U.S. patent application number 09/849329 was filed with the patent office on 2001-11-29 for welding system and method.
Invention is credited to Bock, Charles A., Bong, William L..
Application Number | 20010045420 09/849329 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22018655 |
Filed Date | 2001-11-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010045420 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bong, William L. ; et
al. |
November 29, 2001 |
Welding system and method
Abstract
A welding system and method of use which allows a single welding
operator to perform quick, easy and high quality vertical welds.
The welding system comprises a welding fixture with a pair
opposing, positionally adjustable welding shoes, and lock screws
for attaching to a workpiece such as an I-beam. The welding fixture
is located adjacent the end of an articulating boom, and a welding
torch and oscillator are included on the welding fixture. A rotary
straight wire feeder removes the cant and helix from welding wire
as it is fed to the welding torch. The welding torch prevents
welding wire from fusing to a guide tube in a manner which would
interrupt a welding operation. The invention includes a distributed
welding control system comprising a plurality of controller modules
interfaced with a common bus. The control system allows a welding
operator to program automated welding cycles for various welding
operations. The welding system of the invention is particularly
useful for installing stiffener plates onto structural beams.
Inventors: |
Bong, William L.; (Walnut
Creek, CA) ; Bock, Charles A.; (Vallejo, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Michael A. Kerr
Virtual Legal
P.O. Box 2345
Stateline
NV
89449
US
|
Family ID: |
22018655 |
Appl. No.: |
09/849329 |
Filed: |
May 4, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09849329 |
May 4, 2001 |
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09058741 |
Apr 10, 1998 |
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6297472 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
219/125.1 ;
219/125.12; 219/137.61; 219/137.8; 219/73 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B23K 9/0203 20130101;
B23K 2101/28 20180801 |
Class at
Publication: |
219/125.1 ;
219/125.12; 219/73; 219/137.8; 219/137.61 |
International
Class: |
B23K 009/12 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A welding system, comprising: (a) a welding fixture, said
welding fixture including means for releasibly coupling to a
workpiece, said welding fixture including a pair of opposing
welding shoes, said welding fixture including means for
symmetrically positioning said welding shoes about a center line;
and (b) a welding torch, said welding torch coupled to said welding
fixture adjacent said center line.
2. A welding system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an
extensible, pivoting articulating boom, said welding fixture
associated with an end of said articulating boom.
3. A welding system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means
for straightening welding wire and feeding welding wire to said
welding torch.
4. A welding system as recited in claim 1, further comprising means
for oscillating said welding torch relative to said center
line.
5. A welding system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
winged guide tube, said winged guide tube releasibly coupled to
said welding torch, said winged guide tube including first and
second elongated plates, said first and second elongated plates
each including a longitudinal channel, said first and second plates
joined together with said channels positioned opposite to and
adjacent to each other, said channels defining a central tube.
6. A welding system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
welding wire, said welding wire comprising between approximately
0.0001% and approximately 0.05% of boron.
7. A welding system as recited in claim 1, further comprising flux
dispensing means for providing flux to a welding site adjacent said
welding torch.
8. A welding system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
distributed control system, said distributed control system
comprising a plurality of controller modules, said distributed
control system comprising a common bus connecting each of said
plurality of control modules, said plurality of control modules
including an operator control panel module.
9. A welding system as recited in claim 1, wherein said welding
shoes further comprise a thermally and electrically insulating
coating on each said welding shoe.
10. A welding assembly as recited in claim 1, further comprising a
welding shoe clamping assembly, said welding shoe clamping assembly
comprising: (a) first and second pairs of welding shoes; (b) means
for positionally adjusting said first pair of welding shoes
relative to each other; (c) means for positionally adjusting said
second pair of welding shoes relative to each other; and (d) means
for positionally adjusting said first pair of welding shoes
relative to said second pair of welding shoes.
11. A welding system, comprising: (a) a welding fixture, said
welding fixture including means for releasibly coupling to a
workpiece, said welding fixture including a pair of opposing
welding shoes, said welding fixture including means for
symmetrically positioning said welding shoes about a center line;
(b) a welding torch, said welding torch coupled to said welding
fixture adjacent said center line; and (c) means for oscillating
said welding torch.
12. A welding system as recited in claim 11, further comprising
means for straightening welding wire and feeding welding wire to
said welding torch.
13. A welding system as recited in claim 11, further comprising an
articulating boom, said welding fixture associated with an end of
said articulating boom.
14. A welding system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a
winged guide tube, said winged guide tube coupled to said welding
torch adjacent said center line, said winged guide tube including
first and second elongated plates, said first and second elongated
plates each including a longitudinal channel, said first and second
plates joined together with said channels positioned opposing and
adjacent to each other, said channels defining a central tube
between said first and second plates.
15. A welding system as recited in claim 11, wherein said welding
torch comprises means for preventing a welding wire from fusing to
a guide tube during welding operations.
16. A welding system as recited in claim 15, wherein said welding
torch comprises: (a) an outer tube; (b) a central tube, said
central tube slidably mounted within said outer tube; (c) means for
applying bias to said central tube; (d) an input adapter; (e) chuck
means for releasibly holding a guide tube; and (f) a flexible
conductor, said conductor connected to said input adapter and said
central tube.
17. A welding system as recited in claim 11, wherein said
oscillating means comprises: (a) first and second elongated,
parallel rotating shafts (b) first and second linear actuators,
said first and second linear actuators movably mounted on said
first and second rotating shafts; (c) means for longitudinally
translating said first and second linear actuators along said first
and second shafts as said first and second shafts rotate; (d) means
for sensing movement of said linear actuators; and (e) a protective
housing, said protective housing enclosing said first and second
rotating shafts, said first and second linear actuators, said
longitudinally translating means, and said sensing means.
18. A welding system as recited in claim 11, wherein said wire
straightening and feeding means comprises: (a) an input bearing
set, said input bearing set including a plurality of canted
bearings; (b) an output bearing set, said output bearing set
including a plurality of canted bearings; and (c) an adjustable
offset radial bearing, said adjustable offset radial bearing
positioned between said input and output bearing sets.
19. A welding system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a
welding wire, said welding wire comprising between approximately
0.0001% and approximately 0.05% of boron, and between approximately
0.01% and approximately 0.10% of nickel.
20. A welding system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a
flux dispenser, said flux dispenser comprising: (a) a hopper; (b) a
rotating belt, said rotating belt positioned below said hopper; (c)
a belt block, said belt block including a recessed area, said drive
belt located in said recessed area; and (d) at least one drop tube,
said drop tube associated with a lower portion of said recessed
area.
21. A welding assembly as recited in claim 11, further comprising a
welding shoe bottom clamping assembly, said welding shoe clamping
assembly comprising: (a) first and second pairs of welding shoes;
(b) means for positionally adjusting said first pair of welding
shoes relative to each other; (c) means for positionally adjusting
said second pair of welding shoes relative to each other; and (d)
means for positionally adjusting said first pair of welding shoes
relative to said second pair of welding shoes.
22. A welding system as recited in claim 11, further comprising a
distributed control system, said distributed control system
comprising: (a) a plurality of controller modules, at least one of
said control modules comprising an operator controller module; and
(b) a bus, said bus connecting said plurality of control
modules.
23. A welding system as recited in claim 22, wherein said
distributed control system further comprises programming means for
carrying out the operations of: (a) reading control parameter input
from a user, said control parameters comprising welding arc
voltage, welding arc current, oscillator motion, and welding wire
feed rate; (a) controlling welding arc voltage during an automated
weld cycle; (b) controlling welding arc current during said
automated weld cycle; (c) controlling oscillator motion of said
welding torch during said automated weld cycle; (d) controlling
flux dispensing in response to said welding arc voltage and said
welding arc current during said automated welding cycle; and (d)
controlling welding wire feed rate during said automated weld
cycle.
24. A welding system as recited in claim 11, wherein said welding
shoes further comprise a thermally and electrically insulating
coating on at least one face of each said welding shoe.
25. A welding system as recited in claim 22, wherein said
distributed control system comprises an oscillator controller
module, a wire feed controller module, and a welding power supply
controller module.
26. A method for welding metal substrates, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a welding fixture, said welding fixture including
means for releasibly coupling to at least one substrate, said
welding fixture including a pair of opposing welding shoes, said
welding fixture including means for symmetrically positioning said
welding shoes about a center line, said welding fixture including a
welding torch and guide tube, said guide tube adjacent said center
line; (b) positioning first and second substrates adjacent to each
other with a gap between said first and second substrates; (c)
attaching said welding fixture to at least one of said substrates,
said welding fixture positioned with said center line located
adjacent said gap between said substrates; (d) positionally
adjusting said opposing welding shoes of said welding fixture
relative said center line to define a welding cavity between said
welding shoes and said substrates, said guide tube and said center
line positioned within said welding cavity; and (e) filling said
weld cavity with molten metal to form a weld connecting said
substrates.
27. A method for welding metal substrates as recited in claim 26,
further comprising the step of feeding a welding wire through said
welding torch and guide tube.
28. A method for welding metal substrates as recited in claim 27,
further comprising the step of oscillating said guide tube and said
welding wire within said weld cavity.
29. A method for welding metal substrates as recited in claim 26,
wherein said first substrate comprises is an I-beam, and said
second substrate is a stiffener plate, said I-beam including a pair
of flanges, said I-beam including a web connecting said flanges,
said stiffener plate positioned generally perpendicular to said web
and said flanges, one said gap located between each said flange and
said stiffener plate.
30. A method of welding metal substrates as recited in claim 29,
further comprising the step of cutting a slot in said web and
positioning said stiffener plate within said slot.
31. A method of welding metal substrates as recited in claim 30,
further comprising the step of attaching a welding shoe clamping
assembly to said stiffener plate and said I beam, said welding shoe
clamping assembly comprising: (a) first and second pairs of welding
shoes; (b) means for positionally adjusting said first pair of
welding shoes relative to each other; (c) means for positionally
adjusting said second pair of welding shoes relative to each other;
and (d) means for positionally adjusting said first pair of welding
shoes relative to said second pair of welding shoes.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention pertains generally to devices and methods for
metal welding, and more particularly to a welding system and method
which provides for quick, easy and accurate vertical welds using a
light weight, portable welding fixture and a distributed control
system which allows an operator to control arc voltage, electrode
oscillation, wire feed rate, seam tracking, and other functions
during welding operations.
[0003] 2. Description of the Background Art
[0004] When welding metal items together using arc or gas welding
techniques, horizontal welding has traditionally been easier and
less expensive to carry out than vertical welding. While welding
metal substrates with conventional welding methods or plates
together in a horizontal position, gravity assists in keeping the
molten weld puddle in place and facilitates the formation of high
quality welds. With vertical welding of metal substrates, the
molten weld puddle is much more difficult to control, and the weld
is correspondingly more expensive and time-consuming to perform.
For this reason, structural steel fabricators go to great lengths
to position metal substrates in a horizontal relationship during
welding and thereby avoid vertical welds.
[0005] The problems associated with making vertical welds are
particularly evident in the welding of "stiffener" plates into
steel I beams or H columns for use in building construction. These
stiffeners are used to transfer the moment load through a vertical
column when a horizontal column is welded to it. The welding of
stiffeners into structural beams is one of the most common welding
operations and consumes thousands of man-hours per year for a
typical structural steel fabricator. The stiffener plates are
welded to the web and flanges of a column in a position which is
normal to the web and flanges of the column. Thus, the weld
connecting the stiffener plate to the web is at a right angle to
the welds which join the stiffener plate to the flanges, and to
complete all of the welds, the steel fabricator must either
continually reposition the heavy steel beam to maintain a
horizontal position for each weld, or must carry out difficult
vertical welds.
[0006] Heretofore, the most common method of welding stiffeners
into beams or columns has been through use of conventional
"flux-cored" welding wire methods. Flux-cored welding generally
involves filling weld joints with weld metal from a flux cored
welding wire. The wire is made from a flat metal strip which is
drawn into a hollow tube, filled with a powdered flux material, and
rolled on a spool. During welding, the wire is unwound from the
spool and fed through a flexible cable or conduit by a wire feeder
device to a welding gun. When an operator presses the trigger on
the gun, the wire is fed out of the gun and strikes an arc on the
parent material to be welded. The arc energy melts the wire and
parent material to form a homogeneous weld of fused wire and parent
material.
[0007] In order to properly weld stiffeners in place on columns
using flux-cored welding, the stiffener plate and weld joint must
be properly prepared so that the weld will meet the AWS (American
Welding Society) code requirements. Generally, the stiffener is
first cut from a standard piece of mill plate and then bevel cut on
three sides and ground clean to remove any mill scale. Back-up
bars, which retain molten metal in place during welding, are then
prepared for a fit-up operation wherein the stiffener plate is
carefully positioned relative to the column. The person carrying
out the fit-up operation must weld the stiffener and backup bars to
the column such that a constant 3/8 inch gap is maintained between
the stiffener plate and the parent material of the column. If the
gap is too narrow, the stiffener must be ground until the proper
gap is achieved. If the gap is too wide, the weld will require more
metal (and thus more weld passes) to fill. Many welding or
construction codes require that the backup bars be removed after
the stiffener has been welded in place. Such removal is difficult
and expensive, and generally requires gouging out the backup bars
with a carbon arc, followed by additional weld passes to fill in
the gouged areas.
[0008] Small structural steel fabricators generally weld stiffeners
into columns using flux-cored wire welding while the columns are
horizontally positioned between two upright supports, with the
columns being continually flipped or repositioned for each weld to
avoid vertical welding. Since the columns generally are very heavy,
an overhead crane is used to lift the columns for repositioning.
This process is very time consuming and expensive. Additionally,
multiple weld passes are required to fill each weld joint, with
thicker stiffener plates requiring more weld passes. After each
weld pass, the operator must stop and chip off the slag covering
the weld before the next weld pass. If any defects occur, the
defect must be gouged out with a carbon arc and re-welded.
[0009] Larger structural steel fabricators sometimes use "pit
welding" or "platform welding" for installing stiffeners, wherein
columns are positioned vertically so that all three sides of the
weld joint are in a horizontal or flat "hog-trough" position. Since
the column is vertical, the stiffener is horizontal and the welds
on all three sides are made in the horizontal position. This
arrangement also allows a much larger puddle during welding, and
requires fewer weld passes to fill each weld joint. However, the
handling and positioning of vertically oriented columns is
difficult and requires an overhead crane and the use of a pit
and/or platform, thus requiring a large amount of work space.
Further, the location of the welding operation is generally not at
ground or floor level when using pit or platform welding
techniques, and can require the welding operator to be awkwardly or
precariously positioned on a platform or ladder during the welding
operation.
[0010] A vertical welding technique known as "electroslag" welding
(ESW) has been developed to overcome the difficulties associated
with repositioning columns or other heavy substrates in order to
permit horizontal welds. The electroslag method generally involves
bringing the ends of two vertically-oriented plates or substrates
together such that a 3/4 inch to one inch gap remains between the
ends of the plates. Copper welding shoes are then placed on each
side of the gap to form a vertical channel or cavity between the
plates and welding shoes. This cavity is filled with weld metal by
placing a steel guide tube into the cavity to feed welding wire
into the channel. When the welding wire feeds out the bottom end of
the guide tube, an arc is struck against the parent material and a
molten puddle is formed. A granular flux material is sprinkled into
the channel during welding, which melts to form a conductive slag.
The arc is extinguished by the conductive slag, which remains
molten due to the resistance to the electric current passing
between the welding wire and the substrates. Heat generated by the
resistance of the molten slag melts the welding wire and fuses the
molten metal to the substrates to form the weld. The welding wire
is continually fed into the weld while the guide tube is oscillated
or reciprocated within the cavity, and the cavity is filled with
molten metal to join the plates together. The guide tube is
consumable and contributes to the weld metal. The copper shoes
retain the weld puddle in place, and are removed when the weld is
completed. A comprehensive description of electroslag welding is
provided in the American Welding Society Welding Handbook, eighth
edition, which is incorporated by reference.
[0011] While the electroslag process permits vertical welds, it has
previously not met with much success due to the large amount of
time required to set up prior to welding. Particularly, it is
difficult and time consuming to position and secure the copper
shoes about the gap between the substrates which are to be welded.
In the case of electroslag welding of stiffeners onto columns,
"L"-brackets generally must be cut and welded into place between
the flanges and stiffener in order to support the copper shoes,
with two L-brackets required for each weld. After the L-brackets
are welded in place, steel wedges are pounded in place between the
L-brackets and copper shoes to hold the shoes in position. When the
weld is finished, the brackets must be removed.
[0012] Another drawback associated with conventional electroslag
welding is that that the guide tube must be carefully positioned
within the gap to be welded, which requires careful alignment of
the welding head and welding oscillator mechanism. Incorrect
alignment of the guide tube can result in contact of the guide tube
with tone of the copper shoes during welding, causing a 500 Amp
short which will generally destroy the (expensive) copper welding
shoe and interrupt the welding operation. Any such interruption of
an electroslag weld operation is very inconvenient and generally
requires gouging out the incomplete weld and starting the entire
operation over.
[0013] Still another drawback of conventional electroslag welding
is that the molten flux puddle in the weld cavity can cause the
welding wire to fuse to the bottom of the guide tube during
welding, which prevents wire from feeding into the weld. The
welding then must be interrupted, the copper shoes removed, and the
weld area cleaned or ground down to allow set up for a new weld
start. As noted above, the interruption of an electroslag weld in
such a manner requires expensive and time consuming cleanup of the
incomplete weld followed by starting the weld operation over
again.
