Abstract: A pair of sheets are supported on a support assembly having skewed support rollers disposed on opposite sides of an elongate guide having a pair of sidewardly opening and vertically overlapping guide grooves. The pair of sheets are disposed on opposite sides of the guide and are urged inwardly into the guide grooves so that adjacent edges of the sheets are vertically overlapped. A shuttle moves the overlapping pair of sheets toward the nip of a weld roller assembly, with the sheets being engaged by driving skewed rollers disposed directly adjacent the weld roller assembly. The sheets are drivingly moved through the nip of the weld roller assembly, with the weld roller assembly having upper and lower weld rollers which pressingly and drivingly engage the overlapping edges of the sheets therebetween to create a seam weld as the sheets move through the nip.

Abstract: A welding apparatus is disclosed to include an electrically insulating casing, first and second welding electrodes, and one or more welding transformer cores having toroidal cores, multi-turn primary windings and a single-turn secondary winding. The cores include a grain-oriented silicon steel material coiled with an insulator. The primary windings have turns axially wound about the cores. The secondary windings include at least two conductive arm sections which are connected to the electrodes and a wound section including conductive wire cable which electrically connects the two arm sections. One of the arm sections can provide the frame member to support the transformer. The apparatus is suitable for spot or linear welding.

Abstract: A compact resistance seam welding machine wherein the upper electrode roller (14) is provided on a pivotally mounted arm (12) instead of on a pendulum roller head. The lower electrode roller (16), which is disposed below the upper electrode roller (14), is provided on a rigid lower arm (8) as usual. The pivotal mounting (10) of the arm (12) includes a stack of copper foils (102) on the side adjacent to the lower arm (8) and of a steel strip (101) on the side remote from the lower arm (8). The steel strip (101) and the copper foils (102) are each clamped, on the one side to the machine frame (4) and on the other side to the opposite end of the arm (12). The arm (12) is therefore pivotally mounted on the principle of a parallelogram linkage, while the pivotal mounting (10) serves for the transmission of welding current to the upper electrode roller (14) at the same time. The pivotal mounting ( 10) only permits the upper electrode roller (14) a vertical movement up and down.

Abstract: Disposed on a central machine portion (10) are two clamping devices (32,34), each for a respective body blank (P.sub.l,P.sub.r), and a welding device (20) for welding together overlapping margins of the blanks (P.sub.l,P.sub.r). Disposed one at each side of the central machine portion (10) are feed tables (80,82) on each of which a blank (P.sub.l R.sub.r) can be fed through one of the clamping devices (32,24), transversely to the proposed weld seam, into an overlapping position. A supporting device (50) is disposed between the two clamping devices (32,34) to support the margin to be welded of the blank (P.sub.l) fed in on one of the two feed tables (80). This supporting device can be moved out of a supporting position in which it supports the margin to be welded of the blank (P.sub.l) in question, into a position of rest in which it allows this margin to come to lie on the margin of the other blank (P.sub.r).

Abstract: An electric resistance seam welding method for a hard-to-weld steel sheet is disclosed which prevents the occurrence of flashes. The steel sheet has metal harder than tin and an intermetallic compound as coating layers, the sheet thickness of the steel sheet is 0.5 mm or less and portions of the sheet are overlapped for welding with an overlapping width in a range from 2.0 times to 2.3 times the sheet thickness.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for the solid-state forming of a metallic feedstock into thin sheet or foil is disclosed that uses improved isothermal roll forging techniques. The improvements include the use of rotatable backup rolls for increasing hollow work roll stiffness, two independent work roll heating controllers, a reduced work roll diameter and other means for precise control of conditions within a feedstock "travelling hot zone" (THZ). The disclosed improvements allow the application of isothermal roll forging techniques to the rolling of thin sheets from difficult-to-work, high-strength metals such as aluminides, intermetallics, superalloys, titanium alloys, ODS composites, beryllium, and others in sheets having widths of 24-inches and more.

Abstract: A welding apparatus is disclosed to include an electrically insulating casing, first and second welding electrodes, and a welding transformer having a toroidal core, a multi-turn primary winding and a single-turn secondary winding. The core includes a grain-oriented silicon steel material coiled with an insulator. The primary winding has turns axially wound about the core. The secondary winding includes two conductive arm sections which are connected to the electrodes and a wound section including conductive wire cable which electrically connects the two arm sections. One of the arm sections can provide the frame member to support the transformer. The apparatus is suitable for spot or linear welding.

