Welding material with conductive sheet and method

• US 6,621,037 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2002
• Issued: 09/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Magna International Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Magna International Incorporated
• Inventors: Miller, Ralph, Gabbianelli, Gianfranco, Ashley, Richard D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Tom
• Assistant Examiner(s): EDMONDSON, LYNNE RENEE
• Application Number:
  US10/042,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20020100747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 219/94, 219/53, 219/59.1, 219/61.1, 219/61.2, 219/61, 219/117.1, 219/230
• US Class Current: 219/94
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/002 specially adapted for particular articles or work
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/0066 Riveting
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/11 Spot welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/14 Projection welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/34 Preliminary treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/006 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/06 Tubes
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/004 at least one of the workpieces being of a metal of the iron group
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 35/0255 for use in welding B23K35/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 23/005 with integrated chassis in the whole shell, e.g. meshwork, tubes, or the like B62D33/044 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 27/02 rigid

Abstract

A welding material assembly is constructed and arranged to position a welding material in electrically conductive relation between exterior surface portions of first and second weldable members at a location where the first and second weldable members are to be joined. The welding material assembly includes at least one welding material member mounted on a flexible carrier sheet in a predetermined arrangement with each welding material member being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of melting when heated by application of an electrical current. Each welding material member is mounted on the sheet such that when the sheet is placed between the exterior surfaces of the first and second weldable members to be welded, each welding material member is electrically conductively disposed therebetween.

Claims

1. A welding material assembly for positioning a welding material in electrically conductive relation between exterior surface portions of first and second weldable members at a location where the first and second weldable members are to be joined, the welding material assembly comprising:

at least one welding material member mounted on a flexible carrier sheet in a predetermined arrangement, each said welding material member being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of melting when heated by application of an electrical current, said carrier sheet being constructed of a material that is electrically conductive and each said welding material member being mounted on said sheet such that when said sheet is placed between the exterior surfaces of the first and second weldable members to be welded each said welding material member and said sheet are electrically conductively disposed between the first and second weldable members,

wherein each said welding material member is constructed of steel.

2. A welding material assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein each carrier sheet is constructed of metal.

3. A welding material assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said at least one welding material member includes a plurality of welding material members in a predetermined arrangement.

15. A welding material assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein said at least one welding material includes nuggets that protrude from said carrier sheet with air gaps existing between each of said nuggets.

4. A welding material assembly for positioning a welding material electrically conductive relation between exterior surface portions of first and second weldable members at a location where the first and second weldable members are to be joined, the welding material assembly comprising:

a flexible carrier sheet; and

a plurality of welding material members mounted on said sheet in a predetermined arrangement, each of said plurality of welding material members being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of melting when heated by application of an electrical current, and each of said plurality of welding material members being mounted on said sheet such that when said sheet is placed between the exterior surfaces of the first and second weldable members to be welded each of said plurality of welding material members is electrically conductively disposed between the first and second weldable members,

wherein each of said plurality of welding material members is constructed of steel.

5. A welding material assembly as defined in claim 4 wherein said sheet is constructed of an electrically conductive material.

6. A welding material assembly as defined in claim 5 wherein said sheet is constructed of steel.

16. A welding material assembly as defined in claim 4, wherein said plurality of welding material members are nuggets that protrude from said carrier sheet with air gaps existing between each of said nuggets.

7. A rolled welding material strip assembly, comprising:

a plurality of welding material assemblies, each of said plurality of welding material assemblies being constructed and arranged to position welding material in electrically conductive relation between exterior surface portions of first and second weldable members at a location where the first and second weldable members are to be joined together, each of said plurality of welding material assemblies comprising

at least one welding material member mounted on a flexible carrier sheet, each of said at least one welding material member being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of melting when heated by application of an electrical current and being mounted on said sheet such that when said sheet is placed between the exterior surfaces of the first and second weldable members to be welded, each of said at least one welding material member is electrically conductively disposed between the first and second weldable members,

each of said plurality of welding material assemblies being removably secured to one another.

8. A welding material strip assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein said plurality of welding material assemblies form a rolled continuous strip of said sheets that are removably secured to one another.

9. A welding material strip assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein each of said at least one welding material member is constructed of steel.

10. A welding material strip assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein each said sheet is constructed of an electrically conductive material.

11. A welding material strip assembly as defined in claim 7 wherein each said sheet is constructed of metal.

12. A welding material assembly according to claim 7 wherein each of said at least one welding material member includes a plurality of welding material in a predetermined arrangement.

17. An assembly as defined in claim 7, wherein said at least one welding material includes nuggets that protrude from said carrier sheet, with air gaps existing between each of said nuggets.

13. A method of welding tubular members, comprising:

providing first and second tubular members, each of the first and second tubular members having a respective exterior surface;

providing at least one welding material member carried in a predetermined arrangement by a flexible carrier sheet, each of the at least one welding material member being constructed of an electrically conductive metallic welding material capable of bonding in weld-forming relation with the first and second tubular members;

positioning the carrier sheet between the first and second tubular members so that each of the at least one welding material member is disposed in current transmitting relation between the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members; and

applying an electrical current across the first and second tubular members such that the applied current flows through the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members and each of the at least one welding material member disposed between the first and second tubular members to weld the respective exterior surfaces of the first and second tubular members together.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein

before providing at least one welding material member carried by a flexible carrier sheet, the carrier sheet is disconnected from another flexible carrier sheet having at least one welding material member.

18. A method as defined in claim 13, wherein the providing at least one welding material member includes providing nuggets that are carried by the carrier sheet and that protrude from the carrier sheet, with air gaps existing between each of the nuggets.