[0014] Welding controllers or control systems have been developed
to facilitate electroslag welding by controlling wire feed rate and
oscillation, but such controllers generally bulky and heavy, and
typically provide for only one type of weld condition. If the weld
condition varies during welding, defects may occur to the weld, or
a catastrophic short against one of the copper welding shoes may
occur. For these reasons, electroslag welding of stiffeners onto
columns has not proved economical, and the welding industry has
continued to use the flux-cored wire welding method. Further,
previously known welding control systems have been based on
centralized control architectures having a star topology. These
control systems are generally not scaleable or adaptable to
changing needs or different types of welding operations. Generally,
the central processor board for such systems must be re-designed
and modified to meet new requirements Accordingly, there is a need
for a welding system and method which overcomes the drawbacks
presently associated with the currently-used flux-cored wire
welding and electroslag welding methods, which eliminates the need
for frequent re-positioning of heavy steel columns or other
substrates during welding operations, which allows quick and easy
vertical welding with minimal set up time, which uses light weight,
portable equipment, which prevents unwanted interruption of welding
operations, and which provides a distributed control system to
allow defect free welds under a variety of weld conditions. The
present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and
generally overcomes the deficiencies of conventional electroslag
welding and flux-cored wire welding methods, and the drawbacks
found generally in the background art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0015] The present invention is a welding system and method which
allows quick and easy fabrication of high quality vertical welds
under varying conditions without requiring extensive set up time or
use of heavy equipment. In general terms, the system of the
invention comprises a portable welding fixture having means for
adjustably positioning a pair of welding shoes about the center
point of a weld, an interchangeable welding torch and oscillator
detachably coupled to the welding fixture, a rotary wire feeder and
straightener, a flux dispenser, and a distributed control system
which allows an operator to control arc power supply, electrode
oscillation, wire feed rate, flux dispensing rate, seam tracking,
and other functions. The welding system preferably includes an
articulating, multi-segment boom or arm which allows quick and easy
positioning of the welding fixture with respect to large workpieces
or substrates. The welding fixture is associated generally with the
end of the articulating boom, and the wire feeder/straightener,
flux dispenser and a welding wire source such as a spool of welding
wire are preferably located on the articulating boom.
[0016] By way of example, and not of limitation, the welding
fixture includes a pair of movable opposing welding shoes, means
for positioning the welding shoes about a central point or center
line, means for supporting an oscillator and welding torch, and
means for releasibly coupling the fixture to a workpiece. The
positioning means preferably comprises a pair of movable arms which
are threadedly mounted on a right/left threaded positioning screw.
The welding shoes are mounted on the movable arms in an opposing
relationship, and rotation of the positioning screw by turning a
knob brings the arms and welding shoes together or apart depending
upon the direction of rotation. The welding shoes and movable arms
preferably move symmetrically about the center line, so that the
welding shoes remain equidistant from the center line during
positional adjustment. The workpiece coupling means preferably
comprises one or more hand-actuated screw clamps or locking screws
which releasibly attach or clamp to a workpiece and securely hold
the welding fixture onto the workpiece during welding operations. A
plurality of perch screws are provided to allow adjustment of
contact pressure and alignment of the fixture with respect to the
workpiece. The oscillator supporting means preferably comprises a
bracket which receives a detachable and interchangeable oscillator
apparatus. A welding torch is coupled to the oscillator and is
aligned generally with the centerline between the opposing welding
shoes and movable arms. The welding torch supports a guide tube and
welding wire which are located generally adjacent to the center
line between the welding shoes and movable arms. The welding torch
and oscillator are positioned on the welding fixture such that the
guide tube and welding wire are generally located at the center
point or axis between the opposing welding shoes. Preferably, the
welding shoes are made of copper or like metal or metal alloy. The
welding shoes preferably are water-cooled or air-cooled, and
include an insulating ceramic coating on one or more surfaces of
each of the welding shoes. The welding shoes may alternatively not
include an insulating coating. The welding fixture is compact and
lightweight, preferably under 50 lbs, and can be easily handled by
a single person.
[0017] The welding torch of the invention includes means for
preventing a welding wire from sticking or fusing to the end of a
guide tube in a manner which would interrupt welding operations.
The welding torch preferably comprises a central tube slidably
mounted in an outer tube, a spring for applying an upward bias to
the central tube, and a chuck for releasibly holding a guide tube
onto the central tube. The central tube is slidably mounted in the
outer tube by means of one or more linear bearings. The spring
provides an upwardly directed bias to the central tube. A flexible
conductor electrically connects the central tube to the welding
power supply cable. Welding wire is fed from the wire feeder, down
a flexible conduit, through the welding torch, and into the guide
tube. The welding torch may be structured and configured to
accommodate dual guide tubes and to allow two welding wires to
simultaneously be directed through the welding torch.
[0018] The guide tube used with the welding torch can be a round
guide tube or a winged guide tube structured and configured to
spread the welding arc energy over the width of the weld. The
winged guide tube comprises a pair of opposing elongated plates,
with each plate having a longitudinal channel extending between the
ends of the plate. The plate are joined together with the channels
facing each other so that the channels define a guide tube for a
welding wire, and the edges of the plates define wings.
[0019] The oscillator of the invention preferably comprises a pair
of elongated parallel shafts rotatably mounted in a housing, with a
pair of linear actuators or slide blocks movably mounted on the
shafts, together with means for causing the linear actuators to
travel longitudinally along the shafts as the shafts rotate. A
motor or like drive means is provided to rotate the shafts and
drive the linear actuators. Means for monitoring linear actuator
movement are included with the oscillator, and preferably comprise
an encoder that counts shaft or motor rotation and communicates
encoder count pulses to the control system of the invention. In a
first embodiment of the oscillator, the rotating shafts are smooth
and each linear actuator includes a plurality of canted rollers
that propel the linear actuators along the shafts as the shafts
rotate. A linear or quadrature encoder is preferably included on
one or both of the linear actuators to monitor rotation of the
canted rollers and correct for slippage between the canted rollers
and the rotating shaft. Oscillation is achieved by rotatably
driving the shafts at a selected rate of rotation and periodically
reversing the direction of rotation after a selected duration, to
provide an oscillating motion to the linear actuators. Means for
controlling the amplitude and period of oscillation are provided in
the form of a detachable control module associated with the control
system of the invention. A plate is coupled to the linear actuators
and moves with the linear actuators. The welding torch is coupled
to the plate and oscillates with the motion of the linear actuators
and plate. The oscillator is detachably coupled to the welding
fixture by a bracket.
[0020] In an alternative embodiment of the oscillator, the rotating
shafts are threaded to provide lead screws, and the linear
actuators each include an internally threaded plastic nut that
allows the linear actuators to travel along the shafts or lead
screws during rotation. A needle bearing is located on either side
of the-internally threaded plastic nut. The lead screws are
precision ground to provide a flat surface on the outer race of the
lead screws. The precision grinding of the lead screws further
provide a bearing fit so that that the needle bearings can ride on
the outer surface of each lead screw. This arrangement allows the
needle bearings to carry a much heavier load than the plastic
bearing nuts themselves. An encoder tracks rotation of the drive
motor.
[0021] The wire feeder and straightener of the invention is a
rotary straight wire feeder, and includes means for removing the
"cast" and "helix" from welding wire as the wire is unwound from a
spool or coil and feeding the wire to a welding torch. The rotary
straight wire feeder includes two sets of canted bearings mounted
in a rotor housing or body. Each bearing set includes three
bearings which are laterally spaced apart about a bore extending
along longitudinal axis of the rotor body, and which are each
canted or skewed at about forty five degrees with respect to the
longitudinal axis. A welding wire is placed through the bore of the
rotor body such that the wire is in contact with the bearings in
the two bearing sets. When the rotor body is rotated, the bearings
exert a force on the wire which drives the wire forward. An
adjustable offset bearing is positioned in the rotor housing
between the two rotor sets. As the rotor body turns, the offset
bearing bends and straightens the welding wire as it is advanced
through the rotor body under the action of the canted bearings.
[0022] The distributed control system of the invention preferably
comprises a plurality of control modules, one of which is an
operator interface, and a bus for the plurality of modules. The
control modules are preferably networked in series with
communication and power cables. Each control module includes a
local microcontroller that controls the functions of the module.
The operator interface includes a data logging module or operator
control panel with one or more rotatable control knobs that are
monitored by digital encoders. The control knob is attached to the
shaft of a manually positioned encoder and performs the same
function that a potentiometer would in an analog control system.
The encoder is preferably shaped, mounted and turned like a
potentiometer. The operator control panel allows setting of
"Initial", "Program" and "Final" weld conditions, as described in
more detail below. The other control modules preferably comprise an
oscillator controller, a servo amp or wire feed controller for the
rotary straight wire feeder, and a welding power supply
controller.
[0023] The control system includes network software which provides
communication between the different components of the system. The
software and provides a master slave system with communications
error detection. The operator interface acts as master for the
system while the other modules act as slave units which can
eavesdrop on communications when one particular module needs
control information from another module. Network communications use
EIA RS-485 signaling and a standard 8-bit NRZ ASCII code set. Each
byte is encoded with a single start and a single stop bit with no
parity. Diagnostic information from each control module can be
communicated back to the operator control module and displayed to
the operator on an LCD or like display. The use of multiple control
modules as provided by the invention allows the operator control
module to quite small and portable because the individual modules
carry out control operations for the separate function.
[0024] The control system includes means for creating digital data
recordings of all of the welding parameters associated with each
welding cycle carried out using the welding system of the
invention. Preferably, the operator control panel includes a serial
port which allows interfacing with a personal computer or a simple
data storage device such as a flash memory card or a floppy disk
drive. All of the welding parameters which are entered by the
operator and which are monitored and controlled by the control
system and displayed on the operator panel can be downloaded to an
external personal computer or stored on flash memory cards or
floppy disks for future evaluation. In this manner, a detailed
record for each weld made with the invention is quickly and easily
created and conveniently available for future use.
[0025] The welding fixture is preferably associated with the end of
an extensible, articulating boom or articulating boom which allows
extendable, articulating positioning of the fixture with respect to
large workpieces such as steel beams or columns for building
construction. The articulating boom is pivotally mounted on a base,
and preferably comprises a plurality of pivotally joined segments
which can be pivoted and extended or folded up as required to
position the end of the arm. Flexible arc power cables and cooling
water supply hoses run along the articulating boom and provide
power to the welding torch and cooling water to the welding shoes.
The fixture is preferably attached to the end of the articulating
boom by a chain or cable, which supports the weight of the fixture,
when the fixture is not attached to or resting on a workpiece.
[0026] The system of the invention preferably includes a flux
dispenser for providing welding flux to a welding site. The flux
dispenser preferably comprises a flux hopper and an input drop tube
which gravity-feed flux powder to a generally horizontally-oriented
drive belt. The drive belt is located in a recess or chamber in a
belt housing. As the belt turns under the action of a motor, flux
is conveyed from the belt and drops off into the recess in the belt
housing and moves to the bottom of the recess. One or more output
drop tubes communicate with the bottom of the recess, and convey
the flux by gravity to the weld site. The rate of flux dispensing
can be increased or decreased as desired by increasing or
decreasing the rotation rate of the drive motor, and thus the rate
of motion of the drive belt. The flux dispenser can be mounted on
the articulating of the invention, may be detachably associated
with the welding fixture, or can held by an external support near
the welding operation.
[0027] The welding wire used with the invention preferably
comprises between approximately 0.0001% and approximately 0.05% of
boron, and/or between approximately 0.001% and approximately 0.08%
of nickel. The boron included in the welding wire provides
increased weld strength relative to welds made with conventional
welding wire compositions.
[0028] The method of using the welding system of the invention
generally comprises the steps of positioning the extensible arm
relative to a workpiece, positioning the welding fixture on the
workpiece, securing the welding fixture to the workpiece,
positionally adjusting the opposing welding shoes relative to a
center point to define a welding cavity adjacent the workpiece,
straightening welding wire and feeding welding wire to a welding
torch and through a guide tube, providing oscillating motion to the
welding torch, striking an arc to initiate welding, and adding flux
to the weld cavity during welding. The method of using the
invention also preferably comprises the steps of controlling arc
voltage and arc current from an operator interface control module,
controlling the period and amplitude of oscillating motion from an
operator control module, and controlling welding wire feed rate
from an operator control module.
[0029] In using the system and method of the invention to weld
stiffeners onto an I-beam, the I beam is horizontally positioned
across supports at floor level, with the web of the beam generally
parallel to the floor, and with the flanges of the beam generally
perpendicular to the floor. A stiffener plate is cut to fit between
the two flanges so that a suitable gap, such as 3/4" to 1", remains
between the side edges of the of the stiffener plate and the
flanges of the I-beam. The lower edge of the plate adjacent to the
web of the I-beam is beveled, and the stiffener plate is welded to
the web using conventional flux-cored wire welding techniques,
since the stiffener plate and web are horizontally oriented.
[0030] Following the horizontal welding of the stiffener plate to
the web, the welding operator positions the welding fixture on the
I-beam so that the center line between the welding shoes is located
generally near the center of the gap between the one of the edges
of the stiffener plate and the adjacent flange of the beam. Next,
the welding fixture is secured to the beam by the hand-actuated
clamping or locking screws. Then, the positioning screw is rotated
by turning the knob or wheel to bring the welding shoes adjacent to
the gap to define a vertical welding cavity, with the guide tube
and welding wire located generally in the center of the welding
cavity along the center line. The insulated faces on the welding
shoes face the welding cavity, and cooling water or air is
circulated through the welding shoes. The drop tubes from the flux
dispenser are positioned above the weld cavity. The operator
presets weld conditions into the operator control panel for arc
voltage, arc current, wire feed rate and oscillator settings. After
weld program variables or parameters have been entered into the
operator control panel, the operator activates a "cycle start"
button to activate the initial weld conditions, which continue
until a molten flux puddle has formed in the weld. Following
activation of the "cycle start button, welding wire is advanced to
contact the base metal and strike an arc while the welding torch
and guide tube oscillate according to the predetermined settings
within the welding cavity. Flux is dispensed at a predetermined
ratento the weld cavity from the flux dispenser during the welding
operation. The control system then switches to the main or program
weld conditions until the operator activates a "cycle stop" button
on the operator control panel. Under the program weld conditions,
the welding wire and guide tube are generally consumed and fill up
the weld cavity to form a weld connecting the flange and the edge
or side of the stiffener plate. The "cycle stop" button initiates
final weld conditions. A timer associated with the control system
holds preset parameters at final weld conditions until a power
supply contactor is dropped to terminate the arc, and wire feeding
stops. When the weld is thus completed, the copper welding shoes
are drawn apart and the fixture is detached and moved to the
opposite end of the stiffener and the above process is repeated to
weld the opposite edge of the stiffener to the opposite flange. The
welding operator may record all of the details of the weld cycle
onto a flash memory card or floppy disk or other recording media
for future use.
[0031] When both edges or sides of the stiffener have been welded
to the opposing flanges of the beam as describe above, the fixture
may be moved to another location on the beam for welding another
stiffener plate thereon, or the beam may be rotated 180.degree. so
that a stiffener can be welded onto the other side of the beam. No
backup bars or braces are required to hold the stiffener or welding
shoes in place during the vertical welds, and the entire setup time
for each weld generally takes less than one minute. No
repositioning of the heavy I beam is required for any of the welds.
Since the welding fixture and operator control module are light
weight and portable, a single person can operate the welding system
of the invention and install multiple stiffeners onto an I-beam in
a relatively short time. The insulating coating on the copper
welding shoes prevents catastrophic shorting of the guide tube
against the copper shoes as occurs in previously used electroslag
welding techniques. The welding torch of the invention prevents
inadvertent fusing of the welding wire to the end of the guide tube
because the downward force exerted on the welding wire by the wire
straightener/feeder is forces the end of the guide tube into the
molten flux puddle of the weld, causing the wire to melt and unfuse
from the guide tube. The control system allows recording of all
weld parameters involved in each individual weld.
[0032] In a variation of the above procedure as used for installing
stiffeners onto I-beams, a slot is first cut in the web of the
I-beam, and a stiffener plate is prepared with dimensions such
that, when centrally positioned in the slot, the stiffener plate
extends outward from the web on both sides of the I beam. Thus, a
single plate provides stiffeners for both sides of the web, and the
beam itself requires movement only once during the entire welding
operation. Using this method, the plate is joined to the beam using
two stiffener-to-flange welds and two stiffener-to web welds on
each side. In the event that the stiffener-to-web fillet welds are
unacceptable, the web can be single-beveled on either side and
welded horizontally from either the first or second side with
flux-cored wire. The vertical stiffener-to-flange welds are carried
out using the system of the invention in generally the manner
described above.
[0033] The system of the invention also preferably includes a
welding shoe stiffener clamping assembly for use with the
above-described stiffener installation wherein a slot is cut in the
web of an I-beam. The welding shoe stiffener clamping assembly
generally comprises first and second pairs of welding shoes, means
for positionally adjusting the first pair of welding shoes relative
to each other, means for positionally adjusting the second pair of
welding shoes relative to each other, means for positionally
adjusting the first pair of welding shoes relative to the second
pair of welding shoes. The positioning means in each case
preferably comprise right-handed/left-handed externally threaded
positioning screws together with corresponding
right-handed/left-handed internally threaded sleeves. A positioning
screw is pivotally attached to each of the welding shoes in the
first pair of welding shoes, and a positioning screw is likewise
pivotally attached to each of the welding shoes in the second pair
of welding shoes. A pair of positioning screws pivotally attach the
first pair of welding shoes to the second pair of welding shoes.
