Aluminum alloy chain and method of making same
AssigneeYamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsYoshitsugu Hiraguchi, Kazuyoshi Kaneko
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Abstract
An aluminum alloy chain is formed from welded loops of aluminum rod that constitute the individual links of the chain. During welding, a weld bead is produced by fusing opposed ends of bent aluminum alloy rod stock and pressing the ends together while fused to create a weld bead that extends beyond the perimeter of the rod stock, at least in a direction towards the inside of the link. The aluminum alloy chain can be anodized entirely or at selected intervals to provide a colorful chain or to provide a measurement of the length of the chain. The chain is particularly adapted for use with anchors used in connection with nautical vessels.
Claims1
A method of making an aluminum alloy chain from welded loops of aluminum rod comprising the steps of:
- forming linked loops of aluminum alloy rod stock with abutting unconnected ends;
- fusion welding the abutting ends of the loops and squeezing and displacing a portion of the fused metal out from between the abutting ends by moving the abutting ends of unfused metal together;
- cooling the welded joint with the cooled displaced fused metal attached to the welded joint as a circumferential bead;
- and
- color anodizing selected welded links at predetermined intervals along the chain, wherein said predetermined intervals correspond to selected periodic increments of equal length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.