An automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing

Abstract

The present application relates to welding equipment technical field, specifically speaking is a kind of automatic welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing, including workbench and two groups of welding clamping components being set on workbench, two groups of welding clamping components are connected with workbench by fixed seat, alignment movement platform respectively;Welding clamping component includes mutually opposite lower arc-shaped seat and upper arc-shaped seat, upper arc-shaped seat one end is hinged with lower arc-shaped seat and can be turned open and close, fixed component for locking is arranged between the free end of upper arc-shaped seat and lower arc-shaped seat;The front and rear, left and right direction adjustment of two groups of welding clamping components is realized by alignment movement platform, the welding port position of U type, S type and various special-shaped pipe fittings can be quickly adapted, a set of tooling satisfies the butt welding of multiple specifications, multiple forms pipe fittings, and the universality is strong, the process of replacing fixture and debugging is saved, significantly improve equipment adaptation range and production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding equipment technology, and specifically to an automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of automated steel pipe manufacturing, butt welding of U-shaped steel pipes, S-shaped steel pipes and special-shaped pipe fittings is a key process in production and processing. At present, the welding of such pipe fittings generally adopts a single-station, multi-clamping and single-end sequential welding method, which has many technical defects and can hardly meet the production requirements of high efficiency, high precision and automation. Traditional welding equipment often uses rigid clamps or semi-rigid positioning structures. When fixing pipe fittings, manual centering and correction are required, which not only results in low clamping efficiency but also easily causes scratches and deformation on the pipe fitting surface due to uneven clamping force. When butt welding U-shaped pipes and S-shaped pipes, or pipe fittings with non-coplanar end faces, traditional tooling is difficult to adapt to the positioning requirements of multiple pipe fitting shapes at the same time, resulting in poor versatility. When changing specifications, corresponding clamping components need to be replaced, which leads to long debugging cycles and high labor intensity. Furthermore, parameters such as the welding head movement speed and radial extension distance of traditional welding equipment are mostly preset manually, which cannot be adaptively adjusted according to the pipe diameter. This can easily lead to problems such as burn-through in small-diameter pipes, insufficient penetration in large-diameter pipes, and uneven weld formation. To address the problems of low efficiency, poor precision, insufficient versatility, low automation, and weak adaptability of the existing technology, an automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing is proposed. This system can adapt to the welding needs of various pipe shapes and can simultaneously achieve rapid automatic centering of pipes and automatic adjustment of the welding head position, ensuring accurate welding coaxiality and uniform and stable weld formation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the problems in the prior art, this invention provides an automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing, which can adapt to the welding needs of various pipe fittings, and simultaneously achieve rapid automatic centering of pipe fittings and automatic adjustment of the welding head position, ensuring accurate welding coaxiality and uniform and stable weld formation.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is an automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing, including a worktable and two sets of welding clamping assemblies set on the worktable. The two sets of welding clamping assemblies are respectively connected to the worktable through a fixed seat and an alignment moving platform. The welding clamping assembly includes a lower arc-shaped seat and an upper arc-shaped seat that are opposed to each other. One end of the upper arc-shaped seat is hinged to the lower arc-shaped seat and can be flipped open and closed. A fixing component for locking is provided between the free ends of the upper arc-shaped seat and the lower arc-shaped seat. Both the lower and upper arc-shaped seats have arc-shaped welding grooves in their middle sections. These grooves contain multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures, on which welding heads are mounted. Both the lower and upper arc-shaped seats have two sets of mounting grooves on their inner sides, each containing an expansion pad. The expansion pads are connected to the arc-shaped welding grooves via pressure relief valves. The opening threshold of the pressure relief valve connected to the expansion pad in the lower arc-shaped seat is greater than that of the pressure relief valve connected to the expansion pad in the upper arc-shaped seat. Both the upper and lower arc-shaped seats have air inlet connectors on their outer sides, which are connected to the expansion pads and the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. The inner side of the mounting grooves has a pressure supply structure for adjusting the radial position of the welding heads of the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. When the expansion pads expand, the pressure supply structure is activated.

[0005] Specifically, the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure includes several sets of arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rods that telescopic along the same annular direction. The arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rods are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the arc welding groove through connecting seats. The extended end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod is fixedly connected to a mounting seat. The mounting seat contains a hydraulic telescopic rod. The output end of the hydraulic telescopic rod is fixedly connected to a mounting plate. A welding head is installed on the mounting plate.

[0006] Specifically, the expansion pad inside the lower arc-shaped seat is provided with several positioning holes arranged along the arc direction. A sliding rod is slidably connected in the positioning hole, and a rigid support block is fixed at one end of the sliding rod located inside the expansion pad. A limiting groove communicating with the positioning hole is opened in the lower arc-shaped seat, and the sliding rod is slidably connected to the limiting groove in a sealed manner.

[0007] Specifically, the pressure supply structure includes a sliding groove opened in the lower arc-shaped seat, and a sliding column is slidably connected in the sliding groove; the lower end of the middle sliding rod extends into the sliding groove and is fixedly connected to the upper end of the sliding column; the sliding groove is filled with hydraulic oil above the sliding column, and the sliding groove is connected to a hydraulic hose through an internal hydraulic oil passage, and the hydraulic hose is then connected to two sets of hydraulic telescopic rods. The sliding groove has an air outlet slit on its side wall. The sliding column closes the air outlet slit in its initial position. The air outlet slit is connected to the fixed end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod through an internal air passage. When the expansion pad expands, it drives the sliding rod and the sliding column to move upward, and the air outlet slit gradually opens as the sliding column moves upward.