Rotation of the sleeves with respect to the corresponding
positioning screws will increase or decrease (depending upon the
direction of rotation) the distance between the welding shoes
associated with the positioning screws.
[0034] The welding shoe stiffener clamping assembly is generally
used by first positioning a stiffener plate within the slot in the
web of the I-beam in a desired manner, with a gap located between
each side or edge of the stiffener plate and the adjacent flange of
the I-beam. The stiffener plate is then tack welded into position.
The welding shoe stiffener clamping assembly is then positioned
adjacent the stiffener plate, and the first pair of welding shoes
are positioned about one edge of the stiffener plate and drawn
together by rotating the appropriate sleeve on the corresponding
positioning screw until the first pair of welding shoes are brought
together about the stiffener plate to define a first lower welding
cavity between the first pair of welding shoes. The second pair of
welding shoes are then positioned about the other edge of the
stiffener plate and drawn towards each other by rotating the
appropriate sleeve on the corresponding positioning screw until the
second pair of welding shoes are brought into contact with the
stiffener plate to define a second lower welding cavity between the
second pair of welding shoes. A sump block is placed between each
of the welding shoes of the first pair and secured therebetween by
tack welds to block or seal off the end of the first lower welding
cavity, and a sump block is likewise is placed between each of the
welding shoes of the second pair and secured therebetween by tack
welds to block or seal off the end of the second lower welding
cavity.
[0035] When the welding shoe stiffener clamping assembly is thus in
place, the stiffener plate is welded to the web with four
stiffener-to web fillet welds, with two such welds on the upper
side of the web and two welds on the lower side. The four
stiffener-to-web fillet welds are carried out with conventional
flux-cored welding techniques, such as use of a welding "gun",
without re-positioning the beam. The I-beam is positioned so that
the welding shoe stiffener clamp assembly is positioned beneath or
on the lower side of the I-beam, and the welding fixture is then
attached to the upper edge of the flange in the manner described
above, adjacent the edge of the stiffener plate and above the first
lower welding cavity. The welding shoes of the fixture are
positioned together about the stiffener plate to define a first
upper welding cavity, which communicates with the first lower
welding cavity directly below. The guide tube on the welding torch
is of suitable length so that the guide tube extends the length of
the combined upper and lower welding cavities. In this manner, the
upper and lower welding cavities can be filled with weld metal in a
single weld to join the stiffener plate to the flange on both the
upper and lower sides of the beam, thereby eliminating the need to
rotate the I-beam and perform two separate vertical welds to join
the stiffener plate to the flange. The welding fixture is then
re-positioned and secured to the opposite flange, and the welding
shoes of the fixture are positioned to form a second upper welding
cavity adjacent to and in communication with the second lower
welding cavity, and the combined upper and lower welding cavities
are filled in a single weld as described above.
[0036] The welding fixture and welding shoe stiffener clamping
assembly of the invention thus can be used to install a stiffener
plate which extends through to both sides of an I-beam without
requiring any re-positioning of an I-beam. Further, the entire
operation can be carried out by a single person, without the use of
a crane for moving the I-beam or any other heavy equipment. The
installation of two stiffener plates on opposite sides of an I-beam
with conventional welding techniques would generally require
re-positioning of the I-beam with a crane at least six times. The
present invention thus greatly reduces the time and labor required
for installing stiffener plates onto I-beams.
[0037] An object of the invention is to provide a welding system
and method which allows quick and easy formation of high quality
vertical welds.
[0038] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which requires minimal set up time for vertical
welds.
[0039] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which utilizes light weight and portable equipment and
can used by a single operator.
[0040] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which allows welding to be carried out at floor or
ground level on large workpieces such as structural beams and
columns.
[0041] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which minimizes the need for re-positioning of heavy
workpieces during welding operations.
[0042] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which eliminates shorting caused by contact of a welding
wire guide tube with a welding shoe.
[0043] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which prevents interruption of welding operations due to
fusing of a welding wire to the end of a guide tube.
[0044] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which eliminates the cast and helix from welding wire
which has been unwound from a spool.
[0045] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which provides for both straightening and feeding
welding wire.
[0046] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which allows a single stiffener plate to extend through
a slot in the web of an I-beam so that the stiffener plate extends
outward to both sides of the web.
[0047] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method in which a single stiffener plate extending through a
slotted web in an I-beam can be welded to the I-beams without
requiring any re-positioning of the I-beam.
[0048] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which includes a distributed control system having a
plurality of control modules.
[0049] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which allows presetting of control parameters for arc
voltage, arc current, welding wire feed rate, welding torch
oscillation, and other functions from a portable, light weight
operator control panel prior to welding.
[0050] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which allow for overriding preset conditions during the
welding operation.
[0051] Another object of the invention is to provide welding system
and method which allows digital recording of all welding parameters
for each weld carried out.
[0052] Further objects and advantages of the invention will be
brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein
the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing
preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations
thereon.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0053] The invention will be more fully understood by reference to
the following drawings which are for illustrative purposes
only.
[0054] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a welding system in
accordance with the invention shown with an I beam and
supports.
[0055] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the welding fixture, welding
torch and oscillator of FIG. 1.
[0056] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the assembly of FIG.
2.
[0057] FIG. 4 is a front view of the assembly of FIG. 2.
[0058] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 2 shown
together with an I-beam.
[0059] FIG. 6 is a schematic top view of the welding shoes of the
welding fixture shown positioned about a centerline, together with
a guide tube, I-beam flange and stiffener plate.
[0060] FIG. 7 is a side view of the welding torch of FIG. 2 shown
in partial cross section through line 7-7.
[0061] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the welding
torch of FIG. 7, shown without the flexible conductor.
[0062] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an oscillator in accordance
with the present invention, shown with the top plate and portions
of the housing removed.
[0063] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the oscillator of FIG. 9.
[0064] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment
oscillator shown with the top plate removed.
[0065] FIG. 12 is a side view of oscillator of FIG. 11 shown in
partial cross section through line 12-12.
[0066] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a dual wire
feeder/straightener assembly in accordance with the present
invention.
[0067] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of the rotary straight
wire feeders of FIG. 13.
[0068] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a portion of the rotary
straight wire feeder of FIG. 14 in partial cross section shown
through line 15-15.
[0069] FIG. 16 is an end view of the partial cross-sectional view
shown in FIG. 15.
[0070] FIG. 17 is a side elevation view of the rotary straight wire
feeder of FIG., 14 shown in cross section through line 17-17.
[0071] FIG. 18 is a partially exploded view of the rotary straight
wire feeder of FIG. 14.
[0072] FIG. 19 is a schematic view of the input and output bearing
sets and the adjustable offset bearing of the rotary straight wire
feeder of FIG. 14, shown with a welding wire.
[0073] FIG. 20 is a front view of a winged guided tube in
accordance with the invention.
[0074] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the winged guide tube
of FIG. 16 taken through line 21-21.
[0075] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a flux dispenser in
accordance with the invention.
[0076] FIG. 23 is a front view of the flux dispenser of FIG. 19
shown in cross-section through line 23-23.
[0077] FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B are a functional block diagram of the
distributed control system of the invention.
[0078] FIG. 25 is a top plan view of the operator control panel of
the distributed control system.
[0079] FIG. 26 is a graphic representation of voltage output and
wire feed rate versus time for an automated welding cycle in
accordance with the distributed control system of FIG. 24A and FIG.
24B.
[0080] FIG. 27 is a perspective view of an I-beam having a slotted
web and a stiffener plate which can extend through the slot in the
web, as used with the present invention.
[0081] FIG. 28 is a perspective view of a welding shoe bottom
clamping assembly in accordance with the invention for use with a
stiffener plate and slotted web shown in FIG. 27.
[0082] FIG. 29 is a bottom plan view of the welding shoe assembly,
I-beam and stiffener plate of FIG. 28.
[0083] FIG. 30 is an end view of the welding shoe assembly, I-beam
and stiffener plate of FIG. 28.
[0084] FIG. 31 is an alternative embodiment welding shoe
arrangement for use with the invention in "butt"-welding
operations.
[0085] FIG. 32 is an alternative embodiment guide tube in
accordance with the invention for use with two welding wires
simultaneously.
[0086] FIG. 33 is a flow chart illustrating generally the method of
the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0087] Referring more specifically to the drawings, for
illustrative purposes the present invention is embodied in the
system and method shown generally in FIG. 1 through FIG. 32, and
the method outlined generally in FIG. 33. It will be appreciated
that the system may vary as to configuration and as to details of
the parts, and that the method of using the system may vary as to
details and to the order of steps, without departing from the basic
concepts as disclosed herein. The invention-is disclosed generally
in terms of welding stiffener plates onto structural beams, as this
particular type of welding operation is widely used. However, the
invention may be used in a large variety of welding applications,
as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0088] Referring first to FIG. 1, a welding system 10 in accordance
with the invention is generally shown. The welding system 10
generally comprises a welding fixture 12, a welding torch 14, an
oscillator 16, and a rotary straight wire feeder assembly 18. The
system 10 is preferably associated with an extensible, articulating
boom 20 having a plurality of segments 22a, 22b, 22c which are
pivotally or otherwise movably related to each other by a
corresponding plurality of pivoting joints or hinges 24a, 24b.
Articulating boom 20 is mounted on a base or column 26. Segments
22a-22c are preferably made of perforated metal beams to provide
high load bearing capability and light weight. Joints 24a-b
preferably include pillow block bearings (not shown) as well as
adjustable drag brakes (not shown) to prevent unwanted floating
movement. A welding wire source such as spool 28 is preferably
positioned on articulating boom 20 by support 30. Rotary straight
wire feeder assembly 18 is also preferably located on boom 20.
Welding wire is unwound from spool 28 and provided to rotary wire
feeder straightener assembly 18 during welding operations. A
conventional wire puller or wire feeder 32 may also be included on
articulating boom 20 adjacent the free end 34 thereof, and can be
utilized as an alternative to rotary straight wire feeder assembly
18. A welding wire guide hose 36 directs wire from feeder 32 or
rotary feeder/straightener assembly 18 to welding torch 14. A
flexible arm 38 may be used to support guide hose 34. A light
source 40 is preferably included on articulating boom 20 to
facilitate welding operations. An arc welding power supply 42 is
provided with system 10, which provides power to welding torch 14
via power cable(s) (not shown) that extend generally along
articulating boom 20 to fixture 12 and welding torch 14. The power
cables may alternatively extend across the floor 44 of the work
area where welding system 10 is used, or be otherwise conveniently
positioned. Welding system 10 may additionally comprise seam
tracking, motion controlling and flux dispensing equipment (not
shown), which are generally associated with the end 34 of
articulating boom 20 or with welding fixture 12.
[0089] Welding system 10 preferably includes a distributed control
system which is shown in FIG. 1 as an operator interface module 46,
an oscillator controller module 48, a wire feed controller module
50 for the rotary straight wire feeder 18, a welding power supply
controller module 52, and a bus cable 54 connecting modules 46-52.
Oscillator controller module 48 is preferably located adjacent
oscillator 16, a wire feed controller module 50 is preferably
located on articulating boom 20 near end 34 and rotary straight
wire feeder 18. Welding power controller module 52 is preferably
associated with welding power supply 42, and may be internally or
externally located on welding power supply 42. Additional control
modules (not shown) may be included for seam tracking, motion
controlling or flux dispensing equipment (not shown) when such
equipment is used with the invention.
[0090] Welding system 10 is shown with an I-beam 56 and stiffener
plates 58, with the I-beam 56 horizontally supported on a pair of
supports or "saw horses" 60a, 60b in a manner common for structural
steel fabricators. Since the invention allows very rapid
installation of stiffeners 58 onto I-beams 60, as described in more
detail below, a plurality of additional horizontally-supported
I-beams (not shown) are generally positioned adjacent articulating
boom 20 for rapid welding.
[0091] As shown in FIG. 1, spool 28 is relatively small, and would
be suitable for small welding operations. Spool 28 may
alternatively be much larger, and positioned on shop floor 44, with
wire from the spool, wheel or drum being unwound and directed along
articulating boom 20 via a plurality of eyelets or a wire guiding
tube (not shown). In this manner it is not necessary for an
operator to frequently exchange spool 28 on boom 20 when spool 28
has run out of welding wire. When spool 28 is located external to
boom 20, the welding wire from spool 28 would generally be directed
along the length of boom 20 towards welding fixture 12 and welding
torch 14. The welding system 10 may additionally include means for
preventing bending of welding wire due to the motion of boom 20.
The bending prevention means preferably comprises an articulating
assembly of linked pieces (not shown) located adjacent each pivot
point 24a, 24b along boom. The articulating assembly defines a
welding wire channel extending through the center of each of the
linked pieces. The articulating linked assembly itself can undergo
only a limited amount of bending, and thus restricts the motion of
the wire and prevents bending thereof due to motion of the segments
22a, 22b of boom 20 about pivot points 24a, 24b. In this manner,
welding wire from the external spool is not kinked or damaged
during travel along boom.
[0092] Referring now to FIG. 2 through FIG. 5, as well as FIG. 1,
the welding fixture 12 of the invention generally comprises a pair
of movable, opposing welding shoes 62a, 62b which are positioned
about a center line or axis 64. Means for positionally adjusting
welding shoes 62a, 62b relative to each other and to center line 64
are included with welding fixture 12, and preferably comprise a
pair of movable arms 66a, 66b, a right-handed/left-handed threaded
positioning screw 68 (FIG. 4) which is rotatably mounted on fixture
12 via screw housing 70, and a hand-actuated wheel 72 joined to
positioning screw 68. Movable arm 66a is threadedly associated with
the left-handed threaded portion 74a of positioning screw 68 via
screw block 75a, and movable arm 66b is likewise threadedly
associated with right-hand threaded portion 74b of positioning
screw 68 via screw block 75b. Movable arms 66a, 66b extend through
a slot (not shown) in the bottom of screw housing 70. Rotation of
wheel 72 and positioning screw 68 in one direction results in
symmetrically opening or drawing apart of movable arms 66a, 66b and
welding shoes 62a, 62b relative to center line 64, and rotation of
wheel 72 and positioning screw 68 in the opposite direction results
in the symmetrical closing or drawing together of movable arms 66a,
66b and welding shoes 62a, 62b relative to center line 64. Welding
shoe 62a thus maintains the same distance from center line 64 as
welding shoe 62b during positional adjustment of welding shoes 62a,
62b via rotation of wheel 72 and positioning screw 68. A knob 76
preferably is pivotally attached to wheel 72 to facilitate rotation
of wheel 72 by an operator. A fixed guide rod 77 within screw
housing 70 slidably extends through screw blocks 77a, 77b and keeps
movable arms 66a, 66b in a generally parallel relationship during
positional adjustment.
[0093] Other positional adjustment means for welding shoes 62a, 62b
may alternatively be used with the invention. For example,
conventional pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders may be used to
position welding shoes 62a, 62b relative to center line 64 instead
of positioning screw 68 and wheel 72. Preferably the positioning
means used for adjusting the position of welding shoes 62a, 62b
provides for symmetrical movement of welding shoes 62a, 62b about
center line 64, so that the opposing welding shoes 62a, 62b remain
generally equidistant from center line 64 during positional
adjustment.
[0094] Welding fixture 12 includes means for coupling or securing
to a workpiece such as I-beam 56. The coupling means preferably
comprises one or more clamping or locking screws 78a, 78b which are
threadedly associated with front braces 80a, 80b respectively. A
pair of back braces 82a, 82b are generally parallel to and spaced
apart from front braces 80a, 80b respectively, thus providing
opening 84a between front and back braces 80a, 82a, and opening 84b
between front and back braces 80b, 82b. Openings 84a, 84b are
structured and configured to receive a workpiece or portion of a
workpiece such as flange 86a (FIG. 5) of I-beam 56. When flange 86
or other workpiece is positioned within openings 84a, 84b, locking
screws 78a, 78b are rotated via knobs 88a, 88b to tighten or secure
flange 86a between front braces 80a, 80b and back braces 82a, 82b,
thus securing welding fixture 12 to the workpiece, with braces 80a,
80b, 82a, 82b generally parallel to flange 86a and perpendicular to
web 89 of I-beam.
[0095] Preferably a plurality of leveling or perch screws 90 are
included in back braces 82a, 82b to allow careful positioning of
welding fixture 12 with respect to the attached workpiece.
Preferably, there are four perch screws 90, with two screws 90
vertically spaced apart from each other on each of the back braces
82a, 82b. This arrangement allows adjustment of the vertical
orientation or angle of welding fixture 12 with respect to the
attached workpiece, as well as positional adjustment of the welding
fixture 12 in generally forward and backward directions with
respect to the attached workpiece. Perch screws 90, together with
locking screws 78a, 78b, allow precise adjustment of the contact
pressure and alignment of fixture 12 with respect to flange 86a. By
extending perch screws 90 inward through back braces 82a, 82b,
copper welding shoes 62a, 62b are moved away from flange 86a. If
the upper perch screws 90 are turned inward further than the lower
perch screws 90, the upper ends of copper shoes 62a, 62b will be
tilted closer to flange 86a. Likewise, if the lower perch screws 90
are turned inward further than the upper perch screws 90, the lower
ends of copper welding shoes 62a, 62b will be tilted towards flange
86a. The perch screws 90 thus allow an operator to account for
variations in mill tolerances for each individual I-beam or other
workpiece, and provide for accurate positioning of welding fixture
12.
