  is driven in the same manner as discussed for spindle  60 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 12-15, the spindle  160  will be discussed. A longitudinally extending bore  162  is formed in the spindle extending from its upper driven end toward its lower portion along the spindle&#39;s longitudinal axis. This longitudinally extending bore  162  does not open through the bottom end of the spindle  160 . The spindle includes a hub  164  that is located at the lower portion of the spindle  160  contained within the housing  140 . There are a plurality of radially extending bores  165 ,  166  that are normal to the spindle&#39;s longitudinal axis formed in the hub  164 . As best seen in FIG. 14, a cross-sectional view of the spindle, taken along lines  14 — 14  of FIG. 13, some of the radially extending bores  165 , intersect with and communicate with the longitudinally extending bore  162 . Also, as best seen in FIG. 15, the remainder of the radially extending bores  166  stop short of the longitudinally extending bore  162  and, thus, there is no fluid communication between these bores  166  and longitudinally extending bore  162 . The straight rods  154  that carry the nozzles  158  are inserted into the bores  165  such that the hollow rods  154  are in fluid communication with a central bore  162  formed in the spindle  160 . As a result, water under high pressure flows through bore  162  into the hollow straight rods  154  and is discharged through the nozzles  158 . The radially extending bores  165  and  166  are provided with internal threads for the reception of rods  154  that have complementary threads. 
     The spindle  160  has upper flange  188  and a lower flange  189  for each of the arms  152 . As shall be further discussed, fastening means  174 , such as nuts and bolts, secure the curved blades  156  to the hub  164  of the spindle  160  through holes  190  formed in flanges  188  and  189 . 
     Referring now to FIGS. 16 through 19, the rods  154  and the mechanisms for securing them to the spindle  160  will be discussed. 
     FIG. 16 is a bottom view and FIG. 17 is a side view of a spray bar which is one of the straight rods  154  that carries a nozzle  158 . The straight rod  154  is hollow, as indicated at  159 , and includes a solid metal plug  151  that closes the left-hand end, as seen in FIGS. 16 and 17. A hollow tube  157  is secured to straight rod  154  over the hollow portion  159  adjacent to the solid metal plug  151 . A hole is drilled in the straight rod  154  to provide fluid communication between the hollow tube  157  and the hollow  159  of the straight rod  154 . The free end of the hollow tube  157  is tapped to receive the nozzle or jet  158 . The free end of plug  151  is machined at an angle of about 60° to form a surface that will fit flush along the trailing surface of a curved blade  156 . An aperture  161  is formed through this surface that will receive a fastening mechanism, such as a nut and bolt, for connecting the free end of the curved blade  156  to the straight rod  154 . The end of straight rod  154  that is secured to the hub  164  is provided with a first machine threaded portion  167  that will mesh with the threads formed in the radially extending bores  165 . A second machine threaded portion  168  is formed on the straight rod  154  that is spaced from the first machine threaded portion  167  by a groove  163 . As best seen in FIG. 14, a radius groove  169  and a flat seat  170  are machined in the hub  164  at the opening of the radially extending bores  165 . 
     The following process is followed to secure a spray bar  154  and associated curved blade  156  to the hub  164 . The curved blade  156  is secured to the upper and lower flanges  188  and  189  by fasteners such as nuts and bolts that extend through apertures  72  in the blade and holes  190  formed in flanges  188  and  189 . A jam nut  171 , (see FIG. 9) is threaded over the first and second threaded portions  167  and  168  all the way to the end of the second threaded portion  168 . Then a flat washer is placed over the threaded end of the spray bar  154  such that it is up against the jam nut  171 . Then an O-ring is rolled on to the threaded end of the spray bar until it sits in the groove  163 . The spray bar  154  is then threaded into the radially extending bore  165  as far as it will go and is then backed off a small amount. This causes the O-ring to sit in the radius groove  169  and the flat washer to be flush with the flat seat  170 . The free end of the curved blade  156  is then secured to the free end of the spray bar  154  by fasteners that extend through the free end aperture  74  in the blade  156  and the aperture  161  formed in the plug  151 . The jam nut  171  that had been backed off is now tightened which functions to compress the O-ring in the radius groove  169  and lock the rod  154  to the hub  164 . This connection forms a fluid seal that will prevent the high pressure fluid from leaking through the threaded connection of the rod  154  to the hub  164 . Also when the spray bar is thus secured to the hub  164 , the stand-off member  153  and the nozzle or jet  158  are properly located and will be aligned with the disc  175  when it is mounted. 
     FIG. 18 is a bottom view and FIG. 19 is a side view of one of the straight rods  154  that does not carry a nozzle  158 . Although this rod is shown as hollow, it could be made as a solid member. The rod is cut at an angle of about 60° at the left-hand end, as seen in FIGS. 16 and 17, so that this end will be flush with the following surface of its associated curved blade  156 . Provided this rod is hollow, a short hollow tube  172  receives a fastening mechanism such as a nut and bolt for securing the free end of rod  154  to its associated curved blade  156 . Without the hollow tube  172 , this could collapse the end of the rod  154 . A threaded portion  173  is provided at the end of straight rod  154  that is connected to the hub  164 . 
     The same procedure is followed to secure a straight bar  154  that does not carry a nozzle or jet  158  and associated curved blade  156  to the hub  14  as for the bars that carry the nozzle or jet except that the O-ring is not used. 
