Beam-End Welding Fixture With Rotating Plate for Precise Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing beam-end component welding systems face challenges in achieving precise positioning and secure welding of collar flange assemblies to beams, leading to potential deviations from specifications and safety concerns due to limited access and handling difficulties.
Innovation Solution
A beam-end component welding system comprising a track with sliding welding fixtures and a rotatable plate structure, supported by a central horizontal axle mechanism, allows for precise positioning and rotation of collar flange assemblies, enabling secure and efficient welding while ensuring worker safety through accessible handle placement and redundant safety latches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional welding systems are used for collar flange assemblies, then welding can be performed, but precise positioning and alignment are difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The welding fixture incorporates self-aligning features where the collar flange assembly automatically positions itself relative to the beam through guide surfaces and locating elements, eliminating the need for complex external positioning equipment and enabling precise alignment through the assembly's own geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical positioning systems with a simplified fixture design that uses gravitational force and friction-based clamping mechanisms to achieve and maintain precise positioning, reducing mechanical complexity while improving positioning accuracy
2Ease of operation
If workers have limited access to welding areas, then safety risks increase, but providing better access may complicate the system
Solution Approach 1:
The welding fixture is divided into modular components including separate clamping mechanisms, positioning elements, and welding supports that can be independently adjusted and accessed from multiple directions, allowing workers to safely approach and operate on different sides of the assembly without requiring complex reconfiguration
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring workers to access difficult-to-reach areas, the fixture is designed to bring the welding area to an accessible position, with the beam and collar assembly positioned on elevated supports and the welding zone oriented toward open space, inverting the traditional approach where workers must reach into confined spaces
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple beam connections are made along a building frame, then the structure is complete, but tolerances accumulate and cause deviation from specifications
Solution Approach 1:
The welding fixture incorporates precision reference surfaces and locating elements that replicate the exact geometric relationships required in the final structure, allowing each beam connection to be made as a copy of the standardized template, thereby preventing cumulative tolerance errors while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through repeatability
Solution Approach 2:
The fixture pre-establishes the correct spatial relationships and tolerance zones before the welding process begins, with all positioning and alignment adjustments made during fixture setup rather than during each individual connection, preventing tolerance accumulation across multiple connections
Data Source
AI summary
A beam-end component welding fixture including a stand having a central horizontal axle mechanism and a housing. A handle is mounted on a first end portion of the axle mechanism and a rotatable plate structure is mounted on a second end portion of the axle mechanism. A column connecting simulator is attached to the plate structure and configured to support a beam-end component.