[0096] Other conventional coupling means may be used in place of
locking screws 78a, 78b and braces 80a, 80b, 82a, 82b, including
pneumatic, hydraulic or spring-actuated clamps or couplers. The
coupling means of the welding fixture 12 are shown as structured
and configured to secure to the flange 86a or 86b of a conventional
I-beam 56. While two locking screws 78a, 78b are shown, it is
contemplated that a single locking screw or additional locking
screws may alternatively be used as the coupling means for welding
fixture 12. Various other standard coupling means of varying
structure and configuration will suggest themselves to those
skilled in the art, and are also contemplated as being within the
scope of this disclosure.
[0097] Means for supporting oscillator 14 are included with welding
fixture 12, and preferably comprise a bracket 92 which is joined to
a back member 94. Oscillator 14 is releasibly joined to bracket 92
by screws (not shown), or by other convention coupling means.
Oscillator control module 48 is also preferably attached to bracket
94 by screws (not shown) or like conventional hardware. Welding
torch 14 is supported on welding fixture 12 by oscillator 14, and a
guide tube 96 is supported by welding torch 14, as described
further below. Guide tube 96 is generally parallel to and adjacent
to center line 64 between welding shoes 62a, 62b, and preferably is
juxtapositioned over center line 64 such that center line 64 runs
generally down the center of guide tube 96. Handles 98a, 98b are
preferably included on welding fixture 12 to facilitate handling by
an operator. A pair of stepped hangers or claws 100a, 100b are also
preferably 1 y included on welding fixture 12 to allow fixture 12
to be temporarily "hung" or supported on flange 86a, 86b or like
workpiece in a convenient fashion when not in use. The stepped
configuration of hangar claws 100a, 100b accommodate various
workpieces of differing thickness.
[0098] Welding fixture 12 is preferably light weight and portable,
and can be easily handled by a single person. Preferably, braces
80a, 80b, 82a, 82b, bracket 92, back member 94, handles 98a, 98b,
and hangar claws 100a, 100b are integral to each other and made of
aluminum or other light weigh, heat resistant durable,
corrosion-resistant material. Screw housing 70 and movable arms
66a, 66b are likewise preferably made of aluminum or other
lightweight, durable material. Welding fixture may be suspended
from the end 34 of articulating boom 20 by a chain or cable (not
shown) of suitable length to allow easy handling of welding fixture
12.
[0099] Referring more particularly to FIG. 6, as well as FIG. 2
through FIG. 5, welding shoes 62a, 62b are schematically shown as
symmetrically positioned about center line 64, guide tube 96, and a
welding wire 102 extending through guide tube 96 along center line
64. The welding fixture 12, which is attached to flange 86, is
omitted from FIG. 6 for clarity, with the exception of welding
shoes 62a, 62b. As related above, welding shoes 62a, 62b preferably
remain equidistant from center line 64 during positional
adjustment. When welding shoes 62a, 62b are positioned adjacent
stiffener plate 58 and flange 86a as shown in FIG. 6, a vertical
welding cavity or channel 104 is generally defined, with center
line 64 and guide tube 96 positioned generally near the center of
welding cavity 104. During welding operations with the invention,
welding cavity 104 is filled with molten metal provided by welding
wire 102 and guide tube 96, which are consumed during welding. When
welding is completed, welding shoes 62a, 62b are drawn apart by
turning wheel 72 and positioning screw 68 to leave a completed weld
joining stiffener 58 to flange 86a. The opened or drawn apart
positions of welding shoes 62a, 62b are shown in dashed lines.
[0100] Welding shoes 62a, 62b are structured and configured to
receive cooling water (or air), and generally include inlet and
outlet ports (not shown) for cooling water, as well as internal
circulation passages (not shown) for the cooling water. The cooling
water is delivered by water supply hoses (not shown) with suitable
hardware for attaching to the inlets on welding shoes 62a, 62b.
Outlet hoses (not shown) likewise connect to the outlet ports on
welding shoes 62a, 62b to remove the cooling water after
circulation through welding shoes 62a, 62b.
[0101] Welding shoes 62a, 62b and movable arms 66a, 66b are shown
as structured and configured for "T"-welding operations such as the
welding of stiffener plate 58 to flange 86. Welding shoes 62a, 62b
and movable arms 66a, 66b may alternatively be structured and
configured for "butt-welding" or other types of welding operations,
as described further below.
[0102] Welding shoes 62a, 62b are preferably made of copper or like
metal and may be cast or machined into desired shapes or
configurations for particular welding operations. Preferably,
welding shoes 62a, 62b are water or air cooled, and include
internal channels (not shown) for conducting cooling air or water,
and include suitable hardware (not shown) for attachment of water
or air supply lines. An electrically and/or thermally insulating
coating 106 is preferably included on at least one face of each
welding shoe 62a, 62b adjacent guide tube 96 to ensure that guide
tube 96 does not come into electrical contact with welding shoes
62a, 62b. Background art electroslag welding methods are prone to
the risk of an electrical short due to inadvertent contact of the
guide tube with a welding shoe during welding, which interrupts the
welding operation and destroys the contacted welding shoe. The
present invention avoids this problem by providing insulating
coating 106 on welding shoes 62a, 62b. Insulating coating 106 is
preferably made of ceramic material, and is both electrically
resistant and thermally stable at welding temperatures. A variety
of insulating coatings, including silicate or SiO.sub.2 may be used
for insulating coating 106, and coating 106 may be placed on shoes
62a, 62b by a variety of conventional means, including sputter
coating or sol-gel techniques. Insulated coating 106 also prevents
overcooling of the weld parent material of stiffener plate 58 and
flange 86, and provides better blending between the weld bead and
parent material during welding.
[0103] The welding wire 102 used with welding system preferably
comprises between approximately 0.0001% and approximately 0.05% of
boron, and/or between approximately 0.001% and approximately 0.10%
of nickel. The inclusion of boron and/or nickel in welding wire 102
is carried out with standard metallurgical techniques well known to
those of ordinary skill in the art. The boron included in the
composition of welding wire 102 provides increased weld strength
relative to welds made with conventional welding wire
compositions.
[0104] Referring now to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the preferred welding
torch 14 of the invention is generally shown. Welding torch 14
includes means for preventing interruption of welding operations
due to a welding wire from fusing to the end of a guide tube during
welding. Welding torch 14 generally includes a central tube 108
which is slidably mounted within an outer tube 110. Preferably, one
or more linear bearings 112 are included with welding torch 14 to
facilitate sliding motion of central tube 108 within outer tube
110. Means for providing a bias to central tube 108 are furnished
by a spring 114. Preferably, spring 114 and linear bearing 112 are
held in place on central tube 108 by means of retainer ring 116,
washer 118 and nuts 120, 122 which threadedly engage a threaded end
portion 124 (FIG. 8) of central tube 108. Outer tube 110 includes
an annular interior groove 126 which holds retainer ring 116. Outer
tube 110 also includes a pair of openings or slots 128, each of
which has a lower shoulder 130 and an upper shoulder 132. Outer
tube 110 also includes a threaded socket 134.
[0105] An inner welding wire input adapter 136 includes a threaded
male portion 138 which engages socket 134 on outer tube 110. Inner
wire input adapter 136 includes a threaded socket 140 (FIG. 8)
which receives the threaded male portion 142 of an outer wire input
adapter 144. A washer 146 is included between inner and outer wire
input adapters 136, 144. A threaded socket 148 in outer wire input
adapter 144 can receive the threaded end of a wire input tube (not
shown) which communicates with rotary straight wire feeder assembly
18 or conventional wire feeder 32 (FIG. 1). A flexible, U-shaped
conductor 150 includes a first eyelet 152 which receives male
portion 142 of outer wire input adapter and which is held between
outer and inner wire input adapters 136, 144 adjacent washer 146.
Flexible conductor 150 also includes a second eyelet 154 which is
coupled to the threaded end 124 of central tube 108 between nuts
120, 122. An insulating coating 155 on flexible conductor 150
prevents shorting in case of inadvertent contact during welding
operations. Slots 128 in outer tube 110 slidably accommodate eyelet
152. Means for holding a guide tube are included on central tube
108, preferably in the form of a conventional chuck 156 which can
be tightened and loosened in a standard fashion to accommodate
guide tube 96. Guide tube 96 is shown for clarity as having a
conventional cylindrical structure and configuration. However, a
"winged" guide tube, which is described further below, is
preferably used with the invention.
[0106] Central tube 108, together with the assembled linear bearing
112, spring 114, washer 118 and nuts 120, 122 fit within the hollow
interior 158 of outer tube 110, with linear bearing 112, spring 114
generally held between retaining ring 116 and washer 118. Wire
input adapters 136, 144 include internal bores 160, 162
respectively, through which a welding wire 102 fits. The welding
wire extends downward through the bore 164 of central tube and
through chuck 156 and guide tube 96 to the point of welding contact
(not shown). Spring 114 exerts a generally upward bias against
central tube 108 with respect to outer tube 110 so that the upper
end 124 of central tube 108 is generally held against the end 130
of input adapter 136 by spring 114. When a sufficient downward
force is applied to guide tube 96, and thus to central tube 108 via
chuck 156, the bias of spring 114 can be overcome, and central tube
108 then slides downward within outer tube 110 until eyelet 152 of
flexible conductor 150, which is coupled to the end 124 of central
tube by nuts 120, 122, comes into contact with lower shoulder 130
on outer tube 110. This downward motion of inner or central tube
108 results in dipping the end of guide tube 96 into the molten
weld puddle. The heat generated by the molten puddle melts off the
end of the guide tube and frees the welding wire 102 from the end
of guide tube 96. When melted free, wire 102 can continue to feed
into the weld. When the downward force is removed, spring 114
rebounds towards its relaxed position, causing guide tube 96 and
central tube 108 to move upward, allowing the weld to continue.
Flexible conductor 150 maintains electrical contact with central
tube 108 throughout the sliding motion of central tube 108.
[0107] During welding operations, a welding power supply cable (not
shown) is coupled to welding torch 14, preferably by clamping the
end of the cable between inner and outer input adapters 136, 144.
Power is conducted to guide tube 96 via central tube 108 and
flexible conductor 150. Welding wire 102 is generally fed through
welding torch 14 by a wire feeder (not shown) and is consumed at
the welding site at a generally constant rate. The wire feeder
provides a downward force to the welding wire 102 as the wire 102
travels through welding torch 14. If, during a welding operation,
welding wire 102 sticks or fuses to the inside of guide tube 96 due
to the heat of the molten weld puddle (not shown), the downward
force exerted by the wire feeder on welding wire 102 is transferred
to guide tube 96, and hence to central tube 108, which is coupled
to guide tube 96 by chuck 156. Since central tube 108 is slidably
mounted within outer tube 110, central tube 108 slidably moves
downward within outer tube 110 under the force of the wire feeder,
allowing guide tube 96 to move downward into the molten weld
puddle, where the heat of the weld causes the welding wire to
unfuse from the guide tube 96. Upon unfusing, the downward force of
the wire feeder is again transferred back to the welding wire 102,
allowing guide tube 96 and central tube 108 to spring back upward
under the action of spring 114 so that the end of guide tube 96 is
above the weld puddle, and welding wire 102 can continue feeding
through welding torch 14 to the weld site. Flexible conductor 150
maintains electrical contact between input adapters 136, 144 and
central tube 108 and guide tube 96. The welding torch 14 of the
invention thus allows the welding operation to continue without
interruption due to fusing of welding wire 102 to guide tube
96.
[0108] In conventional electroslag welding, when the molten weld
puddle causes the welding wire to fuse to the bottom of the guide
tube, the entire welding operation must be interrupted, the weld is
stopped, and the weld area must be cleaned or ground down, and a
new weld start must be set up. The interruption of an electroslag
weld in such a manner requires expensive and time consuming cleanup
of the incomplete weld followed by re-setup and starting the weld
operation over again. The welding torch 14 of the present invention
overcomes this problem however, since spring 114 and the sliding
relationship of central tube 108 and outer tube 110 provide means
for preventing interruption of welding due to welding wire 102
remaining fused or stuck to guide tube 96. By allowing the force
applied to welding wire 102 by a wire feeder to push guide tube 96
back down into the weld puddle as described above, welding wire 102
and guide tube 96 quickly melt apart, preventing interrupting the
welding operation.
[0109] Other means may be used with the invention for preventing
welding wire 102 from remaining fused to guide tube 96 in a manner
which can interrupt a welding operation. Pneumatic or hydraulic
bias means, or other bias means may be used instead of spring 114
to provide a bias to central tube 108. In an alternative
arrangement, central tube 108 can remain fixed, while outer tube
110 is upwardly biased and slidably moves with respect to central
tube 108. The important feature of the means for preventing welding
wire 102 from sticking to guide tube 96 is that guide tube 96 be
movably mounted on welding torch 14 and suitably biased such that,
in the event-welding wire 102 sticks or fuses to the inside of
guide tube 96 as described above, the downward force exerted by the
wire feeder on welding wire 102 is transferred to guide tube 96 and
causes guide tube 96 to move downward into the molten weld puddle
where the heat will unfuse wire 102 from the guide tube 96 and
allow guide tube 96 to spring back upward so that welding wire 102
can continue feeding through welding torch 14 to the weld site
without significant interruption.
[0110] Referring also to FIG. 2 through FIG. 5, as well as FIG. 7
and FIG. 8, welding torch 14 includes a coupler 166 which
releasibly engages welding torch 14. Coupler is attached to a
swivel block 168 which allows welding torch to undergo positional
adjustment in a swivel-fashion. Swivel block 168 is coupled to a
base plate 170, which in turn is coupled to the front or top plate
172 of oscillator 16 by bolts 174. Guide tube 96 is shown as
generally parallel to or co-linear with center line 64. Positional
adjustment of welding torch 14 via swivel block 168 away from the
orientation shown results in moving guide tube to positions which
are not parallel to center line 64. Such orientations for welding
torch 14 and guide tube 96 are advantageous in certain welding
operations.
[0111] As discussed further below, the rotary wire
feeder/straightener assembly 18 of the invention allows two welding
wires to be simultaneously straightened and fed to welding torch
14. Welding torch 14 thus may alternatively be structured and
configured to allow dual wire welding wherein two welding wires 102
are simultaneously accommodated by welding torch 14. In this
regard, central tube 108 and wire input adapters 136, 144 would be
bifurcated to accommodate two wires 102, and chuck 156 would be
structured and configured to hold two guide tubes 96 for the
welding wires 102. Thus arrangement allows deposition of weld metal
at higher rates than can be achieved with a single welding wire and
guide tube.
[0112] Referring now to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, as well as FIG. 2
through FIG. 5, an oscillator 16 in accordance with the present
invention is generally shown. Oscillator 16 is used to oscillate or
reciprocate welding torch 14 and guide tube 96 during welding
operations. Oscillator 16 generally comprises a pair of elongated,
parallel shafts 176a, 176b which are rotatably mounted in a housing
178, and a pair of linear actuators 180a, 180b movably mounted on
rotating shafts 176a, 176b respectively and which travel along
shafts 176a, 176b as the shafts rotate. Means for rotatably driving
shafts 176a, 176b are provided with oscillator 16, and preferably
comprise motor 182, a geared belt 184, and a plurality of gears or
geared pulleys 186, 188a, 188b. Motor 182 is electrically driven by
an external power source (not shown), and motor 182 turns gear 186
which drives belt 184, which in turn drives gears 188a 188b. Shafts
176a, 176b extend through housing 178 and are joined to gears 188a,
188b respectively. Pulleys 189a, 189b are rotatably mounted in
housing 178 and provide tension to geared belt 184. Numerous other
drive means and arrangements of belt 184 and gears 186, 188a, 188b
may alternatively be used with oscillator 16. Gears 186, 188a, 188b
and belt 184 are structured and configured so that motor 182
rotates shafts 176a, 176b at generally the same rotational
rate.
[0113] Linear actuator 180a preferably includes an upper portion
190 and a lower portion 192 which are joined together about shaft
176a by bolts 194 so that linear actuator 180 is slidably mounted
on shaft 176a. Linear actuator 180b likewise preferably includes
upper and lower portions 196, 198 which are joined together about
shaft 176b by means of bolts 200 such that linear actuator 180b is
slidably mounted on shaft 176b. Each linear actuator 180a, 180b
includes a plurality of canted or angled bearings 202 which are
rotatably mounted on linear actuators 180a, 180b. Preferably, there
are eight canted bearings 202 on each linear actuator 180a, 180b,
with four canted bearings 202 on upper portion 190, and four canted
bearings 202 on lower portion 192 of drive block 180a. Likewise,
four canted bearings 202 are located respectively on each of the
halves 196, 198 of drive block 180b. Canted bearings 202 are
generally spaced about the circumference of each shaft 176a, 176b
on the ends of linear actuators 180a, 180b as seen most clearly in
FIG. 9. Canted bearings 202 are in intimate contact with shafts
176a, 176b such that, when shafts 176a, 176b rotate, canted
bearings 202 will also rotate under the action of shafts 176a,
176b. Canted bearings 202 are structured, configured and positioned
such that they are angled or tilted with respect to shafts 176a,
176b, as can be seen most clearly in FIG. 9, so that rotation of
shafts 176a, 176b causes linear actuators 180a, 180b respectively
to travel or crawl longitudinally along shafts 176a, 176b under the
action of canted bearings 202. When the direction of rotation of
shafts 176a, 176b is reversed, the direction of travel of linear
actuators 180a, 180b is reversed. The angle of offset of each
canted bearing 202 relative to the rotational axes of shafts 176a,
176b is preferably the same. The angle of offset of the rotational
axes 204 of canted bearings 202 with respect to the rotational axes
206a, 206b of shafts 176a, 176b is preferably within the range of
between approximately one degree and forty five degrees. However,
this offset angle may be varied as desired. When the offset angle
of the rotational axes 204 of canted bearings 202 is increased with
respect to the rotational axes 206a, 206b of shafts 176a, 176b, the
greater the distanced traveled by linear actuators 180a, 180b per
rotation of shafts 176a, 176b, and decreasing the angle of offset
of canted bearings 202 correspondingly decreases the distance
traveled by linear actuators 180a, 180b.
