Patent GB-1299745-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to friction welding
Inventor: WATSON GEOFFREY WALTER
IPC: B23K20/12
Filed: 1970-04-17
Abstract: 1299745 Welding by pressure A I WELDERS Ltd 19 April 1971 [17 April 1970] 18543/70 Heading B3R A friction welder comprises a headstock and a tailstock constituting supports for a first work-holder and a second work-holder respectively, means for advancing one support towards the other, means for rotating one of the workholders, means to hold the support on which the advancing means acts against movement away from the other support during forging and means to convert kinetic energy produced by rotation of the one holder during beating into axial thrust urging one holder towards the other during forging. A headstock 11 Fig. 1 slidably mounted on a frame 10 rotatably mounts a shaft 12 driven by an electric motor 13 through a pump 14, motor 15 and belt drive 16 and is movable by hydraulic ram 21 controlled by a valve 23 capable of trapping liquid in the cylinder to lock the headstock. A flywheel 17 is mounted on the shaft 12 and discs 18 forming the flywheel may be stored on a stationary shaft 19. A tail stock 25 is rigidly fixed on the frame. A first work-holder 26 is fixed to shaft 12 and a second work-holder 27 is fixed to a shaft 28 screwthreaded at 29 in a boss 30 on the tailstock. A disc brake 32 on the shaft 28 cooperates with a brake caliper 33 to hold the shaft against rotation. In operation metal workpieces WP1 and WP2 are mounted in the work-holders with the brake 32 actuated and the holder 26 is rotated while being advanced by the ram 21 to bring the metal of the workpieces to a plastic state. At a predetermined point in the weld cycle, determined by a timer or movement together of the work-holders, the brake is released allowing the shaft 28 to rotate, the drive to the shaft 12 is disconnected and the headstock is locked. The rotation of the shaft 28, screw threaded into the boss 30, causes the shaft 28 to move towards the shaft 12 to increase the axial thrust on the workpieces and as the kinetic energy is dissipated rotation stops. A band brake may replace the disc brake and a mechanical lock may replace the locking provided by the valve 23. In a modification the workpieces are arranged vertically in a fixed work-holder 56 Fig. 3 carried on a slidable tailstock 44 and in rotatable work-holder 51. The tailstock 44 is reciprocated by a crank mechanism 45-48 and the work-holder 51 is driven through interengaging cam faces by a shaft 38 rotatable by a motor 41 but fixed against axial movement. In operation the work-holder 51 is rotated and the crank mechanism is actuated to spring the workpieces into frictional engagement until the crank mechanism is in its tailstock locking position. The shaft 38 is then locked against rotation by disc brake 49 and the kinetic energy of the work-holder 51 causes the inclined faces of the interengaging cam faces to ride one over the other to move the work-holder axially to increase the axial force on the workpieces. Screw threads may replace the cam faces. In a further modification an upper fixed headstock carries a shaft rotated by an electric motor and having a work-holder gripping a workpiece and a lower slidable tailstock carries a workholder screw threaded into a boss and held against rotation by an electromagnetic brake. In operation the tailstock is lifted by a lever system to bring the workpieces into contact and effect friction heating until the lever system moves over a dead centre position to  lock the tailstock. At this time the electric motor is disconnected and the electromagnetic brake is released, rotation of the workpieces continuing with increase of axial pressure due to the screw thread mounting of the tailstock holder.