Friction stir welding equipment and system

Abstract

This invention relates to a friction stir welding apparatus and system, comprising a main body and an adjustment mechanism. The main body includes a first support bracket, an infeed bracket, a stirring pin assembly, a first rotary drive assembly, and a first telescopic drive assembly. The adjustment mechanism includes a second support bracket and a second rotary drive assembly. The first support bracket is rotatable relative to the second support bracket around the X-axis. The second rotary drive assembly is mounted on the second support bracket and drives the first support bracket to rotate via a transmission assembly. The friction stir welding apparatus and system of this invention, by setting the adjustment mechanism, adjusts the relative position of the main body and the workpiece in the welding state to avoid interference between the main body and the workpiece, which could prevent the friction stir welding apparatus from performing normal welding operations. When interference occurs between the main body and the workpiece, the second rotary drive assembly rotates the main body by a certain angle, allowing the main body to avoid interference with the workpiece.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding technology, and in particular to a friction stir welding device and system. Background Technology

[0002] Sheet metal is an indispensable material for the fabrication of structural components and mechanical equipment. Due to design and other operational requirements, it is necessary to combine and weld sheets of the same material (such as welding aluminum sheets together) or different materials (such as welding aluminum sheets together with copper sheets).

[0003] Chinese utility model patent CN212384811U discloses a friction stir welding spindle structure, including a main mounting base. The front end of the main mounting base is a sleeve-shaped cavity in which an electric spindle assembly is placed. A spindle feed mounting base is fixed to the electric spindle assembly at the front end of the main mounting base. A servo motor is fixed to the outside of the main mounting base. The output shaft of the servo motor is connected to a lead screw drive unit to drive its rotation. The output shaft of the lead screw drive unit is connected to the fixed electric spindle assembly to drive its extension and retraction. In the above-mentioned friction stir welding spindle structure, the servo motor is prone to interference with the workpiece during welding, which may even prevent welding in narrow welding positions. How to avoid or reduce interference between the friction stir welding equipment and the workpiece is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to avoid or reduce interference between the friction stir welding equipment and the workpiece.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a friction stir welding device, including a body mechanism, the body mechanism comprising: First load-bearing support; The feed support is capable of translating relative to the first support support along the X-axis. A stirring needle assembly, wherein the stirring needle assembly is axially movable along the X-axis direction with the feed support and is rotatable relative to the feed support about the X-axis direction; A first rotary drive assembly is mounted on the first support bracket or the feed bracket and drives the stirring needle assembly to rotate. A first telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the first support bracket and drives the feed bracket to move. Wherein, the dimension of the main body mechanism measured along the Y-axis is greater than the dimension of the main body mechanism measured along the Z-axis; It also includes an adjustment mechanism, which comprises: The second support bracket, wherein the first support bracket is rotatable relative to the second support bracket about the X-axis; The second rotation drive assembly is mounted on the second support bracket and drives the first support bracket to rotate via a transmission assembly.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first telescopic drive component is located on one side of the stirring needle assembly in the Y-axis direction, and the first rotation drive component is located at one end of the stirring needle assembly in the X-axis direction.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the adjusting mechanism further includes: A second telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the second support bracket, and the second telescopic drive assembly restricts the rotation of the first support bracket through a braking assembly.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the transmission component and the braking component form a meshing component. The meshing component includes a gear connected to the rotating shaft of the second rotary drive component, a toothed block connected to the telescopic shaft of the second telescopic drive component, and an external gear ring connected to the first bearing bracket. The second rotary drive component drives the gear to rotate around the X-axis, and the second telescopic drive component drives the toothed block to move along the X-axis. Both the gear and the toothed block mesh with the external gear ring for transmission.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, two first telescopic drive components are evenly distributed at 180 degrees on both sides of the first rotary drive component, and the second rotary drive component and the second telescopic drive component are evenly distributed at 180 degrees on both sides of the first rotary drive component.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first rotary drive assembly includes a speed reducer, the first telescopic drive assembly includes an electric actuator, the second rotary drive assembly includes a miniature speed reducer, and the second telescopic drive assembly includes a miniature electric actuator.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first support bracket includes a sleeve and an ear plate, the ear plate being connected to the outer side wall of the sleeve; The feed support is a rhomboid connecting plate, which is located at the positive X-axis end of the sleeve; The second support bracket includes two annular connecting plates and a grooved connecting plate. The two annular connecting plates are coaxially arranged at a certain distance along the X-axis. The two groove walls of the grooved connecting plate are respectively connected to the two annular connecting plates. The sleeve is rotatably connected to the inner side of the two annular connecting plates. The stirring needle assembly includes a sliding sleeve and a stirring needle rotatably connected to the inner side of the sliding sleeve about the X-axis. The sliding sleeve is installed in the central region of the rhomboid connecting plate and is slidably connected to the sleeve. The first rotary drive assembly is mounted on the negative X-axis end of the sleeve, the first telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the ear plate, and the telescopic shaft of the first telescopic drive assembly is connected to the rhomboid connecting plate. The second rotary drive assembly is mounted on one of the groove walls of the grooved connecting plate, the bottom of the grooved connecting plate is connected to the welding robot, and the second telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the lug of the annular connecting plate.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the stirring needle includes a drive handle, a clamping handle fixedly connected to the drive handle, and a stirring head detachably connected to the clamping handle.