[0114] Means for sensing distance traveled by linear actuators
180a, 180b as shafts 176a, 176b rotate are provided with oscillator
16. Referring particularly to FIG. 10, the sensing means preferably
comprise optical sensors 208a, 208b mounted on the lower surface of
linear actuators 180a, 180b respectively. The sensing means also
preferably includes a pair of linear encoder strips 209a, 209b
which are positioned beneath shafts 176a, 176b and linear actuators
180a, 180b and positioned so that optical sensors 208a, 208b can
detect positional indicia (not shown) on linear encoder strips
209a, 209b. Encoders 208a, 208b optically detect the position of
linear actuators 180a, 180b by monitoring linear encoder strips
209a, 209b, and then communicate the positional information to
oscillator controller 48 (FIG. 2) via wire or other communication
interface (not shown). While oscillator 16 is shown with dual
optical encoders 208a, 208b and dual linear encoder strips 209a,
209b, oscillator 16 may employ only one optical sensor 208a or 208b
and one linear encoder 209a or 209b, if desired, with the single
optical sensor and linear encoder employed with either linear
actuator 180a, 180b.
[0115] The means for sensing distance traveled by linear actuators
180a, 180b also preferably comprises a rotational encoder 210
associated with motor 182, which measures rotation counts of motor
182. Since the rotation of shafts 176a, 176b is directly related to
the rotation of motor 182 via belt 184 and gears 186, 188a, 188b,
and linear actuators 180a, 180b travel a fixed distance per
rotation of each shaft 176a, 176b, the rotational counts provided
by encoder can be used to track the motion of linear actuators
180a, 180b. The rotational count pulses of encoder 210 are
communicated to oscillator controller 48 (FIG. 2) via wire or like
communication link (not shown). It is possible for the motion of
linear actuators 180a, 180b to eventually become "out of sync" or
un-synchronized with respect to the rotation of motor 182, due to
machining imperfections, wear of parts, or other factors. In such a
case, the rotational counts generated by encoder 210 would not
accurately reflect the motion or distance traveled by linear
actuators 180a, 180b as shafts 176a, 176b rotate. Software
associated with the control system of the invention is used to
resolve discrepancies between motor encoder 210 and optical
encoders 208a, 208b and encoder strips 209a, 209b. Optical encoders
208a, 208b and encoder strips 209a, 209b thus provide information
to the control system which is used to update information provided
by motor encoder 210.
[0116] Housing 178 preferably comprises a durable, lightweight
material such as aluminum, and housing 178 is structured and
configured to protect motor 182, shafts 176a, 176b, linear
actuators 1 80a, 180b and the other components of oscillator from
heat and corrosion associated with welding operations. The sheet
metal cover top or cover (not shown) of housing 178 is omitted from
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 for clarity. Oscillator 16 also includes a top
plate 172 (FIG. 2) which couples to linear actuators 180a, 180b,
preferably by means of ridges 212a, 212 on linear actuators 180a,
180b, which engage corresponding slots (not shown) in top plate 172
and are secured to top plate by bolts or screws (not shown). This
arrangement allows all of the moving components of oscillator 16 to
be sealed inside of protective housing 178 to avoid contamination
during welding operations. Welding torch 14 is supported on top
plate 172 of oscillator 16 by base plate 170 and swivel block 168.
Thus, welding torch 14 moves correspondingly with the movement of
linear actuators 180a, 180b. Oscillator is preferably mounted or
secured on welding fixture 12 by bracket 92 and bolts or screws
(not shown).
[0117] In use, oscillator 16 is coupled to welding torch 14, as
shown in FIG. Through FIG. 6, with shafts 176a, 176b via top plate
172 oriented generally perpendicular to welding torch 14, and
oscillator 16 provides an oscillating motion to welding torch 14 by
periodically reversing the direction of rotation of motor 182, and
thus the direction of rotation of shafts 176a, 176b, the direction
of travel of linear actuators 180a, 180b along shafts 176a, 176b,
and attached top plate 172 and welding torch 14. The oscillating
motion provided by oscillator 16 to welding torch 14 and guide tube
96 facilitates the fabrication of high quality vertical welds.
Oscillation is achieved by rotatably driving the shafts 176a, 176b
at a selected rate of rotation and periodically reversing the
direction of rotation after a selected duration, to provide an
oscillating motion to the linear actuators 176a, 176b, and thus to
the attached top plate 172 and welding torch 14. The period,
amplitude and dwell time of oscillating motion required for
particular welding operations are determined by the welding
operator and entered into operator control panel 46 of the
distributed control system of the invention, as described further
below. The control system communicates the oscillator period,
amplitude and dwell time information to oscillator control module
48, which controls or directs the operation of motor 182 and
monitors motion of linear actuators 180a, 180b via the output of
linear encoders 208a, 208b or rotational encoder 210. When linear
encoders 208a, 208b indicate to control module 48 that linear
actuators 180a, 180b have traveled a predetermined distance in one
direction according to the desired oscillation amplitude,
controller 48 reverses the direction of motor 182, and thus linear
actuators 180a, 180b. The speed of travel of linear actuators 180a,
180b is controlled by the rotational rate of motor 182, which is
directed by control module 48 according to instructions from the
operator.
[0118] Referring now to FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, an alternative
embodiment oscillator 214 in accordance with the invention is
generally shown, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts.
In the oscillator 214, the rotating shafts are threaded to provide
a pair of lead screws 216a, 216b which are generally elongated and
parallel, with each lead screw 216a, 216b including external
threading 218. Oscillator further comprises a pair of linear
actuators 220a, 220b. Referring more particularly to FIG. 12,
linear actuator 220b includes an internally threaded plastic nut
221 located between needle bearings 222. Linear actuator 220a
includes a corresponding plastic nut (not shown) which is held
within linear actuator 220a between needle bearings 222. The
internal threading of plastic nuts 221 generally matches the
external threading 218 of lead screws 216a, 216b. The threaded
relationship of lead screws 216a, 216b and threaded plastic nuts
221 within linear actuators 220a, 220b causes linear actuators
220a, 220b to travel longitudinally along lead screws 216a, 216b
when lead screws 216a, 216b undergo rotation, and thus causes
linear actuators 220a, 220b to reverse their direction of travel
when the direction of rotation of lead screws 216a, 216b is
reversed. Lead screws 216a, 216b are precision ground to provide a
flat surface on the outer race of the lead screws 216a, 216b, which
allows a bearing fit so that that the needle bearings 222 can ride
on the outer surface of each lead screw 216a, 216b. This
arrangement allows the needle bearings to carry a much heavier load
than the plastic nuts 221 could themselves.
[0119] The threaded relationship of lead screws 216a, 216b and
threaded plastic nuts 221 of linear actuators 220a, 220b generally
keeps the travel of linear actuators 220a, 220b synchronized with
the rotation of motor 182, and thus rotational encoder 210 alone
can adequately track motion of linear actuators 220a, 220b, and
optical encoders are generally not required to provide position
update information. In all other respects, oscillator 214 operates
in generally the same manner as oscillator 16 as described
above.
[0120] Referring now to FIG. 13 through FIG. 19, a rotary wire
feeder straightener assembly 18 in accordance with the invention is
shown. Assembly 18 includes a pair of generally identical rotary
straight wire feeders 224a, 224b which are rotatably mounted in
housing 225. A drive motor 226 is included within housing 225 and
is positioned between rotary straight wire feeders 224a, 224b.
Drive motor 226 rotates gear 227, which drives gears 228a, 228b via
toothed belts 230a, 230b. Gears 230a, 230b are coupled respectively
to rotary straight wire feeders 224a, 224b to rotatably drive
rotary straight wire feeders 224a, 224b. A connector 231 on motor
226 allows connection to an interface cable (not shown) which
communicates with the wire feeder control module 50 (FIG. 1). A
rotational encoder (not shown) may be included with motor 226 to
monitor rotational counts of motor 226 and communicate motor
rotation counts to the control system of the invention. Rotary
straight wire feeders 224a, 224b each include a rotator body 232
and an input shaft 234 and output shaft 236 joined to body 232.
Input and output shafts 234, 236 are rotatably mounted in housing
225, with gear 227 coupled to the end of output shaft 234.
[0121] Referring more particularly to FIG. 15 through FIG. 19, as
well as FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, a longitudinal bore 238 extends
through body 232 and shafts 234, 236 and communicates with a
chamber 240 (FIG. 17) adjacent the center of body 232. Bore 238
includes a neck or narrow section 241 (FIG. 17) adjacent chamber
240. A first input bearing set 242 and a second, output bearing set
244 are included in rotator body 232, each of which includes a
plurality of precision-ground, rotatable canted bearings 246.
Preferably there are three bearings 246 each in bearing sets 242,
244, with bearings 246 being laterally spaced apart about a
longitudinal rotational axis 248 which extends through bore 238.
The bearings 246 in each bearing set 242, 244 are each canted or
skewed such that the rotational axis (not shown) of each bearing is
angled relative to longitudinal axis 248, preferably by an angle
within the range of between about one degree and about 45 degrees
from longitudinal axis 248. Each bearing 246 is rotatably held in a
bearing mount 250 by a pin 252. Bearing mounts 250 are each
supported on a bearing seat 254. Each bearing 246 (and bearing
mount 250) is spring loaded by means of a spring 256 which fits
over a post 258 on bearing mount 250 and is held between bearing
seat 254 and a flange 260 on bearing mount 250, as well as held
between retainer pins 262 (FIG. 18). Bearing seats 254 include
holes 264 which accommodate adjustment screws 265 for controlling
tension of spring 256. A plurality of laterally spaced bores 266 in
rotator body 232 communicate with central bore 238 allow persons to
observe bearings 246 within body 232.
[0122] An adjustable radial offset bearing or wheel 268 is
rotatably mounted in a bearing house 270 by pin or screw 272, with
the rotational axis of radial offset bearing 268 being generally
perpendicular to the longitudinal rotational axis of rotator body
232. Bearing house 270 is held within chamber 236 by a pair of
adjustment screws 273 which fit through body 232 and threadedly
engage bearing house 270.
[0123] Welding wire is generally stored on spools or in coils after
manufacture, and is typically provided to welding operators by
commercial sources on the spools or coils. When the welding wire is
subsequently unwound from the spool for use, the wire retains the
"cast" and "helix" imparted to the wire due to storage on the
spool. The "cast" of the wire imparts the generally round,
spring-like shape to wire that has been removed from a spool. The
"helix" of the wire generally reflects the distance between each
coil or loop of wire after unwinding from the spool. The cast and
helix of a wire will generally vary with the size and shape of the
spool from which the wire has been unwound. While cast and helix
are desirable properties for the storage of welding wire, the cast
and helix present in conventional welding wire are generally
undesirable for welding operations. Particularly, the cast in
welding wire can cause the end of the welding wire to undergo
unwanted deflection and reciprocation as the wire is fed through a
guide tube to a welding puddle. During welding, as wire exits the
end of a guide tube and plunges into the molten flux puddle, weld
penetration into the substrates or parent metal will be offset from
the center of the weld in the direction of offset by the cant and
helix of the wire. This results in unequal weld penetration or lack
of penetration on the opposite side of the weld, and result in a
defective weld which would need to be repaired or re-welded. The
rotary straight wire feeders 224a, 224b and assembly 18 of the
present invention overcome this problem by providing a quick and
efficient manner for removing the cast and helix from welding wire
as it is unwound from a spool.
[0124] Referring more particularly to FIG. 17 and FIG. 19, welding
wire 102 from spool 28 (FIG. 1) is directed through rotary straight
wire feeder 224a and/or 224b such that welding wire passes through
bore 238, chamber 240 and through the center of the input and
output bearing sets 242, 244, such that wire 102 is generally
co-linear with the longitudinal rotational axis 248 of body 224a or
224b, and such that canted bearings 246 in each bearing set 242,
244 are generally in intimate contact with wire 102. The amount of
force applied by canted bearings 246 on welding wire 102 is
adjusted by advancing or retracting screws 265, which
correspondingly compresses or releases springs 256 between bearing
seats 254 and bearing mounts 250. Generally, screws 265 are in a
retracted or withdrawn position prior to insertion of wire 102 into
bore 238 and between canted bearings 246, and screws 265 are
advanced or tightened once wire 102 is positioned within bore 238
between bearings 2. In welding operations wherein two welding wires
are utilized, the above procedure is carried out for both rotary
straight wire feeders 224a, 224b.
[0125] When thus inserted into body 232, welding wire 102 is
positioned adjacent radial offset bearing 268. Offset bearing 268
includes a lateral groove 274 (FIG. 19) which extends around the
circumference of offset bearing 268 and which accommodates wire
102. Offset bearing 268 is positionally adjusted relative to wire
102 via adjustment screws 273 (FIG. 18). The positional adjustment
of offset bearing 268 will vary, depending upon the cast and helix
to be removed from wire 102. Once welding wire 102 has thus been
positioned within rotary straight wire feeder 224a and/or 224b,
motor 226 is activated to rotate rotary straight wire feeders 224a,
224b. As rotary straight wire feeders 224a, 224b rotate, the canted
bearings 246 in input and output bearing sets 242, 244 rotate about
wire 102 and exert a screwing force on wire 102 to drive or screw
wire 102 through rotary straight wire feeders 224a, 224b via the
action of canted bearings 246, and to pull the welding wire from
spool 28 (FIG. 1). The canted bearings 246 can be considered as
drawing an imaginary thread on wire 102, and this threading-like
motion feeds wire 102 through rotary straight wire feeders 224,
224b. As wire 102 is fed through rotary straight wire feeders 224a,
224b, offset bearing 268 exerts a pressure on wire 102 to un-bend
the cast and helix from the wire. Thus, rotary straight wire
feeders 224a, 224b both advance or feed wire 102 forward via the
action of canted bearings 246 while at the same time straightening
wire 102 by removing the cast and helix with offset bearing 268.
The straightened wire from feeder/straightener is then directed to
welding torch 14 and through guide tube 96 to the weld puddle of
the welding operation. The rate of wire feeding by rotary straight
wire feeders 224a, 224b can be adjusted both by increasing or
decreasing the rotation rate of rotary straight wire feeders 224a,
224b, as well as by adjusting the cant or angle of bearings 246.
Preferably, bearings 246 are angled at about forty five degrees
from longitudinal axis 248 and welding wire 102 as shown.
[0126] Wire feeder/straightener assembly 18 is shown with two
rotary straight wire feeders 224a, 224b which are rotated by the
same motor 226. This arrangement allows each rotary straight wire
feeder 224a, 224b to be adjusted to accommodate different gauges of
welding wire and/or welding wire having different cast and helix
properties, so that two different types of straightened welding
wire can be provided from assembly 18, for two different welding
operations. Alternatively, the two welding wires can be directed to
the same operation.
[0127] Referring now to FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 a winged guide tube 275
in accordance with the invention is generally shown. Winged guide
tube 274 is generally structured and configured to spread the
welding arc energy over a wider area than conventional cylindrical
guide tubes. Winged guide tube 274 comprises a pair of opposing
elongated plates 276, 278, with each plate having a longitudinal
channel 280, 282. Plates 276, 278 are placed together such that
longitudinal channels 280, 282 define a tube 284 and wings 286,
288. Plates 276, 278 are joined together along edges 290, 292 by
welds 294, 296.
[0128] As noted above with respect to FIG. 2 through FIG. 6, a
conventional cylindrical guide tube 96 is shown with welding torch
14 for reasons of clarity. In order to accommodate winged guide
tube 274, chuck 156 on welding torch 14 will generally include
slots (not show) to accommodate wings 286, 288 of guide tube
274.
[0129] Referring now to FIG. 22 and FIG. 23, a flux dispenser 298
in accordance with the invention is generally shown. Flux dispenser
298 preferably comprises a flux hopper 300 and a belt housing or
block 302. A horizontally-oriented geared flux dispenser belt 304
is positioned within a recess or cavity 306 in belt housing 302,
and is mounted on a pair of gears 308a, 308b which rotate belt. One
(or both) of gears 308a or 308b is powered by motor 310, which is
attached to belt housing 302. Hopper 300 is joined to belt housing
302 by a threaded sleeve 312. A vertical inlet tube or channel 314
communicates between hopper 300 and recess 306 through sleeve 312.
An outlet channel 316 communicates with the lower end or bottom 318
of recess 306, and a drop tube 320 is attached to belt housing 302
such that drop tube 320 communicates with outlet channel 316 and
recess 306. Preferably, a detachable front plate 322 is coupled to
belt housing 302, which allows access to recess 306 and dispenser
belt 304.
[0130] In operation, the reservoir 324 of hopper 300 is filled with
a granulated flux (not shown). Granulated flux from hopper 300
pours downward through sleeve 312 and inlet tube to belt 304. As
motor 310 drives belt 304, flux is conveyed along belt until it
spills of the end of belt 304 and falls to the bottom 318 of recess
306. The powdered flux thus conveyed by belt 304 falls down through
outlet channel 316 and drop tube 320 to a welding site (not shown).
