A combustion chamber shell welding self-adaptive clamping device and method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of combustion chamber shell welding adaptive clamping device and method, belong to high-energy beam welding technical field.The device includes shell fixed component, rotating component, automatic centering component and clamping size control component.Shell fixed component is the base of entire clamping device, rotating component is installed on shell fixed component, automatic centering component is installed on shell fixed component and rotating component.The present application is used to realize the assembly of combustion chamber shell before welding parts, can be adapted to different sizes of parts to be welded, greatly reduce the number of tooling required for multi-model welding assembly, reduce the material cost of tooling processing, simple assembly method can further improve assembly efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an adaptive clamping device and method for welding combustion chamber shells, belonging to the field of high-energy beam welding technology. Background Technology

[0002] The combustion chamber shell is a key component of the solid rocket engine combustion chamber. It plays an important role in withstanding high-pressure environments, providing space for fuel pouring, and connecting the front and rear sections. It typically has multiple circumferential welds, with the centers of each weld located on the same straight line but not concentrically arranged. For solid rocket engines, the quality of the combustion chamber shell directly determines the engine's performance and safety.

[0003] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a typical combustion chamber shell structure. The two ends are the front connector 1 and the rear connector 3, with the middle section being a spun cylindrical body 2. The various parts are connected using laser welding or electron beam welding. The weld between the parts is called a circumferential weld. During the welding process of the combustion chamber shell, the welded edges of each part must be reliably fixed and accurately aligned, with no gaps between the joints and the cylindrical body, and no misalignment during welding. Therefore, welding clamping is difficult. Existing clamping methods use different clamping fixtures according to different joint interface sizes, employing a "1-to-1" clamping mode, which has the disadvantages of low applicability and low raw material utilization. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem solved by this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and propose an adaptive clamping device and method for welding combustion chamber shells, which can simultaneously meet the clamping requirements for welding multiple joint interface sizes, reduce raw material losses caused by multiple tooling designs, and improve welding clamping efficiency.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is: An adaptive clamping device for welding combustion chamber shells includes a shell fixing assembly, a rotating assembly, an automatic centering assembly, and a clamping size control assembly; The housing fixing assembly is a circular plate structure with a central through hole at the center of the upper surface. An annular groove with the central through hole as the center is provided on the outer side of the central through hole. N bearing groups are evenly distributed on the annular groove, and an annular track is opened in the connection area on both sides of the bearing groups. N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 3. N axial blind holes are opened on the outer side of the annular groove. All axial blind holes are located on the same circumference with the central through hole as the center. The clamping size control component includes a handle and a transmission component, with one end of the transmission component connected to the handle and the other end connected to the upper surface of the rotating component; The rotating component has a ring structure. The upper surface of the rotating component has N through holes, and the lower surface is fixed with N guide rails. Each guide rail is placed on a ring track. The automatic centering assembly includes N rotating rockers and N guide sleeves; each guide sleeve is axially connected to a through hole of the rotating assembly; each rotating rocker is fitted in a guide sleeve, one end of the rotating rocker is a rotating end and the other end is a clamping end, the rotating end is connected to an axial blind hole of the housing fixing assembly; the clamping ends of all rotating rockers form an inscribed circle for fixing the combustion chamber housing to be welded.

[0006] Furthermore, the transmission component includes gears, transmission shafts, rack-like structures, and bearings; The drive shaft is fixed to the housing fixing assembly; The gear is mounted on the drive shaft and connected to the handle via a bearing; The rack-like structure is fixed to the upper surface of the rotating component and located between two through holes of the rotating component; the rack-like structure meshes with the gear. Turning the handle causes the gear to rotate, and the rack-like mechanism rotates with the gear, causing the rotating component to rotate around the central through hole of the housing fixing component. Each guide sleeve installed on the rotating component moves together with the rotating component, and the rotating ends of all the rotating rockers move around their respective connection points with the housing fixing component. The inscribed circle formed by the clamping ends contracts or expands, clamping the combustion chamber housing to be welded.

[0007] Furthermore, the rack-like structure is integrally machined with the rotating component and distributed between the two rotating rockers, with the arc length corresponding to an angle of 30°~40°.

[0008] Furthermore, the radial width of the rack-like structure is smaller than the width of the rotating component, so it does not interfere with the movement of the rotating rocker.

