Arc Additive Cooling Baseplate System

Abstract

The present invention is an arc additive cooling substrate system, which belongs to the field of additive manufacturing technology. The present invention includes a substrate body, an elastic pressure plate and a water circulation system. The substrate body and the elastic pressure plate are coupled and fixed up and down by bolts, and the water circulation system is connected to both sides of the substrate body. The system of the present invention can control the cooling rate of the substrate by controlling the size of the water flow rate. The expansion and contraction of the elastic pressure plate is used to ensure that the cooling water and the substrate always maintain full contact, making the cooling more uniform. After the temperature drops, the sensor can be directly attached to the surface of the substrate to ensure the accuracy of the collected sound signal. The system of the present invention has a scientific design, a reasonable structure, is easy to use, has high cooling efficiency, and a good cooling effect, and is worthy of popularization and use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and in particular relates to a design that utilizes water circulation to reduce the surface temperature of a substrate during arc additive operation, specifically an arc additive cooling substrate system. Background Art

[0002] Additive manufacturing technology is becoming a new hotspot in the manufacturing industry due to its high degree of freedom, the ability to directly form complex solid parts, short forming cycle of single parts, and the ability to fully utilize materials. Among them, arc additive manufacturing has attracted much attention due to its fast deposition speed and ability to form huge workpieces.

[0003] Because arc additive deposition is fast and its heat input is high, the working area remains high after the arc melts the metal wire, which may lead to the following problems: 1) After the metal wire melts, the liquid metal flows, which can easily cause insufficient forming accuracy; 2) The metal forming cooling process is too slow, resulting in coarse formed grains, affecting the mechanical properties of the formed workpiece; 3) Because the temperature around the forming area is too high, it is impossible to install sensors or other instruments to monitor the additive manufacturing process.

[0004] Currently, the most common solutions for issues 1) and 2) are to extend the interlayer interval during printing to reduce heat input accumulation, and to install cooling devices such as fans and air conditioners on the outside of the substrate. However, extending the interlayer interval reduces the efficiency of arc additive manufacturing, and installing cooling devices on the outside of the substrate slows down cooling and cannot guarantee uniform cooling. For issue 3), existing solutions mainly involve selecting a location away from the work area or adding waveguide rods, but this results in a weak collected signal, affecting the accuracy of signal analysis. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to address the aforementioned problems in the prior art by providing a system for cooling a substrate during arc additive manufacturing. This system circulates cooling water within the substrate, removing heat generated during arc operation. By controlling the number of valves open, the water flow rate, and thus the cooling rate, is controlled. This lowers the overall substrate temperature, allowing sensors and other instruments to be placed directly near the work area to capture the clearest process signals.

[0006] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0007] An arc additive cooling substrate system comprises a substrate body, an elastic pressure plate and a water circulation system.

[0008] The substrate body has an oblate cube-shaped structure, with a corresponding oblate cube-shaped inner cavity provided inside. The inner cavity opening is opened on the bottom surface of the substrate body. The left side wall of the substrate body is connected to a plurality of water inlet pipes arranged side by side and communicating with the inner cavity. The right side wall of the substrate body is connected to a plurality of water outlet pipes arranged side by side and communicating with the inner cavity. Each water inlet pipe and outlet pipe is provided with a valve.

[0009] The elastic pressure plate includes a pressure plate, a cover plate and a spring. The pressure plate has a trapezoidal structure, with its top surface being the upper bottom surface, the bottom surface being the lower bottom surface, and the left and right sides being two waist surfaces. The top, bottom, left and right sides of the pressure plate are all rectangular surfaces, and the front and rear sides of the pressure plate are both trapezoidal surfaces. The cover plate is a square cover plate, the size of which matches the size of the cavity opening of the inner cavity of the substrate body. The spring is a compression spring, the top of which is connected and fixed at the center position of the bottom surface of the trapezoidal pressure plate, and the bottom of which is connected and fixed at the center position of the top surface of the cover plate. The pressure plate is placed in the inner cavity of the substrate body, and the cover plate is fixed at the cavity opening of the inner cavity of the substrate body by bolts. The front side and rear side of the pressure plate are in contact with the front cavity wall and rear cavity wall of the inner cavity respectively, and the intersection of the left side and the bottom surface of the pressure plate and the intersection of the right side and the bottom surface are in contact with the left cavity wall and the right cavity wall of the inner cavity respectively. The top surface of the pressure plate is in contact with the top cavity wall of the inner cavity. A moving space for the pressure plate to move downward is left between the bottom surface of the pressure plate and the cover plate. The pipe openings of each water inlet pipe and outlet pipe on the substrate body are all located above the bottom surface of the pressure plate.

