Guide rail, guide rail structure, guide rail installation method, and structure welding method

Abstract

To provide a guide rail of which manufacture and installation are easy, a guide rail structure, a guide rail installation method, and a structure welding method.SOLUTION: A guide rail 1 is installed on a metal structure 100. The guide rail 1 has a rail body 10, and a connection part 20 which is located at at least one end in a longer direction of the rail body 10. The connection part 20 has a hole penetrating in a plate thickness direction of the rail body 10. A guide rail structure 200 is a guide rail structure in which a plurality of the above-said guide rails 1 are installed along a surface of a structure and are connected, and has: a first guide rail 210 and a second guide rail 220; and a movable part 230. The movable part 230 can change an angle of the second rail 220 to the first guide rail 210 with a connection member 40 as a rotary shaft.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a guide rail, a guide rail structure, a guide rail installation method, and a method for welding a structure. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, welding of structures such as spherical tanks has relied on manual welding due to the lack of suitable guide rails that fit along the spherical shell. The guide rails of welding equipment used in such structures must be attached to the spherical shell surface.

[0003] In order to form curved tanks and the like by welding, for example, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a guide rail for a welding machine or the like is formed by stacking a large number of thin rail members of a fixed shape, and a flexible rod-shaped connecting core is fitted into the stacked rail members to fasten the guide rail so that it can be bent into a desired shape. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 4-48559 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the guide rail described in Patent Document 1, rail members are connected with flexible rod-shaped connecting core members to form a flexible guide rail, but the connecting core members are parts made of complex composite materials, and a large number of rail members are required, which creates the problem that manufacturing and installation are not easy.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a guide rail, a guide rail structure, a guide rail installation method, and a method for welding a structure that are easy to manufacture and install. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A guide rail according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a guide rail that is installed along the surface of a metal structure, and has a strip-shaped, plate-shaped rail body and a connection portion that is arranged at at least one end of the rail body in the longitudinal direction, and the connection portion has a hole that penetrates the rail body in the thickness direction. Furthermore, a guide rail structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a guide rail structure in which a plurality of the guide rails are arranged and connected along the surface of the structure, and includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail as the guide rails, and a movable part that connects the first guide rail and the second guide rail so that they can move relative to each other, wherein the movable part is configured such that a predetermined gap is provided between the first guide rail and the second guide rail, and a connecting member passes through the hole in the first guide rail and the hole in the second guide rail, and the movable part is configured such that the angle of the second guide rail relative to the first guide rail can be changed using the connecting member as a rotation axis. Furthermore, a guide rail installation method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a guide rail installation method for installing the guide rail along the surface of the structure, and includes a first attachment process for attaching a first guide rail as the guide rail to the structure, a second attachment process for attaching a second guide rail as the guide rail to the structure, and a connection process for connecting the first guide rail attached to the structure and the second guide rail attached to the structure via a movable part formed by a predetermined gap provided between the first guide rail and the second guide rail and a connecting member passing through the hole of the first guide rail and the hole of the second guide rail, and in the connection process, the angle of the second guide rail relative to the first guide rail is changed using the connecting member as a rotation axis. Furthermore, a guide rail installation method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a guide rail installation method for installing the guide rail along the surface of the structure, and includes a connection process for connecting a first guide rail and a second guide rail as the guide rails via a movable part formed by a predetermined gap provided between the first guide rail and the second guide rail and a connecting member passing through the hole of the first guide rail and the hole of the second guide rail, and an attachment process for attaching the first guide rail and the second guide rail in a connected state to the structure, wherein in the attachment process, with the first guide rail and the second guide rail in a connected state attached to the surface of the structure, the angle of the second guide rail relative to the first guide rail is changed using the connecting member as a rotation axis. In addition, a method for welding a structure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an installation process for installing a guide rail structure having the first guide rail, the second guide rail, and the movable part along a curved weld line of the structure by a guide rail installation method, an apparatus installation process for attaching a welding apparatus to the installed guide rail structure, and a welding process for welding the weld line while the welding apparatus is guided by the guide rail structure. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present disclosure can provide a guide rail, a guide rail structure, a guide rail installation method, and a method for welding a structure that are easy to manufacture and install. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the guide rail structure of this embodiment installed in a spherical tank. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a basic guide rail of the present embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a first end portion guide rail of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a guide rail for a second end portion of the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the guide rail structure of the present embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a plan view of the guide rail structure of the present embodiment, showing a state in which the angle of the second guide rail relative to the first guide rail about the axis of the bolt is changed. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the guide rail structure of the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the guide rail structure of this embodiment is installed in a spherical tank and a welding device is attached to the guide rail structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of a guide rail 1, a guide rail structure 200, a guide rail installation method, and a structure welding method according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] The guide rail 1 and guide rail structure 200 of the present disclosure are to be installed in a structure. The structure may be, for example, a pressure vessel or a spherical tank. In this embodiment, the structure is a spherical tank 100. However, the structure is not limited to the spherical tank 100.