Increasing or decreasing the rotational rate of motor 310 and the
motion of belt correspondingly increases or decreases the rate at
which flux is delivered by belt 304 to drop tube 320.
[0131] Speed or rate control means (not shown) are preferably
associated with motor 310 to control flux dispensing speed. A
flexible hose (not shown) may be attached to drop tube to aid in
conveying flux to a welding site. Drop tube 320 may alternatively
be bifurcated or branched to allow flux dispensing to two welding
operations, or to provide flux to both sides of a single welding
site. Note that hopper 300 may be tapered in shape if desired, and
may include mechanical vibration means (not shown) to prevent
"webbing" or collection of flux powder along the walls of hopper
300. Flux dispenser 298 may be associated with the end 34 of
articulating boom, with flux from drop tube 320 being conveyed
through an attached flexible hose or conduit. Flux dispenser 298
may alternatively be positioned on welding fixture 12 and held
thereon with a clamp, or may be externally supported adjacent to a
welding operation.
[0132] Referring now to FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B through FIG. 26, as
well as FIG. 1, a distributed welding control system 326 in
accordance with the present invention is generally shown. The
distributed welding control system 326 generally comprises an
operator interface module, shown as operator control panel or data
logging module 46, an oscillator controller module 48, a wire feed
controller module 50, and a welding power supply controller module,
52, with modules 46, 48, 50 and 52 being connected by an interface
bus 54. The distributed welding control system 326 of the invention
provides for reduced cabling complexity, increased overall system
reliability, and creates an easily adaptable and scalable control
system of interchangeable modules. These advantages are
accomplished by incorporating one or more microcontrollers within
each module of the system, which allows each module to perform
self-test and internal monitoring functions, automatic shutdown on
faults, and to act as a stand-alone module requiring only an
operator interface. The operator interface can be as simple as a
set of switches connected to the I/O ports of a module, or as
complex as a separate control and system supervision module, which
networks the entire system together. Additional modules can be
added to control different aspects of welding system 10, such as a
flux dispensing control module (not shown) for flux dispenser
298.
[0133] Operator interface module or control panel 46 includes a
microcontroller or microprocessor unit 328, a network interface 330
for connecting to bus 54, a parallel I/O port 332, and a display
interface 334. Parallel I/O port 332 connects microcontroller 328
with operator controls 336, and display interface 334 allows
microcontroller 328 to communicate with a display, which is
preferably in the form of a liquid crystal display or LCD 338.
Program means are associated with microcontroller 328 for carrying
out operator interface operations associated with operator controls
336 and LCD 338, as well as system supervision and networking
generally through modules 48, 50 and 52. This programming is shown
generally as operator interface program 340, system supervisor
program 342, and network interface program 344. Operator control
panel 46 provides overall control of the system 326, including set
up and manual operator control of oscillator 16, welding power
supply 42, and rotary straight wire feeder assembly 18. Operator
control panel 46 also provides feed back to the operator in regards
to current weld conditions and any errors that occur within the
system 326. Welding operations with the invention are completely
automatic once setup with operator control panel 46 is
complete.
[0134] Oscillator controller module 48 includes a microcontroller
346 having programming means for controlling oscillator 16, shown
generally as oscillator program 348. Oscillator controller module
346 also includes a network interface 350, a parallel I/O port 352,
a motor controller interface 354, and a motor driver 356. Network
interface 350 allows microcontroller 346 to communicate with other
controller modules in system 326 via network bus 54. Parallel I/O
port 352 interfaces microcontroller 346 with a position index 357
for determining the absolute position of oscillator 16. Motor
controller interface 354 connects motor driver 356 with
microcontroller 346 to allow control of oscillator motor 182. Motor
controller interface 354 is also interfaced with quadrature encoder
208 for tracking oscillator position.
[0135] Wire feed controller module 48 comprises a microcontroller
358 which includes wire feed control programming 360. A network
interface 362 connects microcontroller 358 with bus 54. A parallel
I/O port 364 interfaces microcontroller 358 with one or more
encoders 366 for rotationally monitoring drive motor 260 of rotary
straight wire feeder assembly 18. Wire feed controller module 50
additionally includes a servo amp interface 368 and motor direction
interface 370 for communication with servo amplifier 372 and motor
260.
[0136] Welding power supply module 52 includes a microcontroller
with welding power supply programming 376, and a network interface
378 for communication with bus 54. Module 52 also includes a
voltage control interface 380 for communication with a servo
amplifier 382, and a signal output 384 and parallel I/O port 386
for communication with welding power supply 42 and a water flow
detector 388.
[0137] Network bus 54 is preferably a single six wire cable
comprising three shielded twisted pairs of 18 gauge conductor. Bus
54 provides a common backbone to connect a number of discrete
controller modules into a single entity, rather than a "spider's
web" of control and input wires as used in centralized control
systems. Distributed welding control system 326 thus reduces system
maintenance by eliminating long and complex cable runs, and reduces
electromagnetic noise in the system since it is far easier to
shield a small cable then it is to shield an array of wires.
Repairs are simplified by incorporating self-diagnostic
capabilities into the programming of each of the individual
modules. Network communications use a single twisted conductor pair
with EIA RS-485 signaling and standard 8-bit NRZ ASCII code set,
with each byte encoded with a single start and single stop bit with
no parity. The other two twisted conductor pairs of bus 54
respectively carry logic power at 12 Volts and motor drive power at
24 Volts. These two power supplies are isolated from each other to
prevent ground loops and excessive EMI associated with welding.
Preferably, bus 54 includes an additional separate cable run (not
shown) which supplies 120 Volt power to servo amplifiers (discussed
below) associated with control system 326.
[0138] The operator controls 336 of operator control panel 46
comprise inputs in the form of switches used to select various
functions, mechanical encoders used to set item values or
parameters, control and position data from LCD 338, and data
packets returned by other modules 48, 50, 52 of the control system
326. Referring more particularly to FIG. 25, input switches
preferably comprise a Wire switch 390, Purge switch 392, Speed
switch 394, Width switch 396, Center Line switch 398, Dwell switch
400, Oscillator Mode switch 402, Weld Mode switch 404, Power switch
406, Program switch 408, Cycle Start switch 410, Cycle Stop switch
412, and Emergency Stop switch 414. Operator controls 336 also
include rotatable control knobs that are monitored by digital
encoders. The control knobs are attached to the shafts of manually
positioned encoders and perform generally the same function that a
potentiometer would in an analog control system. The encoders are
preferably shaped, mounted and turned like potentiometers. As
shown, operator control panel 46 includes an Amps encoder knob 416,
a Volts encoder knob 418, and a general encoder knob 420 which
variably inputs values according to selected Speed, Width, Center
Line and Dwell switches 394, 396, 398, 400. Outputs included with
operator control panel 46 preferably comprise status indicator LEDs
(not shown), LCD 338, as well data packets sent to other modules
48, 50, 52 of the system 326 via network bus 54.
[0139] Referring again to FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B as well as FIG. 25,
the inputs of operator controls 336 allow an operator to set
various parameters for welding operations, including setup and
control values, operating modes, and program modes. Setup and
control values direct the different modules 48, 50, 52, 54 of the
control system 326. Module parameters are updated across the
control system 326 as soon as any change is made in their value.
The logic section of each module 46, 48, 50, 52 is battery backed,
allowing each module to retain selected parameters even when the
distributed control system 326 is powered down.
[0140] The operator control panel 46 preferably includes three
separate programs that pass data between themselves. These programs
are the operator interface program 340, the system supervisor
program 342, and the network interface program 344, as noted above.
The operator interface program 340 includes means for decoding the
inputs from switches 390-414 and encoders 416-420 of the operator
controls 336. Operator interface program 340 also includes means
for updating status information displayed by the LEDs and LCD 338.
When the value of a parameter is changed via operator controls 336,
a flag is set by the operator interface program 340, informing the
system supervisor program 342 of the new parameter value.
[0141] Selected operating modes of control system 326 determine the
various actions of the welding system 10. Preferably, the
selectable operating modes include a Manual mode, Automatic mode,
and Program mode. Manual mode allows an operator to manually set or
position the various components of welding system 10, and prevents
modules 48, 50, 52 from running during automated operation.
Automated mode provides for automated operation, and prevents the
operator from accidentally changing the setting or position of
components.
[0142] The Program mode of control system 326 is used to setup
parameters for a plurality of different states of an automated
welding cycle for using the invention in Automated mode. Referring
particularly to FIG. 26, a preferred automated welding cycle in
accordance with the invention is shown in graphic form, wherein the
variation of welding voltage output and welding wire feed rate are
shown across the time span of a welding cycle. Generally, an
automated welding cycle will include a plurality of different
conditions or states which occur sequentially. As shown in FIG. 23,
the preferred automated welding cycle includes a Start-up state
(A), an Initial welding state, time or period (B), a Ramp-up
welding state (C), a Program welding state (D), a Ramp-down welding
state (E), a Final welding state (F), and a Finishing state (G).
The three principle states are the Initial state (B), Program
Welding state (C), and a Final state (D), which comprise the bulk
of the duration of the automated welding cycle. Each state or
condition lasts for a predetermined or set period of time, with the
Initial state (B) and Final state (F) generally lasting relatively
short durations of between 0.2 and 30 seconds. The automated
welding cycle is initiated by the Cycle Start switch 366, which
activates the Start-up state. The Cycle Stop switch 368 initiates
the Ramp Down state followed by the Final and Finishing states. The
Start-up state is used to establish an arc, and is followed by the
Initial state as soon as there is current flow to the weld. The
Finishing state occurs after the wire feed has stopped, and allows
the wire to burn back from the weld, preventing the wire from
becoming trapped in the cooling weld puddle. During the welding
state, the bulk of the weld is formed as the welding wire and guide
tube are consumed. The number and type of welding states in a
welding cycle, as well as the welding parameters for those states,
can be varied as required for different welding operations.
[0143] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B, selectable
parameters for each of the above states determine welding
conditions, and generally consist of two main categories; welding
parameters and oscillation parameters. The welding parameters
generally are voltage, which controls the output of welding power
supply 42, and current or amps, which is controlled by the wire
feed rate of rotary straight wire feeder assembly 18. The
oscillation parameters are speed, width, center-line, dwell time
and voltage, all of which can vary depending on the direction of
motion of oscillator 16. The time or duration the various states in
which particular weld conditions are maintained depend on the
volume of the weld and wire feed rate used. All of the parameters
are used in the automated welding cycle, and are entered by the
operator in the Program mode via operator controls 336 and stored
in non-volatile memory of microcontroller 328. These parameters are
transmitted to the appropriate controller module by the network
interface program 344.
[0144] The system supervisor program 342 is responsible for
directing the automated welding cycle described above. System
supervisor program 342 also monitors the status of each controller
module 48, 50, 52 and can interrupt a welding operation upon
occurrence of a fault condition. Since each controller module
microcontroller includes battery backup to retain preset
parameters, the system supervisor program 342 coordinates the start
of each automated weld cycle, verifies that the oscillator 16,
rotary straight wire feeder 18, and welding power supply 42 switch
between states at the correct times, signals the change to the
Final state, and issues the final shut down command. Timing means,
such as an oscillating quartz crystal (not shown), are associated
with microcontroller 328. The system supervisor program 342 sends
out a `tick` command every 100 milliseconds according to the timing
means. Controller modules 48, 50, 52 on the network 54 will shut
down if more than a preset number of these ticks are missed.
[0145] System supervisor program 342 requests data from controller
modules 48, 50, 52 during welding operations. This requested data
is used to update information displayed on LCD 338, verify that the
selected welding and oscillation parameters are being maintained,
and to provide data for the operation of the controller modules.
System supervisor program 342 monitors the control system 326 for
data request packets. If a particular controller module requires
data generated by other modules of the control system 326, the data
request packets are processed, following verification that the
returning data is from the proper source. For example, welding
power supply controller 52 monitors the network for information
from the oscillator controller 48. The welding power supply
controller 52 can change the welding voltage parameter during the
dwell time of oscillator 16. The data packet from oscillator
controller module 48 consists of operational flags, which include a
flag indicating whether or not the oscillator 16 (FIG. 1) is in
dwell, thereby informing the welding power supply controller 52 as
to when to vary the voltage.
[0146] The network interface 330 of the operator control panel 46
differs from network interfaces 350, 362 and 378 of controller
modules 48, 50 and 52 respectively in that operator control module
46 is the master module with the network interface program 344,
which initiates all communications across the control system
network. The network interfaces 350, 362 and 378 of the other
modules are slave interfaces, which can only reply to requests from
the operator interface module 46. Network interface program 344
provides a network communication protocol which preferably uses EIA
RS-485 signaling and a standard 8-bit NRZ ASCII code set. Each byte
is encoded with a single start and a single stop bit with no
parity. Diagnostic information from each controller module 48, 50,
52 can be communicated back to operator control module 46 and
displayed to the operator on LCD 338. The network interface program
344 converts requests from the system supervisor program 342 into
packets, sends the packets to the specified controller modules, and
waits for a response from the specified controller modules. The
packet is retransmitted if no reply is received within a set time
period.
[0147] Network messages preferably consist of packets of
hexadecimal ASCII characters which begin with a special start
character and end with a special stop character. Each pair of
hexadecimal characters encodes one byte of information. The first
two characters following the start character encode the message
type and module address. This is followed by zero to thirty
characters (the actual number varies with message types) which
provide additional control and data information. The last two
characters before the stop character encode an 8-bit modulo
checksum of all of the characters (excluding the start character)
which precede the checksum. The shortest possible packet length,
including start and stop characters, is six, and the longest packet
length is thirty six characters. A message is rejected if it
contains a non-hexadecimal character (other than the start and stop
characters), or if it contains an odd number of hexadecimal
characters, or if the embedded checksum does not match the
calculated checksum.
[0148] The master operator control panel 46 can address up to
thirty other slave controller modules, each of which is assigned an
address by hardware switches. The control system 326 as shown
includes only three slave modules, i.e., the oscillator controller
48, wire feed controller 50 and welding power supply controller 52.
Thus, the control system of the invention is highly scalable and
adaptable, and can be easily modified to include multiple
additional controller modules for other aspects of welding system
10, such as flux rate control, seam tracking, and various
translational movements of welding torch 14. Slave modules can have
an address from one to thirty. The master operator control panel
module 46 is assigned an address of thirty one.
[0149] Address "zero" is used for special purpose packets. There
are generally three types of packets: address zero packets,
requests for all modules; address one to thirty packets, requests
to specific modules; and address thirty one packets. Address thirty
one packets are replies from a slave controller module to the
master operator interface module 46. An address zero packet is a
request to all controller modules in the network from operator
control panel 328, such as the `tick` packet described above. Other
address zero packets include Cycle Start, Cycle Stop, and Emergency
Stop. No reply is expected by network interface 330 on the master
operator control panel module 46 after sending an address zero
packet, since this packet is accepted by all controller
modules.
[0150] Address one to thirty packets are instructions and requests
for a specific controller module. These packets include parameter
updates, data requests, and single module start and stop
instructions. The master operator control panel module 46 expects
to receive a reply from the addressed slave. A packet will be sent
again; if an error reply is returned by the slave, or if there is
no reply at all.
[0151] Address thirty one packets are replies to the master
operator control panel module 46 from an address one to thirty
packet. These packets include; message OK, message error, and data
returned from a data request packet. The slave modules will ignore
all of these packets except for data reply packets that contain
data used by that particular slave module.
[0152] Oscillator controller module 48 controls and powers the
rotating shafts 176a, 176b and linear actuators 180a, 180b of
oscillator 16 which reciprocate welding torch 14 during welding
operations. Motor driver 356 of oscillator controller module 48
includes an optically isolated H-bridge (not shown) which provides
up to 10 amps of motor drive power at 24 volts to drive motor 182.
Oscillator program 348 of microcontroller 346 monitors quadrature
encoder 208 and provides positioning control of linear actuators
180a, 180b to 0.005 inches. Velocity control for linear actuators
180a, 180b ranges from 0.5 IPM to 50.0 IPM and is controlled to 0.1
IPM by oscillator program 346. Safety operations provided by
oscillator program 346 include excessive position error detection
and thermal shutdown control, with automatic recovery capability.
Parallel I/O 352 receives optically isolated inputs from position
index indicator 357 and can additionally receive relays for control
of flux feed by flux dispenser 298 or other devices associated with
welding system 10.
[0153] The motor control interface 354 of oscillator control module
48 is preferably a separate application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), which is directed by the oscillator control program 348.
Off loading of the motor control functions from microcontroller 346
to a separate ASIC allows oscillator control program 348 to better
control the entire oscillation sequence, and also to provide better
accuracy at higher slide velocities. Motor control interface 354
communicates with microcontroller 346 and oscillator control
program 348 over an 8-bit parallel bus (not shown). Motor control
interface 354 reads inputs from quadrature encoder 208 which
provide position and velocity feedback to oscillator control
program 348. An interrupt to oscillator control program 348 is
generated if motor controller interface 354 detects an
out-of-position error with regard to linear actuators 180a, 180b.
This allows oscillator control program 348 to shut down the drive
system before the stalled motor 182 and motor driver 356 can
overheat and undergo damage. Commands for motor controller
interface 354 are generated by the oscillator control program 348
from parameters received from operator control panel 46.