[0009] Furthermore, the clamping size control component is also provided with spring retaining rings, which are installed at both ends of the drive shaft near the end face to limit the axial movement of the bearing and the drive shaft.

[0010] Furthermore, the handle rotates clockwise and counterclockwise, with limits set in both directions. The positions of the limits correspond to the maximum or minimum points of the inscribed circle formed by the rotating rocker clamping ends.

[0011] Furthermore, the annular groove is provided with V-shaped bosses on both sides of the bearing assembly. The outer circumferential surface of the bearing assembly and the adjacent V-shaped bosses together form an annular track. The guide rail has a centrally symmetrical dovetail structure and is rolledly connected to the annular track.

[0012] Furthermore, the housing fixing assembly has multiple ventilation holes inside the annular groove to facilitate vacuuming during electron beam welding, while also reducing weight.

[0013] A method for assembling a combustion chamber shell before welding, employing an adaptive clamping device for combustion chamber shell welding, includes: The front connector, spinning cylinder, and rear connector that make up the combustion chamber shell to be welded are placed on the assembly platform, and the adjacent components are pre-connected with alignment rings to make the welding positions align. After the connecting mandrel passes through the shaft of the combustion chamber housing to be welded, both ends of the connecting mandrel pass through the central through hole of the housing fixing assembly on the self-adaptive clamping device. The ends of the connecting mandrel are pre-connected with nuts. For each adaptive clamping device, the following clamping and automatic centering operations are performed: Turn the handle, and the handle drives the gear to rotate. The rack-like component that meshes with the gear drives the rotating component to rotate. When the rotating component rotates, it drives all the guide sleeves to move together. The movement of the guide sleeves causes the rotating end of the rotating rocker to move around the connection with the housing fixing component at the same time, while the clamping end contracts or expands at the same time, thereby clamping the outer periphery of the part to be welded. Tighten the nuts at both ends of the connecting mandrel, and axially tighten the combustion chamber shell to be welded to complete the installation.

[0014] Furthermore, the connecting mandrel is a spliced, adjustable-length structure with threads at both ends; the alignment ring is a two-half structure with its inner hole matching the outer diameter of the combustion chamber shell to be welded, used to control the assembly accuracy of the position to be welded.

[0015] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are: (1) This invention proposes an adaptive clamping device for welding combustion chamber shell. The device has a reasonable structural design, is simple and highly applicable. It improves upon the shortcomings of traditional clamping fixtures that can only clamp products with fixed model and interface size. By controlling the position and angle of the rotating rocker, the clamping size can be freely changed. It is suitable for clamping products of different models and interface sizes, effectively solving the problem of frequent replacement of clamping fixtures due to changes in product specifications, and improving material utilization and assembly efficiency.

[0016] (2) In the automatic centering component of the device proposed in this invention, the rotating rocker and the housing fixing component are connected by a bearing. One end is the rotating end, and the free end is the clamping end, which is used to clamp the parts to be welded. The three rotating rockers can rotate around their respective rotating ends, thereby achieving the purpose of contraction or expansion of the inscribed circle formed by the three clamping ends. The rotation of the rotating component can drive the three rotating rockers to move synchronously, thereby realizing the automatic centering function and enabling rapid assembly.

[0017] (3) The device proposed in this invention has a simple structure, strong versatility, low requirements for material performance, and key load-bearing components can be replaced at any time according to the usage conditions, making it easy to maintain.

[0018] (4) The method proposed in this invention mainly changes the structure of the clamping fixture in the traditional clamping method. It is simple to operate, easy to assemble, can further improve the welding assembly quality, and the universal design can be adapted to clamping of products of different specifications and models. It has high flexibility and operability, can further improve assembly efficiency, and reduce the design time and material loss caused by new product specifications. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a typical combustion chamber shell structure; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the adaptive clamping device for welding the combustion chamber shell according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the front structure of the housing fixing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rear structure of the housing fixing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating component structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic centering component structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the clamping size control component structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the housing assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the alignment ring used in the assembly process of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the mandrel used in the assembly of an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0021] This invention proposes an adaptive clamping device for welding combustion chamber shells, capable of clamping products with a diameter of 400mm or less. The device includes a shell fixing assembly, a rotating assembly, an automatic centering assembly, and a clamping size control assembly. The shell fixing assembly serves as the base of the entire clamping device, the rotating assembly is mounted on the shell fixing assembly, and the automatic centering assembly is mounted on both the shell fixing assembly and the rotating assembly.

