Continuous welder
AssigneePotomac Applied Mechanics, Inc.
InventorJames Henry Stubbings
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A continuous welder automatically moves from one joint to the next along a pipeline of pipes to be welded together, and automatically adapts to pipes of different diameter. At each joint, a wire-fed welding nozzle revolves around the pipes to weld the pipes together, the welding nozzle making a root pass, an overlap pass, and a wash pass, to complete a permanent weld at the joint. During each pass the welding nozzle is oscillated in a different path by selectable oscillating apparatus therefor, the particular oscillating apparatus utilized being automatically changed on each pass. The welding nozzle revolves around the pipes under the power of rotating planetary gear sets which are engaged with mounting rings for the gear sets.
Claims25
A welding assembly for welding together adjacent ends at a joint of substantially horizontally disposed pipes of a horizontal pipeline comprising
- a welding nozzle mounted exteriorly of pipes to be welded together,
- means for mounting said welding nozzle exteriorly of pipes to be welded together for substantially 360.degree. movement around said pipes to circumferentially weld adjacent pipes together,
- means for supporting said welding nozzle mounting means for substantially horizontal movement on said pipes on the exterior thereof,
- means for powering said support means for automatic movement of said welding nozzle from one joint between two pipes to another joint between two pipes along said pipelines, and
- automatic adjustment means for mounting said supporting means so that said supporting means can adapt to pipes of different diameter automatically and so that transition pipes may be welded to pipes of different diameters at either end thereof.
A welding assembly for welding together adjacent ends, at a joint, of substantially horizontally disposed pipes comprising
- a. welding nozzle mounted exteriorly of pipes to be welded together,
- b. means for mounting said welding nozzle exteriorly of pipes to be welded together for substantially 360.degree. movement around said pipes to make a circumferential weld of adjacent pipes together, said means including
- i. a pair of rings encircling adjacent pipes to be welded together,
- ii. means for spacing said rings horizontally apart a predetermined distance,
- iii. each of said rings having an uppergear toothed surface and a lower gear-toothed surface, both of said surfaces being concentric with pipes to be welded, said upper surface being radially spaced further from said pipes than said lower surface,
- iv. a plurality of circular gears associated with each ring and operatively attached to said welding nozzle and in operative engagement with at least one of said gear-toothed surfaces, at least one circular gear being in engagement with each gear-toothed surface, and
- v. means for rotating at least one of said circular gears associated with each of said rings for powering said welding nozzle in its circumferential path around said pipes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.