[0008] Specifically, the fixing component includes pin holes corresponding to the free ends of the upper and lower arc-shaped seats. The pin holes are threaded and threaded with locking bolts. The upper end of the locking bolt is provided with a rotating handle.

[0009] Specifically, both the upper and lower arc-shaped seats are equipped with a press valve that connects the expansion pad to the atmosphere; the valve stem end of the press valve extends horizontally into the pin hole and is provided with a wedge-shaped extrusion surface; when the locking bolt is screwed down, it extrudes the valve stem to disconnect the expansion pad from the atmosphere.

[0010] Specifically, the alignment moving platform includes a transverse slide groove on the worktable, a first slide block slidably connected in the transverse slide groove, a first transmission screw rotatably connected in the transverse slide groove, the first transmission screw threadedly connected to the first slide block, and a first drive motor connected to one end of the first transmission screw. The upper end of the first slide block is fixedly connected to a longitudinal slide rail perpendicular to the sliding direction of the first slide block. A second slide block is slidably connected to the longitudinal slide rail. Both ends of the longitudinal slide rail are fixedly connected to sliding frames that are slidably connected to the worktable. A second transmission screw is rotatably connected between the two sets of sliding frames. The second transmission screw is threadedly connected to the second slide block. A second drive motor is fixedly connected to one set of sliding frames. The second slide block is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower arc-shaped seat. Several sets of horizontally positioned positioning rods are provided above the workbench. The positioning rods pass through the sliding frame and are slidably connected to the sliding frame. The two ends of the positioning rods are fixedly connected to the upper part of the workbench through fixing plates.

[0011] Specifically, the top of the upper arc-shaped seat is fixedly connected to a non-slip lifting handle.

[0012] An automated welding method for steel pipe manufacturing, employing the aforementioned automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing, includes the following steps: S1: Measure the specifications of the irregular pipe fitting to be welded, and adjust the position of the welding clamping assembly through the alignment moving platform so that the spacing and orientation of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies are adapted to the welding port position of the irregular pipe fitting. S2: Place the ends of the irregular-shaped pipe fittings to be welded and the butt fittings on the lower arc-shaped seats of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies respectively, so that the ports to be welded are aligned and fit together; S3: Flip the upper arc-shaped seat to align with the lower arc-shaped seat, and lock the upper and lower arc-shaped seats with the fixing components to complete the clamping and positioning before welding; S4: Air is supplied to the expansion pad and the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welded structure simultaneously through the air inlet connector. The expansion pad expands and hugs the outer wall of the pipe fitting. S5: The expansion pad inside the lower arc seat expands, driving the pressure supply structure to move, so that the welding head fits against the outer wall of the pipe fitting, completing the adaptive welding positioning. S6: After clamping and positioning are completed, the gas supply is stopped, the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure automatically retracts and resets, and during the reset process, it drives the welding head to move along the circumference of the pipe, and works with the upper arc seat and lower arc seat to complete the full circle welding of the docking port; S7: After welding is completed, unlock the fixing components, depressurize and reset the expansion pads, and loosen the pipe fittings; S8: Flip open the upper arc-shaped seat, take out the welded pipe fitting, and complete one welding operation.

[0013] The beneficial effects of this invention are: (1) The automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing described in this invention realizes the front-back and left-right position adjustment of two sets of welding clamping components through the positioning and moving platform. It can quickly adapt to the welding port position of U-shaped, S-shaped and various irregular pipe fittings. One set of tooling meets the welding of multiple specifications and multiple shapes of pipe fittings. It has strong versatility, saves the replacement of clamps and debugging process, and significantly improves the equipment's adaptability and production efficiency.

[0014] (2) The automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing described in this invention utilizes the expansion pads built into the upper and lower arc seats to clamp the outer wall of the pipe fitting when it is inflated. Combined with the design that the opening threshold of the pressure relief valve of the lower arc seat expansion pad is greater than the opening threshold of the pressure relief valve of the upper arc seat expansion pad, a difference in stiffness between the upper and lower parts is formed, thereby realizing automatic centering and coaxiality correction of the pipe fitting. The alignment of the port to be welded can be guaranteed from the clamping stage, solving the problem of uneven weld and unstable welding quality caused by clamping eccentricity, and improving the coaxiality accuracy and reliability of the welded joint.

[0015] (3) The automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing described in this invention achieves synchronous adaptive adjustment of the expansion amount and the radial extension amount of the welding head through the expansion pad expansion linkage pressure supply structure. The smaller the pipe diameter, the longer the welding head extends. It can match the welding gap of different pipe diameters without manual preset parameters, avoids burn-through of small pipe diameters and insufficient penetration of large pipe diameters, and greatly improves the stability of welding quality.