[0022] Housing fixing components such as Figure 3 As shown, one side has an annular groove 4, on which three bearing assemblies 5 are evenly distributed for mounting the rotating component; three axial blind holes are provided at 120° intervals near the circumference, and bearings 6 are installed inside the blind holes for connecting with the rotating rocker arm 14 in the automatic centering component. Four vent holes 7 are also evenly distributed, and a connecting hole 8 is provided in the center. The vent holes 7 facilitate vacuuming for electron beam welding and also contribute to weight reduction. The connecting hole 8 connects the device to the product to be welded via a mandrel. Figure 8 As shown. A through hole 9 is provided near the outer circle of the housing fixing assembly. A countersunk hole is opened on the other side of the through hole 9, and a bearing 16 is installed inside. Figure 4 As shown, it is used to connect with the rotating handle 22.

[0023] As a preferred embodiment, the bearing groups are distributed circumferentially at 120° intervals, with a total of 4 bearings 5 ​​in each group. The outer circumferential surface of the bearings and the adjacent V-shaped bosses 10 form an annular track. The symmetrical dovetail guide rails 11 on the rotating assembly are mounted on the annular track, allowing rotation around the central axis of the housing fixing assembly via the annular track. The through hole 9 connects the front gear 18 and the rear rotating handle 22 through the drive shaft 19 and the bearing 16.

[0024] Rotating components such as Figure 5 As shown, three symmetrical dovetail-shaped guide rails 11 are evenly distributed around the center and can rotate freely around the central axis on the annular track of the housing fixing assembly. At the same time, three through holes are distributed at 120° intervals on their end faces, and bearings 12 are installed inside them. They are connected to the guide sleeve 15 in the automatic centering assembly. The connection method is to use the bearings 12 for engagement. A rack-like structure 13 is set between two of the through holes for clamping size control.

[0025] Automatic centering components such as Figure 6As shown, the assembly includes three rotating rocker arms 14 and three guide sleeves 15. The rotating end of each rocker arm 14 is mounted on a bearing 6 with a blind hole in the central axis of the housing fixing assembly, while the free end is used to clamp the holding end of the part to be welded. The three rotating rocker arms 14 can rotate freely around their mounting positions, thereby achieving the purpose of contraction or expansion of the inscribed circle formed by the three clamping ends, adapting to the pre-welding clamping of rotating parts with different diameters. Each guide sleeve 15 is mounted on bearings 12 distributed circumferentially on the rotating assembly and can rotate freely around its mounting center. The rotating rocker arms 14 pass through the guide sleeves 15, and the rotation of the rotating assembly allows the sleeves 15 to translate and slide relative to the rocker arms 14 within their entire length. The rotation of the rotating rocker arms 14, the housing fixing assembly, and the guide sleeves 15 with the rotating assembly is all achieved through bearings.

[0026] Clamping dimension control components such as Figure 7 As shown, it includes a rack-like structure 13, a gear 18, a rotating handle 22, a drive shaft 19, a spring retaining ring 17, a spring retaining ring 20, and a locking device 21. It adopts a rack-like transmission. The gear 18 is mounted on the drive shaft 19, which passes through the through hole 9 of the housing fixing component. It is connected to the rotating handle 22 and the locking device 21 on the back side through the bearing 16. The rack-like structure 13 is integrally machined with the rotating component and is distributed between the two rotating rockers 14. The arc length of the distribution corresponds to an angle of about 30°~40°.

[0027] Rack-like structure 13 is mounted on the rotating assembly, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the radial width is smaller than the width of the rotating component, so it does not interfere with the movement of the rotating rocker arm 14 and meshes with the gear 18 for transmission; the drive shaft 19 is mounted on the housing fixing component, with one end connected to the gear 18 and the other end connected to the rotating handle 22. The drive shaft 19 and the fixing component rotate through the bearing 16; the spring retaining ring 17 is installed at both ends of the drive shaft 13 near the end face to limit the axial movement of the bearing 16 and the drive shaft 19; the locking device 21 is installed below the rotating handle 22 and is used to lock the drive shaft 19 when the rotating handle 22 is turned to the appropriate position.

