Mobile Friction Stir Welding Ring for Precise Pipe Seam Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orbital welding processes for tubular structures face challenges in process control due to gravity and environmental factors like wind and moisture, leading to inefficiencies and reduced accuracy, especially in mobile applications such as underground power lines and pipelines.
Innovation Solution
A mobile friction stir welding device with a ring-shaped base body, radially adjustable lifting elements, and a control system that includes temperature measurement and real-time process parameter monitoring, allowing for precise control and adjustment during the welding process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional orbital welding processes are used for tubular structures, then welding can be performed on pipes, but process control becomes very difficult due to gravity and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional arc welding with friction stir welding, substituting a mechanical friction-based process for an arc-based thermal process. This eliminates the harmful effects of gravity and wind on shielding gas and molten metal, as the friction stir welding process does not involve a molten pool susceptible to environmental disruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental welding parameters from arc-based thermal welding to friction-based mechanical welding. By using a rotating tool that generates friction heat to plasticize the material, the process achieves better control and reproducibility without being affected by environmental conditions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional orbital welding is used in mobile applications, then welding can be performed on underground power lines and pipelines, but environmental conditions like wind and humidity significantly disrupt the welding process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces arc welding with friction stir welding, eliminating the shielding gas that is vulnerable to wind and humidity. The friction-based process generates heat through mechanical action and plasticizes material without creating a molten pool exposed to environmental factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The friction stir welding process creates a controlled environment at the weld zone where material is plasticized through friction heat. This process inherently protects the welding area from environmental contamination without requiring external shielding gas that would be affected by wind and humidity.
3Ease of operation
If friction stir welding is used for tubular structures, then weight is reduced and operability is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex with ring-shaped base bodies and adjustable lifting elements
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into modular components including a ring-shaped base body with multiple independently adjustable lifting elements. Each lifting element can be individually positioned and controlled, allowing flexible adaptation to different pipe diameters and welding requirements while maintaining overall system manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting elements are designed to be radially adjustable, allowing dynamic reconfiguration of the device for different pipe sizes. This dynamic adaptability improves operability across various applications while the modular design keeps the overall complexity manageable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enhances the accuracy and efficiency of tubular structure welding by reducing weight, improving operability, and increasing adjustment precision, while preventing 'hole formation' in weld seams and allowing for incremental force control, thus improving the quality and reproducibility of the weld.
Implementation Method 1
the temperature measuring device is preferably configured as a pyrometer
Implementation Method 2
Friction stir welding, also known as friction stir welding, was developed in the early 1990s
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for the mobile friction stir welding of two tubular structures as joining partners, said apparatus having the following features: a) an annular main body (2) which can be unfolded using a hinge (4) and can be fixedly connected for operation opposite the hinge (4) using a locking mechanism (1); b) a plurality of lifting elements (3) which are distributed along the circumference of the main body (2), can be moved radially by a drive unit (5), and each include a retaining jaw (15) for securing the tubular structures, one retaining jaw (15) being mounted so as to be horizontally movable by a drive unit (6); c) a ring gear (21) which is connected to the main body (2) and on which a spindle head (11) can be moved by a drive unit (20) in an orbital movement about the tubular structures in order for a weld seam to be applied; d) a welding shoe (27) having a sliding surface (27) which is adapted to the curvature of the surfaces of the joining partners.