An alternating feed system for metal friction welding

Abstract

The application provides an alternating feeding system for metal friction welding, which comprises a mounting table, a rotating seat rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting table, and a driving motor arranged in the mounting table to drive the rotating seat to rotate. A horizontal alternating feeding arm is connected to the upper end of the rotating seat, and hollow feeding heads are arranged at the two ends of the horizontal alternating feeding arm. A double-shaft motor is arranged in the middle of each feeding head. The output shafts at the two ends of the double-shaft motor are connected to driving discs, and an Archimedes coil groove is formed on the side of the disc away from the motor. A plurality of circumferentially distributed limiting sliding grooves are formed on the upper and lower ends of the feeding head, which are arranged from the edge to the center. Sliding blocks are slidably connected in the sliding grooves, and clamping strips are arranged outside the sliding blocks. The lower end of each clamping strip is provided with a sliding shaft which is slidably connected with the Archimedes coil groove. Upper and lower feeding discs are arranged on one side of the mounting table, and the upper end of the upper feeding disc is provided with an opening. The upper feeding disc is located above the feeding head, and the lower feeding disc is located below the feeding head. The upper feeding disc is provided with an upper material transferring mechanism to transfer the material to the upper end of the feeding head, and the lower feeding disc is provided with a lower material transferring mechanism to transfer the material to the lower end of the feeding head. The application can replace manual alternating automatic feeding, and effectively improve the production efficiency and operation safety of metal friction welding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of metal processing feeding technology, and relates to an alternating feeding system for metal friction welding. Background Technology

[0002] Friction welding is a solid-state welding technique that utilizes the frictional heat generated by the relative motion of the workpiece contact surfaces to bring the materials to a thermoplastic state and apply upsetting pressure to achieve a connection. This technique boasts advantages such as high weld strength, a small heat-affected zone, and energy efficiency, and is widely used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and power. In the electrical field, copper-aluminum friction welding is of great application value. Both copper and aluminum are excellent conductors; the copper-aluminum transition joint formed by welding combines the corrosion resistance of copper with the lightweight properties of aluminum, effectively reducing cost and structural weight while ensuring electrical conductivity.

[0003] In the actual production process of copper-aluminum friction welding, the workpiece loading and clamping process directly affects production efficiency and operational safety. Currently, most production lines in the industry still widely adopt the traditional manual loading method. Operators need to manually grab the copper and aluminum materials separately and accurately install them onto two different clamps on the upper and lower parts of the welding equipment. This manual operation method has obvious efficiency bottlenecks. Due to the slow pace of manual movements and the influence of fatigue, it is difficult to achieve a continuous high-speed production rhythm, resulting in low overall productivity. Furthermore, if workpieces splash or operational errors occur, they can easily cause mechanical injuries to personnel, posing a significant safety risk.

[0004] To address the inefficiency and safety hazards associated with manual material feeding, existing technologies have attempted to introduce automated feeding systems. However, in practical applications, these systems often suffer from the problem of "high investment and low adaptability." Existing automated feeding solutions typically employ complex robotic arms in conjunction with long-distance conveyor lines. Their control program logic is cumbersome, requiring precise coordination of the linkage between multiple cylinders, sensors, and robotic arms, resulting in long equipment debugging cycles and high maintenance difficulty. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an alternating feeding system for metal friction welding, which can replace manual alternating automatic feeding, effectively improving the production efficiency and operational safety of metal friction welding. The components are simple and compact, the equipment cost is lower, and it is easier to maintain.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an alternating feeding system for metal friction welding, including a mounting platform, a rotating seat rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting platform, a drive motor for driving the rotating seat to rotate installed inside the mounting platform, an alternating feeding arm horizontally connected to the upper end of the rotating seat, the alternating feeding arm being symmetrical about the rotating seat, and hollow feeding heads provided at both ends of the alternating feeding arm, with a dual-axis motor installed in the middle of each feeding head;

[0007] Each dual-axis motor has a drive disk connected to its output shaft at both ends. Each drive disk has an Archimedes coil slot on the side away from the corresponding dual-axis motor. Each feeding head has multiple circumferentially distributed limiting slide grooves at both the upper and lower ends. Each limiting slide groove is set from the edge of the corresponding feeding head end face towards the center. Each limiting slide groove is slidably connected to a slider. Each slider has a clamping bar set outwards. Each slider has a sliding shaft slidably connected to the corresponding Archimedes coil slot at its lower end.

