US 4,049,182 AGranted

Inertia welding indexing system

AssigneeTextron Inc.

InventorsJohan August Louw, Robert Earle Ghiselin

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Abstract

Friction welding apparatus for substantially automatically welding relatively small diameter workpieces. The apparatus comprises a pair of spaced segmented transfer wheels on a single shaft for retaining workpieces and rotating the same between loading, welding and ejection stations, and a plurality of high-speed motors which carry workpieces at the opposite ends of each rotor, such motors being moveable from a load station through a series of speed-increasing stations to a weld station between the several transfer wheels. Hydraulic means then forces the oppositely disposed transfer wheel segments in their weld stations toward the motor therebetween to simultaneously complete two friction welds. Thereafter, the parts are ejected when the wheel segments move to the ejection stations.

Claims9

Dependent claims

Friction welding apparatus comprising in combination,

a transfer wheel having three workpiece retainers and being rotatable about a first axis to move said retainers sequentially from a load station to a weld station to an ejection station and back to the load station,
at least three motors each of which is adapted with at least on workpiece holder,
mounting means for said motors to rotate the same about a second axis sequentially from a load station to at least one speed station to a weld station and back to the load station,
and motive power means operatively connected to said transfer wheel and to said mounting means to simultaneously move said retainers and motors from one to another of their respective stations, each of said motors being moved from its speed station to its weld station while one of said retainers is moved from its load station to its weld station, whereby each of said motors is afforded time between its load and weld stations to attain predetermined speed.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.