Back to results
US 4,054,771 AGranted
Device for electronic beam welding of coaxial cylindrical sleeves placed in end-to-end relation
AssigneeCommissariat a l'Energie Atomique
InventorsHenri Foulquier, Philippe Martin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electron gun which is displaced on a carriage relatively to two abutting cylindrical sleeves is guided so as to produce an electron beam which travels along the line of junction, the carriage being housed within a vacuum-tight enclosure which is applied against the sleeves on each side of the junction line. The cylindrical sleeves are supported and displaced in rotation about a horizontal axis with an equal range of motion and at a speed of opposite sign with respect to the linear speed of the carriage. The carriage thus remains motionless in a position such that the electron beam is continuously vertical.
Claims35
A device for electronic beam welding of coaxial cylindrical sleeves placed in end-to-end relation forming a line of junction, comprising:
- carriage means;
- means for moving said carriage means in a circumferential direction along a surface of the cylindrical sleeves in the proximity of the line of junction;
- an electron gun for producing an electron welding beam, said electron gun carried by said carriage means and secured in a position for a substantial radial directing of said beam with respect to the surface along which the carriage means is moved, said electron gun disposed in a pivotal relationship with respect to said carriage means;
- means for continuous fine adjusting of the relative position of said electron gun with respect to said carriage means during movement thereof for fine adjusting of the beam direction in conformance with the location of the line of junction, said continuous fine adjusting means including:
- a. a stationary guide rail positionable in relationship with respect to the line of junction;
- b. a guide bar adjustably mountable to said stationary guide rail for varying the position of said guide bar with respect to the line of junction, said guide bar positionable in a parallel relationship with respect to and coextensive with the line of junction;
- c. a pivoting arm having two ends, one of said ends rigidly fixed to said gun and other of said ends for cooperating with said guide bar for maintaining the beam of said gun in a fixed relationship with respect to said guide bar;
- enclosure means for enclosing an area surrounding the line of junction providing a vacuum-tight, sealed enclosure, said area of a size to receive said carriage means permitting movement of the same therewithin;
- and
- means for rotating the cylindrical sleeves in a relatively fixed relationship with respect to each other at a speed of opposite sign and equal magnitude to that of said carriage means for maintaining said carriage means in a relative fixed position with respect to the axis of the sleeves.
7 more elements
A device for electronic beam welding of coaxial cylindrical sleeves placed in end-to-end relation forming a line of junction, comprising:
- carriage means;
- means for moving said carriage means in a circumferential direction along a surface of the cylindrical sleeves in the proximity of the line of junction;
- an electron gun for producing an electron welding beam, said electron gun carried by said carriage means and secured in a position for a substantial radial directing of said beam with respect to the surface along which the carriage means is moved;
- means for continuous fine adjusting of the relative position of said electron gun with respect to said carriage means during movement thereof for fine adjusting of the beam direction in conformance with the location of the line of junction;
- enclosure means for enclosing an area surrounding the line of junction providing a vacuum-tight, sealed enclosure, said area of a size to receive said carriage means permitting movement of the same therewithin;
- cable means connected to said gun, said cable means having a length within said enclosure means of slightly greater than half-circumference of one of the sleeves;
- lead-out, opening connection means disposed in said enclosure means for vacuum-tight passing of said cable means outside of said enclosure means;
- annular guide means disposed within said enclosure means for supporting said cable means;
- an articulated chain means secured to the portion of said cable means disposed within said enclosure means, for carrying said cable means;
- and
- means for rotating the cylindrical sleeves in a relatively fixed relationship with respect to each other at a speed of opposite sign and equal magnitude to that of said carriage means for maintaining said carriage means in a relative fixed position with respect to the axis of the sleeves.
8 more elements
A device for electronic beam welding of coaxial cylindrical sleeves placed in end-to-end relation forming a line of junction, comprising:
- carriage means;
- means for moving said carriage means in a circumferential direction along a surface of the cylindrical sleeves in the proximity of the line of junction;
- an electron gun for producing an electron welding beam, said electron gun carried by said carriage means and secured in a position for a substantial radial directing of said beam with respect to the surface along which the carriage means is moved, said electron gun disposed in a pivotal relationship with respect to said carriage means;
- means for continuous fine adjusting of the relative position of said electron gun with respect to said carriage means during movement thereof for fine adjusting of the beam direction in conformance with the location of the line of junction, said continuous fine adjusting means including:
- a. a curved guide bar positionable in a parallel relationship with respect to and coextensive with the line of junction;
- b. a pivoting arm having two ends, one of said ends rigidly fixed to said gun and other of said ends for cooperating with said guide bar for maintaining the beam of said gun in a fixed relationship with respect to said guide bar;
- enclosure means for enclosing an area surrounding the line of junction providing a vacuum-tight, sealed enclosure, said area of a size to receive said carriage means permitting movement of the same therewithin;
- and
- means for rotating the cylindrical sleeves in a relatively fixed relationship with respect to each other at a speed of opposite sign and equal magnitude to that of said carriage means for maintaining said carriage means in a relative fixed position with respect to the axis of the sleeves.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.