[0008] An upper feeding tray and a lower feeding tray, both open at the top, are provided on one side of the mounting platform. The upper feeding tray and the lower feeding tray are located above and below the feeding head, respectively. The upper feeding tray is provided with an upper material transfer mechanism for transferring the material inside to the upper end of the feeding head, and the lower feeding tray is provided with a lower material transfer mechanism for transferring the material inside to the lower end of the feeding head.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, when a feeding operation is required, the drive motor starts and drives the rotating seat to rotate intermittently, thereby causing the alternating feeding arm to swing left and right around the rotating seat. Initially, the feeding heads at both ends of the alternating feeding arm are positioned at the corresponding positions of the upper and lower feeding trays, respectively. The upper transfer mechanism transfers the material in the upper feeding tray to the upper end of the feeding head, and the lower transfer mechanism transfers the material in the lower feeding tray to the lower end of the feeding head. Immediately afterwards, the dual-axis motor inside the feeding head starts, driving the drive discs at both ends to rotate. The Archimedes coil grooves on the drive discs drive the sliders along the limiting grooves towards the center via sliding shafts, and the clamping bars tighten accordingly, firmly clamping the material. This cycle repeats, with the two feeding heads alternately switching between the feeding station and the welding station, realizing continuous alternating feeding of workpieces during metal friction welding, effectively reducing feeding waiting time and significantly improving overall production efficiency.

[0010] The present invention is further configured such that an intermittent transmission ring is provided on the outer periphery of the rotating seat, and a plurality of transmission slots distributed in a circular pattern are provided on the outer periphery of the intermittent transmission ring. The power output shaft of the drive motor is connected to a horizontally arranged transmission disk, and a transmission shaft that meshes with the transmission slots is provided on the upper end of the transmission disk.

[0011] The invention is further configured such that an electrical connection groove is provided at the bottom of the rotating seat, and a conductive slip ring that cooperates with the electrical connection groove is installed at the upper end of the mounting platform, and each dual-axis motor is electrically connected to the conductive slip ring.

[0012] The present invention is further configured such that an arc-shaped rotation limiting ring that cooperates with the intermittent transmission ring is provided at the upper end of the mounting platform, and the opening of the arc-shaped rotation limiting ring faces the direction of the drive disk.

[0013] The present invention is further configured such that each of the upper feeding discs near the rotating seat is provided with an upper feeding end corresponding to the position of the feeding head, the bottom of the upper feeding end is provided with a discharge hole through which material can pass, the lower end of the upper feeding end is provided with an elastic support member to prevent material from falling, the upper end of the upper feeding end is provided with an upper mounting frame, and the upper material transfer mechanism is an upper telescopic motor installed in the upper mounting frame, the telescopic axis of the upper telescopic motor is connected downward to a push plate.

[0014] The present invention is further configured such that the bottom of the upper feeding tray gradually rises in a direction away from the bottom of the upper feeding end.

[0015] The present invention is further configured such that the elastic support member is a plurality of elastic support strips distributed circumferentially along the feed hole and approximately V-shaped, with the tip of each elastic support strip facing the center of the feed hole.

[0016] The present invention is further configured such that each end of the lower feeding plate near the rotating seat is provided with a lower feeding end corresponding to the position of the feeding head, the bottom of the lower feeding end is provided with a top feeding hole through which material can pass, the lower end of the lower feeding end is provided with a lower mounting frame, the lower material transfer mechanism is a lower telescopic motor installed in the lower mounting frame, and the telescopic axis of the lower telescopic motor is connected upward to a top shaft that can pass through the top feeding hole.

