Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
pesticide mixtures, or for directing herbicide sprays up under plant canopies.
These tips are available in plastic, brass, or stainless steel.
Cluster nozzles
are used either without a boom or at the end of booms to
extend the effective swath width. One type is simply a large flooding deflector
nozzle which will spread spray droplets over a swath up to 70 feet wide from a
single nozzle tip. Cluster nozzles are a combination of a center-discharge and
two or more off-center-discharge fan nozzles. The spray droplets vary in size
from very small to very large, so drifting is a problem.
Coverage may be variable, because the spray pattern is not uniform.
Since no boom is required, these nozzles are particularly well suited for spraying
roadside hedgerows, fencerows, rights-of-way, and other inaccessible locations
where uniform coverage is not critical.
Cone pattern nozzles—Hollow and solid cone patterns are produced by
several types of nozzles. These patterns are used where penetration and cover-
age of plant foliage or other irregular targets are desired. They are most often
used to apply fungicides and insecticides to foliage, although some types are
used for broadcast soil applications of herbicides or fertilizers or combinations
of the two. When cone pattern nozzles are used for air blast sprayer broadcast
application, they should be angled to spray between 15º and 30º from the hori-
zontal and should be spaced to overlap up to 100 percent at the top of the
manifold. These tips are available in stainless steel, hardened stainless steel,
and tungsten carbide.
Figure 8.17
shows a typical cone pattern nozzel.
The side-entry hollow cone or "whirl-chamber" nozzle
produces a very
wide-angle hollow cone spray pattern at very low pressures. It has a large
opening and resists clogging. Because of the wide spray angle, the boom can
be operated in a low position, reducing drift. Spacing for double coverage and
angling 15º to 45º to the rear is recommended for uniform application. These
nozzles may be used in place of net fan nozzle tips in broadcast applications.
Core-insert cone nozzles
produce either a solid or hollow cone spray pat-
tern. They operate at moderate pressures and give a finely atomized spray.
They should not be used for wettable powders because of small passages
which tend to clog and wear rapidly due to abrasion.
Disc-core nozzles
produce a cone-shaped spray pattern which may be hol-
low or solid. The spray angle depends on the combination of disc and core
used and also, to some extent, on the pressure. Discs made of very hard mate-
rials resist abrasion well, so these nozzles are recommended for spraying wet-
table powders at high pressures.
Adjustable cone nozzles
change their spray angle from a wide cone pattern
to a solid stream when the nozzle collar is turned. Many manual sprayers are
