Improvements in and relating to the Welding of Metals by Electricity.
Year: 1890

page_text: ate of Application, 4th Sept., 1590-Accepted, 11th Oct., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Welding of Metals by Electricity.
I, MARK WESLEY DEWEY, of 150 North Salina Street in the City of Syracuse, in
the County of Onondaga, in the State of New York, United States of America,
Electrician do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND RELATING TO THE WELDING OF METALS BY ELECTRICITY" and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to certain improvements in the art or process of electric
welding.
The object of my invention is to provide an improved method for uniting metal bars
or blanks of unlike or different conductivity or size, whether of the same or of different
specific resistance.
The object of my invention also is to join bars or blanks at an angle to each other
and especially when one of the pieces is of greater conductivity than the other piece.
My invention consists in making contact with both pieces to be united, and passing
a current of greater strength or volume through one piece than the other.
The invention consists also in making contact with both pieces to be united, passing
currents through both pieces and proportioning the voluine of the currents to the
conductivity of the pieces to produce the same welding temperature in both pieces
simultaneously.
The invention consists further in clamping said pieces at an angle to each other,
passing a current through said pieces until they are sufficiently softened, and then
pressing the pieces together to unite them while maintaining them at the angle at
which they were claniped.
My invention consists, also, in other details hereinafter described and specifically
set forth in the claims.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus in connection with a diagram of circuits
for carrying out my invention.
Figure 2 shows another form of apparatus to effect a weld in accordance with my
invention when the pieces are parallel.
Figure 3 shows cross sections of the work before and after the operation.
Figure 4 is a side elevation of an apparatus for making T-joints or uniting pieces at
an angle to each other, and
Figure 5 shows a T or angular joint after the weld is effected.
Referring specifically to the drawings, in Figure 1 B and B' indicate the clamps for
holding tho pieces of metal A and A' in position in line with each other while being
heated by the current preparatory to the joining or welding together of said pieces and
the pressing or moving together of the same.
Cindicates a primary source of alternating currents, C (the leads extending there-
from, D and D'inductional transformers having their primary coils connected in parallel
with the leads, and E and E' are the secondary circuits of said transformers and in
which are induced currents of increased volume and decreased electro motive force.
The terminals of the secondaries that are of the same polarity at the same time are
connected to the clamps B and B while the other terminals are connected to a movable
conducting block or plate c located between and making contact with the adjacent ends
of the bars to be united.
The bar or piece A is of larger size or of greater cross section than A' and is held
by the stationary clamp B while the piece A¹ is held by the clamp B¹ which can be
moved by means of the screw b toward and from the other clamp. This apparatus is
shown arranged for butt welding, and the ends to be united are placed facing

page_text: each other. In the prior methods of electric welding, equal quantities of current
was passed through both bars, consequently if the hars were of unequal size or
resistance the bar having the lowest resistance was not brought to a welding
temperature until after the other, necessitating often a heating of the small bar to
too high a temperature, but in my method each of the hars receive an amount of
current depending upon its resistance or conductivity so that the smaller one or
the one having the highest resistaner will not be burned or arrive at a welding
temperature before the other, but at the same tim, which is very essential. The
plate e is fixed in a metal block e adapted to slide toward and from the bars and
between guides d d by means of screw working through the baF of the
apparatus. The portion of the base supporting the guides d d and through which
the screw passes is insulated from the rest of the base by insulation ee to
provent the current short circuiting through the clamps and hase.
indicates a break switch in one of the leads C to interrupt the current entirely
as at the completion of an operation and II and I are current regulators. The
said regulators consist of coils of wire in circuit with their respective primary coils
of the transformers, and movable iron cores. The current is regulated by shifting
the position of the core, and acts to set up more or less counter electro-motive
force.
The cores may be shifted independently by the operator or can be connerted
together by a lar as shown in dotted lines in the drawing so that one core will
be moved in its coil while the other is moved out thus allowing more current to
flow through one primary coil than the other.
In Figure 1 the regulators are arranged so that a greater current flows through
the primary of 1 than of 11. Corresponding currents are induced in the secondaries.
The secondary E in which the greatest current is induced is in contact with bar A
while the secondary E³ is in contact with bar A'.
The operation briefly is as follows: After the hars A and A' are placed in position
as shown and described, the currents flowing through each bar are regulated so that
the greater part will flow through the largest bar or the har having the lowest
resistance, and so that both bars will be brought to a working or welding temperature
at the same time. When a welding temperature is reached the plate is moved or
lowered by means of the screw so that the clump B' and the bar A¹ can be moved
by means of the screw b to press the ends of the bars together to complete the weld.
The current through the hars may be interrupted either before or after the onds are
forced together by means of the switch as the lowering of the plate does not necessarily
break the circuit, as it may not be removed from contact with the hars.
I do not limit myself to the employment of but one plate e between the bars, as two
such plates may be used, one for nach bar and suitably insulated from each other and
each connected independently, with a terminal of a secondary similarly to the manner
in which the bars are connected in Fig. 2 hereinafter described.
In Figure 2 the bars A and A' to be united are also of a different size, but are held
side by side, parallel to each other and are to have their adjacent sides welded
together. The upper and smaller har A' is connected with the circuit at its extremo
ends while the bar A is connected at points at short distances from its ends, but it
will be obvious, however, that they may be connected with the circuit or circuits at
any suitable points, to heat the bars at the parts desired. The current in this case
may be supposed to be a direct current, and the current regulators HH' located in
branches of the main circuit C' ordinary adjustable resistancos. The levors of the
resistancos are shown in position to permit the greater part of the current to flow
through the har A. After the bars have been sufficiently heated or softened, the
bar A with its clamping frame is lowered by means of a screw to force the two
lars together to unite or weld thom. In this case there are two independent contacts c
and only one of them is movable. At 1 in Fig. 3 a cross sectional view of the bars
is shown before boing welded together, and at 2 in the same figure a view after they
are welded. By this method ribs and flanges may be fixed to bars and blanks
of metal, and grooves formed therein, saving much time usually spont in making