[0154] Oscillator control program 348 tracks the absolute position
of linear actuators 180a, 180b of oscillator 16 (and thus welding
torch 14), since motor control interface 354 operates relative to a
zero position. Oscillator control program 348 retains the absolute
position and other control parameters in the battery backed memory
of microcontroller 346. Control parameters are specified from
operator control panel 46 for travel direction (right and left
travel) for all of the automatic weld states of the automated weld
cycle. These parameters include velocity, dwell time, and width of
oscillation. Another parameter is centerline position, which is the
same between all operating modes. The position index 357 is used as
a reference point that allows oscillator control program 348 to
compare absolute position of linear actuators 180a, 180b against
known stationary positions. The oscillation control parameters are
set by the operator while in Program mode using the appropriate
Speed, Width, Center Line and Dwell switches 394, 396, 398, 400 on
operator control panel 46.
[0155] The system supervisor program 342 of operator control panel
46 issues a data request packet to oscillator controller module 48
every 100 milliseconds. These packets are provided for the benefit
of welding power supply controller 52, which needs to know when
oscillator 16 is dwelling at the end of a traverse. Oscillator 16
is inactive when the operator control panel 46 is in Program mode,
allowing the operator to safely set up the parameters for
oscillator 16 without having to worry about shorting the guide tube
96 against welding shoe 62a or 62b. If motor controller interface
354 has interrupted oscillator control program 348 due to a
detected out-of-position error with linear actuators 180a, 180b,
system supervisor control program 342 will determine that a
critical fault has occurred when it checks the error flags in the
data reply packet from oscillator control module 48.
[0156] Wire feed controller 50 drives motor 260 of rotary wire
feeder straightener assembly 18 with a voltage controlled servo
amplifier 372. Position and velocity accuracy depends on the nature
of motor 260 and resolution of encoders 366 associated with motor
260 or the drive system of assembly 18. Parallel I/O 364 receives
inputs from encoders 366. Other on-board I/O may include optically
isolated inputs from switches and relays (not shown) for control of
other external devices associated with welding system 10. A
separate ASIC for motor control interface is not required in the
wire feed controller module 50 since the welding wire feed rates
for most welding operations do not require the high accuracy motor
control necessary for oscillator 16.
[0157] Wire feed program 360 uses a feed-forward algorithm to
control motor 260 of rotary straight wire feeder assembly 18,
because the controlled parameter is wire velocity or feed rate, and
no positioning logic is required as with oscillator controller
module 48. Output from a standard digital to analog converter (not
shown) is used to set the output level of voltage-controlled servo
amplifier 372. The direction of motor 260 is selected by switching
the output of servo amplifier 372 with relays (not shown). Wire
velocity or feed rate is used as the control parameter, rather than
the current output (amps) of welding power supply 42, because
current output depends on a number of other variables (other than
wire feed rate) which are difficult to control. The use of wire
feed rate as a control parameter also reduces the workload of
microcontroller 358 on wire feed controller module 50, since
microcontroller 358 does not need to monitor network data packets
for current (amp) data from the welding power supply 42 through
welding power supply controller module 52.
[0158] An "amp-to-wire feed rate" look-up table is stored in the
memory of microcontroller 358, which allows the welding operator to
enter the amps for a welding condition on control panel 46, rather
than entering wire feed rate. The amp-to-wire feed rate table is
created during a calibration weld, and will according to the nature
of welding power supply 42 and the gauge and type of welding wire
102. During the calibration weld, wire feed controller 50 monitors
data request replies from welding power supply controller 52 and
extracts the current output data. This current output data from
welding power supply controller 52, together with input from
encoder 366 and the output voltage level to servo amplifier 372 is
used to build the amp-to-wire feed rate conversion table.
[0159] Wire feed direction can be both forward and reverse, but
during an automated welding cycle the wire feed direction is
generally limited to the forward direction. When operator control
panel 48 is in manual mode, the operator can jog the welding wire
in either direction to position the wire for welding or for
maintenance of the DWCS. Wire jog velocity can be stored in the
memory of microcontroller 358 as a separate value from wire feed
rate and is based on a percentage of output from servo amplifier
372.
[0160] Welding power supply controller 52 provides welding voltage
control and feedback from welding power supply 42. Outputs of
welding power supply controller 52 consist of a SPST relay which
controls the welding power supply contact and a digital to analog
converter (not shown), which provide a 12-bit +/- 12V output
supporting various control voltage requirements of different
welding power supplies 42. Voltage and current input from welding
power supply 42 is transmitted to the operator control panel 48 and
other modules on the network via welding power supply controller
module 52. Welding power supply controller module 52 also includes
a water flow detection input from water flow detector 388. The
digital to analog converter and associated analog input circuits
are optically isolated from the logic and communications section
(microcontroller 374) of the circuit board for controller 52, as
well as from each other. This isolation allows each section to
float at a different voltage and keeps the EMI from the welding
power supply inputs from interfering with operation of the welding
power supply controller module 52.
[0161] During an automated welding cycle, the operator control
panel 48 polls welding power supply controller module 52 for output
levels of volts and amps from welding power supply 42 This
information is used to monitor the weld cycle and is displayed to
the operator on LCD 338 on operator control panel 46. Operator
control panel 46 also receives a set of flags from welding power
supply controller module 52 indicating the status of welding power
supply 42 and the cooling water flow system. Welding power supply
controller module 52 will shut down welding power supply 42 if
detector 388 indicates that the cooling water flow has failed, and
will not close the contactor to activate welding power supply 42 if
there is no cooling water flow. Operator control panel 46 will not
allow a welding cycle to start if there is no cooling water flow
detected, and will shut down a weld cycle upon notification by
welding power supply controller module 52 that cooling water flow
is not detected. The operator is also informed of the problem on
LCD 338.
[0162] From the standpoint of a welding operator, the welding
system 10, together with its distributed welding control system
326, performs as a single integrated system. This integration is
achieved through a network of independent microcontrollers on
various controller modules, each controlling a single portion of
welding system 10. These microcontrollers are supervised by a
master system supervisor program 342 that provides setup
information to each of these controller modules, and polls the
modules for data, which is used to monitor and control welding
system 10. The system supervisor program 342 does not need to know
how each individual module performs its task, but only the
information required for setup of each module and the data that can
be received from each module. This arrangement provides flexibility
and scalability in the structure, configuration and design of the
distributed welding control system 326, as modules with different
capacities can be exchanged to control different aspects of welding
system 10 without requiring reprogramming of the distributed
welding control system 326. System supervisor program 342 can even
adapt the control and operator interface depending upon the modules
found on the network bus 54. It also allows individual modules to
shut down on critical fault conditions, regardless of the
instructions received from supervisor program 342.
[0163] The welding control system 326 of the invention
advantageously provides for recording all events and parameters
which are used or occur during each weld cycle. Means for digitally
recording welding data are provided in the form of serial port 421
on operator controls 336, which allows interfacing of the control
system 326 to a conventional flash memory card interface or floppy
disk drive (not shown) or like conventional digital recording
device. Thus, all data entered onto operator controls 336 by an
operator during a weld cycle, as well as all data communicated to
the operator control panel 46 by the various modules 48, 50, 52 of
control system 326 during a weld cycle, can be recorded on a flash
memory card or floppy disk or other storage media and stored for
future use. In the event that a particular weld fails in the
future, all of the pertinent weld data regarding that weld are
available for quick and easy review. Due to the magnetic fields
generated by arc welding, data storage on flash memory cards is
generally preferably to use of floppy disks.
[0164] A flux dispenser control module (not shown) may also be
included with control system 326 and interfaced with bus 54. The
flux dispenser control module preferably includes an internal
microcontroller containing programming means for controlling the
rate of flux dispensing by flux dispenser 298 in response to weld
voltage and weld current. Generally, during a vertical weld, the
depth of the flux puddle and stability of the weld will affect the
weld current and weld voltage. When the weld puddle becomes too
deep, the weld is very quiet and stable. When the weld puddle
becomes too shallow, the weld becomes unstable and the weld voltage
and weld amperage undergo pulsing or spiking. The weld voltage and
weld current are detected by control system 326 and communicated to
the flux control module, which then dispenses flux from dispenser
298 at a rate which is responsive to the detected weld voltage and
weld current. The programming means associated with the flux
dispenser control module includes pre-determined weld voltage and
weld current limits which correspond to flux puddle depth and which
are used to control increase or decrease of the flux dispensing
rate from flux dispenser 298. The flux dispensing rate is
physically controlled by the speed of belt 304 which is varied by
the flux dispenser control module.
[0165] Referring generally to FIG. 1 through FIG. 26, the method of
using the welding system 10 is described in terms of use with an I
beam 56 and stiffener plate 58 as workpieces. As noted above, the
use of welding system 10 with I-beam 56 and stiffener plate 58 is
merely exemplary, and welding system 10 may be used with a variety
of different metal substrates, workpieces or base metal items
depending upon the particular application desired for welding
system 10. Thus, the particular steps and order of the steps
described below should not be considered limiting.
[0166] In using welding system 10, an operator will generally
position I-beam 56 horizontally across supports 60a, 60b at floor
level, with web 89 of I-beam 56 generally parallel to floor 44, and
with the flanges 86a, 86b of I-beam 56 generally perpendicular to
floor 44. Stiffener plate 58 is cut and trimmed to fit between
flanges 86 so that when stiffener plate 58 is placed between
flanges 86a, 86b, a suitable gap, such as 3/4" to 1", remains
between the ends of stiffener plate 58 and flanges 86a. Stiffener
plate 58 is welded to web 89 using conventional flux-cored wire
horizontal welding techniques.
[0167] Prior to the horizontal welding of stiffener plate 58 to web
89, the welding operator positions welding fixture 12 on I-beam 56
with flange 86a located within openings 84a, 84b of fixture 12, and
with center line 64 and guide tube 96 located generally near the
center of the gap between the edge of stiffener plate 58 and the
adjacent flange 86a, as seen most clearly in FIG. 6. Welding
fixture 12 is secured to flange 86a by hand-actuated locking screws
78a, 78b, so that flange 86a is securely held between braces 80a,
80b and braces 82a, 82b. Right-handed/left-handed positioning screw
68 is rotated by turning knob 76 or wheel 72 to bring welding shoes
62a, 62b together adjacent the gap between flange 86a and the end
of stiffener plate 58 to define vertical welding cavity 104, with
guide tube 96 and welding wire 104 located generally in the center
of welding cavity 104 along center line 64. The insulated coatings
106 on welding shoes 62a, 62b face towards welding cavity 104.
Cooling water or air is circulated through welding shoes 62a, 62b
in a conventional manner. Drop tube 320 from flux dispenser 298 is
positioned to provide flux to weld cavity 104, and flux powder is
supplied to weld cavity 104 by activating motor 310 to drive flux
dispenser belt 304.
[0168] Using operator control panel 46, the-welding operator puts
control system 326 in Program mode using program switch 408, and
then enters or presets welding parameters or conditions for an
automated welding cycle using the appropriate switches on operator
control panel 46. As noted above, the parameters include arc
voltage, arc current, wire feed rate and oscillator settings. The
particular values of the parameters will vary depending upon the
dimensions of stiffener plate 58 and I-beam 56 and the size and
shape of weld cavity 104. Additionally, the selected parameters
will generally differ for the various states of the automated weld
cycle. After the welding parameters have been entered, control
system 326 is switched to Automated mode using program button
408.
[0169] The operator activates the Cycle Start switch 410 to
activate the Start-Up weld condition or state, which continues
until a molten flux puddle has formed in the bottom of welding
cavity 104. Welding wire 102 is advanced by rotary straight wire
feeder assembly 18 so that the end of wire 104 contacts the base
metal (web 89) and strike an arc, which begins the Initial weld
state. Welding torch 14 and guide tube 96 are oscillated by
oscillator 16 within weld cavity 104 according to the predetermined
settings or parameters. At the end of the Initial weld state or
period, the control system 326 then ramps up the weld voltage and
wire feed rate and switches to Program Weld state. The weld
progresses upward toward the top of flange 86 and plate 58 as weld
cavity 104 is filled. As the weld approaches the top of flange 86
and plate 58 and nears completion, the operator activates Cycle
Stop switch 412 on operator control panel 46. During the Program
weld state, welding wire 102 and guide tube 96 are consumed to fill
up weld cavity 104 to form a weld connecting flange 86a to the
adjacent edge of stiffener plate 58. The Cycle Stop switch 412
ramps down the weld voltage and wire feed rate and initiates the
Final weld state until a power supply contactor in welding power
supply 42 is dropped to terminate the arc and wire feeding stops.
The Finishing state occurs after the wire feed has stopped, and
allows welding wire 102 to burn back from the weld, preventing wire
102 from becoming trapped in the cooling weld puddle.
[0170] When the weld is thus completed, control system 326 is
returned to manual mode via program switch 408 on operator control
panel 46. The details of the welding operation can be downloaded to
an external personal computer and/or recorded on floppy disk if
desired. Welding shoes 62a, 62b are drawn apart by hand actuation
of positioning screw 68, and welding fixture 12 is detached from
flange 86a by loosening locking screws 78a, 78b. Welding fixture 12
is then moved adjacent the opposite end of stiffener plate 58 and
suitably positioned and secured on flange 86b, and the above
process is repeated to weld the opposite edge of stiffener plate 58
to flange 86b.
[0171] When both edges of stiffener plate 58 have been welded to
the opposing flanges 86a, 86b of I-beam 56 as describe above,
welding fixture 12 may be moved to another location on I-beam 56
for welding another stiffener plate thereon, or I-beam 56 may be
rotated 180.degree. so that a stiffener plate can be welded onto
the opposite side of I-beam 56. No backup bars or braces are
required to hold stiffener plate 58 or welding shoes 62a, 62b in
place, and the entire physical setup time for each weld generally
takes less than one minute. No repositioning of I beam 56 is
required for any of the welds to stiffener plate 58. Since welding
fixture 12, together attached welding torch 14 and oscillator 16,
as well as operator control module 46 are light weight and
portable, a single person can operate the welding system 10 of the
invention and install multiple stiffeners onto an I-beam in a
relatively short time. In the event that welding wire 102 fuses to
guide tube 96 during the weld cycle, the downward force exerted by
rotary straight wire feeder 224a on wire 102 is transferred to
guide tube 96, moving guide tube 96 downward into the molten weld
puddle where the heat of the weld unfuses wire 102 from guide tube
96, allowing the weld cycle to continue without interruption. The
insulating coating 106 on copper welding shoes 62a, 62b prevents
catastrophic shorting of guide tube 96 against shoes 62a, 62b as
can occur in previously used electroslag welding techniques.
[0172] The use of welding system 10 may alternatively be carried
out manually, rather than with an automated welding cycle, by
operation in Manual mode. As a further alternative, the distributed
welding control system 326 can be omitted from welding system 10,
and an operator can set welding parameters for welding operations
in a standard fashion by means of controls associated individually
with welding power supply 42, oscillator 16 and wire feeder
straightener assembly 18. If wire straightening is not desired,
welding wire 102 can be fed by conventional wire feeder 32, rather
than rotary straight wire feeder assembly 18, to welding torch 14
and guide tube 96.
[0173] A variation of the above-described method of using welding
system 10 for installing stiffener plates onto I-beams is
illustrated generally in FIG. 27 through FIG. 30, wherein like
reference numerals denote like parts. In the method shown in FIG.
27 through FIG. 30, a slot 422 is first cut in web 89 of I-beam 56,
and an elongated stiffener plate 424 is prepared that is structured
and configured such that, when centrally positioned in slot 422,
stiffener plate 424 extends outward from web 89 on both sides of I
beam 56 to define an upper plate portion 426 and a lower plate
portion 428. Thus, a single plate 424 provides stiffeners for both
sides of I-beam 56, and I-beam 56 requires only minimal
repositioning to install stiffeners on both sides of I-beam 56.
[0174] In order to use welding system 10 with elongated stiffener
plate 424 and with a slot 422 in web 89, welding system 10
preferably also comprises a welding shoe clamping assembly 430
which is used in conjunction with welding fixture 12. Welding shoe
clamping assembly 430 is generally positioned on the lower side of
I-beam 56 when welding operations are carried out as described
further below. However, it is generally easier for a welding
operator to set up a weld with welding clamp assembly 430
positioned on the top side or portion of I-beam 56, and then
subsequently rotate I-beam 56 prior to welding so that welding
clamp assembly 430 is located on the lower side of I-beam. Thus,
for reasons of clarity, the lower portion of stiffener plate 428 is
depicted as facing upward in FIG. 27 through FIG. 30, in the manner
which would be observed by a welding operator using the
invention.
[0175] Welding shoe clamping assembly 430 generally comprises a
first pair of welding shoes 432a, 432b, and a second pairs of
welding shoes 434a, 434b, with the first and second pairs of
welding shoes being pivotally and adjustably linked together as
described further below. Welding shoes 432a, 432b, 434a, 434b are
preferably made of copper and each include conventional means for
circulating cooling water (not shown) such as internal circulation
ducts and cooling hose connectors. Welding shoes 432a, 432b, 434a,
434b also preferably include an insulating coating (not shown) of
the type described above on one or more faces of each shoe. Welding
shoes 432a, 432b, 434a, 434b are shown as structured and configured
to closely fit against web 98 and flanges 86a, 86b of I-beam 56, as
well as stiffener plate 424.