[0017] The present invention is further configured such that the bottom of the lower feeding tray gradually rises in the direction away from the bottom of the lower feeding end.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] Firstly, the design of the upper feeding tray gradually rising from the bottom away from the upper feeding end allows the material to automatically gather towards the feeding end by its own gravity, avoiding material accumulation in the tray and improving the smoothness and continuity of feeding.

[0020] Secondly, multiple circumferentially distributed, approximately V-shaped elastic support bars are used as elastic support components. When the material passes through the feeding hole, the support bars can adapt to the size of the material and undergo elastic deformation. This not only stably supports the material but also allows it to be smoothly released under the action of the top feeding mechanism, effectively preventing material jamming.

[0021] Thirdly, the inclined design of the bottom of the lower feeding tray, combined with the top shaft driven by the lower telescopic motor, guides the material to move towards the top material hole. Under the control of the motor, the top shaft accurately passes through the top material hole to complete the top material action, making the feeding process of the upper and lower feeding trays closely connected, which significantly improves the efficiency and stability of alternating feeding during metal friction welding.

[0022] Fourth, the alternating feeding system of the present invention has a simple and compact design for each component, lower equipment cost, and more convenient maintenance. It can effectively solve the problems of high investment and difficult maintenance caused by complex robotic arms and long-distance conveyor lines in existing automatic feeding systems. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 Used to demonstrate the connection between the rotating base and the mounting platform;

[0025] Figure 3 Used to display the electrical connection slot at the bottom of the rotating base;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a partial sectional view used to show the internal structure of the feeding head;

[0027] Figure 5 Used to demonstrate the drive disk on a dual-axis motor;

[0028] Figure 6 Used to display the upper telescopic motor inside the upper mounting frame;

[0029] Figure 7 Used to display the lower telescopic motor inside the mounting bracket.

[0030] The components are as follows: 1. Mounting platform; 2. Rotating seat; 3. Intermittent transmission ring; 4. Transmission bayonet; 5. Drive motor; 6. Transmission disc; 7. Transmission shaft; 8. Arc-shaped rotation limit ring; 9. Alternating feeding arm; 10. Feeding head; 11. Dual-axis motor; 12. Electrical connection slot; 13. Conductive slip ring; 14. Drive disc; 15. Archimedes coil slot; 16. Limiting slide groove; 17. Slider; 18. Clamping bar; 19. Sliding shaft; 20. Upper feeding disc; 21. Lower feeding disc; 22. Feeding hole; 23. Upper mounting frame; 24. Upper telescopic motor; 25. Push plate; 26. Elastic support bar; 27. Lower feeding end; 28. Top feeding hole; 29. ​​Lower mounting frame; 30. Lower telescopic motor; 31. Top shaft; 32. Upper feeding end. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the alternating feeding system for metal friction welding proposed in this invention. The advantages and features of the invention will become clearer from the following description. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise proportions, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of the invention. The same or similar reference numerals in the drawings represent the same or similar parts.

[0032] Example, refer to Figure 1-7 An alternating feeding system for metal friction welding includes a mounting platform 1. A rotating seat 2 is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting platform 1. An intermittent transmission ring 3 is arranged around the outer periphery of the rotating seat 2. Four circumferentially distributed transmission slots 4 are opened on the outer periphery of the intermittent transmission ring 3. A drive motor 5 for driving the rotating seat 2 is installed inside the mounting platform 1. The power output shaft of the drive motor 5 is connected to a horizontally arranged transmission disk 6. A transmission shaft 7 that meshes with the transmission slots 4 is arranged at the upper end of the transmission disk 6. Each time the drive motor 5 drives the transmission disk 6 to rotate one revolution, it drives the rotating seat 2 to rotate 90 degrees through the connection between the transmission shaft 7 and the transmission slots 4. An arc-shaped rotation limiting ring 8 that cooperates with the intermittent transmission ring 3 is arranged upward at the upper end of the mounting platform 1. The opening of the arc-shaped rotation limiting ring 8 faces the direction of the transmission disk 6, so that the transmission shaft 7 can extend into the arc-shaped rotation limiting ring 8 and mesh with the transmission slots 4.