[0016] (4) The automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing described in this invention, through the cooperation of the sliding column and the air outlet gap, enables the reset speed of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod to adapt to the pipe diameter, so that the small pipe diameter can be welded quickly to prevent burn-through, and the large pipe diameter can be welded slowly to maintain the melting depth, thus ensuring uniform weld formation and stable welding quality. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of the present invention; Figure 2 This is an isometric view of the present invention from another perspective; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the welding clamping assembly structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the upper arc-shaped seat portion of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the welding clamping assembly of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the expansion pad connection structure of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod connection structure of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a side view of the present invention; In the diagram: 1. Workbench; 2. Fixed base; 3. Anti-slip lifting handle; 4. Lower arc-shaped base; 5. Upper arc-shaped base; 6. Arc-shaped welding groove; 7. Mounting groove; 8. Expansion pad; 9. Air inlet connector; 10. Arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod; 11. Connecting seat; 12. Mounting base; 13. Hydraulic telescopic rod; 14. Mounting plate; 15. Welding head; 16. Positioning hole; 17. Slide rod; 18. Rigid support block; 19. Limiting groove; 20. Slide... 21. Moving groove; 22. Sliding column; 23. Air outlet gap; 24. Pin hole; 25. Locking bolt; 26. Rotating handle; 27. Press valve; 28. Valve stem; 29. ​​Transverse sliding groove; 30. First slide block; 31. First transmission screw; 32. First drive motor; 33. Longitudinal slide rail; 34. Second slide block; 35. Sliding frame; 36. Second transmission screw; 37. Second drive motor; 38. Positioning rod; 39. Fixing plate. Detailed Implementation

[0019] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0020] To adapt to the welding needs of various pipe fittings, and to simultaneously achieve rapid automatic centering of the pipe fittings and automatic adjustment of the welding head position, ensuring precise welding coaxiality and uniform and stable weld formation, as one embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the automated welding system and method for steel pipe manufacturing of the present invention includes a workbench 1 and two sets of welding clamping assemblies disposed on the workbench 1. The two sets of welding clamping assemblies are respectively connected to the workbench 1 through a fixed seat 2 and an alignment moving platform. The welding clamping assembly includes a lower arc-shaped seat 4 and an upper arc-shaped seat 5 that are opposed to each other. One end of the upper arc-shaped seat 5 is hinged to the lower arc-shaped seat 4 and can be flipped open and closed. A fixing component for locking is provided between the free ends of the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4. Both the lower arc-shaped seat 4 and the upper arc-shaped seat 5 are provided with arc-shaped welding grooves 6 in the middle. The arc-shaped welding grooves 6 are provided with multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. Welding heads 15 are installed on the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. Both the lower arc-shaped seat 4 and the upper arc-shaped seat 5 are provided with two sets of mounting grooves 7 on their inner sides. Each mounting groove 7 is provided with an expansion pad 8. The expansion pads 8 are connected to the arc-shaped welding grooves 6 through pressure relief valves. The opening threshold of the pressure relief valve connected to the expansion pad 8 in the lower arc-shaped seat 4 is greater than the opening threshold of the pressure relief valve connected to the expansion pad 8 in the upper arc-shaped seat 5. Both the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4 are provided with air inlet connectors 9 on their outer sides. The air inlet connectors 9 are connected to the expansion pads 8 and the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. The inner side of the mounting grooves 7 is provided with a pressure supply structure for adjusting the radial position of the welding heads 15 of the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. When the expansion pads 8 expand, they drive the pressure supply structure to supply pressure.

[0021] During use, the positioning and moving platform can be used to adjust the position of one set of welding clamping components in the front-back and left-right directions, so that the spacing and orientation of the two sets of welding clamping components can be adapted to the welding port positions of U-shaped pipes, S-shaped pipes and various special-shaped pipe fittings. This allows one set of tooling to be adapted to the docking of multiple specifications and shapes of pipe fittings, improving the equipment's versatility and adaptability, and eliminating the tedious process of changing clamps and debugging. The ends of the irregular-shaped pipe fittings to be welded and the connecting pipe fittings are placed on the lower arc-shaped seats 4 of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies, so that the ends of the two sets of pipe fittings to be welded are both in the arc-shaped welding grooves 6 and aligned and fitted with each other, so as to realize the rapid positioning and placement of the pipe fittings, ensure accurate welding port docking, and reduce the difficulty of manual alignment and clamping errors. The upper arc-shaped seat 5 is flipped to align with the lower arc-shaped seat 4, and the upper arc-shaped seat 5 is locked and fixed by the fixing component, so as to realize the quick closure and locking of the clamping structure, ensure the stability of the overall structure during the welding process, and avoid the pipe fitting loosening and displacement; inert protective gas is introduced through the air inlet connector 9, and the gas enters the expansion pad 8 and the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure simultaneously. The expansion pad 8 is inflated and expands to hug the outer wall of the pipe fitting, thus completing the circumferential fixation of the pipe fitting; When the expansion pad 8 expands, the pressure relief valve of the lower arc seat 4 opens at a higher threshold, making the pressure retention of the lower expansion pad 8 more sufficient and the support stiffness stronger. The difference in stiffness between the upper and lower parts is used to realize the automatic centering and coaxiality correction of the pipe fitting, ensuring the welding coaxiality accuracy from the clamping stage and solving the problems of eccentric welding and uneven weld. The expansion pad 8 expands synchronously to drive the pressure supply structure, and the radial position of the welding head 15 is adaptively adjusted according to the pipe diameter: the smaller the pipe diameter, the greater the expansion of the expansion pad 8, the higher the output pressure of the pressure supply structure, and the longer the welding head 15 extends. It can match the outer wall of the pipe without manual preset parameters, avoiding defects such as burn-through in small pipe diameter and insufficient penetration in large pipe diameter, and improving the stability of welding quality. At the same time, the gas discharged from the expansion pad 8 through the pressure relief valve enters the arc-shaped welding groove 6, forming an inert protective gas curtain, which isolates the air, prevents the weld from oxidizing, and prevents the generation of pores and cracks, thereby improving the weld formation quality. After clamping and adaptive positioning are completed, the gas supply is stopped. The multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure automatically retracts and resets. During the reset process, the welding head 15 moves in a circle along the pipe end. The reset action completes the full circle of continuous welding. The action is simple, reliable, and highly automated, improving welding efficiency and weld formation consistency. After welding is completed, the fixing components are removed, the expansion pad 8 is depressurized and reset, and the pipe fitting is loosened. The upper arc-shaped seat 5 can be flipped open to remove the finished product, realizing a quick switch between clamping and unloading, shortening the process cycle, and adapting to the needs of efficient and automated production.