[0176] Means for positionally adjusting first pair of welding shoes
432a, 432b relative to second pair of welding shoes 434a, 434b are
provided with clamping assembly 430, and preferably comprise a pair
of positioning screw assemblies 436a, 436b, each of which includes
an internally threaded sleeve 438a, 438b respectively. Internally
threaded sleeves 438a, 438b each include an internal right-hand
threaded section (not shown) adjacent one end, and an internal
left-hand threaded section (not shown) adjacent the opposite end.
Positioning screw assemblies 436a, 436b also each include a
right-hand threaded screw 440a, 440b respectively, and a left-hand
threaded screw 442a, 442b respectively, which are threadably
engaged in the corresponding right-hand threaded and left-hand
threaded portions of sleeves 438a, 438b. Right hand-threaded screws
440a, 440b are pivotally coupled to welding shoes 432a, 432b
respectively by hinges 444a, 444b, and left-hand threaded screws
442a, 442b are pivotally coupled to welding shoes 434a, 434b
respectively by hinges 446a, 446b. By rotating sleeves 438a, 438b,
first pair of welding shoes 432a, 432b can be drawn towards or
pushed away from second pair of welding shoes 434a, 434b, depending
upon the rotational direction of sleeves 438a, 438b. In this
manner, welding shoes 432a, 432b, 434a, and 434b can be
positionally adjusted with respect to flanges 86a, 86.
[0177] Welding shoe clamping assembly 430 also includes means for
positionally adjusting first pair of welding shoes 432a, 432b
relative to each other. The positional adjustment means preferably
comprises a positioning screw assembly 448 having an internally
threaded sleeve 450 with internal right-hand and left-hand threaded
portions (not shown), and a right hand threaded screw 452 and left
hand threaded screw 454 which are threadably engaged in the
corresponding internal right-hand and left-hand threaded portions
of sleeve 450. Right-hand threaded screw 452 is pivotally coupled
to a shoe support 456 by nut 458, and left-hand threaded screw 452
is pivotally coupled to a shoe support 460 by nut 462. Support 456
is coupled to welding shoe 432a by mount 464, and support 460 is
coupled to welding shoe 432b by mount 468. Rotation of sleeve 450
serves to draw welding shoes 432a, 432b together or apart,
depending upon the direction of rotation, and allows positional
adjustment of welding shoes 432a, 432b relative to each other and
to lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424.
[0178] Means for positionally adjusting second pair of welding
shoes 434a, 434b relative to each other are also provided with
welding shoe clamping assembly 430, and preferably comprise a
positioning screw assembly 470 having an internally threaded sleeve
472 with internal right-hand and left-hand threaded portions (not
shown), and a right hand threaded screw 474 and left hand threaded
screw 476 which are threadably engaged in the corresponding
internal right-hand and left-hand threaded portions of sleeve 472.
Right-hand threaded screw 474 is pivotally coupled to a shoe
support 478 by nut 480, and lefthand threaded screw 476 is
pivotally coupled to a shoe support 482 by nut 484. Support 478 is
coupled to welding shoe 434a by mount 486, and support 482 is
coupled to welding shoe 434b by mount 488. Rotation of sleeve 472
serves to draw welding shoes 434a, 434b together or apart,
depending upon the direction of rotation, and allows positional
adjustment of welding shoes 434a, 434b relative to each other and
to lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424.
[0179] Welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is utilized by first
cutting a suitable slot 422 in web of I-beam 56, and cutting
stiffener plate 424 such that, when stiffener plate 424 is
positioned within slot 422, an upper portion 426 and lower portion
428 of stiffener plate 424 extend outward from web 89, and with a
gap located between the edges of stiffener plate 424 and the
adjacent flange 86a, 86b of I-beam 56. Stiffener plate 424 is then
tack welded into position. At this point, I-beam 56 and stiffener
plate 424 are preferably positioned so that lower portion 428 of
stiffener plate is pointing or directed upward, rather than
downward, to facilitate setting up welding shoe clamp assembly 430.
Welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is positioned such that the
first pair of welding shoes 432a, 432b are positioned adjacent
flange 86a or 86b, and the second pair of welding shoes 434a, 434b
are positioned adjacent the opposite flange. As shown, welding
shoes 432a, 432b are located adjacent flange 86a, and welding shoes
434a, 434b are located adjacent flange 86b. Lower portion 428 of
stiffener plate 424 is positioned between welding shoes 432a, 432b,
and between welding shoes 434a, 434b. Sleeves 438a, 438b are
rotated until welding shoes 432a, 432b closely fit against flange
86a, and welding shoes 434a, 434b closely fit against flange 86b as
shown in FIG. 27 through FIG. 30. Sleeve 450 is rotated until
welding shoes 432a, 432b fit closely about and "clamp" onto lower
portion 428 of stiffener plate 424, and sleeve 472 is rotated until
welding shoes 434a, 434b closely fit about lower portion 428 of
stiffener plate 424. Welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is thus
fixedly attached or coupled to lower portion 428 of stiffener plate
424. Sleeves 438a, 438b are rotated so that welding shoes 432a,
432b, 434a, 434b exert an outward pressure against flanges 86a, 86b
to aid in holding assembly 430 in place.
[0180] When welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is thus positioned,
a first lower vertical welding cavity 490 is defined generally
between welding shoes 432a, 432b, flange 86a, and the edge of lower
portion 428 of stiffener plate 424. A second lower vertical welding
cavity 492 is likewise defined generally between welding shoes
434a, 434b, flange 86b, and the opposite edge of lower portion 428
of stiffener plate 424. A sump block (not shown) is tack welded to
flange 86a and lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424, such that
the sump block closely fits against welding shoes 432a, 432b,
flange 86a and lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424. In this
manner, the bottom of first lower weld cavity 290 is sealed off by
the sump block and will prevent molten metal from escaping from
lower weld cavity during welding. Another sump block (not shown) is
tack welded to flange 86b and lower portion 428 of stiffener plate
424, such that the sump block closely fits against welding shoes
434a, 434b, flange 86b and lower portion 428 of stiffener plate
424, to prevent loss of weld metal from second lower weld cavity
292 during welding.
[0181] Stiffener plate 424 is welded to web 89 using conventional
web-to stiffener welds which are carried out by conventional
horizontal welding techniques, preferably using a welding gun with
flux-cored welding wire. The conventional web-to stiffener welds
typically comprise four fillet welds, four double bevel groove
welds, or two single bevel groove welds. Economic considerations
will generally determine which conventional web-to-stiffener weld
type is used by an operator. The web-to-stiffener fillet welds can
be carried out without re-positioning I-beam 56.
[0182] Following attachment of the sump blocks and making the
web-to-stiffener fillet welds as described above, I-beam 56 is
rotated about its longitudinal axis so that lower portion 428 of
stiffener plate 424 is oriented downward, and welding shoe clamping
assembly 430 is located beneath I-beam 56. Referring again to FIG.
2 through FIG. 6, as well as FIG. 4 through FIG. 30, the welding
operator then positions and secures welding fixture 12 on I-beam 56
adjacent upper portion 426 of stiffener plate 424, with flange 86a
located within openings 84a, 84b of fixture 12, and with center
line 64 and guide tube 96 located generally near the center of the
gap between the edge of upper portion 426 of stiffener plate 424
and the adjacent flange 86a. Welding shoes 62a, 62b on fixture 12
are positioned via positioning screw 68 in the manner described
above to define an upper vertical welding cavity (not shown)
between upper portion 426 of stiffener plate 424 and flange 86a.
The upper welding cavity will generally resemble welding cavity 104
shown in FIG. 6, and the upper welding cavity is generally
contiguous with lower welding cavity 490 to define an elongated
welding cavity which extends along the entire edge of both upper
and lower portions 426, 428 of stiffener plate 424. A guide tube is
used on welding torch 14 which is of sufficient length to extend
the length of the combined upper and lower welding cavities. The
vertical weld is then carried out in the manner described above by
entering the desired parameters for an automated weld cycle, and
running the automated weld cycle, with the only difference being
the vertical length or depth of the weld which is formed. When the
weld is completed, welding fixture 12 is moved to flange 86b, and
the procedure is repeated to form a second vertical weld extending
along the length of an upper weld cavity (not shown) and second
lower weld cavity 492. When both elongated vertical welds are
completed, welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is loosened from
stiffener plate 424 and flanges 86a, 86b by suitable rotation of
sleeves 438a, 438b, 450 and 472.
[0183] Several welding shoe clamping assemblies 430 may be set up
simultaneously on an I-beam which requires multiple stiffener
plates. A plurality of slots are cut in the web of the I-beam at
the points which require stiffener plates, and elongated stiffener
plates are inserted in the slots and secured therein by tack
welding. A welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is then set up on
each stiffener plate in the manner described above. Once all of the
welding shoe clamping assemblies are attached in place, a welding
operator can move down the I-beam with welding fixture 12
performing all vertical welds without requiring repositioning the
I-beam between welds. This arrangement minimizes repositioning of
the heavy I-beam.
[0184] Welding shoe clamping assembly 430, together with welding
fixture 12, thus allow stiffeners to be installed on both sides of
I-beam 56 with only two only two vertical welds, with one vertical
weld connecting flange 86a along the edge of both upper and lower
portions 426, 428 of stiffener plate, and one vertical weld
connecting flange 86b to the opposite edge of both upper and lower
portions 426, 428 of stiffener plate 424. The need for cutting and
beveling two separate stiffener plates for each side of I-beam 56,
and setting up and carrying out four separate vertical welds, is
eliminated by using elongated stiffener plate 424 through slot 422
in web 89 of I-beam 56, together with welding shoe clamping
assembly 430 and welding fixture 12 in the manner described
above.
[0185] Referring now to FIG. 31, and alternative embodiment welding
shoe assembly 494 is shown, wherein like reference numbers denote
like parts. The welding shoe assembly 494 of FIG. 1 is used with
the invention for forming "butt" welds, whereas the welding shoe
arrangement shown in FIG. 6 is used for "T"-welds. Welding shoe
assembly 494 includes a pair of welding shoes 496a, 496b which are
structured and configured for butt-welding operations between a
pair of opposing plate ends 498a, 498b. Welding shoes 496a, 496b
define a welding cavity 500 between plate ends 498a, 498b. Welding
shoes 496a, 496b are used with welding fixture 12 and are coupled
to the movable arms 66a, 66b (FIG. 4) of welding fixture 12, and
welding shoes 496a, 496b undergo positional adjustment in the
manner described above for welding shoes 62a, 62b. The retracted
positions of welding shoes 496a, 496b are shown in phantom. Welding
fixture 12 is positioned such that centerline 64, welding wire 102
and guide tube 96 are positioned within welding cavity 500 between
plate ends 498a, 498b. Welding shoes 496a, 496b are preferably made
of copper, and preferably include thermal and/or electrical
insulating coatings or portions 502 in the manner described
above.
[0186] Referring next to FIG. 32, an alternative embodiment guide
tube 504 in accordance with the invention is shown in cross
section. As noted above, rotary straight wire feeder assembly 18
can straighten and feed two welding wires simultaneously to a weld,
and welding torch 14 can be structured and configured to receive
two welding wires and direct two welding wires into a weld puddle.
Guide tube 504 is a webbed guide tube and includes a web 506
located between a pair of guide tubes 508, 510 which accommodate
welding wire (not shown). Webbed guide tube 504 is structured and
configured to spread welding arc energy over a wider area than
would occur with use of two conventional guide tubes. Webbed guide
tube 504 is made from a pair of opposing elongated plates 512, 514.
Plate 512 includes a pair of longitudinal channels 516a, 516b, and
plate 514 likewise includes a pair of elongated channels 518a,
518b, which are formed by conventional metal bending or roll
forming techniques. Plates 512, 514 are placed together and joined
along the edges by welds 520, 522 such that channels 516a, 518a
define tube 508, and so channels 516b, 518b define tube 510.
[0187] The method of using the invention in the above manner will
be more fully understood by reference to the flow chart shown
generally in FIG. 33, as well as FIG. 27 through FIG. 30. At step
600, a stiffener plate 424 is set up on an I beam 56, with
stiffener plate 424 positioned generally perpendicular to web 89
and flanges 86a, 86b, and with a gap located between stiffener
plate 424 and flanges 86a, 86b. Preferably, this step includes the
step of cutting a slot 422 (FIG. 27) in web 89 of I-beam 56, and
elongated stiffener plate 424 is structured and configured such
that, when centrally positioned in slot 422, stiffener plate 424
extends outward from web 89 on both sides of I beam 56 to define an
upper plate portion 426 and a lower plate portion 428.a stiffener
plate is set up on an I-beam. When stiffener plate 424 is
positioned within slot 422, an upper portion 426 (FIG. 28) and
lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424 extend outward from web
89, and with a gap located between the edges of stiffener plate 424
and the adjacent flange 86a, 86b of I-beam 56. Stiffener plate 424
is then tack welded into position and is subsequently welded to web
89 using conventional web-to stiffener welds which are carried out
by conventional horizontal welding techniques, preferably using a
welding gun with flux-cored welding wire.
[0188] As noted above, welding system 10 may be used for installing
stiffeners on an I-beam both with or without a slotted web. Where a
slot is not included in the web, step 600 is generally carried out
by welding a stiffener plate to the web in the manner described
above.
[0189] At step 610, the welding shoe bottom clamping assembly 430
(FIG. 28) is attached to I-beam 56. As noted above, welding shoe
clamping assembly 430 is positioned such that the first pair of
welding shoes 432a, 432b are positioned adjacent flange 86a or 86b,
and the second pair of welding shoes 434a, 434b are positioned
adjacent the opposite flange. The lower portion 428 of stiffener
plate 424 is positioned between welding shoes 432a, 432b, and
between welding shoes 434a, 434b. Sleeves 438a, 438b are rotated
until welding shoes 432a, 432b closely fit against flange 86a, and
welding shoes 434a, 434b closely fit against flange 86b as shown in
FIG. 228 through FIG. 30. Sleeve 450 is rotated until welding shoes
432a, 432b fit closely about and "clamp" onto lower portion 428 of
stiffener plate 424, and sleeve 472 is rotated until welding shoes
434a, 434b closely fit about lower portion 428 of stiffener plate
424. Welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is thus fixedly attached or
coupled to lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424. Sleeves 438a,
438b are rotated so that welding shoes 432a, 432b, 434a, 434b exert
an outward pressure against flanges 86a, 86b to aid in holding
assembly 430 in place.
[0190] When welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is thus positioned,
a first lower vertical welding cavity 490 (FIG. 29) is defined
generally between welding shoes 432a, 432b, flange 86a, and the
edge of lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424. A second lower
vertical welding cavity 492 is likewise defined generally between
welding shoes 434a, 434b, flange 86b, and the opposite edge of
lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424. A sump block (not shown)
is tack welded to flange 86a and lower portion 428 of stiffener
plate 424 to seal off the bottom of first lower weld cavity 290,
and another sump block (not shown) is tack welded to flange 86b and
lower portion 428 of stiffener plate 424 to seal off second lower
weld cavity 292 during welding.
[0191] At step 620, welding fixture 12 is provided and attached to
I-beam. As noted above, welding shoe clamping assembly is generally
installed on the top portion of I-beam, and then I-beam 56 is
subsequently rotated about its longitudinal axis so that lower
portion 428 of stiffener plate 424 is oriented downward, and
welding shoe clamping assembly 430 is located beneath I-beam 56.
Referring also to FIG. 2 through FIG. 6, as well as FIG. 27 through
FIG. 30, welding fixture 12 is secured onto I-beam 56 adjacent
upper portion 426 of stiffener plate 424, with flange 86a located
within openings 84a, 84b of fixture 12, and with center line 64 and
guide tube 96 located generally near the center of the gap between
the edge of upper portion 426 of stiffener plate 424 and the
adjacent flange 86a.
[0192] At step 630, welding shoes 62a, 62b on fixture 12 are
positioned via positioning screw 68 in the manner described above
to define an upper vertical welding cavity (not shown) between
upper portion 426 of stiffener plate 424 and flange 86a. The upper
welding cavity generally resembles welding cavity 104 as shown in
FIG. 6, with the upper welding cavity being generally contiguous
with lower welding cavity 490 to define an elongated welding cavity
which extends along the entire edge of both upper and lower
portions 426, 428 of stiffener plate 424. The guide tube 96 on
welding torch 14 preferably extends the length of the combined
upper and lower welding cavities.
[0193] At step 640, the combined weld cavities are filled with
molten metal to form a weld connecting stiffener plate 424 to
flange 86a of I-beam. As described above, this step is preferably
carried out by the weld operator in the manner described above by
entering the desired parameters into control system 326 (FIG. 24A
and FIG. 24B via operator control 336 (FIG. 25) for an automated
weld cycle, and running the automated weld cycle to fill up the
combined lower and upper weld cavities and create the stiffener-to
flange weld. Step 640 may additionally include the step of
straightening welding wire and feeding welding wire to welding
torch 14, and the step of oscillating welding torch 14.
[0194] Following completion of step 640, welding fixture 12 is then
moved to flange 86b, and the procedure is repeated to form a second
vertical weld extending along the length of an upper weld cavity
(not shown) and second lower weld cavity 492. When both elongated
vertical welds are completed, welding shoe clamping assembly 430
and welding fixture 12 are removed from flange 56 and stiffener
plate 424.
[0195] Accordingly, it will be seen that this invention provides a
welding system and method which allows quick and easy fabrication
of high quality vertical welds under varying conditions without
requiring extensive set up time or use of heavy equipment, and
which is particularly effective at installing stiffener plates onto
structural beams or columns. Although the above description
contains many specificities, these should not be considered as
limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing
illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of the
invention. Thus, the scope of this invention should be determined
by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
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