[0012] The structure on which the guide rail is installed is made of metal. The structure is preferably made of a metal material that can be welded. It is more preferable that the structure is made of a ferromagnetic material (a material to which a magnet is magnetically attracted). The structure is constructed, for example, by welding together the joints (weld lines 110) between multiple metal plates. When joining multiple metal plates by welding, a mechanism is required to move the welding device 120 along the weld lines 110. It is preferable to use steel plates, for example, as the metal plates. Note that the structure is not limited to being made solely of metal, as long as it includes a metal part in part (for example, the part to be welded). The following describes the case where the structure is a spherical tank 100. However, as mentioned above, the structure is not limited to the spherical tank 100. It is preferable that the structure has at least a part of a three-dimensional rounded shape. For example, the structure may be a cylindrical container.

[0013] In the following, a case will be described in which the device guided by the guide rail 1 is a device (welding device) that welds a weld line, but the guide rail 1 of the present disclosure is not limited to cases in which it guides a welding device. The device guided by the guide rail 1 may be an inspection device or a heat treatment device. In the following, when the device guided by the guide rail 1 is an inspection device or a heat treatment device, the line described as a weld line may be, for example, a processing line where inspection or heat treatment is performed, and is not limited to a weld line.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, the spherical tank 100 has multiple steel plates and multiple weld lines 110. Here, the weld lines 110 refer to the joints between the multiple steel plates that require welding. In other words, the weld lines 110 represent the boundaries between the steel plates. There are no limitations on the size of the spherical tank 100, but it is preferable that the diameter be 2.5 m or more, and it may be, for example, 15 m.

[0015] In the method for welding a structure according to this embodiment, a guide rail structure 200 is installed along a welding line 110 of a structure (spherical tank 100), and the welding line 110 is welded while a welding device 120 is guided along the guide rail structure 200. The method for welding a structure will be described in detail later.

[0016] The guide rail structure 200 of the present disclosure will be described below. The guide rail structure 200 of this embodiment is configured by arranging and connecting a plurality of guide rails 1 along the surface of the spherical tank 100. First, the configuration of the guide rail 1 will be described.

[0017] FIG. 2 shows the guide rail 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the guide rail 1 of this embodiment has a strip-shaped, plate-shaped rail body 10, a connection portion 20 arranged at at least one end of the rail body 10 in the longitudinal direction, and magnets 30 provided at two locations on the surface of the rail body 10.

[0018] The rail body 10 is strip-shaped and plate-shaped. Here, strip-shaped refers to a long, narrow rectangular shape with a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction. The corners of the rail body may be rounded. Plate-shaped refers to a shape in which the size in the thickness direction (the direction perpendicular to both the longitudinal and lateral directions) is smaller than the size in each of the longitudinal and lateral directions. The rail main body 10 may also be provided with a plurality of first holes 31 through which bolts B can be inserted. In this embodiment, the first holes 31 are provided for installing magnets 30, which will be described later, on the surface of the rail main body 10. Note that the first holes 31 are not limited to being inserted with bolts B, and may instead be inserted with rivets, for example.

[0019] The material of the rail body 10 is not particularly limited as long as it is heat resistant. The material of the rail body 10 preferably has a heat resistance temperature of 60°C or higher. The material of the rail body 10 may be metal such as steel, stainless steel, or aluminum alloy, or may be heat resistant fiber reinforced plastic (FRP). In this embodiment, the rail body 10 is a metal plate. In the case where a structure has, for example, a spherical shell surface, from the viewpoint of following the curvature of the surface, the material is preferably one that can bend in the thickness direction, such as spring steel. The specific size and thickness of the rail body 10 are not limited. From the viewpoint of ease of attachment to the spherical tank 100 and ease of handling, the longitudinal length of the rail body 10 may be, for example, 300 mm. The lateral length of the rail body 10 may be, for example, 45 mm. When attaching the rail body 10 to the spherical tank 100, from the viewpoint of following the curvature of the spherical shell surface of the spherical tank 100, the thickness of the rail body 10 is preferably 4 mm or less, and may be, for example, 1.5 mm.

[0020] In this embodiment, the connection portion 20 refers to a portion that constitutes the movable portion 230, which will be described later. Specifically, the connection portion 20 collectively refers to the second hole 21, the protrusion 22, and the third hole 22a of the protrusion 22. In this embodiment, the protrusion 22 is formed by joining a rectangular plate-like member smaller than the rail main body 10 to one end of the rail main body 10 in the longitudinal direction by, for example, welding, such that one end of the plate-like member overlaps one end of the rail main body 10 and the other end protrudes from the rail main body 10. The protrusion 22 is smaller than the rail main body 10 in both the longitudinal and lateral directions of the rail main body 10. The thickness of the protrusion 22 may be thicker, thinner, or equal to the thickness of the rail main body 10. The longitudinal length of the protrusion 22 may be, for example, 30 mm to 50 mm. The lateral length of the protrusion 22 may be, for example, 10 mm to 25 mm. The thickness of the protrusion 22 may be, for example, 1 mm to 4 mm. The protrusion 22 is provided on the surface of the rail main body 10 on the side where the magnet 30 is provided (surface 11 described below). The protrusion 22 may also be provided on the surface of the rail main body 10 opposite the side where the magnet 30 is provided (back surface). The protrusion 22 has a third hole 22a. Both the second hole 21 and the third hole 22a are provided so that the connecting member 40 can be inserted therethrough.

