Abstract:
The known reflecting mirror for a laser beam conisting of a mirror base member and a high-reflectivity metal coating layer formed on the mirror base member for reflecting a laser beam, is improved so as to maintain a high mirror reflectivity without necessitating a cooling facility. The improvements reside in that a coating layer having a small diffusion coefficient is provided on the back surface side of the high-reflectivity metal coating layer, and/or in that at least one layer of dielectric coating layer or layers are provided on the surface of the high reflectivity metal coating layer. Also, an improved laser beam welding apparatus for an inner circumferential surface of a tube is provided by employing the aforementioned improved reflection mirror as a reflecting mirror in an optical condensing system included in a laser beam welding apparatus for an inner circumferential surface of a tube, which apparatus comprises a flexible tube including an optical fiber extended therethrough for transmitting a welding laser beam, said flexible tube being insertable into a work tube, a position detector for detecting a relative position of the flexible tube with respect to the work tube and fixing means of internally expansible type for fixing the flexible tube within the work tube, respectively provided at the front end portion of the flexible tube, a rotary cylinder rotatably supported from the flexible tube, guide support means mounted to the rotary cylinder in a relatively rotatable manner and being able to be held in contact with the inner wall surface of the work tube for holding the rotary cylinder concentrically with the work tube, rotary drive means having its output shaft disposed coaxially with said rotary cylinder for rotationally driving the rotary cylinder, an optical condensing system disposed within said rotary cylinder for leading the welding laser beam emanating from the front end of the optical fiber to the inner wall surface of the work tube in a condensed state, gas scavenging means for discharging metal vapor produced upon welding of the work tube, and gas cooling means for cooling the optical condensing system.
Abstract:
A flux coating for treating a clean metallic component having a fluid channel defined through at least a portion thereof to provide a durable, tack-free, protective flux film on a surface of the portion so that the component can be fluid-tightly soldered or low temperature brazed to a mating metallic component at a later time without cleaning and fluxing the portion of the component at the later time. The solution consisting essentially of rosin and a highly volatile organic solvent, the solution being adapted to rapidly air dry when coated on the surface of the portion to leave a very thin, protective flux film on the surface of the component, the component being capable of being stored for long periods of time, handled, assembled, shaped, formed and otherwise worked without removal of the film from the surface of the component and without reduction of the fluxing properties of the film.
Abstract:
In an automated first weld apparatus, a transporter conveys nuclear fuel cladding tubes successively to a welding station where a separate end plug is welded to an open end of each tube. Thereafter, the transporter indexes the tubes successsively through a cooldown station where the weld is cooled, to a reader station where a unique end plug serial number is read, and then to a succession of inspection stations where the internal and external weld characteristics are automatically examined. The resulting inspection data is correlated with the associated serial number for record purposes and tested against quality assurance standards pursuant to sorting the tubes into accepted and rejected lots.
Abstract:
A welding head base to facilitate the mounting of a welding head assembly thereon for the purpose of welding a joint between abutted ends of a pipe. The base is mounted on the edges of a thin, sheet material, continuous band track and is capable of low frictional movement, through a series of wheel assemblies, relative to the track. Each wheel assembly includes a wheel with each wheel including an enlarged flange to facilitate the mounting of the welding head base onto the track. Mounted on the fixed section of the base is a sprocket assembly with a sprocket wheel that is to be rotatably driven by a motor. The sprocket is to engage with a series of gear teeth formed within the track. The sprocket assembly is to be movable from an operating position (in engagement with the track) to a retracted position (spacing the sprocket wheel from the track). Movement of the sprocket assembly is caused through the use of a manually operated cam assembly. With the sprocket assembly in the operating position, the cam assembly is pressed against a spring which in turn exerts a continuous bias tending to maintain the sprocket wheel in continuous contact with the track.
Abstract:
A pipe repair bypass apparatus which enables residual water in pipes to flow without touching the area of the pipe to be repaired by soldering, is disclosed. The bypass apparatus includes a flexible disc slightly greater in its outer diameter than the inner diameter of the pipe to be repaired. The disc has a central opening which receives one end of elongated flexible tubing. A rigid tube is slideably arranged on the flexible tubing and serves to aid in inserting the disc and flexible tubing into the pipe to be repaired. When the apparatus is disposed inside a pipe, the disc acts as a dam for any water in the pipe with the water eventually flowing through the flexible tubing thereby avoiding the repair area.
Abstract:
A pipe cutting machine capable of cutting saddles and mitres and combinations of saddles and mitres is disclosed. The machine uses the rotation of the pipe itself to power a cam drive assembly. The cam drive assembly powers a saddle cam and a mitre cam. The saddle cam and the mitre cam may be set such that a specific mitre cut, saddle cut, or combination of saddle and mitre cut may be accomplished. A cable assembly translates the rotation of the saddle and mitre cams to a torch carriage. The torch carriage in turn translates its movement concurrently to the torch itself, thereby cutting the exact saddle, mitre, or combination of saddle and mitre cut desired.
Abstract:
The multi-purpose plumbing tool is designed specifically for use with copper tubing to enable cutting and preparation of cut ends and associated fittings for soldering on a job site. Basically, the tool includes a frame supporting a motor driven high speed circular pipe saw. A handle and pipe vise structure in turn is pivoted as a unnit to the frame in such a manner that a pipe gripped in the vise can be swung downwardly and forwardly into engagement with the circular saw blade and thereby cut. The same motor driving the saw blade is utilized to drive rotary wire brushes for cleaning the outside of cut ends of the pipe and the inside of fittings. Appropriate deburring and reaming operations are also performed by these rotating structures. Finally, flux applicator heads are provided to treat the cleaned pipe end surfaces and inside the fittings with appropriate flux paste preparatory to soldering, these flux applicator heads being held on the frame and supplied by paste from a cartridge carried in the frame.
Abstract:
A process for soldering aluminum fins to cooling pipes made of aluminum, copper, brass or steel to produce a cooling assembly. The fins are etched in the solution of sodium hydroxide, zinc chloride, technical urea and water and the cooling pipes are coated with a fusible alloy which is covered with a protective coating for attenuating electro-corrosion between the alloy and the aluminum fins. The aluminum fins are then mounted on the cooling pipes and soldered thereto in a thermal bath.
Abstract:
An elongate member, such as a tube, is perforated at intervals by intermittently feeding the member endwise through a perforating station containing a laser for directing a laser beam against the member, and pulsing the laser in timed relation to the intermittent movement of the member to produce a laser beam pulse of sufficient duration and intensity to form a hole in the member at selective times or each time when the member is arrested at the station. The particular member described is a thin walled flexible plastic drip irrigation tube which is flattened upon reaching the perforating station, preferably being pre-flattened, and which may have a single water passage defined by two walls, or which may have a primary water passage bounded by a first tube wall and a secondary water passage bounded by the first wall and a second outer tube wall. The laser beam pulses may be regulated in such a manner that the pulses penetrate only one wall of the two-wall type or, in the case of the three-wall type, so that certain of the pulses penetrate both walls to form holes in the first wall for communicating the tube passages, and the intervening pulses penetrate only the second outer wall to form water drip openings in the latter wall.
Abstract:
A TIG welding arrangement utilizing a high frequency arc starting arrangement with a fuse protected secondary arc gap operable to protect the welding apparatus.