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US 4,223,202 AGranted
Apparatus and method for welding boat subassemblies utilizing laser radiation
AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation
InventorsGeorge T. Peters, Conrad M. Banas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for welding T-frame stiffeners circumferentially to the interior surface of a cylindrical shell at selected axial positions to fabricate reinforced hull sections suitable for boat construction is disclosed. The apparatus is adapted for providing simultaneous two-sided Tee welds of the T-frame to the shell using radiation from a laser source to form quickly the welds which significantly reduces the time and costs of fabricating hull subassemblies.
Claims15
An apparatus for fabricating reinforced hull sections suitable for boat construction comprising:
- a support structure adapted for circumferentially enclosing a shell subassembly and radially pressing against an exterior surface of said subassembly for constraining motion of the shell subassembly in a radial direction;
- interior ram means adapted for radially pressing T-frames disposed circumferentially about an interior surface of the shell subassembly at a preselected axial position against an interior surface of said subassembly forming a junction therebetween suitable for Tee welding and for maintaining the circumferential axial position of the T-frame during welding;
- means for focussing radiation onto the junction for welding the T-frame to the shell subassembly;
- means for rotating the means for focussing radiation about a longitudinal axis of the shell subassembly for circumferentially moving the radiation along the junction to circumferentially weld the T-frame to the shell subassembly;
- means for axially positioning the interior ram means and the means for focussing radiation at selected positions along the longitudinal axis within the shell subassembly;
- and
- means for directing radiation from a laser capable of providing radiation suitable for welding to the means for focussing the radiation.
4 more elements
A method for fabricating reinforced hull sections suitable for boat construction comprising:
- circumferentially enclosing a shell subassembly with a support structure adapted for radially pressing against an exterior surface of the subassembly for constraining motion of the shell subassembly in a radial direction;
- inserting T-frames into the interior of the shell subassembly;
- positioning the T-frames circumferentially about an interior surface of the shell subassembly at a preselected axial position;
- inserting ram means and means for focussing radiation for welding the T-frames to the interior surface into the interior of the shell subassembly;
- aligning the ram means with the axial position of the T-frames;
- activating the ram means wherein clamps of the ram means engage the T-frames and press the T-frames against the interior surface of the shell subassembly for providing a junction therebetween suitable for Tee welding and for maintaining the axial position of the T-frames;
- aligning the means for focussing radiation with the junction wherein a first welding head is aligned with one side of the junction for providing radiation to that side of the junction at a particular radial position and a second welding head is aligned with a second side of the junction for simultaneously providing radiation to the second side of the junction at the same radial position;
- providing radiation simultaneously to the first and second welding heads to Tee weld the T-frame to the interior surface;
- rotating the welding heads while providing radiation thereto to circumferentially Tee weld the T-frames to the interior surface;
- deactivating the ram means pressing against the T-frames wherein the clamps release the T-frames and move radially inward to allow axial movement of the clamps past the T-frames welded to the interior surface;
- and
- moving the welding heads radially away from the junction to allow axial movement of the welding heads past the T-frames welded to the interior surface.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.