[0021] The guide rail 1 shown in FIG. 2 is a basic guide rail 1A, which is a first example of the guide rail 1. The basic guide rail 1A is the basic shape of the guide rail 1. The guide rail 1 may include end guide rails 1B and 1C, which will be described later, as modified versions of the basic guide rail 1A. 2, the basic guide rail 1A of this embodiment has a second hole 21 as a first connecting portion 20A at one longitudinal end of the rail body 10, and a protrusion 22 and a third hole 22a as a second connecting portion 20B at the other end. Details of how the first connecting portion 20A and the second connecting portion 20B (connecting portion 20) form the movable portion 230 will be described later.

[0022] The magnet 30 is provided at least at one location on the surface of the rail main body 10. In the basic guide rail 1A of this embodiment, two square-shaped magnets 30 are provided spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the rail main body 10 on the surface 11 of the rail main body 10 that faces the surface (outer surface or inner surface) of the spherical tank 100 when installed in the spherical tank 100. The shape of the magnets 30 is not limited. The shape of the magnets 30 may be, for example, square or circular.

[0023] In this embodiment, the magnet 30 is fixed with a bolt B. The magnet 30 does not have to be fixed with a bolt B, and may be fixed with an adhesive, for example. When a bolt B is used, the bolt B can be removed from the fixed location by loosening the bolt B. It is preferable to use a bolt B because the magnet 30 can be easily removed from the rail main body 10. When the magnet 30 is fixed with an adhesive, the first hole 31 is not necessary. Magnets 30 do not necessarily have to be provided on the surface of the rail main body 10, and there is no limit to the number of magnets 30 that can be provided on one guide rail 1. When magnets 30 are provided on the surface of the rail main body 10, the number of magnets 30 that can be provided on one guide rail 1 may be one or more. If multiple magnets 30 are provided on the surface of the rail main body 10 as in this embodiment, when the guide rail 1 is installed in a spherical tank 100, for example, the load of the device that the guide rail 1 guides can be distributed to the multiple magnets 30, and displacement of the guide rail 1 can be suppressed.

[0024] The position where the magnet 30 is provided on the surface of the rail main body 10 is not limited. For example, when there is one magnet 30 provided on the surface of the rail main body 10, it is preferably provided in the center of the longitudinal length of the rail main body 10. For example, when there are multiple magnets 30 provided on the surface of the rail main body 10, it is preferably provided that the multiple magnets 30 are spaced apart. When there are multiple magnets 30 provided on the surface of the rail main body 10 and they are spaced apart, it is more preferable that they are provided so that the magnets 30 are spaced apart when multiple guide rails 1 are connected. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5, when there is a first guide rail 210 and an adjacent second guide rail 220, the distance between the magnets 30 provided on one guide rail 1 (the first guide rail 210 or the second guide rail 220) is defined as length L1, and the distance between the magnet 30 provided on the first guide rail 210 that is closest to the second guide rail 220 and the magnet 30 provided on the second guide rail 220 that is closest to the first guide rail 210 is defined as L2, and it is preferable that the magnets are provided so that L1 = L2.

[0025] 3 and 4 show end guide rails 1B and 1C, which are a second example of the guide rail 1. In this embodiment, multiple guide rails 1 are arranged side by side in the spherical tank 100 and connected. At this time, the ends of the guide rails 1 are usually connected to other adjacent guide rails 1. Meanwhile, among the multiple guide rails 1, for example, the guide rails 1 located at the start and end have one end that is not adjacent to other guide rails 1. The one end that is not adjacent to other guide rails 1 is not connected by the adjacent guide rail 1. Therefore, in the basic guide rail 1A having two magnets 30 as described above, there is a possibility that the guide rail 1 may be misaligned or the rail body 10 may be deformed at the one end that is not adjacent to other guide rails 1.

[0026] In view of the above circumstances, in this embodiment, of the multiple guide rails 1, the guide rails 1 located at the start and end of the guide rail structure 200 employ the configuration described below.

[0027] Figure 3 shows a first end guide rail 1B. Unlike the configuration of the basic guide rail 1A, the first end guide rail 1B does not have a protrusion 22 (second connection portion 20B) at one end that is not adjacent to another guide rail 1. In addition to the configuration of the basic guide rail 1A, the first end guide rail 1B also has a magnet 30 at one end that is not adjacent to another guide rail 1. However, the magnet 30 does not have to be at one end.

[0028] Figure 4 shows a second end guide rail 1C. Unlike the configuration of the basic guide rail 1A, the second end guide rail 1C does not have a second hole 21 (first connection portion 20A) at the end that is not adjacent to another guide rail 1. In addition to the configuration of the basic guide rail 1A, the second end guide rail 1C also has a magnet 30 at the end that is not adjacent to another guide rail 1. However, the magnet 30 does not have to be at the one end.

[0029] Of the multiple guide rails 1, it is preferable to employ the above-described end guide rails 1B, 1C for the guide rails 1 located at the starting and ending ends, because this prevents, for example, misalignment of the guide rails 1 and deformation of the rail body 10 in the end guide rails 1. However, the end guide rails 1B, 1C do not have to be provided.

