Patent ID: 8222558

Claim:
A shield for providing an inert gas cloud about a weld site or for heat treatment, the shield comprising a box having an inlet for a gas and a flow dispersal element for reduction in gas vortex in the flow through an outlet, the shield wherein the box is provided by panels having respective apertures and tongues for assembly, each tongue engaging an aperture to retain position in the assembly of the shield, a labyrinth panel extending across internally within the box having labyrinth apertures, the inlet extending to a lateral channel defined by some of the panels to provide a lateral path to first labyrinth apertures in the labyrinth panel for determining a first labyrinth path in substantially a direction opposite to the inlet, the box defining a distribution plenum chamber above the first labyrinth apertures with second labyrinth apertures in the labyrinth panel to define a second labyrinth path which is substantially in a direction opposite to the first labyrinth path, a base of the box having an outlet plenum chamber associated with the second labyrinth path and the box having a base panel defining the outlet in the form of apertures in a mesh.