Patent Application
20200316706
This invention relates generally to a welding nozzle assembly and method of use thereof, and more particularly to an arc welding nozzle assembly having an upper guide body and a lower guide body configured to accurately insert and position the nozzle assembly between two adjacent arms of a V-shaped refractory anchor assembly, and to a method of using the welding nozzle assembly to form a welding pool dam for attaching the V-shaped refractory anchor assembly to a surface.
To attach refractory materials to a surface of vessels, such as furnaces, boilers, heat exchangers or other vessels requiring refractory materials, the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process may be utilized. In North America, the GMAW process is commonly referred to as MIG (metal inert gas) welding; in Europe, the process is termed MAG (metal active gas) welding. “MIG” as used hereafter refers to both the MIG and the MAG GMAW processes. To produce these welds, either MIG spot or MIG spot plug welding techniques may be used.
A “MIG spot weld” is a timed MIG weld in which two metal components in contact are welded together. The MIG spot weld penetrates a top metal component (e.g., an anchor for a refractory material), and in doing so welds the top metal component to a bottom metal component (e.g., a surface, such as an interior surface, or a wall of a vessel).
A “MIG spot plug weld” is a timed spot weld made on a top metal component that has a bore. The top metal component is welded to a bottom component using a MIG spot plug weld. The MIG spot plug weld utilizes an electrode to provide a resulting weld that sufficiently covers the bore in the top metal component and provides sufficient weld penetration to join the top metal component to the bottom metal component. A MIG spot plug weld generally requires less energy than a spot weld because it is not necessary to penetrate two steel components. Furthermore, MIG spot plug welding generally provides welds that are stronger and more consistent than MIG spot welds.
The weld may be made using GMAW spray transfer, GMAW globular transfer or GMAW pulsed transfer. When a spray transfer mode is utilized, a 2-, 3- or 4-component shielding gas mixture is typically used, along with sufficient current and voltage to produce a stream of weld metal or a stream of weld droplets that cascade across an open arc from the electrode to the weld site. When weld droplets are evident, the droplets will be smaller than the diameter of the electrode utilized.
In globular transfer mode, an open arc process is used with a reactive gas, such as Ar or CO2. Globular transfer mode utilizes less current and voltage than in spray transfer mode. The weld droplets generated are typically larger than the electrode diameter, and the globular weld droplet transfer is irregular.
In pulsed transfer mode, the pulse controls the droplet frequency across an electronically modified open arc. A peak weld current and background current are applied. This process enables an open arc mode of weld transfer of minuscule weld drops. This process can further provide controlled open arc weld transfer at considerably less current than with spray transfer mode.
To attach the refractory material to the surface of the vessel, the most common method used by installers is to stud weld or fillet weld threaded studs on the surface of the vessel and attach carbon steel or stainless steel anchors to the studs. The refractory material is attached to the anchors and the anchors are screwed on to the studs. More specifically, the common method used by installers is to stud weld or fillet weld threaded studs on the vessel by placing a metal stud having a machined protrusion tip in the stud gun. The stud is pressed against the surface of the vessel, and when the tip of the stud is in firm contact with the vessel, the stud gun trigger is pulled and a timed current is applied through the small protrusion tip at the end of the stud. The stud weld current melts the protrusion at the end of the stud tip and a high energy arc is generated between the stud and the grounded vessel. As the stud protrusion is melted, with the force applied to the stud gun, the stud is pushed tight against a ceramic shield located at the end of the stud. The ceramic shield assists in maintaining the necessary weld arc gap and also protecting the stud weld from the atmosphere. The timed weld arc melts the tip of the stud and with the manual force applied the stud is welded to the metal surface.
It is therefore desirable to provide a welding nozzle assembly and method of use thereof.
It is further desirable to provide an arc welding nozzle assembly having an upper guide body and a lower guide body configured to accurately insert and position the nozzle assembly between two adjacent arms of a V-shaped refractory anchor assembly.
