USBI IS DEVELOPING HIGH-PRESSURE WATER AS AN ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY TO REPLACE THE CURRENT CHEMICAL STRIPPING PROCESS FOR AIRCRAFT. A CRITICAL COMPONENT FOR THE HIGH-PRESSURE WATER PROCESS IS THE NOZZLE ASSEMBLY. AN EXTENSIVE EVALUATION OF BOTH COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE AND INHOUSE DESIGNED NOZZLE CONFIGURATIONS HAS BEEN DONE TO SELECT NOZZLES WHICH MEET THE STRINGENT PAINT STRIPPING REQUIREMENTS. THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF THE NOZZLE OPTIMIZATION WORK AND THE MATERIALS EVALUATIONS PERFORMED.
