Strip flash butt welding machine

Abstract

Strip flash butt welding machine (1) for welding end faces (7, 15) of strip ends (3, 11) of at least one strip with a) first tensioning elements (5) for tensioning a first band end (3) and second tensioning elements (12) for tensioning a second band end (11), b) a first alignment element (4) for aligning the first strip end (3) and a second alignment element (10) for aligning the second strip end (11), c) wherein the second clamping elements (12) are movable relative to the first clamping elements (5) in the direction of a longitudinal axis (9) via a drive, d) the first clamping elements (5) and the second clamping elements (12) each comprise a strip flash butt welding machine electrode (6, 13) which is formed at least in two parts and comprises a base body (57) and a contact body (58), characterized in that e) the first alignment element (4) and the second alignment element (10) are coupled to one another via a coupling device which specifies a relative alignment of the first and second alignment elements (4, 10), f) the second clamping elements (12) are movable translationally in the direction of the longitudinal axis (9) relative to the two alignment elements (4, 10) by means of the drive and g) the coupling device is a mechanical coupling device (54) which firmly connects the first alignment element (4) and the second alignment element (10) during a conversion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a strip flash butt welding machine. With such a strip flash butt welding machine, any strip ends (particularly of metallic strips with a constant cross-section in the direction of the longitudinal axis) can be welded flush with one another in the region of the end faces. In particular, welding of end faces of strip ends - from two strips arranged coaxially and flush with each other to form a strip strand whose length corresponds to the length of the two strips, or - a single strip which is bent into a strip ring which is slit in the area of ​​the end faces and which, after welding, forms an "endless" strip strand.

[0002] The flash butt welding process is a pressure welding process in which - the required welding heat is generated by applying electrical current to strip flash butt welding machine electrodes that are applied to the components to be welded (here: the strip ends), thereby creating an arc between the components to be welded (here: the end faces of the strip ends), and - the components heated in this way (here the strip ends with their end faces) are pressed together with a contact force, whereby the components are welded together via a weld seam.

[0003] In the following, reference is made in part to the design of the band saw blade, in which case the end faces of the saw blade ends of a ring-shaped bent saw blade can be welded to produce an "endless" saw blade strand. These statements then apply accordingly to at least one band saw blade not designed as a saw blade.

[0004] A manufacturing process carried out with a cutting tool is referred to as "cutting" according to DIN 8589-0. According to this standard, a distinction is made between cutting with geometrically defined cutting edges and cutting with geometrically indeterminate cutting edges. Cutting with geometrically defined cutting edges also includes sawing according to DIN 8589-6. According to this standard, sawing does not include cutting with geometrically indeterminate cutting edges. In practice, however, cutting bands coated with cutting particles are still referred to as saw bands. Therefore, when the present patent application / patent refers to a saw band, this includes both a saw band with teeth with geometrically defined cutting edges and a saw band with geometrically indeterminate cutting edges. STATE OF THE ART

[0005] The website www.youtube.com / watch?v=_BqfobJ-tY0 (Date of access to the website: 14.01.2022) shows the welding of strip ends to form a closed strip strand using an "IDEAL BAS 340" strip flash butt welding machine from IDEAL-Werk C. + E. Jungeblodt GmbH + Co. KG, Lippstadt. To insert the strip into the strip flash butt welding machine, it is bent into a ring that is closed except for a gap between the end faces of the strip ends. The strip ends facing each other are then inserted into the strip flash butt welding machine from both sides and optionally placed with their end faces against a insertion stop. The strip flash butt welding machine has an alignment and clamping unit on both sides of the insertion stop. An alignment and clamping unit is firmly connected to the foundation (in particular a substructure or a supporting structure) of the strip flash butt welding machine.The other alignment and clamping unit is guided in the manner of a carriage, translationally guided in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the belt relative to the foundation, and is movable by means of a drive. Each alignment and clamping unit has a stop rail with a vertical stop surface. The back of the belt of the assigned belt end is placed against the stop rail. The stop rails carry horizontally oriented support pins onto which the belt ends can be placed. Once the operator has brought the belt ends into the predetermined positions and orientations, which are determined by the stop surface, the support pins, and the insertion stop of the alignment and clamping units, the belt ends are each tensioned and secured using clamping elements of the assigned alignment and clamping unit, which are operated by actuators.If an insertion stop was used, the insertion stop is then moved out of the space between the end faces of the strip ends. The width of the gap between the end faces of the strip ends is automatically reduced to the gap required for the arc during the flash butt welding process. To do this, the drive moves the movable alignment and clamping unit along the translational degree of freedom relative to the foundation and relative to the fixed alignment and clamping unit until the end faces of the strip ends have the distance required for the arc. The clamping elements form strip flash butt welding machine electrodes. As a result of the contact of the clamping elements with the strip ends, an electrical charge to the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes leads to the formation of the arc between the end faces of the strip ends.Already during arc generation, the strip ends are moved toward each other by a relative movement of the alignment and clamping units. The timing of the relative movement is determined by a rotating cam disk. At the end of the cam disk, the arc is switched off in a time-controlled manner. The strip ends are then compressed until the joint cools down, with a compression cylinder applying a compression force to the movable alignment and clamping unit. The weld seam and the adjacent material areas of the strip ends are then annealed, and the weld seam is deburred.During machining operations, the relative degree of freedom between the two alignment and clamping units can also be used to change the locations at which the strip strand is clamped by the clamping elements and / or to cause the strip strand to shift along its longitudinal axis and / or to induce compressive or tensile stress in the strip strand. For example, if a tool for deburring the weld seam is arranged at an offset to the created weld seam, the clamping elements of the fixed alignment and clamping unit can be released and the movable alignment and clamping unit is moved by the offset along the degree of freedom using the drive. If the clamping elements of the movable alignment and clamping unit are closed during this movement, the strip ends and the weld seam are also moved by the offset from the work area in which the weld seam was created into the work area of ​​the deburring tool.This movement increases the distance between the clamping elements of the fixed alignment and clamping unit and the weld seam. The clamping elements of the fixed alignment and clamping unit are then closed again. The clamping elements of the movable alignment and clamping unit are now opened and the drive moves these clamping elements until the clamping elements are at the same distance from the weld seam as the clamping elements of the fixed alignment and clamping unit. The clamping elements of the movable alignment and clamping unit are then closed again. The weld seam can then be deburred. The distances between the pairs of clamping elements and the weld seam, and thus from each other, can be dimensioned such that the deburring tool (in this case a plane) can be moved between the clamping elements along the weld seam.On the other hand, the distance between the clamping elements on both sides of the weld seam can also be changed in a corresponding manner in order to enable the strip ends to be clamped at different distances from the end faces for the individual processing steps. For example, a smaller distance may be required for flash butt welding than is the case for deburring and / or annealing. It is also possible to use the relative degree of freedom between the two alignment and clamping units to compress the strip ends with the weld seam during processing by the drive. When the clamping elements are closed, the drive applies force-controlled force to the movable alignment and clamping unit in the direction of the fixed alignment and clamping unit.

[0006] A corresponding strip flash butt welding machine is also described in EP 2 540 431 B1.

[0007] Further strip flash butt welding machines are offered by the company TEMELSAN MAKINA (see www.youtube.com / watch?v=vTq9BCQz1Mc; www.temelsan.de).