[0010] Each water outlet pipe on the substrate body is connected to the output end of the water circulation system, and each water inlet pipe on the substrate body is connected to the output end of the water circulation system.

[0011] Furthermore, the water circulation system includes a cold water tank, a cooling box and a water pump, the output end of the water pump is connected to the water inlet of the cold water tank, and the water outlet of the cold water tank is connected to the water inlet pipes on the substrate body through a pipe; the input end of the water pump is connected to the water outlet of the cooling box, and the water inlet of the cooling box is connected to the water outlet pipes on the substrate body through a pipe; wherein, the cold water tank stores cooling water, the cooling box stores the hot water after circulation and cools it down, and the water pump is used to pump the cooled water in the cooling box into the cold water tank to realize water circulation.

[0012] Furthermore, seven water inlet pipes and seven water outlet pipes are provided on the base plate body, and each water inlet pipe and each water outlet pipe is provided in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0013] Furthermore, a sealing rubber is provided between the cover plate and the cavity opening of the inner cavity of the substrate body.

[0014] Furthermore, there is sealing rubber between the intersection of the left side and the bottom surface of the pressure plate and the left cavity wall of the inner cavity, and there is sealing rubber between the intersection of the right side and the bottom surface of the pressure plate and the right cavity wall of the inner cavity.

[0015] The specific working process of the system of the present invention in arc additive forming is as follows: use bolts to couple the elastic pressure plate and the substrate body as a whole; use a clamp to fix the substrate body and the elastic pressure plate as a whole on the arc additive working plane, and attach the acoustic emission sensor to the top surface of the substrate body near the forming area; use a pipe to connect the substrate body to the water circulation system; according to different preset cooling levels, control the number of valves of each water inlet pipe and outlet pipe on the substrate body. The more valves are opened, the higher the water flow rate flowing through the interior of the substrate body, which makes the temperature of the substrate body drop lower; start the water pump to circulate the water, and wait for After the water flow is completely stable, the acoustic emission sensor is tested; the arc additive printing process begins, and the acoustic emission sensor is turned on to start collecting data; when the printing process begins, a large amount of heat is generated in the arc additive working area, and the heat begins to be transferred into the cooling water circulating inside the substrate body through the substrate body, and the cooling water takes out the transferred heat; the outflowing hot water enters the cooling box with automatic cooling function for cooling; after cooling, the cooling water is pumped into the cold water tank by a water pump; the cold water tank re-sends the cooling water into the interior of the substrate body, completing a water cycle, and the cycle continues to reduce the temperature of the substrate body.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention mainly include the following points:

[0017] 1) By controlling the water flow rate, the cooling rate of the substrate can be controlled.

[0018] 2) The expansion and contraction of the spring ensures that the cooling water always maintains full contact with the substrate, making the cooling more uniform.

[0019] 3) After cooling, the sensor can be directly attached to the surface of the substrate to ensure the accuracy of the collected acoustic signal.

[0020] In a word, the system of the present invention has scientific design, reasonable structure, convenient use, high cooling efficiency and good cooling effect, and is worthy of popularization and use. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The drawings herein are used to provide further illustration of the present invention and constitute a part of this application. The illustrative embodiments of the present invention and their description are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute improper limitations on the present invention.