It is still further desirable to provide a method of using the welding nozzle assembly to form a welding pool dam for attaching the V-shaped refractory anchor assembly to a surface.
It is further desirable to provide a welding nozzle assembly and method of use that provides a simplified and streamlined approach for attaching refractory anchors to a surface without the inclusion of a stud.
It is still further desirable to provide a welding nozzle assembly and method of use that provides a stronger and more consistent joint between a refractory anchor and the surface.
It is yet further desirable to provide a welding nozzle assembly and method of use for installing a refractory anchor to a surface that is practiced without the use of threaded studs, nuts or torque tubes, thereby reducing material costs and eliminating potential failure points.
Before proceeding to a detailed description of the invention, however, it should be noted and remembered that the description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings, should not be construed as limiting the invention to the examples (or embodiments) shown and described. This is so because those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be able to devise other forms of this invention within the ambit of the appended claims.
In general, in a first aspect, the invention relates to a welding nozzle assembly having a nozzle body and an anchor guide assembly. The nozzle body may be generally cylindrical with an end surface configured to abut a seating surface of a refractory anchor. The anchor guide assembly includes an upper guide body and a lower guide body. The upper guide body has an alignment ridge intermediate of guides, and the lower guide body is in a spaced relation to the upper guide body. The anchor guide assembly is configured to accurately insert and position the nozzle assembly between two adjacent arms of the refractory anchor.
The nozzle body can be attached to or integrally fabricated with the anchor guide assembly. The lower guide body may have an upper planar guide face generally parallel with a lower planar guide face of the alignment ridge of the first guide body. The second guide body can be wider than the alignment ridge of the first guide body.
The nozzle assembly can also include a center guide body connected to the upper guide body and the lower guide body. The center guide body may be constructed of a guide stud or rod and a biasing spring. The guide stud or rod can pass through an aperture in the lower guide body and can be attached to the alignment ridge of the upper guide body. The spring of the center guide body biases the lower guide body towards the upper guide body.
In general, in a second aspect, the invention relates to an anchor guide assembly for a welding nozzle body. The nozzle body has an end surface configured to abut a seating surface of a V-shaped refractory anchor. The anchor guide assembly includes an upper guide body having an alignment ridge intermediate of a guide mechanism, a lower guide body in a spaced and movable relation to the upper guide body, and a center guide body connected to the upper guide body and the lower guide body. The center guide body has a guide stud or rod and a biasing spring for biasing the lower guide body towards the upper guide body. The guide stud or rod can pass through an aperture in the lower guide body and can be attached to the alignment ridge of the upper guide body. The anchor guide assembly is configured to accurately insert and position the nozzle assembly between two adjacent arms of the refractory anchor.
The nozzle body can be attached to or integrally fabricated with the anchor guide assembly. The lower guide body may have an upper planar guide face generally parallel with a lower planar guide face of the alignment ridge of the upper guide body. The lower guide body can be wider than the alignment ridge of the upper guide body.
In general, in a third aspect, the invention relates to a method of using the welding nozzle assembly of the first aspect and/or the second aspect above to attach a refractory anchor to a surface using a MIG spot plug weld. The refractory anchor may have a pair of V-shaped legs terminating at an arched attachment section that is generally perpendicular to the legs. The refractory anchor may also have a weld dam plate connected intermediate of the legs at or adjacent to the attachment section. The weld dam plate has a first or upper weld pool receptacle, a second or lower weld pool receptacle or both. The first weld pool receptacle and the second weld pool receptacle can be coaxially parallel and planarly aligned along the weld dam plate.