[0022] To ensure that the weld joint 15 maintains a suitable welding distance and angle with the pipe surface at all times, for example, such as Figure 4 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 As shown, the present invention also includes a multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure comprising several sets of arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rods 10 that telescopic along the same annular direction. The arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rods 10 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the arc welding groove 6 via connecting seats 11. The extended end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rods 10 is fixedly connected to a mounting seat 12. A hydraulic telescopic rod 13 is provided inside the mounting seat 12. The output end of the hydraulic telescopic rod 13 is fixedly connected to a mounting plate 14. A welding head 15 is mounted on the mounting plate 14.

[0023] During use, inert gas introduced through the air inlet connector 9 enters the interior of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10, pushing the output end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 to extend outward, and simultaneously driving the mounting base 12, hydraulic telescopic rod 13, mounting plate 14 and welding head 15 to move along the arc-shaped trajectory, so as to realize the extension of the welding head 15 in the circumferential direction, providing a motion basis for circumferential welding. Meanwhile, the expansion pad 8 inside the lower arc-shaped seat 4 expands, driving the pressure supply structure to output hydraulic pressure, pushing the output end of the hydraulic telescopic rod 13 to extend. The hydraulic telescopic rod 13 then drives the mounting plate 14 and the welding head 15 to approach the outer wall of the pipe fitting radially, enabling the welding head 15 to adaptively adjust radially according to the pipe fitting diameter, ensuring that the welding head 15 and the pipe fitting surface always maintain a suitable welding distance and angle. Through the two-stage coordinated adjustment of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 and the hydraulic telescopic rod 13, the welding head 15 can achieve dual adaptive positioning of circumferential extension and radial fine adjustment. This can not only meet the continuous welding requirements of the circumferential weld, but also adapt to the welding gap of pipe fittings with different diameters, effectively improving welding adaptability and weld formation quality, and avoiding problems such as false welding, missed welding, and burn-through caused by improper welding distance.

[0024] To improve the overall stability and coaxiality of the pipe fittings after clamping, for example, such as Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6As shown, the present invention also includes a plurality of positioning holes 16 arranged along the arc direction on the expansion pad 8 inside the lower arc-shaped seat 4, a slide rod 17 slidably connected in the positioning hole 16, and a rigid support block 18 fixedly provided at one end of the slide rod 17 located inside the expansion pad 8; a limiting groove 19 communicating with the positioning hole 16 is opened in the lower arc-shaped seat 4, and the slide rod 17 is slidably connected to the limiting groove 19 in a sealed manner.

[0025] During use, the expansion pad 8 expands and pushes the slide rod 17 and the rigid support block 18 to move radially synchronously, so that the rigid support block 18 presses against the outer wall of the steel pipe to be welded, thereby achieving rigid centering support for the lower part of the pipe fitting and effectively improving the overall stability and coaxiality of the pipe fitting after clamping. The slide rod 17 and the limiting groove 19 adopt a sealed sliding fit, which can not only ensure the smooth movement of the slide rod 17, but also provide guidance and limiting function for the rigid support block 18, preventing the rigid support block 18 from swinging or shaking, and ensuring consistent clamping and positioning of the pipe fitting.

[0026] To improve the welding versatility and welding quality stability of pipe fittings of different specifications, for example, such as Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the present invention also includes a pressure supply structure comprising a sliding groove 20 formed in the lower arc-shaped seat 4, and a sliding column 21 sealed and slidably connected in the sliding groove 20; the lower end of the middle sliding rod 17 extends into the sliding groove 20 and is fixedly connected to the upper end of the sliding column 21; the sliding groove 20 is filled with hydraulic oil above the sliding column 21, and the sliding groove 20 is connected to a hydraulic hose through an internal hydraulic oil passage, and the hydraulic hose is then connected to two sets of hydraulic telescopic rods 13; The sliding groove 20 has an air outlet 22 on its side wall. The sliding column 21 closes the air outlet 22 in the initial position. The air outlet 22 is connected to the fixed end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 through the internal air passage. When the expansion pad 8 expands, it drives the sliding rod 17 and the sliding column 21 to move upward. The air outlet 22 gradually opens as the sliding column 21 moves upward.