[0022] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the system of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a front view of the entire base plate body and elastic pressure plate in the system of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 It is a top view of the entire substrate body and elastic pressure plate in the system of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4It is a left view of the entire base plate body and elastic pressure plate in the system of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the substrate body and the elastic pressure plate in the system of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 6 It is the front view of the elastic pressure plate in the system of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 7 1 is a top view of the elastic pressure plate in the system of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the water circulation system in the system of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the working system of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 10 It is the acoustic emission lead-break test signal during the operation of the system of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 11 The metallographic diagram of a part formed using the system of the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 1-substrate body, 2-elastic pressure plate, 3-water circulation system, 4-inner cavity, 5-water inlet pipe, 6-water outlet pipe, 7-valve, 8-pressure plate, 9-cover plate, 10-spring, 11-cold water tank, 12-cooling tank, 13-water pump, 14-arc additive robot arm, 15-welding gun, 16-formed workpiece, 17-acoustic emission sensor, 18-pipeline. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to make those skilled in the art better understand the present invention, the present invention is further clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be noted that, unless there is a conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0035] In the description of this embodiment, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back" and the like indicate directions or positional relationships based on the attached diagram. Figure 1 The orientation or positional relationship shown is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0036] In the description of this embodiment, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified or limited, the term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will be able to understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0037] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, an arc additive cooling substrate system includes a substrate body 1, an elastic pressure plate 2 and a water circulation system 3. The substrate body 1 and the elastic pressure plate 2 are coupled and fixed up and down by bolts, and the water circulation system 3 is connected to both sides of the substrate body 1.

[0038] The substrate body 1 has an oblate cube-shaped structure, and a corresponding oblate cube-shaped inner cavity 4 is provided inside it. The cavity mouth of the inner cavity 4 is opened on the bottom surface of the substrate body 1, and a bolt hole is opened at each of the four corners of the bottom of the substrate body 1; seven water inlet pipes 5 arranged side by side and communicating with the inner cavity 4 are connected to the left side wall of the substrate body 1, and seven water outlet pipes 6 arranged side by side and communicating with the inner cavity 4 are connected to the right side wall of the substrate body 1. Each water inlet pipe 5 and each water outlet pipe 6 are arranged in one-to-one correspondence, and each water inlet pipe 5 and water outlet pipe 6 are provided with a valve 7.

[0039] The elastic pressure plate 2 comprises a pressure plate 8, a cover plate 9, and a spring 10. The pressure plate 8 has an isosceles trapezoidal shape, meaning its longitudinal cross-section in the left and right directions is an isosceles trapezoid. The top surface of the pressure plate 8 forms the upper base of the trapezoid, the bottom surface forms the lower base of the trapezoid, and the left and right sides form the two waists of the trapezoid. The top, bottom, left, and right sides of the pressure plate 8 are all rectangular, and the front and rear sides of the pressure plate 8 are both trapezoidal. The cover plate 9 is square, its dimensions matching the opening of the inner cavity 4 of the base plate body 1. The spring 10 is a compression spring, with its top welded to the center of the bottom surface of the trapezoidal pressure plate 8 and its bottom welded to the center of the top surface of the cover plate 9. The pressing plate 8 is placed in the inner cavity 4 of the substrate body 1, and a bolt hole is opened at each of the four corners of the cover plate 9. The cover plate 9 is closed and covers the cavity opening of the inner cavity 4 of the substrate body 1. The four bolt holes on the cover plate 9 are aligned with the four bolt holes on the substrate body 1 and are fixed by bolts; the front side and the rear side of the pressing plate 8 are in contact with the front cavity wall and the rear cavity wall of the inner cavity 4 respectively, and the intersection of the left side and the bottom surface of the pressing plate 8 and the intersection of the right side and the bottom surface are in contact with the left cavity wall and the right cavity wall of the inner cavity 4 respectively, and the top surface of the pressing plate 8 is in contact with the inner cavity 4, a moving space is left between the bottom surface of the pressing plate 8 and the cover plate 9 for the pressing plate 8 to move downward, and the pipe openings of the water inlet pipes 5 and the water outlet pipes 6 on the substrate body 1 are all located above the bottom surface of the pressing plate 8; a sealing rubber is provided between the cover plate 9 and the cavity opening of the inner cavity 4 of the substrate body 1, a sealing rubber is provided between the intersection of the left side and the bottom surface of the pressing plate 8 and the left cavity wall of the inner cavity 4, and a sealing rubber is provided between the intersection of the right side and the bottom surface of the pressing plate 8 and the right cavity wall of the inner cavity 4, so that the cooling water will not leak when passing through the substrate body 1.