[0033] A horizontally arranged alternating feeding arm 9 is connected to the upper end of the rotating base 2. The alternating feeding arm 9 is symmetrical about the rotating base 2. Each end of the alternating feeding arm 9 is provided with a hollow feeding head 10. A dual-axis motor 11 is installed in the middle of each feeding head 10. An electrical connection groove 12 is opened on the bottom of the rotating base 2. A conductive slip ring 13 that cooperates with the electrical connection groove 12 is installed on the upper end of the mounting platform 1. Each dual-axis motor 11 is electrically connected to the conductive slip ring 13. Through the conductive slip ring 13, the dual-axis motor 11 can remain energized while rotating, which is convenient for control.

[0034] Each dual-axis motor 11 has a drive disk 14 connected to its output shafts at both ends. Each drive disk 14 has an Archimedes coil slot 15 on the side furthest from the corresponding dual-axis motor 11. Each feeding head 10 has five circumferentially distributed limiting grooves 16 at its upper and lower ends. Each limiting groove 16 extends from the edge of the corresponding feeding head 10 end face towards the center. Each limiting groove 16 is slidably connected to a slider 17. Each slider 17 has a clamping bar 18 extending outwards. Each slider 17 has a sliding shaft 19 at its lower end that is slidably connected to the corresponding Archimedes coil slot 15. When the dual-axis motor 11 drives the drive disk 14 to rotate, the connection between the sliding shaft 19 and the Archimedes coil slot 15 causes the slider 17 to move towards or away from the center of the drive disk 14. When it moves towards the center, the clamping bar 18 clamps the material; when it moves away, the clamping bar 18 releases the material.

[0035] On one side of the mounting platform 1, there is an upper feeding tray 20 and a lower feeding tray 21, both of which are open at the top. The upper feeding tray 20 and the lower feeding tray 21 can be connected to a vibrating plate. The vibrating plate sorts and arranges the materials and then gradually adds them to the upper feeding tray 20 and the lower feeding tray 21. Alternatively, the materials can be added to the upper feeding tray 20 and the lower feeding tray 21 manually all at once. After use, more materials can be added. The upper feeding tray 20 and the lower feeding tray 21 are located above and below the feeding head 10, respectively. Each end of the upper feeding tray 20 near the rotating base 2 is provided with an upper feeding end 32 corresponding to the position of the feeding head 10. The bottom of the upper feeding tray 20 gradually rises away from the upper feeding end 32, so that the material in the upper feeding tray 20 can automatically move towards the upper feeding end 32 under the action of gravity. The bottom of the upper feeding end 32 has a discharge hole 22 through which the material can pass. The upper end of the upper feeding end 32 is provided with an upper mounting frame 23. A vertically arranged upper telescopic motor 24 is installed in the upper mounting frame 23. The telescopic shaft of the upper telescopic motor 24 is connected downward to a push plate 25. The lower end of the upper feeding end 32 is provided with an elastic support to prevent the material from falling. The elastic support consists of five elastic support bars 26 that are distributed circumferentially along the discharge hole 22 and are approximately V-shaped. The tip of each elastic support bar 26 faces the center of the discharge hole 22. Through the elastic support bars 26, the material in the upper feeding end 32 will not fall out of the discharge hole 22 due to its own weight. When the feeding head 10 moves below the upper feeding end 32, the upper telescopic motor 24 extends, pushing the material from the discharge hole 22 onto the feeding head 10, and then clamping the material with the clamping bar 18.