[0030] 5 to 7 show plan views of a guide rail structure 200 of this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the guide rail structure 200 is formed by arranging and connecting a plurality of the above-described guide rails 1 along the surface of the spherical tank 100.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, the guide rail structure 200 has a first guide rail 210 and a second guide rail 220 as guide rails 1, and a movable part 230 arranged between the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220.

[0032] The length of the guide rail structure 200 is not limited, but is preferably determined according to the length of the weld seam 110 to be welded at one time, for example. In the illustrated example, two guide rails 1, a first guide rail 210 and a second guide rail 220, are connected, but there is no limit to the number of guide rails 1 that the guide rail structure 200 has. The number of guide rails 1 that the guide rail structure 200 has can be set appropriately by the worker, taking into consideration the length of one guide rail, the length of the weld seam 110 to be welded (the length of the guide rail structure 200), etc.

[0033] 7, in the guide rail structure 200 of this embodiment, when the distance between the magnets 30 provided on one guide rail 1 (first guide rail 210 or second guide rail 220) is defined as length L1, and the distance between the magnet 30 provided on the first guide rail 210 that is closest to the second guide rail 220 and the magnet 30 provided on the second guide rail 220 that is closest to the first guide rail 210 is defined as L2, L1 = L2. Note that the distance between the magnets 30 of the present disclosure is not limited to the above.

[0034] The movable section 230 is configured by a connecting member 40 passing through the first connection portion 20A (second hole 21) of the first guide rail 210 and the second connection portion 20B (protrusion 22, third hole 22a) of the second guide rail 220, with a predetermined gap S provided between one end of the first guide rail 210 and the other end of the second guide rail 220. The connecting member 40 may be, for example, a bolt. In this case, a nut (not shown) may be fitted into the connecting member 40 from the opposite side of the head of the connecting member 40, and the first guide rail 210 and the protrusion 22 may be sandwiched between the nut and the head. The gap S may be several millimeters, and is preferably, for example, 1 mm. The second hole 21 and the third hole 22a are preferably drilled at positions where the gap S is formed when the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 are connected. Since the movable part 230 has a predetermined gap S, tilting in the short direction of the rail body 10 can be permitted, and tilting in the thickness direction of the rail body 10 can also be permitted. Therefore, the guide rail structure 200 can easily follow the curvature of the spherical shell surface of the spherical tank 100, for example.

[0035] 6, the movable part 230 formed between the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 is configured to be able to change the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210, with the connecting member 40 as the rotation axis. Specifically, by rotating the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210, with the connecting member 40 as the rotation axis, it is possible to change the angle of the center line C2 (a center line passing through the center in the short side direction and extending in the longitudinal direction) of the second guide rail 220 relative to the center line C1 (a center line passing through the center in the short side direction and extending in the longitudinal direction) of the first guide rail 210.

[0036] In this embodiment, the angle of the center line C2 of the second guide rail 220 relative to the center line C1 of the first guide rail 210 can be changed within a range of −3° to +3°.

[0037] In the guide rail structure 200 described above, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 around the axis of the connecting member 40 can be adjusted in the movable section 230 formed by the connecting section 20, using the connecting member 40 as the rotation axis. This makes it easy to install the guide rail 1 along a curved weld line 110, for example, in a spherical tank 100. Furthermore, because the guide rails 1 are connected to each other by inserting the connecting member 40, the structure of the connecting section 20 can be simplified, resulting in excellent cost and manufacturability. Here, the curved weld line 110 means that the weld line 110 on the structure has a curve when viewed from the front.

[0038] Next, a guide rail installation method of this embodiment will be described. In the following description, a case where the guide rail structure 200 is installed on the outer surface of the spherical tank 100 will be described, but the guide rail structure 200 may also be provided on the inner surface of the spherical tank 100.

[0039] A guide rail installation method according to the first embodiment will be described. The guide rail installation method of the first embodiment includes a first attachment process of attaching the first guide rail 210 to the spherical tank 100, a second attachment process of attaching the second guide rail 220 to the spherical tank 100, and a connection process of connecting the first guide rail 210 attached to the spherical tank 100 and the second guide rail 220 attached to the spherical tank 100 via the movable part 230.

[0040] <First attachment process> In the first attachment step of this embodiment, a first end guide rail 1B is installed on the spherical tank 100 as the first guide rail 210. Specifically, a magnet 30 provided on the surface of the rail body 10 of the first guide rail 210 is attached to the spherical tank 100 along the weld line 110. The method for attaching the guide rail 1 to the surface of the spherical tank 100 is not limited to the magnet 30. The guide rail 1 may be attached to the outer surface of the spherical tank 100 by, for example, welding, bonding with an adhesive, or taping. The guide rail 1 used in the first attachment step is not limited to the first end guide rail 1B. The guide rail 1 used in the first attachment step may be a basic guide rail 1A as shown in FIG. 2 or a second end guide rail 1C as shown in FIG. 4.

