Patent ID: 8522803

Claim:
A material-removal system operable to remove material from a surface, the material-removal system comprising: a plurality of fluid bars operable to direct a flow of high-pressure fluid toward a surface, said fluid bars being simultaneously rotatable about individual axes and overlapping one another during rotation, each of said plurality of fluid bars including a plurality of spray channels that are in fluid communication with spray nozzles provided a face of each fluid bar; and a drive mechanism operable to drive rotation of said fluid bars about said respective axes, said drive mechanism coordinating said rotation of said fluid bars such that rotation of said fluid bars is mechanically linked to one another, said drive mechanism includes a gear box assembly that comprises separate rotatable gears coupled to individual ones of the plurality of fluid bars and a drive gear, each of the separate rotatable gears and the drive gear being engaged together so that rotation of the drive gear effects rotation of the separate rotatable gears and the plurality of fluid bars so that adjacent ones of the plurality of fluid bars rotate in opposite directions, wherein each of the plurality of fluid bars has a center of rotation and a radius that extends from the center of rotation to opposite ends and a major portion of the radii of the fluid bars overlap one another when the plurality of fluid bars are rotated.