[0008] DE 41 07 984 A1 discloses a flash butt welding machine in which an electrode is attached to an electrode holder via a screw connection. The electrode holder is in turn held on an electrode stand. For this purpose, the electrode holder has a lateral T-slot. The electrode stand has a T-shaped sliding block. If the sliding block of the electrode stand is arranged in the T-slot of the electrode holder, the sliding block can be tightened by a hydraulically actuated piston of the electrode stand, whereby the electrode holder can be pulled against a lateral clamping surface of the electrode stand. The electrode has a fitting surface on its underside, which is clamped against an upper support surface of the electrode holder by the screw connection. The fitting surface serves to ensure the desired distance between the electrode and the weld point.To enable reuse of the electrode in the event of wear after reworking without changing the height of the upper end face of the electrode, multiple electrode holders can be used, with the contact surfaces for the electrode's mating surface arranged at different heights. The height differences of the electrode holders compensate for the reduction in the electrode height due to wear and reworking.

[0009] US 3,469,064 A discloses a flash butt welding machine having a pair of upper clamping jaws and a pair of lower clamping jaws. The spacing between the pairs of clamping jaws can be adjusted so that a left-hand strip can be clamped between the left-hand clamping jaws and a right-hand strip can be clamped between the right-hand clamping jaws. The right and left clamping jaws can then be moved laterally so that the end faces of the two strips are pressed against each other. An electrical circuit running across the clamping jaws is closed by the contact of the end faces of the strips. The clamping jaws are held on holders, which in turn are held on holding plates via a wedge connection and an actuator. Spacer plates allow the spacing between the clamping jaws to be adjusted for different strip geometries of the flash butt welding machine.

[0010] US 2 203 151 A discloses a flash butt welding machine with which the ends of sheets provided from smaller coils are welded together to produce a longer overall sheet, which is then wound onto a larger coil and can then be continuously fed from the larger coil to a cold forming process or a descaling process. In the flash butt welding machine, the ends to be joined are first cut in a cutting unit. In a welding unit, the two ends are clamped by clamping elements and brought into a predetermined alignment with one another, in which the weld seam connecting the ends is then created. From the welding unit, the welded sheets then pass to a downstream trimming unit, in which excess welding material is removed from the weld seam.To ensure the desired alignment of the sheets in the welding unit area, the edges of the sheets are guided laterally by discs. The lateral position of the discs can be adjusted using screws, either motorized or manually. The clamping elements for the sheets have a vertical degree of freedom, which allows them to be opened and closed and adapted to different sheet thicknesses.

[0011] Further prior art is known from the documents KR 10 2011 0 018 734 A, JP S55- 81 088 A, CN 1 10 948 095 A, CN 1 02 371 400 A, and CN 1 02 319 950 A. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The invention is based on the object of proposing a strip flash butt welding machine which is particularly suitable with regard to - the costs and / or - the use of materials and / or - ensuring a large number of operating cycles, taking into account wear and / or - the cost of maintaining the operation of the strip flash butt welding machine in the event of wear and / or - the conversion effort and / or - the precision during conversion is improved. SOLUTION

[0013] The object of the invention is achieved according to the invention with the features of the independent patent claim. Further preferred embodiments of the invention can be found in the dependent patent claims. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The invention is based in particular on the finding that, during operation of the strip flash butt welding machine, the strip ends must be clamped between first and second clamping elements. The first and second clamping elements are each formed by upper and lower clamping jaws between which the strip ends are clamped. At least one of the two clamping jaws is multifunctionally designed as a strip flash butt welding machine electrode, whose electrical energy is transferred to the strip ends as a result of the pressure applied to the strip ends, in order to create the arc and the welding between the end faces of the strip ends.When using the strip flash butt welding machine electrode for multiple operating cycles, mechanical interaction, and in particular burn-off, leads to wear on the contact surface of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode with the strip end. This causes the contact surface of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode to be gradually worn down and the height of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode to gradually decrease. If wear on the strip flash butt welding machine electrode results in the height of the contact surface of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode being reduced by a critical amount, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode must be replaced.The reason for this may be that the other clamping jaw can no longer compensate for the reduced height ΔH. This may result in the strip flash butt welding machine electrode no longer being pressed against the strip end with the predetermined contact force, which undesirably increases the transfer resistance between the strip flash butt welding machine electrode and the strip end, and / or the strip end is no longer sufficiently clamped and thus fixed. It is also possible that the extension plane is lowered by the amount ΔH compared to other contact surfaces of the strip end, for example in the area of ​​an alignment element, stop body, support body, or a strip back stop, so that the strip end must be elastically deformed to an undesirable extent between the contact surface of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode on the one hand and the other contact surface.If the strip flash butt welding machine electrode is replaced after wear to the extent of the critical height change ΔH, the residual material of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode reduced by the height ΔH can no longer be used.

[0015] Against this background, the invention proposes that the strip flash butt welding machine electrode be designed in at least two parts. The strip flash butt welding machine electrode comprises a base body and a contact body.

[0016] The base body serves, for example, to support the strip flash butt welding machine electrode on a foundation. The base body can also be attached to the foundation, particularly by screwing (e.g., by means of a flange of the base body). Alternatively or additionally, the base body has a connection for electrical contact to supply the electrical energy for the welding process to the base body.

[0017] The contact body has a flat contact surface which should lie as large as possible against the strip end in order to be able to transfer the electrical energy introduced into the base body and transferred to the contact body to the strip end with the smallest possible transfer resistance.

[0018] Within the scope of the invention, any desired configuration of the contact surfaces between the base body and the contact body is possible. For example, it is possible for the contact surfaces to be flat and horizontally oriented. However, it is also possible for the contact surfaces between the base body and the contact body to deviate from a plane by any desired distance. To name just one example, the contact surfaces can each be designed like a rack and pinion, which can then enlarge the meandering, back-and-forth contact surface and / or enable a high contact force between the base body and the contact body due to the wedge effect of the tooth engagement. However, any other shapes of the contact surfaces are also possible.

[0019] Due to the two-part design of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode with the base body and the contact body, once the contact body has worn by a critical amount ΔH, the contact body can be removed from the base body, and a new contact body can be inserted into the base body. Thus, the entire strip flash butt welding machine electrode does not need to be replaced due to wear, as is the case with the prior art. Instead, replacing the contact body is sufficient, allowing the material of the base body to be reused. The invention thus achieves significant material savings.

[0020] Alternatively, after the contact body has been worn by a critical height ΔH, the contact body can be reused, but in this case, a socket body can be used whose height is greater than the height of the previously used socket body by the height ΔH. This can also result in significant material savings.

[0021] Using the strip flash butt welding machine according to the invention, the end faces of strip ends of at least one strip can be welded. The strip flash butt welding machine has first clamping elements for clamping a first strip end and second clamping elements for clamping a second strip end. Furthermore, the strip flash butt welding machine has a first alignment element for aligning the first strip end and a second alignment element for aligning the second strip end. The second clamping elements are movable relative to the first clamping elements via a drive in the direction of a longitudinal axis. According to the invention, the first clamping elements and the second clamping elements each have a strip flash butt welding machine electrode, as previously explained. The strip flash butt welding machine electrode then cooperates with another clamping jaw of the first clamping elements or second clamping elements.

[0022] Within the scope of the invention, "alignment" by an alignment element comprises specifying an orientation of the band end (in particular in a horizontal plane and / or in a vertical plane) and / or specifying a position of the band end, in particular in a horizontal plane in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the band and / or in a vertical direction of the band end. To name only one non-limiting example, the alignment elements can have a horizontal alignment surface on which the respective band end rests and / or a vertical alignment surface against which a band back or the teeth of a saw band rest. The alignment elements can also generally be designed as a stop rail, as is the case according to the prior art.

[0023] The second tensioning elements are movable relative to the first tensioning elements via a drive, with a movement in the direction of a longitudinal axis of at least one belt, which is aligned by means of the alignment elements and tensioned by the tensioning elements. This movement can be force-controlled or displacement-controlled for the purposes exemplified for the corresponding movement in the prior art mentioned above.