[0041] <Second attachment process> In the second attachment step of this embodiment, a basic guide rail 1A is installed on the spherical tank 100 as the second guide rail 220. Specifically, a magnet 30 provided on the surface of the rail body 10 of the second guide rail 220 is attached to the spherical tank 100 so that the guide rail 1 is aligned with the weld line 110. The method for attaching the guide rail 1 to the surface of the spherical tank 100 is not limited to the magnet 30. The guide rail 1 may also be attached to the outer surface of the spherical tank 100 by, for example, welding, bonding with an adhesive, or taping. The guide rail 1 used in the second attachment step is not limited to the basic guide rail 1A. The guide rail 1 used in the second attachment step may be a first end guide rail 1B as shown in FIG. 3 or a second end guide rail 1C as shown in FIG. 4.

[0042] <Connection process> In the connection step of this embodiment, the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 attached to the spherical tank 100 are connected via the movable part 230. The movable part 230 is configured by a predetermined gap S provided between the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220, and by the connecting member 40 penetrating through the connection part 20 of the first guide rail 210 and the connection part 20 of the second guide rail 220. In the connecting process, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 is changed using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. By moving the formed movable part 230 in this way, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 can be adjusted, and the guide rail 1 can be installed along the weld line 110.

[0043] In addition, when the second end guide rail 1C is used as the first guide rail 210 in the first attachment process, in the second attachment process, a predetermined gap S is formed and a connecting member 40 is inserted into the third hole 22a of the protrusion 22 of the first guide rail 210 (the second end guide rail 1C or the basic guide rail 1A) and the second hole 21 of the second guide rail 220, thereby forming a movable part 230.

[0044] With this configuration, after the first guide rail 210 is attached to the spherical tank 100 in the first attaching step, the second guide rail 220 is attached to the spherical tank 100 in the second attaching step. Then, in the connecting step, the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 attached to the spherical tank 100 are connected via the movable part 230, and the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 can be adjusted using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. By repeating the second attaching step and the connecting step depending on the number of guide rails 1 used in the guide rail structure 200, the angles of the multiple guide rails 1 can be adjusted while connecting them. This allows the guide rail structure 200 to be installed, for example, along the curved weld line 110 of the spherical tank 100, as shown in FIG. 8 . This provides an installation method that allows the guide rail structure 200 to be easily installed in the spherical tank 100.

[0045] Next, another example of the guide rail installation method will be described. This guide rail installation method includes a connection process for connecting the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 via the movable part 230, and an attachment process for attaching the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 in the connected state to the spherical tank 100.

[0046] <Connection process> In the connecting step of this embodiment, the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 are connected via the movable part 230. The movable part 230 is configured by a predetermined gap S provided between the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220, and by the connecting member 40 passing through the hole in the first guide rail 210 and the hole in the second guide rail 220. There is no limit to the number of guide rails 1 to be connected. There is no limit to the type of guide rail 1 to be connected, and it may be any of a basic guide rail 1A, a first end portion guide rail 1B, and a second end portion guide rail 1C, or a combination of these.

[0047] <Attachment process> In the attachment process of this embodiment, the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 in a connected state are attached to the spherical tank 100. At this time, with the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 in a connected state attached to the surface of the spherical tank 100, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 is changed using the connecting member 40 as the axis of rotation.

[0048] With this configuration, the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 are connected via the movable part 230 in the connecting step, and after the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 in the connected state are attached to the spherical tank 100 in the attaching step, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 can be adjusted using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. This makes it possible to install the guide rail structure 200 along the weld line 110 of an object with a curvature on its surface, such as the spherical tank 100, as shown in FIG. 8. This allows the guide rail structure 200 to be easily installed on the spherical tank 100.

[0049] Next, a method for welding the spherical tank 100 using the above-described guide rail structure 200 will be described. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an automatic welding device 120 is attached to a guide rail structure 200 installed on the outer surface of a spherical tank 100. The welding method for the spherical tank 100 of this embodiment includes an installation step of installing a guide rail structure along the curved welding line 110 of the spherical tank 100 by the above-mentioned guide rail installation method, an apparatus installation step of attaching the welding device 120 to the installed guide rail structure 200, and a welding step of welding the welding line 110 while the welding device 120 is guided in the movement direction by the guide rail structure 200.

[0050] In the installation process of this embodiment, the guide rail structure 200 is installed in the spherical tank 100. The installation of the guide rail structure 200 in the installation process of this embodiment employs the guide rail installation method described above, so details are omitted.

