Abstract: A method of welding galvanized steel with a high energy density beam is disclosed. The high energy density can be created by an electron or laser beam with a power density of at least 4.times.10.sup.6 watts per square inch. A flux material, such as iron oxide, is disposed adjacent the welding zone, preferably by painting thereon, which is effective to form a compound with the zinc of the galvanized steel upon heating. The compound has a vapor pressure substantially the same or lower than the vapor pressure of the steel substrate so that disruption of the weld puddle is prevented to insure that all of the weld puddle will be available to properly close the weld void.

Abstract: A process of cutting thick metal workpieces wherein a cutting laser beam is inclined back from a cutting direction and oscillated in a direction parallel with the cutting direction while a gas jet is directed from above the workpiece at an angle approximately normal to the direction of the laser beam incident on the workpiece to blow away the laser melted material as it is produced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to improvements in methods and apparatus for welding by electron bombardment, utilizing an electron gun directing an electron beam into a chamber under partial continuous vacuum maintained by continuous pumping. The partial vacuum chamber terminates in a working chamber, and a valve device separates the partial vacuum chamber from the working chamber, the latter being fixed on a support actuated by a displacement device acting in a direction perpendicular to the electron beam. The gun is associated in known manner with a means for maintaining high vacuum and communicating with the partial vacuum chamber through a narrow orifice provided with a closure device, the partial vacuum chamber being associated with individual continuously-acting pumps.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for cutting a predetermined pattern in a moving web of material, such as paper, cardboard or the like is disclosed wherein a laser beam is deflected by a series of pivotable mirrors. The pivoting of the mirrors is controlled so as to cause the laser beam to trace and cut a predetermined pattern. The laser beam moves only in rectilinear motion, as does the web of material to be cut. Since the directions of motions are not parallel, any pattern may be cut by controlling the relative speeds of the laser beam and the moving web of material.

Abstract: In order to drill holes in watch jewels or the like a laser beam is produced having pulses in which successive spikes are formed with a substantially constant period, the first spike being greater in intensity than the subsequent spikes which can have equal or diminishing intensities.

Abstract: An improvement in a process for high velocity plasma flame-spraying of a powder onto a workpiece wherein an unlit plasma gas is passed through the nozzle of a plasma flame-spraying gun at a high velocity of at least 90 meters per second and an electric arc is struck between an electrode within said gun and a portion of said nozzle and powder is fed into the resultant flame exteriorly of said nozzle and said gun, which improvement comprises increasing the deposit efficiency of the coating of the powder onto the workpiece by carrying out said process such that the power through said electric arc is at least 15 kilowatts, disposing the arc created at the exit rim of said nozzle by regulating the gas velocity, length of nozzle and diameter of nozzle bore such that said arc is established at said exit rim of said nozzle, especially a process wherein a gas back pressure is maintained within said nozzle which is greater than 1 atmosphere gauge, the ignited plasma gas has an enthalpy of at least 7000 joules/standard

Abstract: An arc gas heater includes an injector unit having a chamber into which high pressure gas is introduced in a swirl and a constrictor passage leading from the chamber so that the swirling gas flows downstream through the constrictor passage. A rear tubular electrode opens into the chamber with its hollow interior axially aligned with the constrictor passage. The injector unit is separated from a tubular front electrode by interelectrode segments having axially aligned tubular inserts which define a continuation of the constrictor passage beyond the injector unit. Located downstream from the front electrode is a convergent-divergent nozzle. Air flowing subsonically through the constrictor passage assumes a relatively high constant pressure therein, and this high pressure demands a greater difference in electrical potential between the two electrodes to maintain an arc in the passage. This arc elevates the energy of the gas in the constrictor passage to extremely high values.

Abstract: A device for enabling the stripping of a selected portion of the insulation from an electrical lead on a rapid basis without damage to the conductor portion of the lead, involving the use of a rotatable optical unit. Our novel optical unit is equipped with an aperture at each end, with a first of these apertures being configured to selectively receive a variety of types of electrical leads whose ends are to be stripped of insulation for a certain length, and the second aperture being arranged to receive output energy from an adjacently located laser operating at a wavelength and power level such as will cause ablation of insulation at the specified location on the electrical lead. These apertures are located on the axis of rotation of the optical unit, and optical components are utilized in the unit such as will direct and focus a laser beam at essentially right angles to a nonrotating lead inserted through the first aperture.

Abstract: A metal layer is clad to a metal substrate by laying spaced rods or wires of a cladding metal on the substrate surface and scanning the cladding metal with a continuously operating laser beam, part of which impinges directly on the cladding metal to melt it and part of which impinges on the adjacent surface area of the substrate to improve flow of molten metal thereon. The cladding metal may be fed to the substrate surface in synchronism with laser beam scanning. The process produces a clad layer of the cladding metal on the substrate characterized by a fine and homogeneous structure within the clad on layer and further characterized by uniform and high hardness compared to prior art cladding methods. The surface of the clad may be smoothed by locally oscillating the laser beam during the course of cladding and/or by multiple passes.

Abstract: A hollow precision-machined body, such as a circular waveguide for transmission of millimeter wavelengths, is welded to a metallic body with minimum distortion of the precision body, by directing a concentrated beam of heat-producing energy such as an electron beam or a laser beam or a plasma across and peripherally about the interface between the precision and metallic bodies to produce a bead whose width at the contact area is related to the clearance between the bead and the inner surface of the precision tube and the maximum allowable strain at the inner face of the precision tube. Alternately, the energy beam is directed along the interface and around the periphery thereof to produce a bead whose depth of penetration is related to the thickness of the precision body and the maximum permissible strain at the inner surface of the precision body.