[0027] When in use, the expansion pad 8 expands, causing the slide rod 17 and the rigid support block 18 to move synchronously. The slide rod 17 in the middle pulls the sliding column 21 to move upward along the sliding groove 20, squeezing the hydraulic oil above the sliding column 21. The hydraulic oil is synchronously delivered to the two sets of hydraulic telescopic rods 13 through the internal hydraulic oil passage and hydraulic hose, driving the hydraulic telescopic rods 13 to extend and drive the welding head 15 to move radially. This achieves synchronous adaptive adjustment of the expansion amount and the extension amount of the welding head 15. The smaller the pipe diameter, the larger the expansion stroke of the expansion pad 8, the more hydraulic oil is squeezed out, and the longer the welding head 15 extends. This ensures that pipe fittings of different diameters can maintain the optimal welding distance, effectively solving the problems of easy burn-through in small pipe diameters and insufficient penetration in large pipe diameters. Simultaneously, the upward movement of the sliding column 21 gradually opens the vent gap 22 on the side wall of the sliding groove 20, so that the exhaust channel of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 and the expansion amount of the expansion pad 8 are linked and matched. The smaller the pipe diameter, the larger the opening of the vent gap 22, the smoother the exhaust, the faster the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 resets, and the higher the welding speed, thus avoiding the small pipe diameter from being burned through by heat for a long time. The larger the pipe diameter, the smaller the opening of the vent gap 22, the slower the exhaust, the more stable the reset of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10, and the lower the welding speed, thus ensuring sufficient penetration depth and full weld formation for large pipe diameters. This structure can achieve both radial adaptive positioning and welding speed adaptive adjustment by relying solely on the expansion pad 8, without the need for electrical control, sensors, or manual intervention, thereby improving the welding versatility and welding quality stability of pipe fittings of different specifications.

[0028] To achieve quick locking and unlocking of the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4, for example, as follows: Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the present invention also includes a fixing component comprising pin holes 23 corresponding to the free ends of the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4, the pin holes 23 being threaded and threadedly connected to a locking bolt 24, and the upper end of the locking bolt 24 being provided with a rotating handle 25.

[0029] In use, by setting corresponding pin holes 23 on the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4, and cooperating with the locking bolt 24 with the rotating handle 25, the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4 can be quickly locked and unlocked, making the operation simple and labor-saving.

[0030] For example, such as Figure 4 , Figure 5 As shown, the present invention also includes a pressing valve 26 in both the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4, which connects the expansion pad 8 to the atmosphere; the end of the valve stem 27 of the pressing valve 26 extends horizontally into the pin hole 23 and is provided with a wedge-shaped extrusion surface; when the locking bolt 24 is screwed downward, it extrudes the valve stem 27 to disconnect the expansion pad 8 from the atmosphere.

[0031] When in use, when the upper arc-shaped seat 5 is closed, the locking bolt 24 is screwed into the pin hole 23 and tightened downwards, the bolt head presses the valve stem 27 to close the press valve 26, the air circuit of the expansion pad 8 is disconnected from the atmosphere and a sealed pressure is achieved, ensuring that the expansion pad 8 can reliably expand and clamp the pipe fitting after the air is supplied, without depressurization or failure. After welding is completed, the locking bolt 24 is loosened and removed. The valve stem 27 automatically resets, the pressure valve 26 opens, the gas inside the expansion pad 8 is quickly discharged and automatically depressurized and reset. The workpiece can be quickly released without additional operation. The clamping and unloading efficiency is high, the air circuit control is safe and reliable, and the clamping failure caused by misoperation is avoided.

[0032] To improve the equipment's adaptability and versatility to pipe fittings of different specifications and shapes, for example, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2, Figure 9 As shown, the present invention also includes a positioning moving platform including a transverse slide 28 formed on the workbench 1, a first slide block 29 slidably connected in the transverse slide 28, a first transmission screw 30 rotatably connected in the transverse slide 28, the first transmission screw 30 being threadedly connected to the first slide block 29, and a first drive motor 31 connected to one end of the first transmission screw 30. The upper end of the first slide block 29 is fixedly connected to a longitudinal slide rail 32 perpendicular to the sliding direction of the first slide block 29. A second slide block 33 is slidably connected to the longitudinal slide rail 32. Both ends of the longitudinal slide rail 32 are fixedly connected to sliding frames 34 that are slidably connected to the worktable 1. A second transmission screw 35 is rotatably connected between the two sets of sliding frames 34. The second transmission screw 35 is threadedly connected to the second slide block 33. A second drive motor 36 is fixedly connected to one set of sliding frames 34. The second slide block 33 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower arc-shaped seat 4. Several sets of horizontally positioned positioning rods 37 are provided above the workbench 1. The positioning rods 37 pass through the sliding frame 34 and are slidably connected to the sliding frame 34. The two ends of the positioning rods 37 are fixedly connected to the upper part of the workbench 1 through the fixing plate 38.