Abstract: Apparatus for welding longitudinal seams in can bodies includes upper and lower electrode wheels mounted on arms, a transducer for detecting vertical displacement of the upper wheel, a pair of pick-ups for detecting the rotational positions of the wheels, and a single processing circuit. The transducer output is divided into a set of traces, each corresponding to a single wheel rotation. The traces are averaged to produce a representation of the wheel profile. Each wheel profile is subtracted from the transducer output to produce a good indication of weld thickness. Alternatively, the transducer output is divided into a series of traces, each of which represents the vertical displacement of the upper wheel while welding a single can body. These are averaged to provide a good indication of weld thickness. The wheels have surface irregularities and each is inevitably mounted with some degree of eccentricity. Unwanted transducer output components due to these irregularities and eccentricities are removed.

Abstract: Apparatus for resistance welding an elongate seam in a tubular article, comprises a first electrode wheel outside the article, a second electrode inside the article and a continuous electrode wire arranged to pass over the electrodes to provide surfaces of contact between the electrodes and seam material. The second electrode has a stationary block having a guide surface of like curvature to that of the outer electrode wheel so that the contact arcs of wire passing over the guide surface with the seam material is substantially equal to the contact area of wire passing over the external wheel. The use of this stationary inner electrode improves the weld of geometry and permits welding of can bodies of relatively smaller diameter without use of mercury contact bearings.

Abstract: An automatic seam welding apparatus for fuel tanks comprises a jig for holding two workpieces disposed one above the other to form a fuel tank, a pair of roller electrodes vertically arranged for nipping and welding the overlapping peripheral flange portion of the workpieces, and a robot assembly rotatably supporting the jig and controlling the horizontal and vertical positions and the inclination of the jig held workpieces relative to the electrodes for welding peripheral flange portions that are irregular with high quality welds. The jig is easily detachable from the robot to permit many different shaped tanks to be welded by the same apparatus.

Abstract: What is described is an electrode wire (20) which, in contrast to conventional electrode wire (10), is provided with flanges (30,31) formed on it to support it on the circumference of a roller electrode (12) at both sides of a guide groove (22,22'). The electrode wire (20) is broader than its contrast area on the work being welded and has a considerably broader contact area on the work being welded than the conventional electrode wire. As a result, metal sheets (for example lead-coated metal sheets of fuel tanks) are pressed together alongside the weld nugget as a result of which gaping apart of the sheets alongside the weld nugget and lateral tearing of the weld nugget are prevented. The profile of the electrode wire (20) projecting beyond the guide groove (22,22') is very thin and cannot be deformed laterally under transverse forces even if the electrode wire becomes soft during the welding.

Abstract: The invention disclosed provides an effective and comprehensively economic method of cooling the continuous shielding wire fed to the welding rollers of a machine for seam-welding discrete lengths of tube, inasmuch as the wire does not merely pass between the cooled mill rolls but is wrapped around each one to the point of subtending an angle greater than 180.degree..

Abstract: A process of depositing carbide on the metal edge of a ski including creating an electrical voltage differential between a relatively moving carbide electrode and the metal edge of a ski spaced therefrom such that an electrical arc passes from the electrode to the metal ski edge across the space. The electrical arc carries carbide from the electrode and deposits it on the metal ski edge. The product formed by this process and apparatus for carrying out the process.

Abstract: An electrode roll for an electric resistance seam welding machine comprises a stator substantially made of copper or a copper alloy, a rotor mounted on the periphery of the stator, and substantially or in part made of copper or a copper alloy and rotatably a gap portion formed by the stator and the rotor. A conductive liquid metal, which is a fusible alloy composed mainly of gallium, is inserted in the gap portion through a filling hole and is sealed in the gap portion. At least the portion of the filling hole that may come in contact with the conductive liquid metal is fabricated of a metal or metal alloy which is hard to be corroded by the fusible alloy. The remaining surfaces of both rotor and stator facing the gap portion are covered with a layer or layers of a metal or metal alloy that is hard to be corroded by the fusible alloy. In at least one embodiment, such layer or layers are further covered with another thin layer of metal which has an excellent wettability by the fusible alloy.

Abstract: For connecting a round hollow member (10) of sheet metal tightly to a complementary inner member (12), a force fit is produced in a narrow annular region (25) between these two members (10, 12). Then at least two electrodes (90) are applied to the hollow member (10) from the outside in the annular region and during relative rotation between the electrodes (90) on the one hand and the two members (10, 12) on the other hand, electrical resistance welding is carried out during which the welding current (I) is supplied and drawn off exclusively through the electrodes (90) bearing externally against the hollow member (10).

Abstract: The invention relates to the art field of resistance welding utilizing rollers in conjunction with a continuous copper wire electrode and effected with welding current that remains constant on average, at least within each half-period. According to the invention, the weld between members (generally tinned metal strip) can be monitored by measuring the current that flows through the circuit created by the electrode wire, this being a function of the welding resistance that registers between the welding rollers; the value of the current thus measured is compensated in respect of the inductive effects produced by the magnetic field originating from the welding current, and relayed in digital form to a microprocessor that compares it with given maximum and minimum limits within which the reading must fall for quality of the weld to be assured.