page_text: castings and in planing them, and allowing the employment of wrought iron or steel
instead of cast iron.
In Figure 4, an apparatus is arranged for forming angle joints or more particularly
Tjoints with bars.
Cindicate the leads from a suitable source of heavy alternating current, H
and H¹ current regulators in parallel or multiple arc connection with said leads, and
similar to those shown in Fig. 1, but having cores that form complete magnetic
circuits, and switch levers to cut in and out the convolutions of the coils wound upon
said cores to vary the counter electro motive force. The apparatus shown in this
figure is similar to that shown in the other figures hereinbefore described and I shall
therefore simply point out the essential differences.
The bars A Aare clamped and supported independently of, but at right angles to
each other to form a T-joint. To form joints at other angles, the base f upon which
the clamp B is mounted, is provided with a hinge a and a curved but stationary
bar a¹ provided with a scale, and can be raised at its free end with the clamp B' and
bar A and the set screw a employed to set the base to the curved bara at any
desired angle to the stationary part of said base supporting the clamped bar A. The
latter bar is clamped in a perpendicular position to an upright 9 which is insulated
from the base by insulation e¹.
In this case also one of the contacts c remains stationary during the operation, but
the other as shown must be moved somewhat to permit the joining of the pieces. If
it is not desired to move said contact it can be placed against the side of the bar or
piece A¹ close to its end and not directly over its end, and between the bars as shown
in the figure, and in some cases the bars may be in contact with each other during
the heating thereof. After the T-joint is formed of the pieces of metal shown in this
apparatus, it resembles that shown in Figure 5.
With the exception of placing the bars at an angle to each other and heating
and uniting thein by the electric current and pressure while in this position,
the operation is the same as the operation of the apparatus in Fig. 1 hereinbefore fully
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1-The herein described improvement in welding metals electrically, consisting in
making contact with both pieces to be united, and passing a current of greater strength
through one piece than the othor.
2-The herein described process of welding metal electrically consisting in making
contact with both pieces independently of each other, passing a current of greater
strength through one piece than the other until the pieces are sufficiently heated
and then pressing the pieces together as desired.
3-The herein described improvement in welding together electrically pieces of
metal of different conductivity, consisting in making contact with both pieces to be
united and passing a current of greater strength through the piece having the lowest
resistance than through the other.
4-The herein described improvement in welding together electrically pieces of
metal of different conductivity consisting in making contact with both pieces to be
united, passing currents through both pieces and proportioning the strength of the
currents to the conductivity of the pieces to produce the same welding temperature in
both pieces simultaneously.
5 The herein described improvement in welding together electrically pieces of
metal of different conductivity consisting in dividing a current and passing the same
through a plurality of branches, making contact between the branches and the pieces
to be united, passing currents of unequal strength through said branches according to
the conductivity of the pieces to produce the same welding temperature in the
plurality of pieces simultaneously.

page_text: G-The horein described process of welling metals electrically consisting in
making contact with both pieces independently of each other, passing a current of
greater strength through one piece than the other, until the pieces are sufficiently
hanted, moving one of said contacts and then pressing the pieces together as
desired.
7-The method of manufacturing angle joints, of pieces of metal, consisting in
clamping the pieces to be welded together at the desireil angle to each other, passing
a current through said pieces until they are sufficiently softened and then pressing the
pieces together to unite them while maintaining them at the angle at which they were
clamped.
The method of manufacturing angle joints of pieces of metal, consisting in
clamping the pieces to be welded together at the desired angle to each other, passing
a current through each of said pieces until they are sufficiently softened, proportioning
the strength of the currents to the conductivity of the pieces, and then prossing the
pieces together to unite them while maintaining them at the angle at which they were
clamped.
Dated this 7th day of August 1990.
MARK WESLEY DEWEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.