[0013] The present invention also provides a friction stir welding system, including a worktable for positioning the workpiece to be welded, the friction stir welding equipment, and a welding robot for controlling the friction stir welding equipment to perform welding, wherein the welding robot is connected to the second support bracket.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the worktable includes a support platform for supporting the workpiece, a clamping mechanism for clamping the side of the workpiece, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the upper surface of the workpiece.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the above-mentioned technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages: The friction stir welding equipment and system of the present invention, by setting an adjustment mechanism, adjusts the relative position of the main body mechanism and the workpiece in the welding state, so as to avoid interference between the main body mechanism and the workpiece, which would prevent the friction stir welding equipment from performing normal welding operations. When interference occurs between the main body mechanism and the workpiece, the second rotary drive component drives the main body mechanism to rotate at a certain angle, so that the main body mechanism can avoid interference with the workpiece. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To make the content of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 This is an axial view of the friction stir welding equipment disclosed in this invention from one angle. Figure 2 This is an axial view of the friction stir welding equipment disclosed in this invention from another angle; Figure 3 This is a retracted cross-sectional view of the stirring needle assembly disclosed in this invention. Figure 4This is a cross-sectional view of the extended stirring needle assembly disclosed in this invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the drive device and the bracket assembly disclosed in this invention. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the adjustment mechanism disclosed in this invention; Figure 7 This is an exploded view of the adjustment mechanism disclosed in this invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the first load-bearing bracket disclosed in this invention; Figure 9 This is an exploded view of the first load-bearing support disclosed in this invention; Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view of the first load-bearing support disclosed in this invention; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the first rotary drive assembly and the stirring needle assembly disclosed in this invention; Figure 12 This is an exploded view of the stirring needle assembly disclosed in this invention; Figure 13 This is an exploded view of the drive handle disclosed in this invention; Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional view of the drive handle disclosed in this invention; Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the friction stir welding system disclosed in this invention; Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the friction stir welding system disclosed in this invention.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals in the accompanying drawings: 1. First support bracket; 11. External gear ring; 12. Sleeve; 13. Ear plate; 14. Sliding sleeve; 2. Feed bracket; 3. Stirring needle assembly; 31. Sliding sleeve; 32. Drive handle; 321. Drive handle body; 322. Needle roller inlay groove; 323. Pressure bearing ball inlay groove; 324. Spline hole; 33. Clamping handle; 34. Stirring head; 35. Needle roller bearing; 4. First rotary drive assembly; 5. First telescopic drive assembly; 6. Second support bracket; 61. Annular connecting plate; 62. Groove connecting plate; 63. Needle roller bearing; 7. Second rotary drive assembly; 71. Gear; 8. Second telescopic drive assembly; 81. Tooth block; 9. Worktable; 91. Support platform; 92. Tightening mechanism; 93. Pressing mechanism; 10. Welding robot; A. Workpiece. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can better understand and implement the present invention. However, the embodiments described are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0020] See Figures 1 to 14 As shown in the illustration: A friction stir welding device includes a body mechanism, which includes: First load-bearing support 1; The feed support 2 can be translated relative to the first bearing support 1 along the X-axis direction. The stirring needle assembly 3 can move axially along the X-axis direction with the feed bracket 2 and can rotate relative to the feed bracket 2 about the X-axis direction. The first rotary drive assembly 4 is mounted on the first support bracket 1 or the feed bracket 2 and drives the stirring needle assembly 3 to rotate. The first telescopic drive assembly 5 is mounted on the first support bracket 1 and drives the feed bracket 2 to move. Among them, the dimension of the above-mentioned main body mechanism measured along the Y-axis is larger than the dimension of the above-mentioned main body mechanism measured along the Z-axis. It also includes a regulating mechanism, which includes: The second support bracket 6, the first support bracket 1 can rotate relative to the second support bracket 6 about the X-axis; The second rotation drive assembly 7 is mounted on the second support bracket 6 and drives the first support bracket 1 to rotate via a transmission assembly.