[0024] The invention is based in particular on the finding that, according to the prior art cited at the outset as per www.youtube.com / watch?v=_BqfobJ-tY0, the quality of the produced weld seam and of the produced strip strand depends crucially on the exact positioning and orientation of the strip ends during processing and thus on the position and / or orientation (position and / or orientation hereinafter referred to as "alignment") of the stop rails of the alignment and clamping units. If, after welding at least one strip of a first type, the strip flash butt welding machine is to be used to weld at least one strip of a second type with different dimensions, in particular a different cross-sectional geometry, an adjustment of the two stop rails in the horizontal plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the strip strand is necessary (hereinafter also "conversion").Such a conversion is required, for example, if the blade height of the bands to be welded changes. Such a conversion may also be necessary, for example, if the saw blade height does not change during the welding of saw blades, but the tooth height of the saw blade teeth changes. This is because the weld seam is preferably created in the area of ​​the tooth base, meaning that a changed tooth height may require a conversion of the stop rails despite the saw blade's remaining the same height.

[0025] During the required manual adjustment of the stop rails, the operator must ensure the correct alignment of the two stop rails to each other as well as the correct alignment of the stop rails with respect to the clamping elements, strip flash butt welding machine electrodes, and processing tools of the strip flash butt welding machine. This is time-consuming and requires careful and experienced work execution. This can be made more difficult by the fact that tightening the fastening screws of the stop rails to fix them after the desired alignment has been achieved can lead to undesirable changes in the alignment of the stop rails. Therefore, the stop rails must be repeatedly adjusted and screwed tight in an iterative process, with repeated checking and, if necessary, fine-tuning of the alignment.

[0026] In practice, for the reasons mentioned above, the alignment process of the stop rails for converting to state-of-the-art strip flash butt welding machines leads to increased changeover times. If the alignment adjustment is not carried out with the required precision, there is a risk that the subsequent weld will not meet the requirements. The following are just a few examples of the consequences of an inaccurate adjustment of the stop rail alignment according to the state of the art when the strip to be welded is a saw blade: a) If the backs of the two saw band ends are welded together with an offset in the main extension plane transverse to the band running direction, this leads to undesirable force and path jumps for the feed of the saw band in the direction of the saw channel of the workpiece being machined during operation of the saw band strand. In addition, in this case the weld seam does not extend over the entire end faces of the saw blade ends, which leads to reduced strength of the saw blade strand. b) If the tooth bases of the two ends of the saw band are not flush with each other, this may result in impaired sawing performance, impaired chip transport during sawing and / or reduced durability of the saw band strand. c) It is also possible that, if the tooth roots are not aligned flush during the welding process, a tooth of the saw blade may stand up in the area surrounding the weld seam. In this case, the subsequent deburring removes not only excess welding material but also tooth material. The reduced thickness of the tooth can then, for example, lead to undesirable scoring in the sawn surface later during use of the saw blade. On the other hand, this can lead to a reduction in the thickness of the welded end faces. This leads to a thinner weld seam, which can cause premature failure of the weld seam during operation. d) Impairments in strength and sawing pattern may also occur if, due to an error in the alignment of the saw blade ends, the cross-section of the weld seam (when cutting in the direction of blade travel and in a vertical plane) is not rectangular but trapezoidal.

[0027] Given these disadvantages of known strip flash butt welding machines, it is proposed that the first alignment element and the second alignment element be coupled to one another via a coupling device. The coupling device specifies a relative alignment of the first and second alignment elements.

[0028] While the prior art required the operator to adjust the relative alignment of the first and second stop rails to each other when converting the strip flash butt welding machine, this is ensured by the coupling device according to the invention. On the one hand, this saves effort during the conversion of the strip flash butt welding machine. On the other hand, according to the invention, the adjustment of the desired relative alignment of the alignment elements is no longer dependent on the operator's diligence; instead, the coupling device "automatically" ensures that the required relative alignment (within the limits specified by the precision of the coupling device) is always maintained.

[0029] In the strip flash butt welding machine according to the invention, the second clamping elements are movable translationally in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the at least one strip relative to the two alignment elements by means of the drive. During this movement, a relative sliding movement of at least the strip end, which is clamped by the second clamping elements, occurs relative to the second sliding element. Such a movement of the second clamping elements can, for example, take place in order to - to move the strip ends and, if applicable, a weld seam already created between them from one work area to another work area and / or - to achieve the required width of the gap between the end faces to generate the arc and / or - to compress the strip strand and / or - to change the clamping distance of the belt strand by the clamping elements and / or - after generating the welding heat, press the end faces of the strip ends together with the arc, The drive can generate the movement in a force-controlled or path-controlled or -controlled manner.

[0030] However, while in the prior art embodiment, the drive moved a carriage that moved both the second clamping elements and the second stop rail, a design according to the invention releases the coupling of the second clamping elements with the second alignment element, enabling relative movement between them for the first time. This makes the use of the coupling device between the first alignment element and the second alignment element possible.

[0031] According to the invention, the coupling device is a mechanical coupling device. The mechanical coupling device firmly connects the first alignment element and the second alignment element during the changeover. The mechanical coupling device thus ensures that the two alignment elements have the correct relative position to each other and are aligned. In other words, the alignment elements and the mechanical coupling device in the strip flash butt welding machine according to the invention form a unit in which the alignment elements and the mechanical coupling device are moved together.In this case, it is only necessary to ensure that this unit is moved in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the belt by the amount required for the changed type of belt (whereas, without a transverse guide device for the unit, it is also necessary to ensure that the unit has the correct orientation parallel to the longitudinal axis of the belt).

[0032] There are many different options for the type of connection between the base body and the contact body. According to one embodiment of the invention, the base body and the contact body are connected via fastening screws. The fastening screws ensure the contact force between the base body and the contact body in order to provide a low contact resistance. Alternatively or additionally, the base body and the contact body can be connected via locating pins that determine the relative position between the base body and the contact body. While any orientation of the fastening screws and / or locating pins is possible, they are preferably oriented vertically to the contact surfaces between the base body and the contact body and parallel to each other.

[0033] It is possible for the strip flash butt welding machine electrode (in addition to any fastening screws and dowel pins) to consist exclusively of the base body and the contact body. In another proposal, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode is designed in at least three parts. In this case, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode has a base body, a contact body, and at least one compensating body. The compensating body serves to compensate for vertical wear of the contact body as follows: First, a strip flash butt welding machine electrode is used that consists exclusively of the base body and the contact body. If the contact body has worn by the critical height ΔH, the contact body would normally have to be replaced with a new one. For this proposal of the invention, however, the contact body is still used.However, this is removed from the base body, and the compensating body is mounted between the base body and the contact body. The compensating body has a height ΔH, which means that in the strip flash butt welding machine electrode now formed by the base body, the contact body, and the compensating body, the contact surface of the contact body for the strip is again arranged at its original height. By using the compensating body, the service life of the same contact body can be doubled. It is possible that, after further wear of the contact body by the height ΔH, an additional corresponding compensating body can be mounted, or the previously used compensating body can be removed and a compensating body with twice the height 2ΔH can be inserted, whereby the same contact body can then be used again, and so on.

[0034] Within the scope of the invention, as explained above, the at least one compensating body can be arranged between the base body and the contact body. It is likewise possible for the compensating body to be arranged between the base body and the foundation. It is also possible for at least one compensating body to be arranged between the foundation and the base body, while at least one compensating body is also arranged between the base body and the contact body. If the compensating body is located between the base body and the foundation, the compensating body can also ensure insulation in order to prevent a transfer or bypass of electrical energy via the foundation. In this case, the compensating body can have only an insulating layer or be made entirely of an insulating material.