Abstract: The apparatus described is so constructed that narrow can bodies having an internal diameter of 52 mm for example can be produced from rounded blanks by welding the edges of the blanks. The supply of welding current to the electrode roller is effected through copper caps, a clamping member, contact members disposed at each side thereof, contact jaws silver contact segments and peripheral surfaces of wide hubs which are provided on the electrode roller. The contact jaws engage the hubs of the electrode roller at both sides of the roller from above and below, as a result of which there is a large area for the transmission of current and a low specific contact pressure. The hub surfaces, which form the actual contact surfaces of the electrode roller, are continuously lubricated through felt lubricating segments. The contact pressure of the contact jaws can be adjusted in a simple manner by means of a screw.

Abstract: A device for feeding electric power to a roll-like revolving electrode in an electrical resistance welding machine includes a feeder rotor provided in a shaft formed integrally with a revolving electrode and a feeder plate extending in the moving direction of the revolving electrode and disposed in contact with the periphery of the feeder rotor. The periphery of the feeder rotor is electrically coupled to the electrode surface of the revolving electrode, and the feeder plate is connected to a power supply. Consequently, the electrode surface of the revolving electrode is electrically coupled to the power supply.

Abstract: A welding machine with wire electrodes is used to electrically resistance roll seam weld tin plate. Only one electrode wire running over both of the electrode carrying rolls is used. To prevent the formation of a loop in the wire stretch between the electrode carrying rolls a hard wire is required which is produced by a prior rolling of a soft round wire. With this rolling there results however a non-uniform hardness distribution over the wire cross section with areas of high and areas of low material hardness so that the average strength increase over the entire wire cross section of the electrode wire remains below the increase in strength which could theoretically be reached if no portion of the wire cross section remained outside of the area of high material strength.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for forming a circular, honeycomb-type engine seal from pre-formed core strip having male and female nodes. The apparatus includes a source of strip and means for forming the strip into a circular seal configuration wherein the male and female nodes of the strip are automatically juxtaposed to each other for weldment as relative movement between the forming means and the source occurs to withdraw additional strip from the core strip source. As the relative movement continues, the juxtaposed male and female nodes are exposed to welding head means of the apparatus which welds the male and female nodes to one another. The forming means includes means for causing said relative movement constituted by drive means which is adjustable to permit forming means of different sizes to be utilized. The movement of the forming means permits successive layers or laminae of the strip to be welded to each other in circular form until a seal of the desired dimension is achieved.

Abstract: A fluid circulating apparatus for cleaning welding electrode wheels with a spray of fluid. A high pressure pump draws the fluid from a tank and distributes it to a plurality of welding stations where nozzles spray the fluid on the electrodes. Flow of water through the system is balanced by providing a dumping outlet through which fluid is released from the system when the welding machine is not performing a welding operation. A diverting valve is used to shift the fluid flow from the nozzles to the dumping outlet. An integrated fluid control system is disclosed for controlling both the welding machine and cleaning apparatus.

Abstract: In a method for electrical resistance roll seam welding with a single electrode-wire, wherein the electrode-wire runs over first and second electrode carrier-rolls urged against each other, and the strength of the electrode-wire is increased by rolling-out before it enters the first electrode carrier-roll, elongations of the electrode-wire which can otherwise arise and lead to a slippage of the electrode-wire at the welding point and therefore, deleteriously affect the weld-quality can be largely prevented by reducing the electrode-wire temperature at the welding-point by cooling with a cooling device (17) the electrode-wire (12) between its rolling-out point (17/18) and its passage onto the first electrode carrier-roll (14) and/or between its departure from electrode carrier-roll (14) and its passage onto the second electrode carrier-roll (15).

Abstract: An electric resistance seam welding method and apparatus includes a continuous wire electrode which is passed successively over a first electrode reel and thereafter over a second electrode reel via a plurality of guide and deflection rollers, the outer surfaces of the wire confronting each other when passing over the reels and being pressed together by the reels by a predetermined welding force against interposed workpieces to be seam welded together. An electric current is applied so as to pass from the second electrode reel to the first reel through the wire electrode and the interposed workpieces, and the wire electrode is motor driven for feeding the workpieces through the reels. A copper wire is utilized as the wire electrode and has a tensile strength at the elastic limit of between 11 and 13 kg-f/mm.sup.2 and has a percentage elongation at break of 26 to 17%. The reels are pressed together by a force of 60 to 70 kg, and the copper wire is subject to a tensile stress of less than 10 kg-f/mm.sup.

Abstract: A continuous lap-seaming electrical resistance welding machine for can bodies is disclosed. Two electrode units together define a welding passage, through which laps of sheet metal are passed for welding. Each of the electrode units comprises a band electrode running over an electrode roller having a stationary axis. A band guide roller spaced from the electrode roller(s) in continuation of the welding passage forms a straight-line section between the electrode roller(s) and the associated guide roller. Preferably the guide roller is disposed downstream of electrode roller relative to the direction of displacement of the laps through the welding passage.