[0021] Friction stir welding (FSW) is similar to conventional friction welding. It also utilizes frictional heat and heat from plastic deformation as the welding heat source. The difference lies in the welding process: a cylindrical or other shaped stirring pin (such as a threaded cylinder) is inserted into the joint of the workpiece. The high-speed rotation of the stirring pin causes continuous friction between it and the workpiece material, raising the temperature of the joint, softening it, and ultimately fusing it together. During welding, the shoulder of the stirring pin also generates heat due to friction with the workpiece surface. The shoulder of the stirring pin prevents the leakage of plastic material and also removes surface oxide films.

[0022] The aforementioned stirring pin assembly can rotate circumferentially and extend and retract axially by approximately 40 mm. The aforementioned adjusting mechanism drives the main body mechanism to perform reciprocating radial adjustment around its axis (under the rotational drive of the adjusting mechanism, the main body mechanism can rotate 45° clockwise or 45° counterclockwise. The purpose of rotation is to adjust the relative position of the main body mechanism and the workpiece in the welding state to avoid interference between the main body mechanism and the workpiece, which would prevent the friction stir welding equipment from performing normal welding operations. The rotation angle of the main body mechanism is controlled by limit components, which will not be described here). When interference occurs between the main body mechanism and the workpiece, the second rotational drive assembly drives the main body mechanism to rotate by a certain angle, allowing the main body mechanism to avoid interference with the workpiece.

[0023] Preferably, in this embodiment, the first rotary drive component 4 is located at one end of the stirring needle assembly 3 along the X-axis, and the first telescopic drive component 5 is located on one side of the stirring needle assembly 3 along the Y-axis. In this technical solution, the first rotary drive component and the first telescopic drive component do not interfere with each other. Specifically, the first rotary drive component is located at the negative X-axis end of the stirring needle assembly.

[0024] In this preferred embodiment, the adjustment mechanism further includes: The second telescopic drive assembly 8 is mounted on the second support bracket and restricts the rotation of the first support bracket 1 via a braking assembly. During adjustment, firstly, the second telescopic drive assembly drives the braking assembly to release the brake on the first support bracket; then, the second rotation drive assembly drives the first support bracket to rotate to a set angle; subsequently, the second telescopic drive assembly drives the braking assembly to brake the first support bracket.

[0025] In this preferred embodiment, the transmission component and the braking component form a meshing component. The meshing component includes a gear 71 connected to the rotating shaft of the second rotary drive component 7, a toothed block 81 connected to the telescopic shaft of the second telescopic drive component 8, and an outer gear ring 11 connected to the first bearing bracket 1. The second rotary drive component 7 drives the gear 71 to rotate around the X-axis, and the second telescopic drive component 8 drives the toothed block 81 to move along the X-axis. Both the gear 71 and the toothed block 81 mesh with the outer gear ring 11 for transmission.

[0026] In the above technical solution, by setting up a meshing component, both the transmission adjustment and braking after the transmission adjustment are achieved, resulting in a compact structure.

[0027] In this preferred embodiment, the two first telescopic drive components 5 are evenly distributed at 180 degrees on both sides of the first rotary drive component 4, and the second rotary drive component 7 and the second telescopic drive component 8 are evenly distributed at 180 degrees on both sides of the first rotary drive component 4.

[0028] In the above technical solution, the angle between the two first telescopic drive components will not change, nor will the angle between the second rotary drive component and the second telescopic drive component. The angle between the first telescopic drive component and the second rotary drive component can be adjusted at any time, thereby changing the posture of the main body mechanism so that the main body mechanism can adapt to the shape of the workpiece and will not interfere with the workpiece.

[0029] In this preferred embodiment, the first rotary drive assembly 4 includes a speed reducer, the first telescopic drive assembly 5 includes an electric push rod, the second rotary drive assembly 7 includes a micro speed reducer, and the second telescopic drive assembly 8 includes a micro electric push rod.

[0030] In the above technical solution, the first rotary drive assembly provides driving force for the rotation of the stirring pin assembly. The first telescopic drive assembly also includes a diaphragm sensor. The diaphragm sensor monitors and controls the pressure applied to the workpiece surface by the stirring pin assembly.

