GB900751A - Apparatus for shearing and welding strip sections - Google Patents

Abstract

900,751. Welding by fusion; shearing. KLEMPAY, R. T. Oct. 29, 1958, No. 34610/58. Class 83 (4). In apparatus for shearing and welding strip sections comprising a unitary carriage 13 housing both shearing and welding apparatus and displaceable transversely of the line of movement of the sections there is provided a pair of shear blades 19, 20 movable towards and away from one another and a pair of clamps 24, 26 movable towards and away from one another and serving to clamp and align adjacent sheared ends of the strip sections during welding, a single actuating mechanism in the carriage for moving both the clamps and blades towards and away from one another and a single actuating mechanism for moving the carriage transversely of the line of movement to bring the carriage selectively into a first position in which the blades are in operative relation with the line of movement and into a second position in which the clamps are in operative relation with the line of movement. In an embodiment, the apparatus, mounted in a strip processing line, comprises a base 10 transverse to the line of strip movement carrying a pair of spaced rods 11, 12 on which is slidable a rectangular open frame-like carriage 13 having vertical members 16, 17 on which is slidable a carriage 18. On the right-hand end (Fig. 4) of the carrier is a shear blade 19 and associated resilientlymounted block 22 to co-operate with a blade 20 fixed on the upper part of the carriage and on the left-hand end is a clamp plate 24 carried on springs 25 to co-operate with a pair of spaced plates 26 (Fig. 7). The carriage is vertically movable by a toggle linkage 27-30, 33 actuated by an hydraulic cylinder 33a on the carriage and the carriage is movable on the rods 11, 12 by an hydraulic cylinder 14. At the exit side of the apparatus is a strip clamping device 34 having a fixed upper plate 35 and a lower plate 36 connected by rods and yoke to a fluid cylinder 37 mounted on the upper plate for moving the lower plate upwardly. Guide rollers 40, 41 loosely confine the strip. An aligning device 51 is provided adjacent the clamp and comprises a pair of vertical side guides each carried on a transversely movable rod 54, 55, the rods having teeth engaging a pinion and one of the rods being movable by an air cylinder. At the entry side of the apparatus similar clamp, guiding and aligning means are provided, and this clamping device 42 is supported for a limited movement in the strip direction. The device is normally spring urged towards the carriage and is movable away from the carriage by a rod 68, Fig. 5, having cam surfaces engaging cam surfaces carried by the device and adapted to be engaged by a stop 72 on the carriage when the latter is moved rearwardly. The welding apparatus mounted on the carriage comprises a gun 77 fed with welding wire 78 from a coil 79 and a flux hopper 83 with a suction tube 84 to remove excess flux for re-use and the gun is movable on the carriage by an hydraulic cylinder 85. In operation, as one coil of strip becomes exhausted the strip is stopped and then centred and clamped in assembly 34, the shear blades being positioned on the strip line of movement. The cylinder 33a is energized to lift the carrier so that the shear blades shear off the trailing end of the strip and the carrier is lowered. The leading end of a new coil is fed into the entry side of the apparatus and centred and clamped and sheared as before. The leading end of the new strip is deflected by members 58, Fig. 6, secured to the lower plate 36 of the exit side clamp and raised into dotted line position when the clamp is actuated. The cylinder 14 is then actuated to move the carriage to bring the plates 24, 26 adjacent the strips and the engagement of the stop on the carriage with the rod 68 causes the new strip to be spaced from the other. The carrier is moved upwards to clamp the strip ends and flux is caused to flow on to the ends, the weld wire feed is started and the welding head is moved across the carriage to weld the ends. The operation of the cylinders, motors, &c. is controlled by solenoid-operated valves and relays. A reference to helium shielded arc welding is made.