[0036] Each end of the lower feeding tray 21 near the rotating base 2 is provided with a lower feeding end 27 corresponding to the position of the feeding head. The bottom of the lower feeding tray 21 gradually rises away from the lower feeding end 27, so that the material in the lower feeding tray 21 can automatically feed downwards to the lower feeding end 27 under the action of gravity. The bottom of the lower feeding end 27 has a top feeding hole 28 through which the material can pass. The lower end of the lower feeding end 27 is provided with a lower mounting bracket 29. A lower telescopic motor 30 is installed in the lower mounting bracket 29. The telescopic axis of the lower telescopic motor 30 is connected upwards to a top shaft 31 that can pass through the top feeding hole 28. When the feeding head moves above the lower feeding end 27, the lower telescopic motor 30 extends, and the material is pushed upwards from the top feeding hole 28 to the upper feeding head 10 through the top shaft 31, and then clamped by the clamping bar 18.

[0037] Working principle: When feeding is required, the drive motor 5 starts and drives the transmission disc 6 to rotate. The transmission shaft 7 on the transmission disc 6 engages with the transmission jaw 4 on the outer circumference of the intermittent transmission ring 3, thereby driving the rotating seat 2 to rotate intermittently by 90 degrees, which in turn drives the alternating feeding arm 9 to swing left and right around the rotating seat 2. In the initial state, the feeding heads 10 at both ends of the alternating feeding arm 9 are located at the corresponding positions of the upper feeding disc 20 and the lower feeding disc 21, respectively. Taking the feeding process of the upper feeding disc 20 as an example, when one of the feeding heads 10 moves to directly below the upper feeding end 32, the upper telescopic motor 24 starts to work, and its telescopic shaft extends downward, pushing the pusher 25 to squeeze the material in the upper feeding end 32 downward. At this time, the material overcomes the elastic force of the elastic support bar 26 in the elastic support member and falls from the discharge hole 22 to the upper end face of the feeding head 10. Next, the dual-axis motor 11 inside the feeding head 10 starts, driving the drive discs 14 at both ends to rotate. The Archimedes coil grooves 15 on the drive discs 14 drive the slider 17 to slide along the limiting groove 16 towards the center via the sliding shaft 19. The clamping bar 18 then tightens, firmly clamping the material. For feeding the lower feeding disc 21, when the lower telescopic motor 30 starts, its telescopic shaft extends upward, and the top shaft 31 passes through the top feeding hole 28 to push the material in the lower feeding end 27 upward until the material is moved to the lower end face of the feeding head 10 at that position. Then, the dual-axis motor 11 drives the clamping bar 18 to clamp the material. After feeding is completed, the drive motor 5 drives the rotating seat 2 to rotate 90 degrees again, so that the feeding head 10 holding the material moves to the welding station. After the upper clamping bar 18 is released, the fixture at the upper welding station clamps the material downward. After the lower clamping bar 18 is released, the material falls into the fixture below the welding station and is clamped. This cycle repeats continuously, with the two feeding heads 10 alternating between the feeding station and the welding station. This enables continuous and alternating feeding of workpieces during metal friction welding, effectively reducing feeding waiting time and significantly improving overall production efficiency. Throughout the feeding process, the conductive slip ring 13 ensures stable power supply to the dual-axis motor 11 while it is rotating, while the arc-shaped rotation limit ring 8 precisely limits the rotation angle of the rotating seat 2, ensuring the positional alignment accuracy between the feeding head 10, the feeding end, and the welding station.

[0038] It should also be noted that all terms such as "set up" and similar descriptive words in this application (especially the specification) indicate that two structures have or exist a connection relationship. However, the specific means by which the two are connected are not limited in detail, and are usually conventional connection methods. That is, the means should be understood as prior art and do not need to be elaborated. For example, "m is set up with n" only indicates that structure m has structure n, and whether the two are connected by welding, riveting, adhesive, or integral molding is within the scope of protection of this application. Similarly, "x is rotatably set up with y" only indicates that y and x can rotate relative to each other, and whether the two are connected by a bearing, or whether y directly passes through x and is rotatably connected to x, or other feasible methods, are all within the scope of protection of this application.