[0051] In the device mounting step of this embodiment, the automatic welding device 120 is mounted on the guide rail structure 200 installed in the installation step. As shown in Figure 8, the automatic welding device 120 of this embodiment has a main body 121 having a magnet 125 inside for holding the automatic welding device 120 on the surface of a structure, a welding torch 122 extending from the main body 121, four main wheels 123 used to move the main body 121, and four secondary wheels 124 connected to the main body 121 and arranged to be movable along the guide rail structure 200. The number of main wheels 123 is not limited to four. The number of main wheels 123 may be, for example, three to six. When installing on a curved surface such as the spherical tank 100, it is preferable that the number of main wheels 123 is three from the viewpoint of stability. When the number of main wheels 123 is three, for example, of the four main wheels 123 shown in FIG. 8, two main wheels 123 provided on the side opposite the rail body 10 may be omitted, and one main wheel 123 may be provided between the two omitted main wheels 123. The number of sub-wheels 124 is not limited to four. The number of sub-wheels 124 may be, for example, three to six. The sub-wheels 124 of the automatic welding device 120 configured as described above are attached to the guide rail structure 200 so that the short side of the rail body 10 is sandwiched between the sub-wheels 124 and the rotation axes of the sub-wheels 124 are aligned in the thickness direction of the rail body 10. For example, when there are four sub-wheels 124 as shown in FIG. 8, there are two sets of two sub-wheels 124 connected to each other across the short side of the rail body 10. When there are six sub-wheels 124, for example, there may be three sets of two connected sub-wheels 124, with another set between the two sets shown in FIG. 8. Note that the sub-wheels 124 are not limited to being arranged parallel to and sandwiching the rail main body 10 in the short side direction, and for example, when there are three sub-wheels 124, one sub-wheel 124 that contacts the rail main body 10 from the main body 121 side may be provided between the two sets of sub-wheels 124 shown in Fig. 8, and the two sub-wheels 124 on the main body 121 side of the two sets of sub-wheels 124 (four wheels) may be omitted. Even with this configuration, the automatic welding device 120 can be moved along the guide rail structure 200 by sandwiching the rail main body 10 in the short side direction with the sub-wheels 124.

[0052] It should be noted that welding device 120 is not limited to an automatic welding device. Automatic welding device 120 does not necessarily have to include magnet 125.

[0053] In the welding process of this embodiment, the automatic welding device 120 having the above-described auxiliary wheels 124 welds the weld seam 110 while being guided by a guide rail structure 200 installed along the weld seam 110. For example, the automatic welding device 120 welds the weld seam 110 while moving along the guide rail structure 200. In the welding method of the present disclosure, the welding device 120 only needs to have a mechanism that guides its movement along the welding line 110 using the guide rail structure 200, and the mechanism is not limited to a mechanism having the above-mentioned auxiliary wheels 124.

[0054] The welding conditions are not limited and may be set by an operator as appropriate depending on the object to be welded, for example.

[0055] Furthermore, if the automatic welding device 120 of this embodiment has magnets 125 inside and self-propelled main wheels 123, the automatic welding device 120 itself will stick to the spherical tank 100 and self-propel. By having the automatic welding device 120 itself stick to the spherical tank 100 and self-propel, the load applied from the automatic welding device 120 to the guide rail 1 can be reduced, and the structure of the connection part 20 of the guide rail 1 can be simplified. Therefore, the movable part 230 of the guide rail structure 200 can be simplified, and a welding method for welding using the guide rail structure 200 that is excellent in cost and manufacturability can be achieved, which is preferable.

[0056] As described above, the guide rail 1 of the present disclosure is a guide rail 1 that is installed along the surface of a metal structure, and has a strip-shaped, plate-shaped rail body 10 and a connection portion 20 that is arranged at at least one end of the rail body 10 in the longitudinal direction, and the connection portion 20 has holes (second hole 21, third hole 22a) that penetrate the rail body 10 in the plate thickness direction. With this configuration, when connecting multiple guide rails 1, the multiple guide rails 1 can be connected by inserting the connecting members 40 into the holes (connection portions 20) of adjacent guide rails 1. This makes it possible to adjust the angle of adjacent guide rails 1 around the axis of the connecting members 40, using the connecting members 40 as the rotation axis. This makes it easy to install guide rails 1 along curved weld lines 110 in, for example, a spherical tank 100. Furthermore, because the guide rails 1 are connected to each other by inserting the connecting members 40, the structure of the connection portions 20 can be simplified. This allows the guide rails 1 to be easily manufactured and installed.

[0057] Furthermore, the surface of the structure may be made of a ferromagnetic material, and the rail body 10 may have a magnet provided at least at one location on the surface. With this configuration, the guide rail 1 can be installed on the surface of the structure using the magnet 30. Because the guide rail 1 is attached to the container by the magnet 30, even when the device runs along the guide rail 1, the load transmitted from the device to the guide rail 1 is received by the structure via the magnet 30, thereby reducing the load on the connection part 20. This simplifies the structure of the connection part 20, reduces the manufacturing cost of the guide rail 1, and allows the guide rail 1 to be easily installed on the structure.

[0058] The connection portion 20 is arranged at both longitudinal ends of the rail main body 10, and the connection portion 20 comprises a first connection portion 20A arranged at one of the ends and a second connection portion 20B arranged at the other end, and the first connection portion 20A has a hole (second hole 21) directly formed at the end of the rail main body 10, and the second connection portion 20B may include a protrusion 22 that protrudes from the end of the rail main body 10 and has a hole (third hole 22a) formed therein. With this configuration, when connecting multiple guide rails 1, the multiple guide rails 1 can be connected by inserting the coupling member 40 into the first connection portion 20A of one of the adjacent guide rails 1 and the second connection portion 20B of the other guide rail 1. This simplifies the structure of the connection portion 20, reduces the manufacturing cost of the guide rails 1, and allows the guide rails 1 to be easily installed in the spherical tank 100. Furthermore, because the hole (third hole 22a) of the second connection portion 20B is provided in the protruding portion 22, multiple guide rails 1 can be connected without directly overlapping the rail bodies 10 of adjacent guide rails 1. Therefore, no steps are created in the guide rail structure 200 when the guide rails 1 are connected, and the guide rail 1 can be configured to allow smooth travel of the device despite the simple structure of the connection portion 20.

