Equipement Kit, Reception Support, Mounting Device, Methods for Mounting and Dismounting the Adapter

A reception support for receiving the assembly of an equipment kit for mounting and dismounting a friction stir welding head, the equipment kit comprising an adapter intended to be fixed to the friction stir welding head and an interface intended to be fixed to a chassis of a rotating driving machine,

• wherein the adapter comprises a body having a first surface having fasteners intended to be secured to the friction stir welding head and a second surface situated at a first prescribed distance not null from the first surface,
• wherein one of the second surface of the adapter and of the interface has actuatable gripping clamps having each a gripping position for gripping pull tabs of the other one of the second surface of the adapter and of the interface and a releasing position for releasing the pull tabs,
• wherein the adapter comprises at least one rim protruding laterally to the outside from the first surface,
• wherein the at least one rim has at least one recess for centering the adapter,
• wherein the at least one recess is oriented according to a prescribed reception direction going from the second surface to the first surface,
• wherein the equipment kit further comprises the friction stir welding head secured by the fasteners to the first surface of the adapter,
• wherein the friction stir welding head secured by the fasteners to the first surface of the adapter forms an assembly,
• the friction stir welding head has an upper wall secured by the fasteners to the second surface of the adapter, a first lateral wall fixed to the upper wall on the right and a second lateral wall fixed to the upper wall on the left,
• wherein the upper wall or the first surface of the adapter has a first shoulder protruding laterally to the outside to the right from the first lateral wall and a second shoulder protruding laterally to the outside to the left from the second lateral wall,
• the first shoulder and the second shoulder serving as contact surfaces for the assembly in a prescribed reception position of the assembly,
• wherein the reception support comprises a support and struts, which are secured to the support to maintain the support at a second prescribed distance from ends of the struts,
• wherein the support has a reception surface intended to be in contact with the contact surfaces of the assembly in the prescribed reception position of the assembly,
• wherein the support has an opening and a space connected to the opening is provided between the struts, to house the friction stir welding head in the opening and in the space in the prescribed reception position of the assembly.

A method for mounting a friction stir welding head on a chassis of a rotating driving machine, using an equipment kit and a reception support,

• the equipment kit comprising an adapter intended to be fixed to the friction stir welding head and an interface intended to be fixed to a chassis of a rotating driving machine,
• wherein the adapter comprises a body having a first surface having fasteners intended to be secured to the friction stir welding head and a second surface situated at a first prescribed distance not null from the first surface,
• wherein the second surface of the adapter has actuatable gripping clamps having each a gripping position for gripping pull tabs of the interface and a releasing position for releasing the pull tabs,
• wherein the adapter further comprises an actuation connector to open the actuatable gripping clamps from the gripping position to the releasing position and to close the actuatable gripping clamps from the releasing position to the gripping position, wherein the actuation connector is able be actuated to take one of a gripping actuation state, in which the gripping actuatable clamps are in the gripping position, and of a release actuation state, in which the gripping actuatable clamps are in the releasing position,
• wherein the actuation connector is attached to the body and is accessible from the outside,
• wherein the equipment kit further comprises the friction stir welding head secured by the fasteners to the first surface of the adapter,
• wherein the friction stir welding head secured by the fasteners to the first surface of the adapter forms an assembly,
• wherein the reception support comprises a support and struts, which are secured to the support to maintain the support at a second prescribed distance from ends of the struts,
• wherein the support has a reception surface intended to be in contact with the contact surfaces of the assembly in the prescribed reception position of the assembly,
• wherein the support has an opening and a space connected to the opening is provided between the struts, to house the friction stir welding head in the opening and in the space in the prescribed reception position of the assembly,
• wherein the reception support comprises a triggering connector, which is attached to the support and which is accessible from the outside, wherein in the prescribed reception position of the assembly relatively to the reception surface the triggering connector is in contact with the actuation connector and is able to control the actuation connector in one of the gripping actuation state and of the release actuation state,
• wherein the interface is initially fixed to the chassis of the rotating driving machine at a distance not null from the adapter and the assembly is initially in contact with the reception surface of the reception support in the prescribed reception position,
• wherein the method comprises the following steps:
• moving the chassis of the rotating driving machine and the reception support one relative to the other, so that the interface faces the second face of the adapter,
• controlling the triggering connector to put the actuation connector in the release actuation state for a determined duration being not null,
• inserting the pull tabs of the interface in the actuatable gripping clamps of the adapter during the determined duration,
• controlling the triggering connector to put the actuation connector in the gripping actuation state after the determined duration,
• moving the chassis of the rotating driving machine and the reception support one relative to the other, so that the chassis of the rotating driving machine with the adapter secured to the interface is away from the reception support.

A method for dismounting a friction stir welding head from a chassis of a rotating driving machine, using an equipment kit and a reception support,

• the equipment kit comprising an adapter intended to be fixed to the friction stir welding head and an interface intended to be fixed to a chassis of a rotating driving machine,
• wherein the adapter comprises a body having a first surface having fasteners intended to be secured to the friction stir welding head and a second surface situated at a first prescribed distance not null from the first surface,
• wherein the second surface of the adapter has actuatable gripping clamps having each a gripping position for gripping pull tabs of the interface and a releasing position for releasing the pull tabs,
• wherein the adapter further comprises an actuation connector to open the actuatable gripping clamps from the gripping position to the releasing position and to close the actuatable gripping clamps from the releasing position to the gripping position, wherein the actuation connector is able be actuated to take one of a gripping actuation state, in which the gripping actuatable clamps are in the gripping position, and of a release actuation state, in which the gripping actuatable clamps are in the releasing position,
• wherein the actuation connector is attached to the body and is accessible from the outside,
• wherein the equipment kit further comprises the friction stir welding head secured by the fasteners to the first surface of the adapter,
• wherein the friction stir welding head secured by the fasteners to the first surface of the adapter forms an assembly,
• wherein the reception support comprises a support and struts, which are secured to the support to maintain the support at a second prescribed distance from ends of the struts,
• wherein the support has a reception surface intended to be in contact with the contact surfaces of the assembly in the prescribed reception position of the assembly,
• wherein the support has an opening and a space connected to the opening is provided between the struts, to house the friction stir welding head in the opening and in the space in the prescribed reception position of the assembly,
• wherein the reception support comprises a triggering connector, which is attached to the support and which is accessible from the outside, wherein in the prescribed reception position of the assembly relatively to the reception surface the triggering connector is in contact with the actuation connector and is able to control the actuation connector in one of the gripping actuation state and of the release actuation state,
• wherein the interface is initially fixed to the chassis of the rotating driving machine and the adapter is initially secured to the interface by the fact that the actuatable gripping clamps of the adapter are initially gripping the pull tabs of the interface in the gripping position, and wherein the assembly is not initially in the prescribed reception position relatively to the reception surface, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
• moving the chassis of the rotating driving machine and the reception support one relative to the other, so that the assembly is in contact with the reception surface in the prescribed reception position of the assembly,
• controlling the triggering connector to put the actuation connector in the release actuation state for a determined duration being not null,
• moving the chassis of the rotating driving machine and the reception support one relative to the other, to bring the pull tabs of the interface away from the actuatable gripping clamps of the adapter during the determined duration.