In general, in a fourth aspect, the invention relates to an anchor guide assembly for a welding nozzle body. The welding nozzle body has an end surface configured to abut a seating surface of a V-shaped refractory anchor. The anchor guide assembly includes a first guide body having an alignment ridge intermediate of a pair of spaced guide channels. The first guide body has a unitary tubular guide body attached to an outer diameter of the nozzle body. The anchor guide assembly also includes a second guide body in a spaced and movable relation to the first guide body. The second guide body has a guide channel configured to seat against the alignment ridge of the first guide body. Additionally, the anchor guide assembly includes a third guide body connected to the first guide body. The third guide body has a guide stud or rod engaged with the second guide body, and the third guide body is configured to bias the second guide body towards the first guide body.
The guide channel of the second guide body can have an upper planar guide face generally parallel with a lower planar guide face of the alignment ridge of the first guide body. Moreover, the guide channel of the second guide body can have a width greater than a width of the alignment ridge of the first guide body. Further, the guide stud or rod may pass through an aperture in the second guide body and can be attached to the alignment ridge of the first guide body.
In general, in a fifth aspect, the invention relates to an anchor guide assembly for a welding nozzle body. The anchor guide assembly has a first guide body with an alignment ridge intermediate of angled guide faces. In this aspect, the first guide body has a generally U-shaped channel attached to an outer diameter of the nozzle body. A second guide body of the guide assembly is in a spaced and movable relation to the first guide body, and the second guide body is configured to seat against the alignment ridge of the first guide body. The anchor guide assembly also includes a third guide body connected to the first guide body. The third guide body has a guide stud or rod engaged with the second guide body, and the third guide body is configured to bias the second guide body towards the first guide body.
The second guide body may have an upper planar guide face generally parallel with a lower planar guide face of the alignment ridge of the first guide body. In addition, the second guide body can have a width greater than a width of the alignment ridge of the first guide body. The guide stud or rod may pass through an aperture in the second guide body and be attached to the alignment ridge of the first guide body.
The foregoing has outlined in broad terms some of the more important features of the invention disclosed herein so that the detailed description that follows may be more clearly understood, and so that the contribution of the named inventors to the art may be better appreciated. The invention is not to be limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Rather, the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various other ways not specifically enumerated herein. Finally, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting, unless the specification specifically so limits the invention.
These and further aspects of the invention are described in detail in the following examples and accompanying drawings, wherein:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings, and will herein be described hereinafter in detail, some specific embodiments of the invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments so described.
Referring generally to
Turning now to
The second guide body 46 is spaced from and movable in relation to the first guide body 44. As illustrated, the second guide body 46 includes an upper planar guide face 58 that is generally parallel with a lower planar guide face 60 of the alignment ridge 54 of the first guide body. The second guide body has a width W′ greater than a width W of the alignment ridge of the first guide body 44.
The anchor guide assembly 42 can also include a third or center guide body 62. As illustrated, the third guide body 62 includes a guide stud or rod 64 that passes through an aperture in the second guide body 46 and is secured to the alignment ridge 54 of the first guide body 44. The second guide body 46 is biased toward the first guide body 44, such as using a helical biasing spring 66 wrapped around the guide stud 64 and secured between the first guide body 44 and the second guide body 46.
Turning now to
The second guide body 46 is spaced from and movable in relation to the first guide body 44. As illustrated, the second guide body 46 includes a guide channel 98 having an upper planar guide face 58 that is generally parallel with a lower planar guide face 60 of the alignment ridge 94 of the first guide body 44. The guide channel 98 of the second guide body 46 has a width W′ that slightly larger a width W of the alignment ridge 94 of the first guide body 44.
The anchor guide assembly 42 can also include a third or center guide body 62. As illustrated, the third guide body 62 includes a guide stud or rod 64 that passes through an aperture in the second guide body 46 and is secured to the alignment ridge 94 of the first guide body 44. The second guide body 46 is biased toward the first guide body 44, such as using a helical biasing spring 66 wrapped around the guide stud 64 and secured between the first guide body 44 and the second guide body 46.