[0040] Each water outlet pipe 6 on the substrate body 1 is connected to the output end of the water circulation system 3, and each water inlet pipe 5 on the substrate body 1 is connected to the output end of the water circulation system 3; the water circulation system 3 includes a cold water tank 11, a cooling box 12 and a water pump 13, the output end of the water pump 13 is connected to the water inlet of the cold water tank 11, and the water outlet of the cold water tank 11 is connected to each water inlet pipe 5 on the substrate body 1 through a pipe 18; the input end of the water pump 13 is connected to the water outlet of the cooling box 12, and the water inlet of the cooling box 12 is connected to each water outlet pipe 6 on the substrate body 1 through a pipe 18; wherein, the cold water tank 11 stores cooling water, and the cooling box 12 stores hot water after circulation and cools it down, and the water pump 13 is used to pump the cooled water in the cooling box 12 into the cold water tank 11 to realize water circulation.

[0041] When the system of the present invention is used, Figure 9As shown, the arc additive manipulator 14 can move freely on the working plane through three-axis control, the welding gun 15 uses the arc to melt the metal wire and deposit it into a formed workpiece 16, and the acoustic emission sensor 17 is fixed near the forming area on the top surface of the substrate body 1. The acoustic emission sensor 17 is used to collect the original acoustic emission signal during the arc additive process and monitor the process. During operation, after the water circulation system 3 is stabilized, a pencil break experiment is performed in the arc working area. Through appropriate filtering selection, the acoustic emission signal is collected, and an acoustic emission break diagram is drawn based on the collected data to ensure that the water flow noise has little effect on the acoustic emission signal. During operation, the temperature of the substrate body 1 can be adjusted by controlling the number of valves 7 on each water inlet pipe 5 and water outlet pipe 6 on the substrate body 1.

[0042] A specific embodiment is listed below to further illustrate the present invention:

[0043] In this embodiment, the substrate body 1 is formed by casting 6061 aluminum, the arc additive welding wire is 5056 aluminum wire, and the acoustic emission sensor 17 collects the acoustic emission signal at a distance of 25 cm from the forming area. The specific working process is as follows:

[0044] The first step is to couple the hardware: use bolts to ensure a good coupling between the substrate body 1 and the elastic pressure plate 82 as a whole; use a clamp to fix the substrate body 1 and the elastic pressure plate 82 as a whole on the arc additive working plane, and attach the acoustic emission sensor 17 to the top surface of the substrate body 1 25 cm away from the forming area; use a pipe to connect the substrate body 1 to the water circulation system 3.

[0045] The second step is to test the acoustic emission sensor 17: open all valves 7 at the same time, start the water pump 13 to circulate the water, and after the water flow is completely stable, conduct a lead breaking experiment; use a mechanical pencil with a diameter of 0.5mm and a hardness of 2H, each time the lead extends 2.5mm, and when the lead breaks, the angle between the lead and the side surface of the aluminum alloy machine is 30°. Conduct 10 consecutive lead breaking experiments in the working area 25cm away from the acoustic emission sensor 17, and draw a lead breaking test chart based on the continuous lead breaking test data, as shown in the figure. Figure 10 As shown in the figure, the amplitude of the collected acoustic emission signal is not less than 95dB, indicating that after appropriate filtering, the water flow noise will not affect the collection of the acoustic emission signal.

[0046] The third step is to start the arc additive process: according to different preset cooling degrees, control the number of valves 7 on the water inlet pipe 5 and the water outlet pipe 6 that are opened. The more valves 7 are opened, the greater the water flow through the inside of the substrate body 1, which makes the temperature of the substrate body 1 drop lower; start the arc additive printing process, and turn on the acoustic emission sensor 17 to start collecting; when the printing process starts, the arc additive robot 14 moves freely, and the welding gun 15 uses the arc to melt the aluminum welding wire, generating a large amount of heat in the arc additive working area. The heat is transferred from the formed workpiece 16 through the substrate body 1 to the cooling water circulating inside the substrate body 1, and the cooling water takes out the transferred heat; the outflowing hot water enters the cooling box 12 with an automatic cooling function for cooling; after cooling, the cooling water is pumped into the cold water tank 11 by the water pump 13; the cold water tank 11 re-sends the cooling water into the inside of the substrate body 1, completing a water cycle, and circulating in sequence, so that the temperature of the substrate body 1 continues to decrease.

