Device for automatic welding assembly of profiled pipes of an aeroengine

Abstract

The device for the automatic welding assembly of the special-shaped pipeline of an aero-engine is suitable for the welding of the outer conduit and the pipe joint of an aero-engine, the pipe joint is a special-shaped structure, and the device comprises a flexible pressing part and a taper automatic centering assembly which are installed on a pipe welding machine, wherein the pipe joint of different sizes is centered and fixed through the taper automatic centering assembly after the initial fixation of the conduit and the pipe joint; and the flexible pressing part is used for the fixation of the conduit which has a size deviation and is adapted to the shape of the pipe joint. The device realizes the assembly of pipe joints with different diameters, guarantees the coaxiality of the pipe joint and the pipeline, improves the assembly efficiency, has low cost, high machining efficiency, meets the development requirements of the engine, and has great practical value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of aero-engine component manufacturing equipment, and more particularly to a device for automatic welding and assembly of irregularly shaped pipes in aero-engines. Background Technology

[0002] A certain type of engine has numerous external piping components with a complex structure. Most of the piping is spatially curved and consists of conduits and fittings connected by argon arc welding. The conduit diameter and fitting diameter are inconsistent, and the lack of clamping during welding easily leads to misalignment between the fitting and the pipe, causing parts to be scrapped. Furthermore, the clamping portion of the fitting is a conical surface; these parts are diverse and have inconsistent specifications, requiring specialized clamping blocks, which increases costs and reduces piping processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the device for automatic welding and assembly of irregularly shaped pipes for aero-engines provided by the present invention solves the technical problem of low pipe processing efficiency caused by existing processing methods.

[0004] An apparatus for automatic welding and assembly of irregularly shaped pipes in aero-engines is provided, suitable for welding external conduits and pipe fittings of aero-engines. The pipe fittings are irregularly shaped structures, including a flexible clamping component and a conical automatic centering assembly mounted on a pipe welding machine. After the conduit and pipe fitting are initially fixed, the conical automatic centering assembly centers and fixes pipe fittings of different sizes and models. The flexible clamping component is used to fix conduits with dimensional deviations that are adapted to the shape of the pipe fittings.

[0005] Beneficial effects

[0006] By designing an automatic welding and assembly device for irregularly shaped pipes, it is possible to assemble pipe fittings of different diameters, ensuring that the pipe fittings are coaxial with the pipes, improving assembly efficiency, reducing costs, increasing processing efficiency, and meeting the development needs of engines. Attached Figure Description

[0007] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0008] Figure 1 This is a front sectional view of the apparatus of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the arc segment in the upper half of the ring, wherein,

[0010] 1. Screw; 2. Nut; 3. Protective cover; 4. Conical centering block; 5. Upper half ring; 6. Tungsten electrode; 7. Head; 8. Guide tube; 9. Pipe fitting; 10. Lower half ring; 11. Lug; 12. Arc segment. Detailed Implementation

[0011] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] The following specific examples illustrate the implementation of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of this disclosure from the content disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. This disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0013] It should be noted that various aspects of embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It will be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any particular structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that one aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. Additionally, this device and / or method can be implemented using other structures and / or functionalities besides one or more of the aspects set forth herein.

[0014] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic representations of the basic concept of this disclosure. The drawings only show the components related to this disclosure and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of the components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the form, quantity and proportion of each component can be arbitrarily changed, and the layout of the components may also be more complex.

[0015] Furthermore, specific details are provided in the following description to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the aspects can be practiced without these specific details.

[0016] See Figure 1The device shown is for the automatic welding and assembly of irregularly shaped pipes in aero-engines. It is suitable for welding external conduits 8 and pipe fittings 9 of aero-engines, where the pipe fittings 9 are irregularly shaped. It includes a flexible clamping component mounted on a pipe welding machine and a conical automatic centering assembly. After the conduits 8 and pipe fittings 9 are initially fixed, the conical automatic centering assembly centers and fixes pipe fittings 9 of different sizes and models.

[0017] The flexible clamping component is used to fix the conduit 8, which has dimensional deviations and is adapted to the shape of the pipe fitting 9. This enables the automatic welding assembly of pipe fittings 9 with different diameters and pipes in aero-engine irregular pipelines. It replaces dedicated clamping blocks with a universal clamping mechanism, reducing the number of clamping blocks, improving assembly efficiency, and lowering production costs. For example, a dedicated clamping block might have a φ5 diameter; however, manufacturing process deviations in the conduit 8 can result in the conduit 8 being too large or too small. Therefore, the clamping force of the dedicated clamping block is insufficient or it cannot clamp the conduit, leading to reduced pipeline processing efficiency. This invention uses flexible clamping and a conical automatic centering and spacing structure for the irregular pipe fitting 9, improving parts assembly efficiency, ensuring reliable clamping, and providing strong versatility. It enables rapid and high-quality automatic welding assembly of pipe fittings 9 with different diameters in irregular pipelines.