[0031] In this preferred embodiment, the first bearing support 1 includes a sleeve 12 and an ear plate 13, wherein the ear plate 13 is connected to the outer side wall of the sleeve 12. The aforementioned feed bracket 2 is a rhomboid connecting plate, which is located at the positive X-axis end of the aforementioned sleeve 12; The second bearing support 6 includes two annular connecting plates 61 and a grooved connecting plate 62. The two annular connecting plates 61 are coaxially arranged at a certain distance along the X-axis. The two groove walls of the grooved connecting plate 62 are respectively connected to the two annular connecting plates 61. The sleeve 12 is rotatably connected to the inner side of the two annular connecting plates 61. The stirring needle assembly 3 includes a sliding sleeve 31 and a stirring needle rotatably connected to the inner side of the sliding sleeve 31 about the X-axis. The sliding sleeve 31 is installed in the central area of ​​the diamond-shaped connecting plate and is slidably connected to the sleeve 12. The first rotary drive assembly 4 is mounted on the negative X-axis end of the sleeve 12, the first telescopic drive assembly 5 is mounted on the ear plate 13, and the telescopic shaft of the first telescopic drive assembly 5 is connected to the diamond-shaped connecting plate. The second rotary drive assembly 7 is installed on one of the groove walls of the grooved connecting plate 62. The bottom of the grooved connecting plate 62 is connected to the welding robot. The second telescopic drive assembly 8 is installed on the lug of the annular connecting plate 61.

[0032] In the above technical solution, the shapes of the first support bracket, the second support bracket, and the feed bracket are as compact as possible, making the friction stir welding equipment smaller in size. Under the action of the first rotary drive component, the stirring pin assembly rotates at high speed. Simultaneously, the outer contour of the stirring pin generates high-speed friction with the material at the workpiece seam, causing the material at the workpiece seam to soften due to increased temperature. As the stirring pin slowly moves away from its softened area, the softened material gradually cools and solidifies. In this way, the two plates on both sides of the workpiece seam slowly fuse and solidify into one piece.

[0033] The sleeve 12 is connected to the inner side of the annular connecting plate via a needle roller bearing 63, and the sliding sleeve 31 is connected to the inner side of the sleeve 12 via a sliding sleeve 14.

[0034] In this preferred embodiment, the stirring needle includes a drive handle 32, a clamping handle 33 fixedly connected to the drive handle 32, and a stirring head 34 detachably connected to the clamping handle 33.

[0035] In the above technical solutions, the stirring head is made of materials such as martensitic stainless steel, medium carbon steel, high carbon steel, tool steel, or engineering ceramic zirconia. Its structure and specifications vary widely. During equipment use, the specifications or type of the stirring head can be selected or designed according to the different plate thicknesses, materials, and welding requirements of the workpiece to be welded (this point will not be described in detail here).

[0036] The clamping handle consists of a 3° Morse taper shank, a boss, a clamping handle fixing hole, a heat dissipation hole, a cylinder, a stirring head mounting hole, and a stirring head anti-loosening screw hole. Its function is to clamp and fix the stirring head. The drive handle consists of a drive handle body 321, a needle roller insert groove 322, a pressure-bearing ball insert groove 323, a shaft retaining ring insert groove, a spline hole 324, and a Morse taper hole for mounting the clamping handle. The drive handle is connected to the inner side of the sliding sleeve 31 via a needle roller bearing 35. It has multiple functions: 1) to install and position the clamping handle; 2) to synchronously drive the clamping handle to perform radial rotation around the shaft under the rotational drive of the reducer (motor). The clamping handle is filled with lubricating oil. The lubricating oil has two functions: 1) to lubricate rotating parts; 2) to dissipate heat from the clamping handle (this heat is generated by the stirring head stirring the metal workpiece, and then conducted to the first rotary drive assembly through the clamping handle and drive handle).

[0037] See Figure 15 and Figure 16As shown in the illustration, a friction stir welding system includes a worktable 9 for positioning the workpiece to be welded, the aforementioned friction stir welding equipment, and a welding robot 10 for controlling the aforementioned friction stir welding equipment to perform welding. The welding robot 10 is connected to the aforementioned second support bracket 6.

[0038] The aforementioned workbench serves to hold the workpiece to be welded. The aforementioned welding robot is a finished product provided by a specialized manufacturer; its specific structural components will not be described here, but its function is to serve as a carrier for the friction stir welding equipment.

[0039] The working process of the above-mentioned friction stir welding system includes the following steps: 1) First, arrange all relevant equipment involved in the welding station, such as welding robots, workbenches, controllers, and air compressors, into place. During equipment arrangement, rigidly connect the workbench legs to the embedded parts (pre-embedded in the concrete floor) using welding (or use welding, anchor bolt fixing, or chemical bolt fixing). Second, install the friction stir welding equipment at the end of the welding robot and tighten its connecting bolts in place. 2) Place the workpiece to be welded on the worktable and fix it in place; 3) Set up the control program for the welding robot; set up the control program for the stirring welding equipment; set up the control program for the worktable; 4) Start the welding robot and stirring welding equipment to begin welding the workpiece.