[0047] Step 4: Analyze the arc additive workpiece: According to the above three steps, the formed workpiece 16 with different numbers of valves 7 opened is formed, and the metallographic diagram is taken, as shown in the figure. Figure 11 As shown in the figure, (a) is a metallographic image of a part formed with all seven valves 7 open simultaneously, showing very fine grains; (b) is a metallographic image of a part formed with all five valves 7 open simultaneously, showing relatively fine grains; (c) is a metallographic image of a part formed with two valves 7 open simultaneously, showing relatively coarse grains; and (d) is a metallographic image of a part formed with all valves 7 closed, showing coarse grains. The collected acoustic emission signals can also be used to verify different grain levels through characteristic signals, enabling monitoring of the forming process.

[0048] In summary, the present invention circulates cooling water inside the substrate body 1 to remove the heat generated during the arc operation; controls the water flow rate by controlling the number of valves 7 opened, thereby controlling the cooling rate and achieving the effect of grain refinement; the overall temperature of the substrate body 1 is reduced, and other monitoring sensors can be directly attached near the working area to collect the clearest process signals.

[0049] The above is a clear and complete description of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. The embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An arc additive cooling substrate system, characterized by: It includes a base plate body, an elastic pressure plate and a water circulation system; The base body has an oblate cubic structure, and a corresponding oblate cubic inner cavity is provided therein, the inner cavity opening being opened on the bottom surface of the base body. The left side wall of the base body is connected to a plurality of water inlet pipes arranged side by side and communicating with the inner cavity, and the right side wall of the base body is connected to a plurality of water outlet pipes arranged side by side and communicating with the inner cavity, each of which is provided with a valve. The elastic pressure plate includes a pressure plate, a cover plate and a spring. The pressure plate has a trapezoidal structure, with its top surface being the upper bottom surface, the bottom surface being the lower bottom surface, and the left and right sides being two waist surfaces. The top, bottom, left and right sides of the pressure plate are all rectangular surfaces, and the front and rear sides of the pressure plate are both trapezoidal surfaces. The cover plate is a square cover plate, the size of which matches the size of the cavity opening of the inner cavity of the substrate body. The spring is a compression spring, the top of which is connected and fixed at the center position of the bottom surface of the trapezoidal pressure plate, and the bottom of which is connected and fixed at the center position of the top surface of the cover plate. The pressure plate is placed in the inner cavity of the base body, and the cover plate is fixed to the cavity opening of the inner cavity of the base body by bolts. The front side and rear side of the pressure plate are in contact with the front cavity wall and rear cavity wall of the inner cavity respectively. The intersection of the left side and the bottom surface of the pressure plate and the intersection of the right side and the bottom surface of the pressure plate are in contact with the left cavity wall and the right cavity wall of the inner cavity respectively. The top surface of the pressure plate is in contact with the top cavity wall of the inner cavity. A movable space for the pressure plate to move downward is reserved between the bottom surface of the pressure plate and the cover plate. The nozzles of the water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe on the base body are all located above the bottom surface of the pressure plate. Each water outlet pipe on the substrate body is connected to the output end of the water circulation system, and each water inlet pipe on the substrate body is connected to the output end of the water circulation system.

2. The arc additive cooling substrate system according to claim 1, wherein: The water circulation system includes a cold water tank, a cooling box and a water pump. The output end of the water pump is connected to the water inlet of the cold water tank, and the water outlet of the cold water tank is connected to the water inlet pipes on the substrate body through a pipe; the input end of the water pump is connected to the water outlet of the cooling box, and the water inlet of the cooling box is connected to the water outlet pipes on the substrate body through a pipe.

3. The arc additive cooling substrate system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: There are seven water inlet pipes and seven water outlet pipes on the base plate body, and each water inlet pipe and each water outlet pipe is arranged in a one-to-one correspondence.

4. The arc additive cooling substrate system according to claim 3, wherein: A sealing rubber is provided between the cover plate and the cavity opening of the inner cavity of the substrate body.

5. The arc additive cooling substrate system according to claim 4, characterized in that: There is sealing rubber between the intersection of the left side and the bottom surface of the pressing plate and the left cavity wall of the inner cavity, and there is sealing rubber between the intersection of the right side and the bottom surface of the pressing plate and the right cavity wall of the inner cavity.

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