Partially consumable spacer chill rings and their use in welding pipe joints
OwnerRoger W. von Ahrensinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A partially consumable spacer chill or welding ring includes a generally cylindrical non-consumable base metal ring having an outside diameter of such a size as to snugly fit the inside diameter of the pipe end to be welded. A circular consumable filler metal spacer ring is medially attached to the outer periphery of the base metal ring and extends peripherally radially outwardly to function as a spacing device between adjacent ends of two lengths of pipe to be joined. The consumable spacer ring may be affixed to the base metal ring in a plurality of circularly offset locations by spot welding or may be press-fitted in an alignment groove in the base ring. The consumable spacer ring becomes filler metal during welding.
Claims17
A partially consumable spacer chill ring for welding a pair of adjacent pipe ends, comprising:
- a non-consumable, substantially annular, base metal ring having an outside diameter permitting a snug fit interiorly of the pipe ends to be welded, said non-consumable base metal ring being effectively continuous with at most a small transverse slit;
- and
- a consumable, substantially annular, filler metal spacer ring medially attached to the exterior of said base ring and projecting radially outwardly therefrom, for spacing apart said pipe ends and for welding said pipe ends together by supplying filler metal from said consumable spacer ring only to the weld during a first root pass of a welding operation, said consumable filler metal spacer ring being effectively continuous with at most a small transverse slit.
A method of fabricating a welded pipe joint at mating ends of adjacent pipes, comprising the steps of:
- inserting a non-consumable, substantially annular base metal ring within respective ends of the adjacent pipes, said non-consumable base metal ring being effectively continuous with at most a small transverse slit;
- inserting a consumable, substantially annular, filler metal spacer ring around said non-consumable base metal ring and between the ends of the adjacent pipes, said consumable filler metal spacer ring being effectively continuous with at most a small transverse slit;
- urging the adjacent pipe ends together and into contact with opposite faces of the consumable filler metal spacer ring;
- and
- welding together the two pipe ends by supplying filler metal from said consumable spacer ring only in the resulting weld during a first root pass of a welding operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.