[0033] In use, the first drive motor 31 drives the first transmission screw 30 to rotate, which drives the first slide block 29 to move left and right along the transverse slide groove 28 of the worktable 1, thereby realizing the lateral orientation adjustment of the welding clamping assembly. The second drive motor 36 drives the second transmission screw 35 to rotate, which drives the second slide block 33 to move back and forth along the longitudinal slide rail 32, thereby realizing the longitudinal orientation adjustment of the welding clamping assembly. According to the external dimensions, port positions and docking angles of U-shaped, S-shaped and other irregular pipe fittings, the relative distance and posture of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies can be freely adjusted, which greatly improves the equipment's adaptability and versatility to pipe fittings of different specifications and shapes. The positioning rod 37 set above the workbench 1 passes through the sliding frame 34 and forms a sliding guide fit, which effectively limits the swaying and tilting of the sliding frame 34 during the movement process, ensuring that the overall adjustment process is stable and reliable.

[0034] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the present invention also includes an anti-slip lifting handle 3 fixedly connected to the top of the upper arc-shaped seat 5.

[0035] When in use, the non-slip lifting handle 3 allows the operator to easily pull the upper arc-shaped seat 5 to complete the flipping and opening action, effectively improving the convenience of clamping and picking up parts.

[0036] An automated welding method for steel pipe manufacturing, employing the aforementioned automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing, includes the following steps: S1: Measure the specifications of the irregular pipe fitting to be welded, and adjust the position of the welding clamping assembly through the alignment moving platform so that the spacing and orientation of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies are adapted to the welding port position of the irregular pipe fitting. S2: Place the ends of the irregular pipe fittings to be welded and the connecting pipe fittings on the lower arc-shaped seats 4 of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies respectively, so that the ports to be welded are aligned and fit together; S3: Flip the upper arc-shaped seat 5 to align with the lower arc-shaped seat 4, and lock the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4 with the fixing components to complete the clamping and positioning before welding; S4: Air is supplied to the expansion pad 8 and the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welded structure simultaneously through the air inlet connector 9. The expansion pad 8 expands and hugs the outer wall of the pipe fitting. S5: The expansion pad 8 inside the lower arc seat 4 expands and drives the pressure supply structure to move, so that the welding head 15 fits against the outer wall of the pipe fitting, completing the adaptive welding positioning. S6: After clamping and positioning are completed, the gas supply is stopped, the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure automatically retracts and resets, and during the reset process, it drives the welding head 15 to move along the circumference of the pipe fitting, and works with the upper arc seat 5 and the lower arc seat 4 to complete the full circle welding of the docking port. S7: After welding is completed, unlock the fixing components, release the pressure of expansion pad 8 and reset it, then loosen the pipe fittings; S8: Flip open the upper arc-shaped seat 5, take out the welded pipe fitting, and complete one welding operation.