[0018] As a specific implementation provided in this case, the conical automatic centering assembly includes a conical centering block 4, a screw 1, a nut 2, and a protective cover 3. The conical centering block 4 is provided with a reduced conical structure at one end facing the pipe joint 9, and is partially embedded in the conduit 8 to ensure that the pipe joint 9 is concentric. The other end is provided with a cylindrical structure, and an exhaust groove is provided on the surface of the conical structure. Alternatively, the conical structure is a hollow structure and is provided with an exhaust hole to improve the flow of protective gas inside the pipe.

[0019] The protective cover 3 is hollow and has an open end. The open end of the protective cover 3 is sealed and installed on the side away from the pipe welding machine head 7 (the purpose of the seal is to ensure that the outer surface is in an argon inert gas protective atmosphere during the welding process, providing an argon protective gas chamber). A nut 2 is installed on the screw 1, and one end passes through the protective cover 3 and is fixedly connected to the side of the conical centering block 4 away from the pipe welding machine head 7. The screw 1 is installed on the protective cover 3, providing support and clamping force to the conical centering block 4. The screw 1 is used to adjust the center plane of the guide tube 8 and the pipe joint 9 to be in the same plane as the axis of the tungsten electrode 6, and the nut 2 is rotated to fix it. That is, during welding, the tungsten electrode 6 needs to be in the center of the weld joint between the joint and the pipe. In order to improve the assembly efficiency, the nut 2 is installed on the screw 1. Before each batch of welding, the assembly of the parts is adjusted and the nut 2 is locked. When assembling the next batch, the inner surface of the joint is aligned with the conical surface and then pressed, and welding is performed directly. Its flexible clamping is reliable, the assembly of irregular joints is simple, the concentricity of the joint and the pipe is easily guaranteed, and the processing efficiency is high.

[0020] Furthermore, nut 2 is installed on screw 1 and fits against the outer surface of protective cover 3. The length of each joint is different, which can lock the position of screw 1, thereby fixing the position of the conical surface and achieving consistency in each assembly. Conical centering block 4 is on screw 1 and contacts the inner surface of the non-conforming joint, ensuring that the joint and pipe are concentric during assembly. It is suitable for assembling non-conforming pipe joints 9 with different diameters and angles. A 2mm×2mm through groove is machined on the conical surface of conical centering block 4 for the flow of argon gas on the back of the weld.

[0021] As a specific implementation provided in this case, the existing pipe welding machine head 7 includes a lower head that is fixed and an upper head that is rotated, in order to improve the clamping force on the conduit 8. The flexible clamping component includes an upper half-ring 5 and a lower half-ring 10. The lower half-ring 10 is detachably mounted on the lower head, and the upper half-ring 5 is detachably mounted on the upper head. The lower half-ring 10 and the upper half-ring 5, when joined together, can secure the conduit 8. Preferably, both the upper half-ring 5 and the lower half-ring 10 are made of copper or aluminum alloy and have a certain degree of deformability; or, the inner diameter of the upper half-ring 5 and the lower half-ring 10 is smaller than the outer diameter of the conduit 8, and the upper half-ring 5 and the lower half-ring 10 are eccentric half-rings in the same direction. Figure 2 As shown, protrusions are respectively provided on the inner ring surfaces of the upper half ring 5 and the lower half ring 10 at corresponding positions. Arc-shaped segments 12 are respectively provided on both sides of the protrusion ends, and the arc-shaped segments 12 leave gaps with the inner ring surfaces of the upper half ring 5 and the lower half ring 10. The arc-shaped segments 12 extend to the opening end of the upper half ring 5 or the lower half ring 10. For example, taking the upper half ring 5 as an example, two symmetrical through grooves are machined at a position of 0.3mm in the direction of the inner ring surface of the upper half ring 5 towards the outer ring. That is, the machining of the through grooves can form a protrusion on the inner ring surface of the upper half ring 5. The connecting section of the protrusion end forms the arc-shaped segment 12. One end of the arc-shaped segment 12 is a free end and has a certain elastic deformation. When clamping the conduit 8, the clamping force on the conduit 8 is increased by the deformation of the arc-shaped segments 12 on both sides. Generally, the inner diameter of the upper half ring 5 and the lower half ring 10 is the theoretical outer diameter of the pipe minus 0.3mm. To ensure the stability of clamping, the upper half ring 5 and the lower half ring 10 are both slightly smaller in the same direction, with the center offset by 3mm. Through the deformation clamping of the arc segment 12, the concentric rings can compensate for the instability of clamping the conduit 8 during clamping, and can eliminate the clamping instability caused by the manufacturing tolerance of the pipe outer diameter. And / or, the width of the arc segment 12 is greater than the thickness of the upper half ring 5 or the lower half ring 10, increasing the contact area with the conduit 8, thereby providing a larger clamping force.