[0059] The rail body 10 is made of a material that is flexible in the thickness direction, and the thickness of the rail body 10 is 4 mm or less. The hole may be provided in the center of the connection part 20 of the rail body 10 in the short side direction. With this configuration, when the rail main body 10 is attached to a structure with a curvature on the surface, such as a spherical tank 100, it can follow the curvature (in the thickness direction of the rail main body 10) of the curved surface of the spherical tank 100, etc. Therefore, the rail main body 10 can follow the curvature of the curved surface (in the thickness direction of the rail main body 10) regardless of the structure of the connection part 20. Therefore, the structure of the connection part 20 can be simplified, and a guide rail 1 can be obtained that is easy to install and has excellent cost and manufacturability.

[0060] The guide rail 1 is installed along a weld line 110 of the structure, which may be curved. With the above-described guide rail 1, the angle of adjacent guide rails 1 about the axis of the connecting member 40 can be adjusted using the connecting member 40 as the rotation axis. Therefore, even if the weld line 110 is curved, the guide rail 1 can be installed along the weld line 110. This makes it possible to provide a guide rail 1 that is easy to install and has excellent cost and manufacturability.

[0061] The guide rail structure 200 of the present disclosure is a guide rail structure 200 in which a plurality of the above-mentioned guide rails 1 are installed and connected in a line along the surface of a structure, and has a first guide rail 210 and a second guide rail 220 as the guide rails 1, and a movable part 230 that connects the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 so that they can move relative to each other, the movable part 230 being configured by a predetermined gap S provided between the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 and a connecting member 40 passing through a hole in the first guide rail 210 and a hole in the second guide rail 220, and the movable part 230 being configured to be able to change the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210, using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. With this configuration, the movable part 230 formed by the connection part 20 can adjust the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 around the axis of the connecting member 40, using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. This makes it easy to install the guide rail 1 along the curved weld line 110, for example, in a spherical tank having a curvature on its surface. Furthermore, since the movable part 230 has the gap S, tilting of the rail main body 10 in the short direction and also in the thickness direction of the rail main body 10 can be permitted. Therefore, when installed in a structure having a curved surface, such as a spherical tank 100, the guide rail structure 200 can easily follow the curvature of the curved surface. This allows the guide rail structure 200 to be easily installed. Furthermore, because the guide rails 1 are connected to each other by inserting the connecting member 40, the structure of the connection part 20 can be simplified, resulting in a guide rail structure 200 that is excellent in cost and manufacturability.

[0062] The guide rail installation method of the present disclosure includes a first attachment step of attaching the first guide rail 210 to the spherical tank 100, a second attachment step of attaching the second guide rail 220 to a structure, and a connection step of connecting the first guide rail 210 attached to the spherical tank 100 and the second guide rail 220 attached to the spherical tank 100 via a movable part 230 formed by a predetermined gap S provided between the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 and a connecting member 40 passing through a hole in the first guide rail 210 and a hole in the second guide rail 220, and in the connection step, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 is changed using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. With this configuration, after the first guide rail 210 is attached to the structure in the first attaching step, the second guide rail 220 is attached to the structure in the second attaching step. The first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 attached to the structure are connected via the movable part 230. This allows the second guide rail 220 to be tilted around the axis of the connecting member 40 relative to the first guide rail 210, for example, and installed so that it follows the curvature of the weld line 110. By repeating the second attaching step depending on the number of guide rails 1 used in the guide rail structure 200, the angles of the multiple guide rails 1 can be adjusted while they are connected. This allows the guide rail structure 200 to be installed along the weld line 110 of a structure with a curvature on its surface, such as a spherical tank 100. This allows the installation method to easily install the guide rail structure 200 on a structure.

[0063] The guide rail installation method of the present disclosure includes a connection process for connecting the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 via a movable part 230 formed by a predetermined gap S provided between the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 and a connecting member 40 passing through a hole in the first guide rail 210 and a hole in the second guide rail 220, and an attachment process for attaching the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 in a connected state to a structure, and in the attachment process, with the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 in a connected state attached to the surface of the structure, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 is changed using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. With this configuration, the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 are connected via the movable part 230 in the connecting step, and the first guide rail 210 and the second guide rail 220 in a connected state are attached to a structure in the attaching step. After that, the angle of the second guide rail 220 relative to the first guide rail 210 can be adjusted using the connecting member 40 as a rotation axis. This makes it possible to install the guide rail structure 200 along the weld line 110 of a structure with a curvature on its surface, such as a spherical tank 100, as shown in FIG. 8. This allows the installation method to easily install the guide rail structure 200 on a structure.

[0064] The welding method for a structure disclosed herein includes an installation process for installing a guide rail structure 200 along a welding line 110 of the structure, an apparatus installation process for attaching a welding apparatus 120 to the installed guide rail structure 200, and a welding process for welding the welding line 110 while the welding apparatus 120 is guided by the guide rail structure 200. With this configuration, the guide rail structure 200 can be easily installed on the structure in the installation process. Furthermore, because the guide rail structure 200 guides the welding device 120, the welding device 120 can be moved along the weld line 110, and the welding device 120 can weld the weld line 110. Therefore, this can be a welding method for a structure in which welding is performed using the guide rail structure 200, which is excellent in cost and manufacturability and easy to install.

