GB898197A - Strip welding apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

898,197. Making strip; welding by pressure; shearing. TAYLOR-WINFIELD CORPORATION. July 24, 1959, No. 25427/59. Classes 83 (2) and 83 (4). Apparatus for welding the adjacent ends of metal strip sections to form a continuous length of strip comprises welding means, e.g., a first and second pair of electrode means on opposite sides of the strip to be welded and may include clamping and indexing means for the strip comprising a clamp pivotally mounted for movement along the normal path of ship travel. The apparatus comprises an upper welding carriage 18 mounted on rollers on a pair of spaced rails 21 and carrying a pair of roller electrodes 29, 30 carried on cylinders 33 and connected to a transformer 24 on the carriage. A lower welding carriage 36 mounted on rollers on a pair of spaced rails 37 carries a pair of roller electrodes 47, 48 connected to a transformer 42 on the carriage. The carriages are movable simultaneously along the rails at right angles to the path of strip travel by threaded rods 22, 40 engaging nuts on the carriages and which are rotated by a motor 55 through a clutch and speed-change devices by chains 60. The opposite electrodes in the opposed pairs are of opposite polarity. Means 12 on the entry side of the machine for transversely aligning the strips comprises a support 63, on rollers mounted on the housing, carrying a lower platen 74 and an upper platen 75 supported on cylinders 77 on the support 63. The support is movable transversely of the path of strip travel by a hand wheel 73. Shearing means 13 on the entry side comprises a fixed lower blade 79 on a carrier 78 and a vertically movable upper blade 81 on a carrier 80 mounted on guided vertical rods 82 which are connected at their lower ends to bell-cranks 84, 45 connected to a rod 87 of a cylinder 88 and to the rod 91 of a cylinder 92. Weld clamping means 15 comprises a fixed lower platen 93 between the lower electrode wheels and between the upper electrode wheels an upper platen 94 whose ends are pivoted to guided rods 95 connected to bellcranks 96 interconnected by a rod 97 and connected to a rod 98 of a cylinder 99. Gauging means 16 on the exit side of the machine comprises a gauge bar 100 carried on an arm 101 pivoted to the housing and connected to cylinders 102. A clamping and indexing means 17 comprises a lower platen 104 on arms 105 pivoted to the frame at 106 with an upper clamping platen 112 carried on rods of cylinders on the platen 104. The latter is connected by a bell-crank 107 to a cylinder 108 for pivoting movement. The machine is employed in a continuous process line with a pair of exit side pinch rolls 113, 114 and entry side pinch rolls (not shown) and an entry side external, shear (not shown). In operation with all the clamps open, the shears open and upper electrodes retraded and strip moving through the welder, when the trailing end begins to move through, the rolls 113, 114 are operated to stop the strip with its rear portion overlying the lower shear blade 79. The cylinders on the platen 104 are actuated to lower the clamp 112 on to the strip and with the strip clamped the cylinders 88, 92 are actuated to move the upper shear blade to shear the strip. The pinch rolls are opened and cylinder 108 is actuated to move the strip in the direction of strip travel to bring the sheared end adjacent the line of travel of the electrodes 29, 47. The cylinders 102 are actuated to pivot the gauge bar 100 into contact with the strip and the leading end of a new strip, previously sheared, is moved into the machine until its end overlaps the trailing end and abuts the bar 100. The cylinders 77 are operated to lower the platen 75 and wheel 73 is turned to align the strips. The cylinder is actuated to lower platen 94 and then cylinders 33 are actuated to lower the rollers into contact with the strip ends and the motor 55 drives the carriages across the lapped ends with current supplied. The electrodes may perform the next welds in the opposite direction.