Apparatus for welding pipes

• US 4,373,125 A
• Filed: 07/22/1977
• Issued: 02/08/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Messer Griesheim Industries Inc.
• Original Assignee: Astro-Arc Company
• Inventors: Kazlauskas, Gasparas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kucia, Richard R.
• Application Number:
  US05/817,999
• Time in Patent Office: 2,027 Days
• Field of Search: 219/60 A, 219/60 R, 219/61, 219/125.11
• US Class Current: 219/60.00A
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0286 with an electrode moving around the fixed tube during the welding operation

Abstract

A welding apparatus for pipes which provides for a guide means which is to be fixedly secured to the pipe adjacent the welding area, a first carriage and a second carriage is movably supported upon the guide means with each of the carriages supporting a pair of spaced apart welding heads. Attached to the guide means is a driving chain. Mounted on each of the carriages are motor means which, in turn, operate through the driving chain to move the carriages in a prescribed manner with respect to the guide means. The welding heads of each of the carriages move within the same plane but each are movable in a separate one hundred and eighty degree arc thereby forming a continuous circle. Associated with each welding head is a weld groove tracking system which automatically maintains each welding head correctly aligned within the welding groove. The entire apparatus of this invention, when combined with appropriate electronic computer equipment, automatically welds an adjoined pair of piping sections.

Claims

1. An automatic pipe welder comprising:

guide means adapted to be fixedly secured to a pipe assembly;

a carriage assembly connected to said guide means, said carriage assembly including a first carriage and a second carriage located in a spaced apart arrangement, both said first carriage and said second carriage being movable in respect to said guide means;

motor means interconnecting said guide means and said carriage assembly for moving said first and said second carriages, a driving means connected to said guide means and located between said first carriage and said second carriage, said motor means connected with said driving means;

welding torch means connected to said carriage assembly, said welding torch means including a first torch assembly and a second torch assembly, said first torch assembly being connected to said first carriage, said second torch assembly being connected to said second carriage, said first torch assembly being movable in a one hundred and eighty degree arc with said second torch assembly being movable in a separate one hundred and eighty degree arc and both said arcs being in the same plance thereby forming a continuous circle;

upright post means located between said first carriage and said second carriage, said driving means comprising a driving chain attached to said upright post means.

2. An automatic pipe welder comprising:

guide means adapted to be fixedly secured to a pipe assembly;

a carriage assembly connected to said guide means, said carriage assembly including a first carriage and a second carriage located in a spaced apart arrangement, both said first carriage and said second carriage being movable in respect to said guide means;

motor means interconnecting said guide means and said carriage assembly for moving said first and said second carriages, a driving means connected to said guide means and located between said first carriage and said second carriage, said motor means connected with said driving means;

welding torch means connected to said carriage assembly, said welding torch means including a first torch assembly being connected to said first carriage, said second torch assembly being connected to said second carriage, said first torch assembly being movable in a one hundred and eighty degree arc with said second torch assembly being movable in a separate one hundred and eighty degree arc and both said arcs being in the same plane thereby forming a continuous circle;

said first carriage being mounted by low frictional rollers on a first guide track included with said guide means, said second carriage being mounted by low frictional rollers on a second guide track included within said guide means, both said first guide track and said second guide track being equidistantly spaced from the outer wall of said pipe assembly;

both said first guide track and said second guide track including low frictional guide blocks, said first carriage including a first carriage ring which is in contact with said low frictional guide blocks within said first guide track, said second carriage including a second carriage ring which is in contact with said low frictional guide blocks within said second guide track, said low frictional guide blocks to facilitate low frictional movement of said first and second carriage rings in respect to its respective said guide track; and

upright post means located between said first guide track and said second guide track, said driving means comprising a driving chain attached to said upright post means.

3. The welder as defined in claim 2 wherein:

said first torch assembly including two separate welding torches, said second torch assembly including another two separate welding torches.

4. An automatic pipe welder comprising:

guide means adapted to be fixedly secured to a pipe assembly;

a carriage assembly connected to said guide means, said carriage assembly including a first carriage and a second carriage located in a spaced apart arrangement, both said first carriage and said second carriage being movable in respect to said guide means;

motor means interconnecting said guide means and said carriage assembly for moving said first and said second carriages, a driving means connected to said guide means and located between said first carriage and said second carriage, said motor means connected with said driving means;

welding torch means connected to said carriage assembly, said welding torch means including a first torch assembly and a second torch assembly, said first torch assembly being connected to said first carriage, said second torch assembly being connected to said second carriage, said first torch assembly being movable in a one hundred and eighty degree arc with said second torch assembly being movable in a separate one hundred and eighty degree arc and both said arcs being in the same plane thereby forming a continuous circle; and

welding groove tracking means connected to said first torch assembly and said second torch assembly with there being a separate tracking device for each of said torch assembly, each said tracking device including a roller to be positioned within the welding groove with said roller being adapted to assist in maintaining its respective said torch assembly correctly aligned within the welding groove, each said tracking device including a scissor linkage which permits said device to be movable toward and away from the pipe assembly.

5. An automatic pipe welder comprising:

guide means adapted to be fixedly secured to a pipe assembly;

a carriage assembly connected to said guide means, said carriage assembly including a first carriage and a second carriage located in a spaced apart arrangement, both said first carriage and said second carriage being movable in respect to said guide means;

motor means interconnecting said guide means and said carriage assembly for moving said first and said second carriages;

welding torch means connected to said carriage assembly, said welding torch means including a first torch assembly and a second torch assembly, said first torch assembly being connected to said first carriage, said second torch assembly being connected to said second carriage, said first torch assembly being movable in a one hundred and eighty degree arc with said second torch assembly being movable in a separate one hundred and eighty degree arc and both said arcs being in the same plane thereby forming a continuous circle;

said first carriage being mounted by low-frictional rollers on a first guide track included within said guide means, said second carriage being mounted by low-frictional rollers on a second guide track included within said guide means, both said first guide track and said second guide track being equidistantly spaced from the outer wall of said pipe assembly;

both said first guide track and said second guide track including low-frictional guide blocks, said first carriage including a first carriage ring which is in contact with said low-frictional guide blocks within said first guide track, said second carriage including a second carriage ring which is in contact with said low-frictional guide blocks within said second guide track, said low-frictional guide blocks to facilitate low-frictional movement of said first and second carriage rings in respect to its respective said guide track; and

upright post means located between said first guide track and said second guide track, driving chain means connected to said upright post means, said driving chain means being connected to said motor means.

6. The welder as defined in claim 5 wherein:

said first torch assembly including two separate welding torches, said second torch assembly including two separate welding torches.