[0028] The locking device 21 functions as follows: when the rotating handle 22 is pulled upwards, it can rotate freely; when it is pressed downwards, it locks. The rotating handle 22 has limits set in both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations, with the corresponding positions being the maximum or minimum of the inscribed circle formed by the rotating rocker arm 14.

[0029] The connecting core rod has a spliced ​​structure, such as Figure 10 As shown, the length can be adjusted by splicing multiple segments. The two ends of the mandrel have a threaded structure and can be fixed with nuts by passing through the center hole of the housing fixing component.

[0030] The alignment ring has a "two-half" structure, such as... Figure 9As shown, the inner hole is usually designed to match the outer diameter of the product to be welded, mainly to control the assembly accuracy of the welding position.

[0031] The pre-welding assembly of the solid rocket motor combustor shell is mainly accomplished through a combustor shell welding adaptive clamping device, a connecting mandrel, and an alignment ring. By adjusting the gear rotation, the center of the product to be welded is automatically determined through the movement of the rotating assembly and the automatic centering assembly, and then the assembly is achieved by axial tensioning of the connecting mandrel. Therefore, based on the combustor shell welding adaptive clamping device proposed in this invention, the method for adaptive clamping of the combustor shell pre-welding assembly is as follows: Step 1: First, gather all the parts to be welded. Place the front connector 1, the spinning cylinder 2, and the rear connector 3 on the assembly platform. Use the alignment ring to pre-connect the adjacent parts to be welded. That is, fit the inner hole of the alignment ring to the outer diameter of the position where the front connector and the cylinder or the rear connector and the cylinder need to be connected. Then, by shrinking, the welding positions of the two parts are aligned.

[0032] Step 2: Pass the connecting mandrel through the shaft of the product to be welded, and through the center holes of the self-adaptive clamping device at both ends. Pre-connect using nuts, as shown below. Figure 8 As shown.

[0033] Step 3: Rotate the rotating handle 22 in the clamping size control assembly. The rotating handle 22 drives the gear 18 to rotate. The gear 18 meshes with the rack-like gear 13 installed on the rotating assembly, thereby causing the rotating assembly to rotate. When the rotating assembly rotates, it will drive the guide sleeve 15 installed on it to move together. Since the rotating end of the rotating rocker 14 is connected to the housing fixing assembly, it can rotate around the connection point. The clamping end passes through the sleeve 15. Therefore, when the rotating assembly drives the sleeve 15 to move, the rotating ends of the three rotating rockers 14 will move around the connection point with the housing fixing assembly at the same time, while the clamping ends will contract or expand at the same time, thereby achieving the clamping or loosening of the product to be welded. When the inscribed circle formed by the three rotating rockers 7 can be inserted into the outer circumference of the front or rear connector, the locking device 21 is used to fix the current position of the rotating rocker 14. The same operation is performed on the device of the present invention installed on the other end.

[0034] Step 4: Since welding generally involves welding three or more rotating structures into one piece, it requires two sets of the present invention's devices to assemble all parts together in a "sandwich"-like structure. In order to prevent loosening, it is also necessary to fix the installed front connector, cylinder, and rear connector. Therefore, it is necessary to tighten the nuts at both ends of the mandrel 23 and axially tighten the product to be welded to complete the installation.

[0035] In summary, the adaptive clamping device and method for welding combustion chamber shell proposed in this invention are used to assemble pre-welding parts of combustion chamber shell. The adaptive clamping device can adapt to the pre-welding assembly of parts of different sizes, which can significantly reduce the number of tooling required for multi-model welding assembly, reduce the material cost of tooling processing, and the simple assembly method can further improve assembly efficiency.

