Patent ID: 7410087

Claim:
Welding apparatus for use during welding of a tubular metal nozzle to a tank's metal domed cap, wherein the nozzle extends longitudinally between a base end for mating to the tank's cap and a spaced-away terminal free end, and wherein also the tank's domed cap is formed with an aperture through the domed cap's outer convex surface to the domed cap's inner concave surface, and wherein moreover the tubular nozzle's longitudinal axis is aligned oblique to a normal axis for the domed cap through the aperture therein; said welding apparatus comprising: a clamping arrangement comprising an actuator extending between a lid and a spaced, opposed backup plate; wherein the backup plate is adapted for seating against a marginal periphery of the domed cap's inner concave surface surrounding the aperture therein; wherein the lid is adapted for covering the nozzle's terminal free end; and wherein the actuator comprises an interconnection between the lid and backup plate such that releasably actuating the actuator increases clamping pressure between the lid and backup plate, thereby clamping the backup plate opposite the weld seam for at least purge purposes, and perhaps light-duty heat-sink purposes.