     Applicants&#39; have found the results of using a disc having the perforation pattern  177  as illustrated in FIG. 10 to be excellent in most situations. However, they have found that in some situations, some of the perforations in this disc become plugged. In an effort to find other perforation patterns that may overcome this problem, Applicants have modified the pattern shown in FIG. 10. A first modification having a perforation pattern  180  is shown in FIG.  20 . In this modification, some of the apertures within some of the concentric circles are expanded into elongated slots  181 . The liquid that has been recovered through the perforations and slots travels in a generally radial direction toward the periphery of the disc and then to the discharge port  41 . Since the slots  181  extend generally normal to the direction that the liquid travels, the liquid has sufficient momentum to span the width of the slots and not return to the surface being cleaned. When the apertures in this disc have a diameter of ½ inch and the slots have a width of ½ inch, the total open area of this disc is about 10% of the total surface area of the disc. If the diameter of the perforation and the width of the slots are increased to 1 inch, the open area of the disc would be about 34%. 
     Another disc embodiment having a perforation pattern  182  is shown in FIG.  21 . In this pattern  182 , there are seven concentric circles each of which is formed of eight slots  183 . All of the slots  183  have a width of ½ inch. The slots  183  in the largest concentric circle are, of course, the longest, and the slots  183  become progressively smaller as you move to the smallest concentric circle. The total open area of this disc is about 25% of the total disc area. 
     Plugging was experienced in both the disc having ½ inch perforation and slots shown in FIG.  20  and FIG. 21 when cleaning crumb rubber from airport runways. It was found that the crumb rubber forms into spherical shapes having a diameter of about ½ inch. These spherical balls were found to wedge in both the ½ inch apertures and the ½ inch slots, thus plugging the openings. 
     A disc having the perforation pattern  184  in which all the slots  185  are 1 inch wide was developed and is shown in FIG.  22 . This disc has seven concentric circles formed by slots  185  that are 1 inch in width and are of various lengths. The slots are arranged such that the recovered liquid that is traveling outwardly in a generally radial direction on the upper surface of the disc will rarely encounter a slot in all of the concentric circles. This perforation pattern  184  has provided excellent results particularly when cleaning runways of crumb rubber. The balls of crumb rubber were able to pass through these wider slots. This disc has a total open area of about 43% of the total disc. It has been found that the advantage of maintaining the water and debris that has been sucked up through the openings on the upper surface of the disc is retained with this disc having an open area in excess of 40%. 
     Discs with perforations greater than 1 inch are currently being fabricated that will have an open area in excess of 60%. 
     FIG. 23 is a top perspective view of the housing  340  for a third embodiment of Applicants&#39; invention in which the rotor and disc are formed as a unitary casting  200 . In this view, the housing  340  has two discharge ports  241 . However, the housing  340  of this embodiment could have either a single or double discharge port. The double port feature illustrated in this view could also be utilized in the first or second embodiment. 
     As best seen in FIG. 24, housing  340  includes two parts that are separated along a horizontal plane to allow the lower half  342  to be separated from the upper half  343 . In this view, the lower half  342  has been separated from the upper half to better illustrate how the lower half  342  can be removed. Fastening mechanisms, which can be in the form of several sets of tapped holes  345  formed in the lower half  342  that receive threaded bolts  344  that are rotatably carried in apertures formed in the upper half  343 , are provided to allow the lower half  342  to be secured to and removed from the upper half  343 . When the halves  342  and  343  are secured together, they provide an annular channel  346  along their periphery. It is necessary to remove the lower half  342  to remove and replace the unitary cast rotor and disc  200  because the rounded ends of the curved blades  204  extend into the annular channel  346 . 
     FIG. 25 is a top perspective view of the unitary casting  200  that includes both curved blades  204  and a flat perforated disc portion for the third embodiment shown in FIGS. 23 and 24. In this embodiment, the element previously referred to as the hub portion of the spindle is now cast as an integral part  208  of the curved blades  204  and the perforated disc  202 . The straight bars  54 ,  154  that were elements of the first and second embodiments have been eliminated. The elimination of the straight bars  54 ,  154  is possible as a result of the additional structural strength that has been provided to the curved blades as a result of their being integral with the perforated disc and the hub portion  208 . This casting could be aluminum, a polymeric material or ferrous metal. The combined cast rotor and disc  200  includes a perforated disc portion  202 , a plurality of curved blades  204 , two generally radial extending water conduits  206  that communicate with a source of water under pressure in the hub portion  208 . The free ends of the water conduits  206  have openings  207  that receive nozzles or jets that function to direct the water toward the surface to be cleaned. The hub portion  208  is mounted on a driven spindle  210 . As in the previous embodiments, the driven spindle  210  is driven by a power mechanism such as the engine  11  seen in FIG.  1 A. The driven spindle  210  has a downwardly extending bore through which high pressure water that can be at an elevated temperature flows through radial openings  212  formed in the driven spindle  210  that are aligned with the generally radial extending water conduits  206 . 
     This embodiment provides a mechanism that can be quickly and expediently repaired in the field by simply removing and replacing the unitary cast rotor and disc  200 . 
     A special perforation pattern  212  has been developed for this combined cast rotor and disc  200  in which there are no perforations in the portions of the disc where the curved blades extend from the disc. This pattern is shown in FIG. 25, as well as in the bottom view FIG. 26 of this disc portion. When the slots  213  for this disc are 1 inch wide, this disc has an open area of about 34%. 
     The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment and the best mode of the invention known to Applicants at the time of filing this application has been presented for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings. These embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims that are appended hereto.