[0035] There are fundamentally diverse options for the geometric design of the compensating body, with the shape of the compensating body preferably being adapted to the contact surfaces with the foundation, the base body, or the contact body. The compensating body is preferably plate-shaped. In this case, the compensating body has a plate thickness that corresponds to the critical extent ΔH of wear. The plate height is preferably less than 10 mm, in particular less than 8 mm, less than 6 mm, less than 5 mm, or even less than 4 mm.

[0036] There are also a variety of options for the geometric design of the contact body. According to one proposal of the invention, the contact body is plate-shaped or cuboid-shaped. The contact body can have a height of less than 60 mm, in particular less than 50 mm, less than 40 mm, or even less than 30 mm.

[0037] According to a further proposal of the invention, the contact body projects beyond the base body and / or a compensating body arranged between the base body and the contact body when viewed from above in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the strip. This dimensioning of the contact body, the base body and / or the compensating body means that the contact body can reach very close to the end faces of the strip ends, which is advantageous for the introduction of energy, the support of the strip ends and the welding process. As a result of the protrusion of the contact body, a recess is created below the contact body in the transition area to the compensating body and / or base body. This recess can be advantageously used to enable the movement of a tool of the strip flash butt welding machine.For example, if the weld seam created is reworked using a planer, a planer knife can move through a gap between the facing end faces of two contact bodies of the two strip flash butt welding machine electrodes, while a larger holder for the planer knife can pass through the enlarged gap between the base bodies in the area of ​​the recesses.

[0038] It is possible that, in a corresponding plan view, the base body projects beyond the base body and / or a compensating body arranged between the base body and the contact body in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the strip. Such a projection can be used to form a flange in the region of which the base body and / or compensating body can be screwed to the foundation of the strip flash butt welding machine. It is also possible that a projection (preferably arranged on the opposite side) serves to support the base body and thus the strip flash butt welding machine electrode on another part of the strip flash butt welding machine in order to specify the position of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode relative to the other components of the strip flash butt welding machine, preferably in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the strip ends.

[0039] For one embodiment of the invention, an electrode set is used for a strip flash butt welding machine. The electrode set has a strip flash butt welding machine electrode as previously explained. The electrode set includes at least two base bodies which have different heights. This is explained for an example in which a first base body has the size H required to use a new contact body in the strip flash butt welding machine. In contrast, the second base body has a height resulting from the sum of the height H and the critical height due to wear ΔH. Initially, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode is operated with the first base body and a new contact body until wear ΔH has occurred on the contact body. The first base body is disassembled from the contact body.The same contact body is then mounted on the second base body. Due to the increased height of the second base body, the contact surface of the already worn contact body is then at the initial height of the unworn contact body on the first base body. The strip flash butt welding machine can then continue to operate with the already worn contact body. It goes without saying that a third, fourth, etc. base body with a height increased by ΔH can also be used.

[0040] Alternatively or additionally, the electrode set can also contain compensating bodies with different heights, whereby the heights can then differ from each other by the height ΔH.

[0041] There are many different options for designing the mechanical coupling device used in the invention. In one proposal according to the invention, the coupling device has a bridge part, which in the simplest case can be a bridge plate. The bridge part has different sections, namely a first bridge section and a second bridge section. The associated alignment element can be fastened, in particular screwed, to the respective bridge section. In this case, for example, during initial assembly or on a regular basis or for readjustment, the alignment elements can be screwed to the associated bridge section in the correct alignment to the named unit. This screw connection and alignment then no longer need to be changed during conversion. However, it is also possible for the bridge section to directly form the first alignment element.The bridge section further comprises a recess located between the first bridge section and the second bridge section. The weld seam can then be created in the area of ​​the recess (when projected into a common horizontal plane), a tool of the strip flash butt welding machine can be positioned or moved, and / or the first clamping elements and the second clamping elements and / or the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes are located here. The recess has sufficient dimensions in the horizontal plane to allow relative movement between the bridge section and the clamping elements and strip flash butt welding machine electrodes during changeover.

[0042] For one proposal of the invention, the bridge part is roughly U-shaped. In this case, an alignment element is arranged in the region of each vertical leg of the U (preferably with the vertical alignment surface aligned parallel to the base leg of the U), and the recess is bounded by the horizontal leg and the vertical legs of the U, with the recess being open in the direction oriented away from the horizontal leg. In this case, the horizontal leg of the U of the bridge part ensures the connection of the two alignment elements and the associated bridge sections.

[0043] In principle, within the scope of the invention, it is possible for the mechanical coupling device to exclusively ensure the relative position of the two alignment elements to one another, while the operator must then still specify the position of the coupling device with the alignment elements in the transverse direction and / or the correct orientation of the same relative to the strip flash butt welding machine in the horizontal plane during the conversion, for example by screwing the coupling device to the foundation of the strip flash butt welding machine in the correct position and / or orientation. A further increase in precision and / or reduction in the effort during conversion can be achieved with a proposal of the invention according to which the strip flash butt welding machine has a transverse guide device.The transverse guide device guides the mechanical coupling device with the alignment elements attached to it in such a way that the coupling device with the alignment elements attached to it (except for any small remaining tolerances of the transverse guide device) has only a single degree of freedom in the transverse direction. This degree of freedom can then be used for the necessary adjustment during conversion, while the transverse guide device ensures that the alignment elements have the desired orientation relative to the strip flash butt welding machine. For this proposal, converting the strip flash butt welding machine therefore only requires one adjustment in the transverse direction.

[0044] For the transverse guide devices usable within the scope of the invention, all transverse guide devices known from the prior art can be used. It is possible to use two spaced-apart transverse guide devices with parallel transverse guide axes. Preferably, only a single transverse guide device is used, which can be arranged, for example, in a side area of ​​the strip flash butt welding machine. The transverse guide device is designed as a linear guide of one of the known embodiments. The linear guide can be based on a plain bearing or a roller bearing.To cite merely one non-limiting example, the transverse guide device can be a linear guide configured as a prism or trapezoidal guide, in which the cross-sections of the parts moving relative to one another form a positive connection, whereby these linear guides have only one remaining degree of freedom in the transverse direction. It is also possible for the transverse guide device to be designed as a ball rail guide, see, for example, the above. www.boschrexroth.com / ics / cat / ?cat=Linear-Motion-Technology-Catalog&m=DE&u=si&o=FilterDesktop&p=g254980&pi=4E760D7D-F909-075C-022C11D6E9CE5A7B_ICS_82 (Date of access to the website: 18.01.2022) products offered.

[0045] The precision requirements of the transverse guide device dictate a residual angular error of the coupling device and the alignment elements held thereon. According to one proposal of the invention, the angular error can be reduced by clamping the linear guide used for the transverse guide device, which can reduce or eliminate any play and / or angular error of the linear guide.

[0046] Alternatively or cumulatively, it is possible to use a locking device after the adjustment for the conversion, which can be used to set the degree of freedom of the transverse guide device in the transverse direction. Under certain circumstances, the actuation of the locking device can also reduce or eliminate any play in the transverse guide device that could lead to an angular error. For example, it is possible to use a manual locking device, see in particular www.boschrexroth.com / de / de / produkte / produktgruppen / lineartechnik / zubehor-underersatzteile / klemm-und-bremselemente / hand-klemmelemente-hk-fur-kugelschienenfuhrungen?p=p668420&cat=Linear-Motion-Technology-Catalog&pi=759F85B1-EEB0-8791-71DFBB05292B14F3_ICS_97&sapCat=LT&o=portal (Date of access to the website: January 18, 2022), or a pneumatic locking device controlled manually or electronically via a valve is used, see in particular https: / / www.boschrexroth.com / de / de / produkte / produktgruppen / Iineartechnik / zubehor- und-ersatzteile / clamping-and-braking-elements / pneumatic-clamping-elements-Icps-fur-ball-rail-guides (Date of access to the website: 18.01.2022).

