Patent GB-943343-A (GB)
Title: Flash welding apparatus
IPC: B23K11/04
Filed: 1960-05-31
Abstract: 943,343. Making metal strip; welding by pressure; shearing; machine tool details. TAYLOR-WINFIELD CORPORATION. May 31, 1960 [Jan. 5, 1960], No. 19141/60. Headings B3A, B3B, B3L, B3R and B3W. Flash welding apparatus comprises a pair of housings each carrying a pair of workpiece clamping welding dies, means to effect longitudinal movement between the pairs of dies, means for working on the welded workpieces and longitudinally spaced from the dies and means including a longitudinally sliding workpiece-engaging clamp to transfer the welded workpieces from the dies to the means for working. The machine comprises a base 10 on which are mounted a pair of inwardly facing C-shaped housings 11, 12 spanning the path of strip travel 13. The housing 11, carrying welding dies 15, 16 is mounted to be longitudinally moved on the base by hydraulic cylinders 17, 18 and the housing 12, carrying welding dies 21, 22, is fixed on the base. The housing 12 also carries a spacer gauge bar 24 actuated by a fluid cylinder 28 and in a large rectangular opening 29 in the housing 12 are mounted side by side, weld trimming means 30 and notching and punching means 31. A transfer means 32 forwardly of the base 10 is provided to transfer welded strips from the welding dies to the devices 30, 31. In operation the end of a trailing strip is moved past the welding dies, the spacer bar 24 is moved down between the dies, the end of the trailing strip is moved rearwardly against the bar and the strip is clamped in the dies 21, 22. The end of a leading strip is advanced to engage the bar and is clamped in dies 15, 16, the housing 11 is moved rearwardly to allow retraction of bar 24 and the housing is advanced with current supplied to the dies to effect flash butt welding. The transfer means 32 then, after the welding dies are opened, moves the weld to the weld trimmer 30 and then to the notching &c. device 31. The base 10 may be skewed to allow the weld to be made at an angle to the line of strip travel. A plate 73, Fig. 5, movable longitudinally in the base 10 by a piston and cylinder device 76, 77, carries the trimmer 30 and notching &c. means 31. The trimming means 30 comprises a base 80 mounted on the plate 73 for transverse adjustment and carries a pair of longitudinally spaced transverse clamps 88 below the strip and on guide rods 89 an upper cylinder operated assembly carrying a pair of clamps 92. These clamps hold the welded strip while a carriage 98, Fig. 2, is driven transversely outwardly from the path of strip travel by a cylinder 97. The carriage carries a pair of rods 99 above and below the strips which are connected to tool carriers 100 slidable on guide bars 102, Fig. 5, and supporting spaced tools 101 which trim the weld. The notching and punching means 31 comprises a transversely adjustable base 105 carrying two pairs of rails 108 supporting the rollers 109 of a pair of carriages 110, one carriage on each side of the path of strip travel and movable by fluid cylinders 111. One of the carriages comprises a C-shaped housing 114, Fig. 8, carrying a lower notching anvil die 50 and a pair of lower punching dies 51. An upper die carrier 117 with a notching die 118 is slidably mounted in the housing 114 and connected to a cylinder 119 and a punching die carrier with a pair of spaced punches 55, is also guided in the housing, being connected by linkage to a cylinder 59. The other carriage is similar but the punches and punching dies are omitted. The carriages are moved to position the dies beneath the welded strips and the cylinders 59, 119 are actuated to notch the side edges of the strip and punch, on one side only, apertures in the strip. These apertures may operate photo-electric control apparatus for other equipment. The punches 55 are provided with spring loaded stripper plates 63. The transfer means 32 comprises a rectangular support frame 125 connected at its rear end to the frame 10 by a bolt and slot connection. Plates 137 on the frame provide a slotted strip support table and a carriage 138 having rollers 141 engaging side rails of the frame 5 movable along the frame by a cylinder 142, Fig. 10. An upper clamping platen 144 is fixed to the carriage and a lower clamping platen 149 is slidably mounted in the carriage being movable by a cylinder 150, the clamps fitting within the slot in the plates 137. Since the carriage moves the weld from between the welding die to the weld trimming means and then to the notching &c. means stops are provided to determine the correct position of the carriage. Stops 152, Fig. 10, are provided to define the start position, removable stop 155 for the intermediate position and stop 160 for the final position. In a further embodiment the housings carrying the welding dies are C-shaped but are arranged with the C's in planes transverse to the line of strip travel and a weld trimming means is mounted separately from the housing. A notching &c. device may be provided in this embodiment and the notching &c. device of the first embodiment could be omitted. The apparatus may be employed in an automated strip pickling line.