[0039] The above description is merely a description of preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Any changes or modifications made by those skilled in the art based on the above disclosure shall fall within the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An alternating feeding system for metal friction welding, comprising a mounting platform (1), wherein a rotating seat (2) is rotatably connected to the upper end of the mounting platform (1), characterized in that, The mounting platform (1) is equipped with a drive motor (5) for driving the rotating seat (2) to rotate. The upper end of the rotating seat (2) is connected to a horizontally arranged alternating feeding arm (9). The alternating feeding arm (9) is symmetrical about the rotating seat (2) and both ends of the alternating feeding arm (9) are provided with hollow feeding heads (10). A dual-axis motor (11) is installed in the middle of each feeding head (10). Each dual-axis motor (11) has a drive disk (14) connected to the output shaft at both ends. Each drive disk (14) has an Archimedes coil groove (15) on the side away from the corresponding dual-axis motor (11). Each feeding head (10) has multiple circumferentially distributed limiting grooves (16) at both ends. Each limiting groove (16) is set from the edge of the end face of the corresponding feeding head (10) towards the center. Each limiting groove (16) is slidably connected to a slider (17). Each slider (17) is provided with a clamping bar (18) extending outward. Each slider (17) has a sliding shaft (19) slidably connected to the corresponding Archimedes coil groove (15) at its lower end. An upper feeding tray (20) and a lower feeding tray (21) with open tops are provided on one side of the mounting platform (1). The upper feeding tray (20) and the lower feeding tray (21) are located above and below the feeding head (10), respectively. The upper feeding tray (20) is provided with an upper material transfer mechanism for transferring the material inside to the upper end of the feeding head (10), and the lower feeding tray (21) is provided with a lower material transfer mechanism for transferring the material inside to the lower end of the feeding head (10).

2. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer periphery of the rotating seat (2) is provided with an intermittent transmission ring (3), and the outer periphery of the intermittent transmission ring (3) is provided with a plurality of transmission slots (4) distributed in a circular pattern. The power output shaft of the drive motor (5) is connected to a horizontally arranged transmission disc (6), and the upper end of the transmission disc (6) is provided with a transmission shaft (7) that meshes with the transmission slots (4).

3. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the rotating seat (2) is provided with an electrical connection groove (12) facing upwards. The upper end of the mounting platform (1) is provided with a conductive slip ring (13) that cooperates with the electrical connection groove (12). Each dual-axis motor (11) is electrically connected to the conductive slip ring (13).

4. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 3, characterized in that, The upper end of the mounting platform (1) is provided with an arc-shaped rotation limiting ring (8) that cooperates with the intermittent transmission ring (3), and the opening of the arc-shaped rotation limiting ring (8) faces the drive disk (14).

5. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper feeding plate (20) is provided with an upper feeding end (32) corresponding to the position of the feeding head (10) at one end near the rotating seat (2). The bottom of the upper feeding end (32) is provided with a feeding hole (22) through which the material can pass. The lower end of the upper feeding end (32) is provided with an elastic support to prevent the material from falling. The upper end of the upper feeding end (32) is provided with an upper mounting frame (23). The upper material transfer mechanism is an upper telescopic motor (24) installed in the upper mounting frame (23). The telescopic shaft of the upper telescopic motor (24) is connected downward to a push plate (25).

6. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 5, characterized in that, The bottom of the upper feeding tray (20) gradually rises away from the upper feeding end (32).

7. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 5, characterized in that, The elastic support is a plurality of elastic support strips (26) that are distributed circumferentially along the feed hole (22) and are approximately V-shaped, with the tip of each elastic support strip (26) facing the center of the feed hole (22).

8. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower feeding plate (21) is provided with a lower feeding end (27) corresponding to the position of the upper feeding head at one end near the rotating seat (2). The bottom of the lower feeding end (27) is provided with a top feeding hole (28) through which the material can pass. The lower end of the lower feeding end (27) is provided with a lower mounting frame (29). The lower material transfer mechanism is a lower telescopic motor (30) installed in the lower mounting frame (29). The telescopic shaft of the lower telescopic motor (30) is connected upward to a top shaft (31) that can pass through the top feeding hole (28).

9. The alternating feeding system for metal friction welding according to claim 8, characterized in that, The bottom of the lower feed tray (21) gradually rises away from the lower feed end (27).

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