[0065] Welding device 120 may be a self-propelled automatic welding device with a magnet to hold the welding device to the surface of the structure. With this configuration, automatic welding device 120 is equipped with magnet 125, so that automatic welding device 120 itself sticks to a metal structure and moves on its own. By having automatic welding device 120 stick to a structure and move on its own, the load on guide rail 1 can be reduced, and the structure of guide rail 1 can be simplified. Therefore, movable part 230 of guide rail structure 200 can be simplified. Therefore, a welding method for a structure can be achieved in which welding is performed using guide rail structure 200, which is excellent in cost and manufacturability and easy to install.

[0066] Although one embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and configuration changes, combinations, deletions, etc. are also included within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0067] For example, all of the guide rails 1 constituting the guide rail structure 200 may be basic guide rails 1A. For example, the guide rail structure 200 may be composed of a basic guide rail 1A and a first-end guide rail 1B. For example, the guide rail structure 200 may be composed of a basic guide rail 1A and a second-end guide rail 1C.

[0068] For example, the connecting member 40 may be a rod-shaped member other than a bolt. For example, the connecting member 40 may be a pin (detachable pin) that can be attached and detached with one touch. The connecting member 40 is preferably a rod-shaped member that allows easy connection and disconnection of the guide rails 1 to each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0069] 1 guide rail 10 Rail body 20 Connection 21 2nd hole 22a 3rd hole 30 Magnets 31 Hole 1 40 Connecting member 100 spherical tank 110 Welding Line 120 Welding equipment (automatic welding equipment) 125 Magnet 200 Guide rail structure 210 First guide rail 220 Second guide rail 230 Moving parts

Claims

1. A guide rail installed along the surface of a metal structure, A strip-shaped, plate-shaped rail body; a connecting portion disposed at at least one end of the rail body in the longitudinal direction; and The connection portion has a hole penetrating through the rail body in the plate thickness direction. Guide rail.

2. The surface of the structure is made of a ferromagnetic material, The rail body has a magnet provided at least at one location on its surface. The guide rail according to claim 1 .

3. The connection portions are arranged at both longitudinal ends of the rail body, the connecting portion includes a first connecting portion disposed at one end of the both end portions and a second connecting portion disposed at the other end portion, In the first connection portion, the hole is provided directly at the end of the rail main body, The guide rail according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second connection portion includes a protruding portion that protrudes from an end portion of the rail body and that is provided with the hole.

4. The rail body is made of a material that is flexible in the thickness direction, The plate thickness of the rail body is 4 mm or less, The hole is provided in the center of the connection portion of the rail main body in the short direction. The guide rail according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The guide rail is installed along a weld line of the structure, The weld line is curved. The guide rail according to claim 1 or 2.

6. A guide rail structure in which a plurality of the guide rails according to claim 1 are arranged and connected along the surface of the structure, a first guide rail and a second guide rail as the guide rails; a movable portion that connects the first guide rail and the second guide rail so as to be relatively movable; and the movable portion is configured by a predetermined gap provided between the first guide rail and the second guide rail, and a connecting member passing through the hole of the first guide rail and the hole of the second guide rail, the movable portion is configured to be able to change the angle of the second guide rail relative to the first guide rail using the connecting member as a rotation axis. Guide rail structure.

7. A guide rail installation method for installing the guide rail according to claim 1 along a surface of the structure, comprising: a first attachment step of attaching a first guide rail as the guide rail to the structure; a second attachment step of attaching a second guide rail as the guide rail to the structure; a connecting step of connecting the first guide rail attached to the structure and the second guide rail attached to the structure via a movable part formed by a predetermined gap provided between the first guide rail and the second guide rail and a connecting member passing through the hole of the first guide rail and the hole of the second guide rail; and In the connecting step, the angle of the second guide rail relative to the first guide rail is changed using the connecting member as a rotation axis. How to install guide rails.

8. A guide rail installation method for installing the guide rail according to claim 1 along a surface of the structure, comprising: a connecting step of connecting the first and second guide rails as the guide rails via a movable portion formed by a predetermined gap provided between the first and second guide rails and a connecting member passing through the hole of the first guide rail and the hole of the second guide rail; an attachment step of attaching the first guide rail and the second guide rail in a connected state to the structure; and In the attaching step, the angle of the second guide rail relative to the first guide rail is changed with the connecting member as a rotation axis in a state where the first guide rail and the second guide rail in a connected state are attached to the surface of the structure. How to install guide rails.

9. an installation step of installing a guide rail structure including the first guide rail, the second guide rail, and the movable part along a curved weld line of the structure by the guide rail installation method of claim 7 or 8; an apparatus installation step of installing a welding apparatus on the installed guide rail structure; a welding step in which the welding device is guided by the guide rail structure to weld the welding line; having Methods of welding structures.

10. The welding device is a self-propelled automatic welding device having a magnet that holds the welding device to the surface of the structure. The method for welding a structure according to claim 9.

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