[0022] As a specific implementation provided in this case, lugs 11 are respectively provided at corresponding positions on the outer periphery of the upper half ring 5 and the lower half ring 10. Grooves are respectively provided at corresponding positions on the upper and lower machine heads. The lugs 11 are installed in the grooves to fix the upper half ring 5 and the lower half ring 10 respectively. When processing different types of pipelines, the upper half ring 5 and the lower half ring 10 that are compatible with the size of the conduit 8 can be replaced.

[0023] As a specific implementation provided in this case, the protective cover 3 is provided with an inlet pipe and a return pipe in the circumferential direction, and a cooling groove is provided on the conical centering block 4 at the end away from the machine head 7. One end of the cooling groove is connected to the inlet pipe and the other end is connected to the return pipe. It is used to cool the conical centering block 4 when welding with tungsten-grade argon arc welding, so as to avoid the heat accumulation of the conical centering block 4, carry away the heat of the pipe joint, reduce the deformation of the conical surface of the joint, and improve the integrity of the conical surface.

[0024] This assembly device has a simple structure, is easy to operate, saves labor and time, and has high reliability. It solves the problems of concentricity and protection in the automatic welding assembly of irregularly shaped pipes, and enables the assembly of pipe fittings 9 of different diameters on this device. It ensures that the pipe fittings 9 are coaxial with the pipes, improves assembly efficiency, has low cost, and high processing efficiency, meets the development needs of engines, and has great practical value.

[0025] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An apparatus for automatic welding and assembly of irregularly shaped pipes in aero-engines, suitable for welding external conduits and pipe fittings of aero-engines, wherein the pipe fittings are irregularly shaped, characterized in that, This includes flexible clamping components and automatic conical centering assemblies installed on pipe welding machines; After the conduit and pipe fitting are initially fixed, the conical automatic centering component is used to center and fix pipe fittings of different sizes and models. The flexible clamping component is used to fix conduits with dimensional deviations and adapted to the shape of the pipe fittings. The conical automatic centering component includes a conical centering block. One end of the conical centering block facing the pipe connector is provided with a reduced conical structure and is partially embedded in the conduit to ensure concentricity of the pipe connector. The other end is provided with a cylindrical structure. The pipe welding machine includes a tungsten electrode. The conical automatic centering assembly also includes a screw, a nut, and a protective cover. The protective cover is hollow and has an open end. The open end of the protective cover is sealed and installed on the side away from the pipe welding machine head. The nut is installed on the screw and one end passes through the protective cover and is fixedly connected to the side of the conical centering block away from the pipe welding machine head. The screw is used to adjust the center plane of the guide tube and the pipe joint to be in the same plane as the axis of the tungsten electrode, and the nut is rotated to fix it. The pipe welding machine includes a lower head that is fixed and an upper head that is rotated. The flexible clamping component includes an upper half ring and a lower half ring. The lower half ring is detachably mounted on the lower head, and the upper half ring is detachably mounted on the upper head. The lower half ring and the upper half ring can fasten the conduit after being connected. Lugs are respectively provided at corresponding positions on the outer circumference of the upper half ring and the lower half ring. The upper head and the lower head are respectively provided with grooves at corresponding positions. The lugs are installed in the grooves to fix the upper half ring and the lower half ring respectively. On the inner ring surfaces of the upper and lower half rings, protrusions are respectively provided at corresponding positions. Arc-shaped segments are respectively provided on both sides of the protrusion ends, and the arc-shaped segments leave gaps with the inner ring surfaces of the upper and lower half rings. The arc-shaped segments extend to the opening end of the upper or lower half ring, and / or the width of the arc-shaped segments is greater than the thickness of the upper or lower half ring.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the upper and lower half rings are made of copper or aluminum alloy, or the inner diameter of the upper and lower half rings is smaller than the outer diameter of the conduit, and the upper and lower half rings are eccentric half rings in the same direction.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conical structure has an exhaust groove on its surface, or the conical structure is a hollow structure with an exhaust hole.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective cover is provided with an inlet pipe and a return pipe around its circumference, and a cooling groove is provided on the conical centering block at the end away from the machine head. One end of the cooling groove is connected to the inlet pipe and the other end is connected to the return pipe. It is used to cool the conical centering block when welding with tungsten-grade argon arc welding to prevent its conical surface from deforming due to heat.

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