As illustrated in
In general, during operation, an installer selectively positions the refractory anchor assembly 68 onto the surface 32 for attachment. As illustrated in
The nozzle assembly 18 of the welding gun 10 is has an end surface 82 that is adapted to abut a first or upper seating surface 84 and/or a second or lower seating surface 86 of the refractory anchor assembly 68. In the illustrated embodiments, the end surface 82 is uniform around the nozzle body 40. Alternatively, as exemplified in
Referring now to
The second guide body 46 is spaced from and movable in relation to the first guide body 44. As illustrated, the second guide body 46 is attached to a spacer body 108, which in turn is attached to the alignment body 102 of the first guide body guide 44 using fastener 110. The second guide body 46 includes a welding dam 112 positioned intermediate of the guide channels 96A/96B. The welding dam 112 forms a weld pooling surface 114 forming a boundary of the first weld pool receptacle 78 of the refractory anchor assembly 68. Similar to other embodiments, the guide stud or rod 64 passes through an aperture in the second guide body 46, through the alignment ridge 106 of the alignment body 102 and is secured to the bottom portion of the first guide body 44. The second guide body 46 is biased toward the first guide body 44, such as using the helical biasing spring 66 wrapped around the guide stud 64 and secured between the first guide body 44 and the second guide body 46.
When properly aligned for installation, the electrode 28, the nozzle assembly 18, the first weld pool receptacle 78, or the second weld pool receptacle 80, are generally coaxially aligned. The installer can depress the trigger 16 of the welding gun 10 in order to initiate the wire feed unit 54, to supply current and voltage from the power source 30 and a flow of shielding gas 36, resulting in an electric arc to be struck. The wire feed unit 34 supplies the electrode 28 to the welding gun 10 by driving it through an electrode conduit, which guides and protects the electrode 28, and onto the contact tip 26. The contact tip 26 of the welding gun 10 is connected to the power source 30 through a power cable 20 and transmits the electrical energy to the electrode 28 while directing it to the surface 32 and the refractory anchor assembly 68 to be welded. The contact tip 26 allows passage of the electrode 28 therethrough while maintaining contact with the refractory anchor assembly 68. The first weld pool receptacle 78 and/or the second weld pool receptacle 80 retain the MIG spot plug weld puddle for improved weld material filling and retention during installation of the refractory material assembly 68.
It is to be understood that the terms “including”, “comprising”, “consisting” and grammatical variants thereof do not preclude the addition of one or more components, features, steps, or integers or groups thereof and that the terms are to be construed as specifying components, features, steps or integers.
If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element.
It is to be understood that where the claims or specification refer to “a” or “an” element, such reference is not be construed that there is only one of that element.
It is to be understood that where the specification states that a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, “can” or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included.
It is to be understood that were the specification or claims refer to relative terms, such as “front,” “rear,” “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top,” “bottom,” “left,” and “right” as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly” etc.), such reference is used for the sake of clarity and not as terms of limitation, and should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or the method to be operated in a particular orientation. Terms, such as “connected,” “connecting,” “attached,” “attaching,” “join” and “joining” are used interchangeably and refer to one structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface or integrally fabricated in one piece.
For purposes of the instant disclosure, terms of approximation (e.g., “about”, “substantially”, “approximately”, etc.) should be interpreted according to their ordinary and customary meanings as used in the associated art unless indicated otherwise. Absent a specific definition and absent ordinary and customary usage in the associated art, such terms should be interpreted to be ±10% of the base value.
Thus, the invention is well adapted to carry out and attain the ends and advantages mentioned above as well as those inherent therein. While the inventive concept has been described and illustrated herein by reference to certain illustrative embodiments in relation to the drawings attached thereto, various changes and further modifications, apart from those shown or suggested herein, may be made therein by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit of the inventive concept the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/831,124 filed on Apr. 8, 2019, and incorporates said provisional application by reference in its entirety into this document as if fully set out at this point.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62831124 | Apr 2019 | US |
