Removable Tow Bar Welding Using Rotating Cylindrical Lug
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for manufacturing removable tow bars using MIG welding are costly, time-consuming, and result in a less aesthetically pleasing product with reduced strength due to the need for additional processing steps like flattening and CNC milling, which also compromises the aspect of the ball rod.
Innovation Solution
A welding method involving a cylindrical weld lug on the coupling member, with a concentric welding gap created using a stationary welding gun and rotating tow bar, employing a helical weld up to the outside surface, and utilizing multiple welding guns and protective gas to enhance strength and appearance, along with post-weld machining for smoothness and fatigue strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the end of the ball rod is flattened to obtain a larger connecting surface for the weld, then the welding strength is improved, but additional CNC milling operation is needed and the aspect is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of flattening the ball rod end to create a welding surface, the invention inverts the approach by creating a cylindrical weld lug that protrudes from the coupling member. This weld lug provides the necessary welding surface area without requiring flattening of the ball rod itself, thus avoiding additional CNC milling operations and preserving the ball rod's aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical weld lug acts as an intermediary element between the ball rod and the welding process. It provides a dedicated welding surface that is separate from the ball rod's functional and aesthetic surfaces, allowing the weld to be made without compromising the ball rod's appearance or requiring additional processing of the ball rod itself.
2Strength
If a heavy press is used to flatten the ball rod end, then the welding strength is improved, but the equipment investment and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the welding surface creation process from the ball rod preparation and relocates it to the coupling member through the cylindrical weld lug. This eliminates the need for heavy pressing equipment to flatten the ball rod end, as the welding surface is inherently provided by the weld lug's cylindrical geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The weld lug is a simple cylindrical feature that can be integrated into the coupling member's manufacturing process without requiring expensive heavy press equipment. This approach uses a simpler, more cost-effective method to achieve the necessary welding surface area.
3Strength
If the ball rod end is CNC processed to create a bevel for the weld gutter, then the welding strength is improved, but the processing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical weld lug is designed with its welding surface already prepared during the coupling member's manufacturing process. This preliminary preparation of the welding surface eliminates the need for subsequent CNC milling operations to create bevels or weld gutters, thereby reducing processing time and increasing manufacturing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical weld lug serves multiple functions: it provides structural connection, creates the welding surface, and eliminates the need for additional CNC processing. This multi-functional design integrates what would otherwise be separate operations into a single manufacturing step.
4Strength
If the welding gap is helically welded full up to the outside surface, then the strength and appearance are improved, but the welding process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces rotation of the coupling member and ball rod assembly during the MIG welding process. This dynamic approach allows the welding gun to trace a helical path automatically as the workpiece rotates, creating a helical weld that fills the welding gap completely. The rotation mechanism transforms a complex helical welding path into a simpler automated process.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating workpiece itself generates the helical welding pattern without requiring a complex programmable welding gun path. The rotation mechanism allows the stationary welding gun to naturally create the helical weld as it moves around the rotating assembly, simplifying the welding system while achieving superior weld results.
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
This method reduces costs, shortens processing time, enhances the load-bearing capacity, and improves the appearance and fatigue strength of the welded joint by creating a strong, fine-grained crystal structure with a smooth surface.
Implementation Method 1
the end of the ball rod is welded to the coupling member by means of a mig welding process
Implementation Method 2
the welding gap is helically welded full up to the outside surface or just above it
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A special welding method based on the mig welding process intended for the manufacture of a removable ball rod for private motor vehicles, which is built up of a coupling member (1) arranged as a forging and a ball rod (3) produced as a pivoting member, wherein the two said members are welded together by means of a continuously executed mig welding operation while use is made of a stationary welding gun (or a plurality of stationary welding guns) and a welding manipulator with the two members to be welded together being rotated around a horizontal axis.