[0040] In this preferred embodiment, the workbench 9 includes a support platform 91 for supporting workpiece A, a clamping mechanism 92 for clamping the side of workpiece A, and a clamping mechanism 93 for pressing the upper surface of workpiece A.

[0041] Both the aforementioned tightening mechanism and the aforementioned pressing mechanism are pneumatic mechanisms.

[0042] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A friction stir welding apparatus, comprising a body mechanism, the body mechanism comprising: First load-bearing support; The feed support is capable of translating relative to the first support support along the X-axis. A stirring needle assembly, wherein the stirring needle assembly is axially movable along the X-axis direction with the feed support and is rotatable relative to the feed support about the X-axis direction; A first rotary drive assembly is mounted on the first support bracket or the feed bracket and drives the stirring needle assembly to rotate. A first telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the first support bracket and drives the feed bracket to move. Wherein, the dimension of the main body mechanism measured along the Y-axis is greater than the dimension of the main body mechanism measured along the Z-axis; Its characteristic is that it further includes an adjustment mechanism, the adjustment mechanism comprising: The second support bracket, wherein the first support bracket is rotatable relative to the second support bracket about the X-axis; A second rotary drive assembly is mounted on the second support bracket and drives the first support bracket to rotate via a transmission assembly. A second telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the second support bracket and the second telescopic drive assembly restricts the rotation of the first support bracket through a braking assembly. The transmission component and the braking component form a meshing component. The meshing component includes a gear connected to the rotating shaft of the second rotary drive component, a toothed block connected to the telescopic shaft of the second telescopic drive component, and an outer gear ring connected to the first bearing bracket. The second rotary drive component drives the gear to rotate around the X-axis, and the second telescopic drive component drives the toothed block to move along the X-axis. Both the gear and the toothed block mesh with the outer gear ring for transmission.

2. The friction stir welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first rotary drive component is located at one end of the stirring needle assembly in the X-axis direction, and the first telescopic drive component is located on one side of the stirring needle assembly in the Y-axis direction.

3. The friction stir welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two first telescopic drive components are evenly distributed at 180 degrees on both sides of the first rotary drive component, and the second rotary drive component and the second telescopic drive component are evenly distributed at 180 degrees on both sides of the first rotary drive component.

4. The friction stir welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first rotary drive assembly includes a speed reducer, the first telescopic drive assembly includes an electric actuator, the second rotary drive assembly includes a miniature speed reducer, and the second telescopic drive assembly includes a miniature electric actuator.

5. The friction stir welding equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first support bracket includes a sleeve and an ear plate, wherein the ear plate is connected to the outer side wall of the sleeve; The feed support is a rhomboid connecting plate, which is located at the positive X-axis end of the sleeve; The second support bracket includes two annular connecting plates and a grooved connecting plate. The two annular connecting plates are coaxially arranged at a certain distance along the X-axis. The two groove walls of the grooved connecting plate are respectively connected to the two annular connecting plates. The sleeve is rotatably connected to the inner side of the two annular connecting plates. The stirring needle assembly includes a sliding sleeve and a stirring needle rotatably connected to the inner side of the sliding sleeve about the X-axis. The sliding sleeve is installed in the central region of the rhomboid connecting plate and is slidably connected to the sleeve. The first rotary drive assembly is mounted on the negative X-axis end of the sleeve, the first telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the ear plate, and the telescopic shaft of the first telescopic drive assembly is connected to the rhomboid connecting plate. The second rotary drive assembly is mounted on one of the groove walls of the grooved connecting plate, the bottom of the grooved connecting plate is connected to the welding robot, and the second telescopic drive assembly is mounted on the lug of the annular connecting plate.

6. The friction stir welding equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The stirring needle includes a drive handle, a clamping handle fixedly connected to the drive handle, and a stirring head detachably connected to the clamping handle.

7. A friction stir welding system, comprising a worktable for positioning a workpiece to be welded, a friction stir welding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a welding robot for controlling the friction stir welding device to perform welding, wherein the welding robot is connected to a second support bracket.

8. The friction stir welding system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The worktable includes a support platform for supporting the workpiece, a clamping mechanism for clamping the sides of the workpiece, and a pressing mechanism for pressing the upper surface of the workpiece.

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