[0037] When using this invention, the specifications of the U-shaped, S-shaped and various irregular-shaped pipe fittings to be welded are measured, and the position of the corresponding welding clamping components is adjusted by the alignment and moving platform. This allows for quick adaptation to the welding port position of the U-shaped, S-shaped and various irregular-shaped pipe fittings, so that the spacing and orientation of the two sets of welding clamping components are adapted to the welding port position of the irregular-shaped pipe fittings. This eliminates the need to replace clamps and adjust the process, significantly improving the equipment's adaptability and production efficiency. The ends of the irregularly shaped pipe fittings to be welded and the connecting pipe fittings are placed on the lower arc-shaped seats 4 of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies, so that the ports to be welded are aligned and fitted together, and the end faces to be welded are all within the arc-shaped welding grooves 6. The upper arc-shaped seat 5 is flipped over to align with the lower arc-shaped seat 4. The locking bolts 24 of the fixing assembly are screwed into the pin holes 23 to lock the free ends of the upper arc-shaped seat 5 and the lower arc-shaped seat 4, completing the clamping and positioning before welding, ensuring the overall structural stability during welding, and preventing the pipe fittings from loosening or shifting. At the same time, when the locking bolts 24 are screwed in, they squeeze the valve stem 27 of the pressure valve 26, disconnecting the expansion pad 8 from the atmosphere, ensuring reliable pressure maintenance after the expansion pad 8 is inflated, and preventing clamping failure due to misoperation. Inert protective gas is simultaneously introduced into the expansion pad 8 and the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure through the air inlet connector 9. After the expansion pad 8 is inflated, it expands and hugs the outer wall of the pipe fitting. The pressure relief valve opening threshold of the expansion pad 8 in the lower arc seat 4 is greater than that of the upper arc seat 5. The lower expansion pad 8 has more sufficient pressure retention and stronger support rigidity. The difference in rigidity between the upper and lower parts is used to realize the automatic centering and coaxiality correction of the pipe fitting. The centering of the port to be welded is ensured from the clamping stage, which solves the problem of uneven weld and unstable welding quality caused by clamping eccentricity. At the same time, the expansion pad 8 in the lower arc seat 4 expands to generate radial thrust, which pushes the slide rod 17 in the positioning hole 16 to move synchronously towards the pipe along the limiting groove 19. The rigid support block 18 at the end of the slide rod 17 extends radially and presses against the outer wall of the steel pipe to be welded, thereby achieving rigid centering support for the lower part of the pipe and further improving the overall stability and coaxiality of the pipe after clamping. The expansion pad 8 expands, causing the middle slide rod 17 to move continuously upward. The slide rod 17 pulls the sliding column 21 to slide upward along the sliding groove 20, squeezing the hydraulic oil above the sliding column 21. Under pressure, the hydraulic oil is synchronously delivered to the two sets of hydraulic telescopic rods 13 through the internal hydraulic oil passage and hydraulic hose, driving the hydraulic telescopic rods 13 to extend. This drives the mounting plate 14 and the welding head 15 to move radially closer to the outer wall of the pipe fitting, achieving synchronous adaptive adjustment of the expansion amount and the radial extension amount of the welding head 15. The smaller the pipe diameter, the larger the expansion stroke of the expansion pad 8, the more hydraulic oil is squeezed out, and the longer the welding head 15 extends. Different pipe diameter welding gaps can be matched without manual preset parameters, avoiding burn-through of small pipe diameters and insufficient penetration of large pipe diameters. Meanwhile, as the sliding column 21 moves upward, the air outlet gap 22 on the side wall of the sliding groove 20 is gradually opened. The air outlet gap 22 is connected to the fixed end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 through the internal air passage, so that the exhaust channel of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 matches the expansion amount of the expansion pad 8. The smaller the pipe diameter, the larger the opening of the air outlet gap 22 and the smoother the exhaust. The larger the pipe diameter, the smaller the opening of the air outlet gap 22 and the slower the exhaust. This provides conditions for the adaptive adjustment of the speed of subsequent circumferential welding. The gas discharged from the expansion pad 8 through the pressure relief valve enters the arc-shaped welding groove 6, forming an inert protective gas curtain, which isolates the air, prevents the weld from oxidizing, and prevents the generation of porosity and cracks, thereby improving the weld formation quality. After clamping and adaptive positioning are completed, the air supply is stopped. The arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 in the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure automatically retracts and resets under air pressure. During the retraction process, the mounting base 12, hydraulic telescopic rod 13 and welding head 15 move in a circle along the pipe end to complete the continuous welding of the entire circle of the butt joint. The reset speed of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod 10 changes adaptively with the opening size of the air outlet gap 22. Small-diameter pipes are welded quickly to prevent burn-through, and large-diameter pipes are welded slowly to maintain the penetration depth, thus improving welding efficiency and weld formation consistency. After welding is completed, the locking bolt 24 is unscrewed, the valve stem 27 of the pressure valve 26 is automatically reset, the pressure valve 26 is opened, the gas inside the expansion pad 8 is quickly discharged and automatically depressurized and reset, the expansion pad 8 contracts and loosens the pipe fitting, and the workpiece can be quickly released without additional operation, with high clamping and unloading efficiency, which is suitable for the needs of efficient and automated production; the upper arc seat 5 is opened by flipping the anti-slip lifting handle 3 on the top of the upper arc seat 5, and the welded pipe fitting is taken out, completing one welding operation.

[0038] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing, characterized in that, It includes a workbench (1) and two sets of welding clamping assemblies set on the workbench (1). The two sets of welding clamping assemblies are connected to the workbench (1) through a fixed seat (2) and an alignment moving platform, respectively. The welding clamping assembly includes a lower arc-shaped seat (4) and an upper arc-shaped seat (5) that are mutually opposed. One end of the upper arc-shaped seat (5) is hinged to the lower arc-shaped seat (4) and can be flipped open and closed. A fixing component for locking is provided between the free ends of the upper arc-shaped seat (5) and the lower arc-shaped seat (4). Both the lower arc-shaped seat (4) and the upper arc-shaped seat (5) are provided with arc-shaped welding grooves (6) in the middle. The arc-shaped welding grooves (6) are provided with multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. Welding heads (15) are installed on the multi-stage telescopic arc-shaped welding structures. Both the lower arc-shaped seat (4) and the upper arc-shaped seat (5) are provided with two sets of mounting grooves (7) on their inner sides. Both mounting grooves (7) are provided with expansion pads (8). The expansion pads (8) are connected to the arc-shaped welding grooves (6) through pressure relief valves. The expansion pads (8) in the lower arc-shaped seat (4) are connected to the arc-shaped welding grooves (6) through pressure relief valves. The opening threshold of the pressure relief valve connected to the upper arc seat (5) is greater than the opening threshold of the pressure relief valve connected to the expansion pad (8) inside the upper arc seat (5); the upper arc seat (5) and the lower arc seat (4) are both provided with air inlet connectors (9), which are connected to the expansion pad (8) and the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure; the inner side of the mounting groove (7) is provided with a pressure supply structure for adjusting the radial position of the welding head (15) of the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure, and the pressure supply structure is driven to supply pressure when the expansion pad (8) expands.

2. The automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure includes several sets of arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rods (10) that telescopic along the same annular direction. The arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rods (10) are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the arc welding groove (6) through the connecting seat (11). The extended end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod (10) is fixedly connected to the mounting seat (12). The mounting seat (12) is provided with a hydraulic telescopic rod (13). The output end of the hydraulic telescopic rod (13) is fixedly connected to the mounting plate (14). The mounting plate (14) is equipped with a welding head (15).