[0047] The aforementioned transverse guide device can serve alone or together with further supports or guide devices for supporting and guiding the unit formed by the mechanical coupling device and the alignment elements. For an inventive design of the strip flash butt welding machine, the mechanical coupling device with the alignment elements held thereon is additionally guided via a guide device relative to a carriage that guides the second clamping element for movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the strip end. For example, this guide device can be a sliding guide that guides the mechanical coupling device or the bridge part relative to the carriage. It is possible, for example, for the bridge part to rest on the carriage with a sliding contact in the vertical direction, spaced from the transverse guide device, and thus be additionally supported.

[0048] A further aspect of the invention is dedicated to generating the movement of the mechanical coupling device with the alignment elements held thereon in the transverse direction. For a first proposal, the mechanical coupling device with the alignment elements held thereon can be moved in the transverse direction via a drive driven by an external force. This drive is, for example, a controlled or regulated electric drive (in particular a stepper motor, whose step size and / or any gear ratio can be selected according to the desired precision for the movement in the transverse direction). It is also possible, for example, to use an electronically controlled pneumatic or hydraulic drive as the drive.

[0049] In another proposal, the mechanical coupling device with the alignment elements attached to it is manually movable in the transverse direction. For this purpose, a manual actuating device such as a handwheel, an actuating slide, or the like can be provided, via which the operator can apply the actuating forces to move the coupling device in the transverse direction.

[0050] It is possible for the externally powered drive or the actuating element for manual actuation to act directly on the mechanical coupling device. However, for a preferred embodiment of the strip flash butt welding machine, a gear is arranged in the power flow between the mechanical coupling device with the alignment elements held thereon, on the one hand, and the drive or the manual actuating element, on the other. By means of the gear, the forces required for the movement can be translated to the forces generated by the drive or manually. On the other hand, the actuating kinematics can be influenced by means of a suitable step-up or step-down ratio so that the precision required for the conversion is achieved when the coupling device moves in the transverse direction.

[0051] For the gearing system usable within the scope of the invention, all gearing systems known from the prior art can be used. For one proposal of the invention, the gearing system is a spindle drive. Such a spindle drive can (depending on the selected thread pitch and the resulting transmission ratio) enable very sensitive adjustment of the movement of the coupling device in the transverse direction. On the other hand, the spindle drive can also be used to rigidly support the mechanical coupling device. One of the known thread geometries of the spindle drive can be used to dimension the play of the gearing system and the rigidity of the drive connection. To name just one example that does not limit the invention, the spindle drive can have a trapezoidal thread.

[0052] Within the scope of the invention, it is possible for the clamping elements to be designed separately from the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes for performing the welding process. However, the invention proposes, in a preferred embodiment, that a first clamping element and / or a second clamping element (preferably the lower clamping elements) directly form a strip flash butt welding machine electrode for the welding process.

[0053] To achieve the heating required for welding the strip ends, a high proportion of the electrical energy applied to the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes must be transferred from the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes via the end faces of the strip ends. If the bridge part creates an electrical connection between the alignment elements (directly or indirectly via other components of the strip flash butt welding machine), this electrical connection would create an undesirable bypass for the electrical load. Due to the bypass, the electrical energy applied to the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes would not be transferred completely or largely via the end faces of the strip ends.The invention proposes that the strip flash butt welding machine include at least one insulating element that separates an electrical connection between the alignment elements via the bridge part. To name just a few non-limiting examples, the invention includes: - an insulating element can be arranged between the stop elements and the bridge part and / or - screw insulators may be provided in the area of ​​the screws by means of which the alignment elements are attached to the bridge part, and / or - insulation elements may be arranged between an add-on assembly comprising the bridge part and a foundation of the strip flash butt welding machine and / or - the aforementioned sliding guide may comprise an insulating element for separating the mechanical coupling device from the carriage.

[0054] Advantageous further developments of the invention emerge from the patent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0055] The advantages of features and combinations of several features mentioned in the description are merely exemplary and can be effective alternatively or cumulatively, without the advantages necessarily having to be achieved by embodiments according to the invention.

[0056] With regard to the disclosure content – ​​not the scope of protection – of the original application documents and the patent, the following applies: Further features can be found in the drawings – in particular the illustrated geometries and the relative dimensions of several components to one another, as well as their relative arrangement and operative connection. The combination of features of different embodiments of the invention or features of different patent claims is also possible, deviating from the chosen references of the patent claims, and is hereby encouraged. This also applies to features that are illustrated in separate drawings or mentioned in their description. These features can also be combined with features of different patent claims.Likewise, features listed in the patent claims may be omitted for further embodiments of the invention, but this does not apply to the independent patent claims of the granted patent.

[0057] The number of features mentioned in the claims and the description is to be understood as meaning that exactly this number or a greater number than the stated number is present, without the need for the explicit use of the adverb "at least." Thus, for example, if reference is made to one element, this is to be understood as meaning that exactly one element, two elements, or more elements are present. The features mentioned in the claims may be supplemented by further features or may be the only features present in the subject matter of the respective claim.

[0058] The reference signs contained in the patent claims do not represent a limitation of the scope of the subject-matter protected by the patent claims. They serve solely to make the patent claims easier to understand. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

[0059] In the following, the invention is further explained and described with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the figures. Fig. Figure 1 shows a highly schematic representation of a strip flash butt welding machine according to the state of the art. Fig. Figure 2 shows a highly schematic representation of a strip flash butt welding machine. Fig. 3 shows a strip flash butt welding machine in a front view. Fig. 4 shows the strip flash butt welding machine according to Fig. 3 in a horizontal section IV-IV for the Fig. 3 marked cutting line. Fig. 5 shows an attachment group for a strip flash butt welding machine in a plan view. Fig. 6 shows the assembly group according to Fig. 5 in a front view. Fig. 7 shows the assembly group according to Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 in a view from the left. Fig. 8 shows an assembly group with belt ends and intermediate bodies arranged on it with a dismantled bearing plate in a spatial representation. Fig. 9 shows the assembly group with belt ends and intermediate bodies according to Fig. 8 in a front view. Fig. 10 shows a section XX of the assembly group with belt ends and intermediate bodies in the Fig. 9 marked cutting line. Fig. 11 shows the assembly group with belt ends and intermediate bodies according to Fig. 8 to 10 with the bearing plate removed in a view from the left. Fig. 12 shows a top view of the assembly with strip ends and clamping elements, strip flash butt welding machine electrodes and actuators. Fig. 13 shows a schematic plan view of two strip flash butt welding machine electrodes. Fig. 14 shows the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes according to Fig. 13 in a front view. Fig. 15 shows the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes according to Fig. 13 and Fig. 14 in a vertical section XV-XV. Fig. 16 shows the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes according to Fig. 13 to 15 in a view from below. Fig. 17 shows a strip flash butt welding machine with the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes according to Fig. 13 to 16 in a top view. Fig. 18 shows the strip flash butt welding machine according to Fig. 17 in a vertical section XVIII-XVIII. Fig. 19 shows a detail XIX of the vertical section of the strip flash butt welding machine according to Fig. 18. Fig. Figure 20 shows schematically a restoration of a strip flash butt welding machine electrode after wear by replacing the contact body. Fig. Figure 21 shows schematically a restoration of a strip flash butt welding machine electrode after wear by replacing the base body. Fig. Figure 22 schematically shows a recovery of a strip flash butt welding machine electrode after wear by using a compensating body. FIGURE DESCRIPTION

[0060] In the figures, components that correspond or are similar in terms of their geometries and / or functions are sometimes provided with the same reference numerals, which may then be distinguished from one another by the additional letters a, b, ... If a reference to such a component is made using the reference numeral without the additional letter, this may refer to a single component, any number of these components, or all of the components.