Abstract: Disclosed is an improved method and apparatus for operating an arc-transfer type torch having a cathode rod and two coaxial annular bodies. According to this invention an inactive gas is supplied to the annular space between the cathode rod and the inner annular body, at a very small flow rate, and an active gas such as oxygen is supplied to the annular space between the inner and exterior annular bodies at a relatively large flow rate. The plasma is composed of an active gas of high concentration heated by a transfer arc.In the method of this invention dross-less cutting is performed. Also an arc current can be increased without deforming the cathode rod of the torch, and therefore the cutting speed can be increased by raising the arc current.

Abstract: A laser-radio frequency system for generating a high temperature beam and for directing and modulating the combined beam at a workpiece or target. The system includes a hollow circular electrode mounted within a circular nozzle and spaced apart from the nozzle to define an annular gap. A radio frequency generator having a hollow metal coil as its tank coil is connected to the nozzle and a pressurized inert gas is fed through the tank coil into the nozzle. When the generator is activated, a coherent R.F. electron stream is emitted from the electrode and the inert gas flows along the annular gap to sheath and focus the stream into an energy beam directed toward the workpiece. A laser generator provides a laser beam through the hollow portion of the electrode which is reflected and focused onto the workpiece; therefore an algebraic summation of both electromagnetic energies is obtained at the workpiece in the non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: A laser-radio frequency system for generating a high temperature beam and for directing and modulating the combined beam at a workpiece or target. The system includes a hollow circular electrode mounted within a circular nozzle and spaced apart from the nozzle to define an annular gap. A radio frequency generator having a hollow metal coil as its tank coil is connected to the nozzle and a pressurized inert gas is fed through the tank coil into the nozzle. When the generator is activated, a coherent R.F. electron stream is emitted from the electrode and the inert gas flows along the annular gap to sheath and focus the stream into an energy beam directed toward the workpiece. A laser generator provides a laser beam through the hollow portion of the electrode which is reflected and focused onto the workpiece; therefore an algebraic summation of both electromagnetic energies is obtained at the workpiece in the non-oxidizing atmosphere.

Abstract: A power supply source is provided for use in apparatus for the welding of workpieces. It contains several parallel - connected charge-discharge circuits connected to electrodes via a choke or resistor, each of these circuits consists of storage capacitors, elements for the switching-over of the capacitor discharge and isolating diodes with common-polarity electrodes of said diodes being interconnected and connected to the electric network via a thyristor. Such arrangement allows generating current pulses of a complex shape, including nearly rectangular shape, and provides for controlling welding thermal cycles over a wide range. The arrangement is also of a small size and weight.

Abstract: In a process for fusion-welding a binary combination of an iron alloy containing 50 % by weight or less of nickel and cobalt combined and copper; or a ternary combination of said iron alloy, copper, and iron, including the steps of bringing members of said binary combination or ternary combination into gapless contact with one another and subjecting the contact zone to a treatment including at least one of electron beam welding, laser beam welding, plasma welding, and TIG welding without use of a filler metal, an improvement which is characterized by supplying welding energy necessary to form in the welding zone molten weld metal having such a width and depth that have been determined from the composition and thickness of said base metals so that the composition of the weld metal may fall within the specified area in a diagram, shown in FIG.

Abstract: An electrode assembly for a plasmatron, comprising a holder being cooled having a high-heat insert mounted therein in contact with a near-the-electrode zone of an arc at one side thereof and in thermal and electrical contact with the cooled holder at the other side thereof; a chamber formed in said holder between said high-heat insert and cooled holder extending symmetrical to the insert axis and filled with a substance whose coefficient of thermal conductivity is lower than that of the material of the cooled holder, the substance filling the chamber being in constant contact with the high-heat insert.Used as a substance filling the chamber is a gaseous element, and as a high-heat insert is a metal selected from groups IV, V, or VI of the Periodic System, or an alloy based thereon.

Abstract: A laser material removal apparatus and method of removing material from a workpiece wherein a laser forms a beam of radiation having a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration, and optical means is provided for compressing portions of the beam so that the resultant focused beam will provide an image of substantially rectangular shape and uniform energy whereby improved control of the size and shape of the area to be removed is obtained.

Abstract: A method for welding copper or a copper base alloy and iron or an iron base alloy characterized in that an element for enhancing the mutual miscibility of copper and iron and an element for refining the crystal grains of the weld metal is added to weld metal in a total amount of 1 to 25 percent by weight based on the weld metal, thereby preventing the welded portion from crack formation and segregation.

Abstract: A plasma spray gun having an arc space within the gun housing for heating and ionizing an inert gas propelled therethrough includes an external, adjustable powder feed conduit so that the powder may be applied to the flame of the gun after it has left the gun nozzle. The plasma gun also utilizes a concave reflector attached to the gun to reflect the infrared radiation and direct it to a limited area on the substrate where most of radiant heat is absorbed.

Abstract: This is a knitting machine latch needle. The latch pivot is formed by displacing portions of the walls of the slot so that the displaced portions extend into the pivot hole of the latch. The displaced portions of the walls are fused together by a high energy heat source emitting sufficient energy to either drill a hole through the displaced portions or melt the displaced portions.