3. The automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing according to claim 2, characterized in that, The expansion pad (8) inside the lower arc-shaped seat (4) is provided with several positioning holes (16) arranged along the arc direction. A slide rod (17) is slidably connected in the positioning hole (16). A rigid support block (18) is fixedly provided at one end of the slide rod (17) located inside the expansion pad (8). A limiting groove (19) communicating with the positioning hole (16) is opened in the lower arc-shaped seat (4). The slide rod (17) and the limiting groove (19) are sealed and slidably connected.

4. The automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing according to claim 3, characterized in that, The pressure supply structure includes a sliding groove (20) opened in the lower arc-shaped seat (4), and a sliding column (21) is sealed and slidably connected in the sliding groove (20); the lower end of the middle sliding rod (17) extends into the sliding groove (20) and is fixedly connected to the upper end of the sliding column (21); the sliding groove (20) is filled with hydraulic oil above the sliding column (21), and the sliding groove (20) is connected to a hydraulic hose through an internal hydraulic oil passage, and the hydraulic hose is then connected to two sets of hydraulic telescopic rods (13); The sliding groove (20) has an air outlet gap (22) on its side wall. The sliding column (21) closes the air outlet gap (22) in the initial position. The air outlet gap (22) is connected to the fixed end of the arc-shaped multi-stage telescopic rod (10) through the internal air passage. When the expansion pad (8) expands, it drives the sliding rod (17) and the sliding column (21) to move upward. The air outlet gap (22) gradually opens as the sliding column (21) moves upward.

5. The automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fixing component includes pin holes (23) corresponding to the free ends of the upper arc-shaped seat (5) and the lower arc-shaped seat (4). The pin holes (23) are threaded and threaded with locking bolts (24). The upper end of the locking bolts (24) is provided with a rotating handle (25).

6. The automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the upper arc-shaped seat (5) and the lower arc-shaped seat (4) are equipped with a press valve (26) that connects the expansion pad (8) to the atmosphere; the end of the valve stem (27) of the press valve (26) extends horizontally into the pin hole (23) and is provided with a wedge-shaped extrusion surface; when the locking bolt (24) is screwed down, it extrudes the valve stem (27) to disconnect the expansion pad (8) from the atmosphere.

7. An automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing according to claim 6, characterized in that, The alignment moving platform includes a transverse slide (28) opened on the workbench (1), a first slide block (29) is slidably connected in the transverse slide (28), a first transmission screw (30) is rotatably connected in the transverse slide (28), the first transmission screw (30) is threadedly connected to the first slide block (29), and a first drive motor (31) is connected to one end of the first transmission screw (30). The upper end of the first slide (29) is fixedly connected to a longitudinal slide rail (32) perpendicular to the sliding direction of the first slide (29). The second slide (33) is slidably connected to the longitudinal slide rail (32). The two ends of the longitudinal slide rail (32) are fixedly connected to sliding frames (34) that are slidably connected to the worktable (1). The two sets of sliding frames (34) are rotatably connected to a second transmission screw (35). The second transmission screw (35) is threadedly connected to the second slide (33). A second drive motor (36) is fixedly connected to one set of sliding frames (34). The second slide (33) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the lower arc-shaped seat (4). Several sets of horizontally positioned positioning rods (37) are provided above the workbench (1). The positioning rods (37) pass through the sliding frame (34) and are slidably connected to the sliding frame (34). The two ends of the positioning rods (37) are fixedly connected to the upper part of the workbench (1) through the fixing plate (38).

8. An automated welding system for steel pipe manufacturing according to claim 7, characterized in that, The top of the upper arc-shaped seat (5) is fixedly connected to a non-slip lifting handle (3).

9. An automated welding method for steel pipe manufacturing according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Measure the specifications of the irregular pipe fitting to be welded, and adjust the position of the welding clamping assembly through the alignment moving platform so that the spacing and orientation of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies are adapted to the welding port position of the irregular pipe fitting. S2: Place the ends of the irregular pipe fittings to be welded and the connecting pipe fittings on the lower arc-shaped seats (4) of the two sets of welding clamping assemblies respectively, so that the ports to be welded are aligned and fit together; S3: Flip the upper arc seat (5) and lower arc seat (4) to align, and lock the upper arc seat (5) and lower arc seat (4) with the fixing components to complete the clamping and positioning before welding; S4: Air is supplied to the expansion pad (8) and the multi-stage telescopic arc welded structure simultaneously through the air inlet connector (9), and the expansion pad (8) expands and hugs the outer wall of the pipe fitting; S5: The expansion pad (8) inside the lower arc seat (4) expands and drives the pressure supply structure to move, so that the welding head (15) fits against the outer wall of the pipe fitting, and completes the adaptive welding positioning. S6: After clamping and positioning are completed, the gas supply is stopped, the multi-stage telescopic arc welding structure automatically retracts and resets, and during the reset process, the welding head (15) moves along the circumference of the pipe fitting, and works with the upper arc seat (5) and the lower arc seat (4) to complete the full circle welding of the docking port; S7: After welding is completed, unlock the fixing components, depressurize and reset the expansion pad (8), and loosen the pipe fittings; S8: Flip open the upper arc seat (5), take out the welded pipe fitting, and complete one welding operation.

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