[0061] Fig. Figure 1 shows a strip flash butt welding machine 1 according to the prior art. The strip flash butt welding machine 1 has a foundation 2, which can be solid or designed as a supporting structure. A first strip end 3 is aligned by a first alignment element 4 with an alignment rail and support bolts and is clamped between first clamping elements 5a, 5b, with at least one of the first clamping elements 5 forming a first strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6. The first strip end 3 has a first end face 7.

[0062] By means of a drive (not shown here), a carriage 8 can be moved with a movement 14 in the direction of a longitudinal axis 9, which corresponds to the longitudinal axis 9a of the first strip end 3. A second alignment element 10 is fastened to the carriage 8. The second alignment element 10 aligns a second strip end 11. The second strip end 11 is clamped between second clamping elements 12a, 12b, wherein at least one of the second clamping elements 12 forms a second strip flash butt welding machine electrode 13. With the movement 14 of the carriage 8 along the longitudinal axis 9, a corresponding movement of the second clamping elements 12, the second strip flash butt welding machine electrode 13, the second alignment element 10 and the second strip end 11 takes place. The second strip end 11 has a second end face 15. In the Fig. In the operating position outlined in Figure 2, the end faces 7, 15 are adjacent to one another or are connected to one another via a weld seam 16. The strip flash butt welding machine 1 has at least one electronic control unit 17. The electronic control unit 17 controls, on the one hand, the electrical application of the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13. On the other hand, the control unit 17 controls the operation of actuators 18a, 18b for actuating the clamping elements 5, 12 as well as the drive for generating the movement 14.

[0063] In Fig. 1, the longitudinal axis 9 denotes the longitudinal axis of the band ends 3, 11, which, for a design of the band as a saw band, corresponds to the band running direction of the saw band when operating the same for sawing a workpiece. Fig. 1 a transverse direction 19 a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis 9 in a horizontal plane, wherein the transverse direction 19 corresponds to the direction of extension of the weld seam 16.

[0064] For a conversion of the strip flash butt welding machine 1, adjustments 20a, 20b for the alignment of the alignment elements 4, 10 are required. The adjustments 20 must, in particular, ensure that the vertical surfaces 21a, 21b of the alignment elements 4, 10 are arranged in a plane and positioned correctly in the transverse direction 19, which depends on the type of at least one strip forming the strip ends 3, 11. Here, the adjusted alignment of the alignment elements 4, 10 is fixed by means of screw connections to the foundation 2 or the carriage 8.

[0065] Fig. 2 shows a strip flash butt welding machine 1 according to the invention, for which the strip flash butt welding machine 1 according to Fig. 1 and the strip flash butt welding machines of the state of the art explained at the beginning.

[0066] For this embodiment, the two alignment elements 4, 10 are rigidly connected to one another via a bridge part 22. It is possible for the alignment of the alignment elements 4, 10 to be adjusted to one another via an adjusting device or screws for initial assembly or fine or subsequent adjustment, independent of the conversion. However, for a conversion, only a single adjustment 20 of the bridge part 22 and, with it, of the alignment elements 4, 10 takes place, whereby the alignment of the alignment elements 4, 10 to one another cannot change during the adjustment 20. In this case, the second alignment element 10 is not held on a carriage 8. Rather, a carriage 8 carries exclusively the second clamping elements 12, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 13 formed separately therefrom or the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 13 formed integrally with the second clamping elements 12, and the second actuator 18b.If a movement 14 of the carriage 8 with the clamping elements 12, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 13 and the actuator 18 occurs while the second strip end 11 is clamped by the clamping elements 12, a sliding relative movement of the second strip end 1 relative to the second alignment element 10 occurs, in particular in the region of the vertical surface 21b.

[0067] In the Fig. 3 to 12, a particular embodiment of the invention is shown, in which the strip flash butt welding machine according to the invention is formed by attaching an add-on group 23 to a conventional strip flash butt welding machine.

[0068] Fig. Figure 3 shows the strip flash butt welding machine 1 with the attachment group 23 in a front view. A base 2 can be seen here, relative to which a carriage 8 can perform a movement 14. This movement 14 is also performed by the tower-like actuators 18b with an upper and lower clamping element 12a, 12b and the second strip flash butt welding machine electrode 13 formed thereby. The attachment group 23 has - the bridge part 22 with the alignment elements 4, 10, - a fastening area 24 for fastening the add-on group 23 to the foundation 2 of the strip flash butt welding machine 1 (here in the side area thereof), - a transverse guide device 25, via which the bridge part 22 is guided in the transverse direction 19 relative to the fastening area 24, - and a manual actuating element, here in the form of a handwheel 26, for bringing about the relative movement of the bridge part 22 with respect to the fastening area 24 in the transverse direction 19 (see also the following figures and associated description).

[0069] In the horizontal section IV-IV according to Fig. 4, it can be seen that the alignment elements 4, 10 each have a stop body 27a, 27b, which forms the vertical surface 21a, 21b for the belt backs 28a, 28b of the belt ends 3, 11. In addition, the alignment elements 4, 10 have support bodies 29a, 29b, which extend from the stop bodies 27 below the belt ends 3, 11 in the transverse direction 19 and on which the belt ends 3, 11 rest with their undersides. As shown in Fig. 4, the alignment elements 3, 11 each have a pair of such support bodies 29, which are arranged spaced apart from one another in the direction of the longitudinal axis 9.

[0070] Fig. 5 to 7 show different views of the assembly group 23. In the plan view according to Fig. 5 it can be seen that the bridge part 22 is designed as a bridge plate 30. The bridge part 22 is, in a first approximation, U-shaped with a base leg 31 and two side legs 32, 33. The base leg 31 and the side legs 32, 33 delimit a recess 34 open in one direction. The alignment elements 4, 10 are arranged in the region of the side legs 32, 33, wherein the stop bodies 27 and the vertical surfaces 21 formed thereby are arranged parallel to the base leg 31, while the support bodies 29 are arranged vertically to the base leg 31.

[0071] In Fig. 6 shows that the transverse guide device 25 has a guide rail 35 extending in the transverse direction 19, the cross-section of which is positively enclosed by two guide bearings 36, wherein the transverse guide device 25 enables a relative movement of the guide bearings 36 along the guide rail 35 in the transverse direction 19. For the illustrated embodiment, the guide bearings 36 are fastened to the fastening area 24, while the guide rail 35 is fastened to a vertically oriented bearing plate 37 fastened to the bridge part 22. Preferably, the guide bearings 36 are braced in a conventional manner to reduce play in the transverse guide device 25. The transverse guide device 25 is preferably designed as a ball rail guide.If the attachment group 23 is fastened to the foundation 2 via the fastening area 24, the adjustment 20 of the bridge part 22 with the alignment elements 4, 10 can be brought about as a unit by means of the movement in the transverse direction 19 guided by the transverse guide device 25.

[0072] Furthermore, the attachment group 23 has a locking device 38, which, for the illustrated embodiment, can be manually actuated by the operator via a locking lever 39. For the illustrated embodiment of the locking device 38, the manual actuation of the locking lever 39 can tighten the locking jaws 40a, 40b (see Fig. 11) is carried out in such a way that the locking jaws 40 are clamped to the guide rail 35, thereby locking the degree of freedom of the transverse guide device 25 in the transverse direction 19. The locking device 38 is released when the conversion is to take place. Once the adjustment 20 has been completed to the desired extent, the locking device 38 is locked again.

