GB836489A - Apparatus and system for producing honeycomb core - Google Patents

Abstract

836,489. Making honeycomb core; welding by pressure; corrugating. SOLAR AIRCRAFT CO. March 3, 1958, No. 6693/58. Classes 83 (2) and 83 (4). In making honeycomb core, a transversely corrugated first ribbon is moved along a path, a second similarly-corrugated ribbon is simultaneously moved in an adjacent path, the ribbons are assembled during their passage through the paths such that the nodes of the second ribbon abut the nodes on the adjacent side of the first ribbon and each abutting pair of nodes is bonded together. Honeycomb core in an endless belt 30, Fig. 2, is produced from two metal ribbons 32, 34, each ribbon being degreased and corrugated in rolls 48, 50 and the nodes on one side of ribbon 34 are spot-welded by a device 38 to the nodes on the ribbon 32, the welded ribbons being intermittently advanced and fed by a conveyer 56 into a loop. The nodes on the other side of the ribbon 34 are then welded to those on the ribbon 32 by a welder 36 and a belt of any width may be formed. In a modification the core is produced as a continuous sheet 70, Fig. 3, from metal ribbons corrugated by rollers 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96 and fed between guide-plates 106, 108, the adjacent nodes of the strips being spot-welded by welders 110, 112, &c. In a further modification corrugated ribbons are spot-welded in pairs, the pairs are welded to form strips and the strips are welded to form sheets. Each welding and feeding device employed comprises a welding head 152, Fig. 6, fixed to a shaft 158 and having two adjacent pairs of electrodes, each pair comprising an adjustable fixed electrode 249 and a pivoted electrode 250 urged away from the fixed electrode by a piece of rubber or insulated springs and moved towards it by a pivoted arm 272 having a follower engaging a cam 266. The shaft 158 has a cam follower 236 at its upper end which engages a groove in a cam 212 driven by a shaft 198 in turn belt-driven from a motordriven shaft 222. The cam 212 controls the vertical reciprocation of the welding head and the cam 266 which is secured together with a cam 267 to a sleeve rotatable on the shaft 158 and driven by gearing from the shaft 198, controls the opening and closing of the electrodes. The cam 267 controls a switch in the welding current circuit. A feed mechanism 154 is arranged beneath the welding head and comprises a saddle 430, carrying on a support 356 four indexing pins 354 and spring clips 528 and slidable horizontally on a beam 422 secured to hubs 398, 414 to be vertically slidable on fixed posts 392, 418. Vertical posts 374, 376 are secured to the hubs to move therewith and carry a beam 372 on which is mounted a support 352 for five locating pins 350 and spring clips 530, 534.. The assembly of beam 422, saddle 430 and support 352 is vertically reciprocated by a cam 456 having a groove 476 engaging a follower 478 fixed to the beam 422 and the saddle is reciprocated horizontally on the beam by a linkage engaging a pin 508 on the saddle and driven by a further cam 470. The cams 456 and 470 are secured to a shaft 458 which is driven through gearing from the shaft 222. The arrangement is such that in the position shown in Fig. 7, position 1 in Fig. 9A, with an unwelded ribbon adjacent the welded core, the indexing pins are below the cells in the core and the locating pins are in the cells with clips 530, 534 gripping the nodes. The assembly of beam, saddle and support 352 is then raised into position 2 when the pins 354 engage the cells and clips 528 grip the nodes, pins 350 being clear of the core. The saddle is then moved to the left from position 2 to position 3, position 3 being shown in Fig. 15, to move the core by one cell space and the assembly is then lowered into position 4 when the pins 354 leave the cells and pins 350 re-enter them. The saddle is finally moved to position 1. The electrodes are lowered into a first position and then into a fully lowered position after position 3 is reached to effect two spot welds on each of a pair of adjacent points before the assembly moves from position 1 to position 2. Thus, each nodal joint finally receives four spot welds. A pair of roller electrodes or a roller electrode and a co-operating vertical strip electrode may be employed instead. An extended support 356 for wide cores may be provided with brushes or sponge rubber pads to engage the core.