[0036] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. Ordinary variations and substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-adaptive clamping device for welding combustion chamber shells, characterized in that, Includes housing fixing components, rotating components, automatic centering components, and clamping size control components; The housing fixing assembly is a circular plate structure with a central through hole at the center of the upper surface. An annular groove with the central through hole as the center is provided on the outer side of the central through hole. N bearing groups are evenly distributed on the annular groove, and an annular track is opened in the connection area on both sides of the bearing groups. N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 3. N axial blind holes are opened on the outer side of the annular groove. All axial blind holes are located on the same circumference with the central through hole as the center. The clamping size control component includes a handle and a transmission component, with one end of the transmission component connected to the handle and the other end connected to the upper surface of the rotating component; The rotating component has a ring structure. The upper surface of the rotating component has N through holes, and the lower surface is fixed with N guide rails. Each guide rail is placed on a ring track. The automatic centering assembly includes N rotating rockers and N guide sleeves; each guide sleeve is axially connected to a through hole of the rotating assembly; each rotating rocker is fitted in a guide sleeve, one end of the rotating rocker is a rotating end and the other end is a clamping end, the rotating end is connected to an axial blind hole of the housing fixing assembly; the clamping ends of all rotating rockers form an inscribed circle for fixing the combustion chamber housing to be welded.

2. The adaptive clamping device for welding a combustion chamber shell according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transmission components include gears, drive shafts, rack-like structures, and bearings; The drive shaft is fixed to the housing fixing assembly; The gear is mounted on the drive shaft and connected to the handle via a bearing; The rack-like structure is fixed to the upper surface of the rotating component and located between two through holes of the rotating component; the rack-like structure meshes with the gear. Turning the handle causes the gear to rotate, and the rack-like mechanism rotates with the gear, causing the rotating component to rotate around the central through hole of the housing fixing component. Each guide sleeve installed on the rotating component moves together with the rotating component, and the rotating ends of all the rotating rockers move around their respective connection points with the housing fixing component. The inscribed circle formed by the clamping ends contracts or expands, clamping the combustion chamber housing to be welded.

3. The adaptive clamping device for welding a combustion chamber shell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rack-like structure is integrally machined with the rotating component and is distributed between the two rotating rockers, with the arc length corresponding to an angle of 30°~40°.

4. The adaptive clamping device for welding a combustion chamber shell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The radial width of the rack-like structure is smaller than the width of the rotating component, so it does not interfere with the movement of the rotating rocker.

5. The adaptive clamping device for welding a combustion chamber shell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The clamping size control component is also equipped with spring retaining rings, which are installed at both ends of the drive shaft near the end face to limit the axial movement of the bearing and the drive shaft.

6. The adaptive clamping device for welding a combustion chamber shell according to claim 2, characterized in that, The handle rotates clockwise and counterclockwise, with limits set in both directions. The position of the limit corresponds to the maximum or minimum point of the inscribed circle formed by the rotating rocker clamping end.

7. The adaptive clamping device for welding combustion chamber shell according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annular groove is provided with V-shaped bosses on both sides of the bearing assembly. The outer circumferential surface of the bearing assembly and the adjacent V-shaped bosses together form an annular track. The guide rail has a centrally symmetrical dovetail structure and is rolledly connected to the annular track.

8. The adaptive clamping device for welding a combustion chamber shell according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing fixing assembly has multiple ventilation holes inside the annular groove, which facilitates vacuuming during electron beam welding and also reduces weight.

9. A method for assembling a combustion chamber shell before welding, employing the adaptive clamping device for welding a combustion chamber shell as described in claim 2, characterized in that, include: The front connector, spinning cylinder, and rear connector that make up the combustion chamber shell to be welded are placed on the assembly platform, and the adjacent components are pre-connected with alignment rings to make the welding positions align. After the connecting mandrel passes through the shaft of the combustion chamber housing to be welded, both ends of the connecting mandrel pass through the central through hole of the housing fixing assembly on the self-adaptive clamping device. The ends of the connecting mandrel are pre-connected with nuts. For each adaptive clamping device, the following clamping and automatic centering operations are performed: Turn the handle, and the handle drives the gear to rotate. The rack-like component that meshes with the gear drives the rotating component to rotate. When the rotating component rotates, it drives all the guide sleeves to move together. The movement of the guide sleeves causes the rotating end of the rotating rocker to move around the connection with the housing fixing component at the same time, while the clamping end contracts or expands at the same time, thereby clamping the outer periphery of the part to be welded. Tighten the nuts at both ends of the connecting mandrel, and axially tighten the combustion chamber shell to be welded to complete the installation.

10. The method for assembling a combustion chamber shell before welding according to claim 9, characterized in that, The connecting mandrel is a spliced, adjustable-length structure with threads at both ends; the alignment ring is a two-half structure with its inner hole matching the outer diameter of the combustion chamber shell to be welded, used to control the assembly accuracy of the position to be welded.

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