[0073] For the illustrated embodiment, the adjustment 20 in the transverse direction 19 is achieved by manually turning the handwheel 26. A gear 41, in this case a spindle drive 42, is actuated by the handwheel 26. The spindle drive 42 has a spindle 43 that is non-rotatably connected to the handwheel 26 and rotatably mounted in bearings, as well as a spindle nut 44 that, due to the transverse guide device 25, has only one degree of freedom in the transverse direction 19. For the illustrated embodiment, the bearings are attached to the mounting area 24, while the spindle nut 44 is attached to the bearing plate 37.

[0074] The mounting area 24 has a mounting plate 45, which, on the one hand, supports the aforementioned bearings for the spindle 43 and the guide bearings 36, and, on the other hand, mounting bolts 46a, 46b, which can be screwed into threaded holes in the foundation 2. These can be threaded holes for lifting eyes, via which the strip flash butt welding machine can be hinged to a crane hook according to the state of the art.

[0075] It is possible that the working plane, in which the strip ends 3, 11 and the contact surfaces with the alignment elements 4, 10 as well as the areas of interaction with the clamping elements 5, 12 and strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 as well as a tool, for example for deburring, are arranged, is raised via the attachment group 23 relative to the working plane for the strip flash butt welding machine known from the prior art, which can be reflected in the dimensioning of the bridge part 22 and the alignment elements 4, 10 as well as the lower clamping elements 5, 12 and strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 in the height direction. If this also requires lifting of the upper clamping elements 5, 12 and / or the associated actuators 18a, 18b, additional intermediate bodies 47 can be used in the assembly group 23, on which the actuators 18a, 18b and the associated upper clamping elements 5, 12 are arranged (cf. Fig. 9, Fig. 10). This elevation of the working plane also allows the lower clamping elements 5, 12 and the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 formed by them to be constructed in two parts, with a base body 48 and a contact body 49. The base body 48 and the contact body 49 are screwed together to form a rigid unit. The base body 48 serves for attachment to the foundation 2 or the carriage 8, while the contact body 49 serves for contacting the strip ends 3, 11 and for transmitting the electrical energy of the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13.

[0076] To form the arc between the end faces 7, 15 of the strip ends 3, 11, care must be taken to prevent a short circuit of the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 via the bridge part 22 or the attachment group 23. For this purpose, insulation elements 50 must be provided on the path between the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 via the adjacent strip ends 3, 11, the alignment elements 4, 10, and the bridge part 22 to interrupt the short circuit.

[0077] For the illustrated embodiment, insulation elements 50a are designed as plastic plates 51 arranged between the alignment elements 4, 10 and the bridge section 22. The screws used to fasten the alignment elements 4, 10 to the bridge section 22 have screw insulators that form insulation elements 50b. Furthermore, the fastening area 24 can be supported on the foundation 2 via plastic plates 51 that form insulation elements 50c. For the illustrated embodiment, the attachment group 23 further has a plastic plate 52 that forms another insulation element 50d.Via the plastic plate 52, the bridge part 22 of the attachment group 23 is slidably supported in the end region on the side facing away from the transverse guide device 25 and the fastening area 24, additionally in the vertical direction to enable movement in the transverse direction 19, thus forming a further guide device 53 for the attachment group 23. Here, the guide device 53 is designed as a sliding guide. It is possible for the plastic plate 52 to be supported on the upper side of the carriage 8 of the strip flash butt welding machine 1. In this case, the guide device 53 ensures not only a sliding relative movement in the transverse direction 19 for the adjustment 20, but also a relative movement parallel to the longitudinal axis 9 during the movement of the carriage 8.

[0078] According to the invention, the alignment elements 4, 10 are coupled via a mechanical coupling device 54, which is formed with the bridge part 22 for the illustrated embodiment.

[0079] In the bridge part 22, the two side legs 32, 33 each form bridge sections 55, 56, which are connected to each other via the base leg 31. The alignment elements 4, 10 are attached to the bridge sections 55, 56. The mechanical coupling is then achieved via the base leg 31, which forms a type of coupling web.

[0080] For the description of the figures, reference has been made to any desired band ends 3, 11, so that, for example, the band ends can be those of any two bands with any desired length, any desired cross-section, and any desired material. Preferably, the band ends 3, 11 are saw band ends of a saw band bent and welded into an endless ring.

[0081] Fig. 13 to 16 show strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 in different views. The design of the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 is explained using the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6 as an example, with the reference numerals used only for the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6, while the same applies to the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 13 of identical design.

[0082] The strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 have a base body 57 and a contact body 58, which are divided horizontally and evenly and lie against each other over their entire surface via contact surfaces 59, 60. On its upper side, the contact body 58 forms a contact surface 61, against which the strip end 3, 11 rests. On its underside, the base body 57 forms a contact surface 62, via which the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6, 13 is supported directly or indirectly on the foundation 2 or the carriage 8.

[0083] The contact body 58 is cuboid-shaped, whereby it is possible that edges of the cuboid are rounded or provided with a chamfer (cf. Fig. 15).

[0084] The contact body 58 is fastened to the base body 57 via fastening screws 63a, 63b, 63c, 63d. The relative position between the base body 57 and the contact body 58 is specified via locating pins 64a, 64b. The fastening screws 63 and the locating pins 64 extend vertically to the contact surfaces 59, 60. The locating pins 64a, 64b are preferably arranged at a relatively large distance from one another, which for the illustrated embodiment is oriented along a transverse axis that is oriented transversely to the longitudinal axis 9. With regard to an exemplary hole pattern for the locating pins 64 and the fastening screws 63, Fig. 16.

[0085] In the contact body 58, the holes are designed as blind holes, with threaded holes for the fastening screws 63. In contrast, the holes in the base body 57 are designed as through holes. The heads of the fastening screws 63 in the base body 57 are countersunk so that they do not protrude from the contact surface 62.

[0086] As in Fig. As can be seen in Figure 16, the contact body 58 is dimensioned in the direction of the longitudinal axis 9 such that it forms a projection 65a, 65b on both sides of the base body 57. This results in the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 each forming a recess 66a, 66b in a vertical section running in the direction of the longitudinal axis 9 (see Figure 16). Fig. 15). In a horizontal plane and transverse to the longitudinal axis 9, the base body 58 projects beyond the contact body 58 in both directions with a projection 67a, 67b. The projection 67a forms a flange 58 on the side facing the user of the strip flash butt welding machine 1, which flange has bores 69a, 69b. The strip flash butt welding machine electrodes 6, 13 can be screwed to the foundation 2 or the carriage 8 via the bores 69 of the flange 68.

[0087] The projection 67b forms an alignment and / or positioning element 70, the function of which will be explained below.

[0088] While it is fundamentally possible for the base body 58 to also be cuboid-shaped, the base body 58 preferably has a lower height in the region of at least one projection 67a, 67b than in the region of the contact surface 59. It is also possible for the contact body 58 to merge into the projection 67a, 67b via a recess formed by the base body 57.

[0089] Fig. 17 shows the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6, 13 according to Fig. 13 to 16 in a state installed in the strip flash butt welding machine 1 in a plan view.

[0090] Fig. 18 shows a vertical section of the strip flash butt welding machine 1 in the Fig. 17 marked cutting line XVIII-XVIII.

[0091] From this vertical section Fig. 19, detail XIX. It can be seen here that in a direction in the horizontal plane and transversely to the longitudinal axis 9, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6 is supported by the end face of the alignment and / or positioning element 70 on a shoulder or a corresponding end face of the strip flash butt welding machine 1, whereby the position of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6 in this direction and / or the alignment thereof is / are predetermined.

[0092] Fig. 20 schematically shows a strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6, 13 with a base body 57 and a contact body 58. In Fig. 20, the left-hand part of the image shows a hatched wear of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6, 13 during operation, which reduces the height of the contact surface 61 by ΔH (see reference numeral 71). If the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6 is no longer operable in this state, as shown in Fig. 20 is shown in the right part of the picture, an exchange for a new contact body 58.

[0093] In the Fig. 20 to 22, the suffix “-1” or “-2” indicates that it is a first (old) or a second (or new) component.

[0094] In Fig. 21, the strip flash butt welding machine electrode 6, 13 is restored in a different way. Here, despite the wear with a height of 71, the same contact body 58 is still used. In this case, the base body 57-1 is replaced with a new base body 57-2. The base bodies 57-1, 57-2 differ in their heights: For the base body 57-2, the height H of the base body 57-1 is shown in dashed lines. The height of the base body 57-2 is higher than the height of the base body 57-1 by exactly the height difference 71, so that the height of the base body 57-2 is H + ΔH.

[0095] In Fig. 22, the same base body 57 is used, and the contact body 58 is also still used despite the wear. In this case, however, a compensating body 72 is used between the base body 57 and the worn contact body 58. This compensating body is plate-shaped here and its height corresponds to the height difference 71.

[0096] In a method for operating a strip flash butt welding machine, as described above, which has a strip flash butt welding machine electrode of the type explained above, the strip flash butt welding machine is first operated with a contact body until a predetermined level of wear has occurred or a predetermined number of operating cycles is reached, so that the height of the contact body has decreased by ΔH. The strip flash butt welding machine electrode is then disassembled and the contact body of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode is replaced with a new contact body. The contact body can be connected to the base body via dowel pins and / or fastening screws.Optionally, the contact surface of the new contact body can then be reworked, preferably to ensure plane-parallelism between the contact surface of the new contact body for the strip end and the underside of the base body. Rework can also be carried out to ensure that the contact surfaces of the first strip flash butt welding machine electrode and the second strip flash butt welding machine electrode for the two strip ends are arranged in one plane. The strip flash butt welding machine electrode, with the new contact body contained therein, is then mounted on the strip flash butt welding machine. The strip flash butt welding machine can then be operated for further operating cycles, with the same base body with the new contact body being used in these further operating cycles.

[0097] Alternatively or cumulatively, in the method for operating a strip flash butt welding machine, the strip flash butt welding machine can first be operated, in accordance with the method explained above, until a predetermined level of wear or a predetermined number of operating cycles is reached, and the strip flash butt welding machine electrode is dismantled. In this case, however, the base body of the strip flash butt welding machine electrode is replaced with a new base body, the new base body having a height increased by ΔH, or a compensating body is mounted. The difference between the heights of the base body and the new base body or the height of the compensating body correlates with the wear of the contact body by the height ΔH during operation of the strip flash butt welding machine until a predetermined level of wear or a predetermined number of operating cycles is reached.Optionally, the contact surface of the contact body with the strip end can also be reworked, as previously explained. The strip flash butt welding machine electrode is then mounted with the new base body or compensating body on the strip flash butt welding machine. The strip flash butt welding machine can then be operated until a predetermined wear level or a predetermined number of operating cycles is reached, and so on. LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 1 strip flash butt welding machine 2 Foundation 3 first end of tape 4 first alignment element 5 first clamping element 6 first strip flash butt welding machine electrode 7 first frontal surface 8 sleds 9 Longitudinal axis 10 second alignment element 11 second tape end 12 second clamping element 13 second strip flash butt welding machine electrode 14 Movement 15 second front face 16 Weld seam 17 Control unit 18 Actuator 19 Transverse direction 20 Adjustment 21 vertical surface 22 Bridge section 23 Mounting group 24 Mounting area 25 Transverse guidance device 26 Handwheel 27 stop bodies 28 spines 29 support bodies 30 bridge plate 31 base legs 32 side legs 33 side legs 34 recess 35 guide rail 36 guide bearings 37 bearing plate 38 locking device 39 Locking lever 40 locking jaws 41 gearboxes 42 spindle drive 43 spindle 44 spindle nut 45 Mounting plate 46 fastening bolts 47 intermediate bodies 48 basic twills 49 contact bodies 50 insulation element 51 plastic sheets 52 plastic plate 53 Guide device 54 Coupling device 55 bridge section 56 bridge section 57 base body 58 contact bodies 59 Contact surface 60 contact area 61 contact surface 62 contact surface 63 Fixing screw 64 Dowel pin 65 overhang 66 Return 67 overhang 68 flange 69 Hole 70 Alignment and / or positioning element 71 ΔH 72 compensating bodies

Claims

[1] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) for welding end faces (7, 15) of strip ends (3, 11) of at least one strip with a) first tensioning elements (5) for tensioning a first band end (3) and second tensioning elements (12) for tensioning a second band end (11), b) a first alignment element (4) for aligning the first strip end (3) and a second alignment element (10) for aligning the second strip end (11), c) wherein the second clamping elements (12) are movable relative to the first clamping elements (5) in the direction of a longitudinal axis (9) via a drive, d) the first clamping elements (5) and the second clamping elements (12) each comprise a strip flash butt welding machine electrode (6, 13) which is formed at least in two parts and comprises a base body (57) and a contact body (58), characterized by , that e) the first alignment element (4) and the second alignment element (10) are coupled to one another via a coupling device which specifies a relative alignment of the first and second alignment elements (4, 10), f) the second clamping elements (12) are movable translationally in the direction of the longitudinal axis (9) relative to the two alignment elements (4, 10) by means of the drive and g) the coupling device is a mechanical coupling device (54) which firmly connects the first alignment element (4) and the second alignment element (10) during a conversion. [2] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the base body (57) and the contact body (58) are connected to one another via vertically oriented fastening screws (63) and / or dowel pins (64). [3] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized bythat the strip flash butt welding machine electrode (6, 13) is designed in at least three parts and has the base body (57), the contact body (58) and at least one compensating body (72). [4] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to claim 3, characterized by that the compensating body (72) is plate-shaped with a plate height that is less than 10 mm. [5] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the contact body (58) is plate-shaped with a height which is less than 60 mm. [6] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the contact body (58) projects in the direction of the longitudinal axis (9) of the strip beyond the base body (57) and / or a compensating body (72) arranged between the base body (57) and the contact body (58). [7] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the base body (57) projects transversely to the longitudinal axis (9) of the strip beyond the base body (57) and / or a compensating body (72) arranged between the base body (57) and the contact body (58). [8] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims with an electrode set which has at least two base bodies (57-1, 57-2) and / or compensating bodies (72) with different heights. [9] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the coupling device (54) has a bridge part (22) which a) a first bridge section (55) with the first alignment element (4) b) a second bridge section (56) with the second alignment element (10) and c) a recess (34), ca) which is arranged between the first bridge section (55) and the second bridge section (56) and cb) in the area of ​​which - the weld seam (16) is created and / or - a working area of ​​a tool of the strip flash butt welding machine (1) is arranged and / or - the clamping elements (5, 12) and / or the strip flash butt welding machine electrodes (6, 13) are arranged, has. [10] Strip flash butt welding machine (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the coupling device (54) with the alignment elements (4, 10) held thereon is guided in a transverse direction (19) via a transverse guide device (25) with one degree of freedom.

Images