Abstract: In an apparatus and a method of at least partially suppressing oxidation of can components or the like during resistance roller welding with the aid of an inert gas, the steps include welding the can components to one another, so as to obtain a hot welding seam, supplying the inert gas to the hot welding seam so as to envelop it at least partially, and to create a region of the inert gas in contact with the surrounding atmosphere, so that oxidation of the hot welding seam is at least partially suppressed.

Abstract: A signal emitted from a transducer responsive to the relative power applied during a welding process is enhanced electronically and mathematically to be of use in controlling welder operating parameters and/or in rejecting defective welds. Electronically the signal refined to minimize unnecessary noise in the signal and mathematically the signal is modified and analyzed against a standard. In a high speed welding operation automatic means are necessary to assure weld quality and control welder operation since the rapidity with which the welding takes place is too fast for manual readjustment.

Abstract: An apparatus for transporting successive pieces to be separated from one another at respective predetermined spacings at a predetermined velocity, includes a rotary-to-linear movement conversion device, including a crank normally arranged to be driven at a prearranged angular velocity by a drive mechanism, and a clutch normally connected to, but disconnectable from the crank, and adapted to be connected to a drive device for periodically reducing the angular velocity to zero, so that the spacing of successive pieces may be accurately adjusted.

Abstract: An apparatus for resistance welding of the longitudinal seam of can bodies by means of electrode rollers which are suspended so as to be oscillatingly drivable transversely with respect to the edges of the can bodies which are to be welded, in order to prevent premature wear of the electrode rollers due to the formation of notches, scoring or the like. The lower electrode roller which is additionally oscillatingly or reciprocatingly suspended in vertical direction provides outstanding accessibility and low dead mass of the moved parts.

Abstract: The invention is concerned with an electrical resistance welding machine for producing a wire lattice by welding together longitudinal and transverse wires at their crossover points. The wires are fed stepwise between at least one pair of electrode devices and means synchronized with the feeding means bring the electrode devices together to clamp the wires at one of the crossover points to allow a welding operation to be effected. At least one of the electrode devices comprises a welding electrode in the form of a circularly cylindrical disc which is fitted to an electrode holder and can be rotated to bring new parts of its peripheral surface into the working position. The axis of the disc is inclined at an acute angle to the axial directions of the longitudinal and transverse lattice wires to provide an improved contact surface between the disc electrode and wires, particularly to avoid any tendency of the transverse wires to be displaced laterally by the contact pressure.

Abstract: A resistance welding machine in which a wire electrode is urged into contact with a workpiece by first and second electrode wheels, the wire having first and second surfaces extending parallel to the axis of the wire and a twisting mechanism located in the path of the wire after the first electrode and before the second electrode for twisting the wire during linear motion of the wire so that the surface of the wire presented to the workpiece at the first electrode wheel is also presented to the workpiece at the second electrode wheel.

Abstract: A resistance welding machine for seam welding blanks or bodies or the like, comprising a guide device arranged in front of the electrode rolls for producing an exactly determined overlapping of the edges of the blanks or bodies and for guiding the overlapped blank edges to the welding point between the electrode rolls. Adjustment of a movable section of the guide device aligns the guide device at the welding point.

Abstract: An electrode roll-welding arrangement for a resistance roll-welding machine comprising a welding arm adapted to be supported at a machine frame and an electrode roll mounted at an end of the welding arm, the electrode roll being supplied with the welding current by means of the welding arm acting as an electrical conductor and a shaft of the electrode roll mounted in such welding arm. The end of the welding arm receiving the electrode roll is bifurcated or fork-shaped and embodies two fork-like or bifurcated leg members situated essentially in parallelism and opposite one another, each bifurcated leg member having a slot which opens towards the front side or face of the end of the welding arm. Each such slot has at its inward or proximal slot end a bearing cradle for the reception of the shaft of the electrode roll.

Abstract: A method of, and apparatus for, respectively controlling the start of welding and the termination of welding during continuous resistance welding with the aid of an alternating-current at a roll-welding machine, wherein at least at one measuring station or location arranged ahead or upstream of the welding station or location and the workpiece to be welded passing through the measuring station there is determined the position as a function of time of the leading end as well as the trailing end of the workpiece to be welded with respect to the frequency and the phase of the welding current. By means of a computer processing the determined value there is accommodated to one another the speed of the workpiece to be welded and the frequency and phase of the welding current in such a manner that the first welding spot and the last welding spot are applied at an adjustable spacing from the leading end and the trailing end, respectively, of the workpiece to be welded.

Abstract: An electrical resistance-roll seam welding machine having a pair of welding rolls or rollers and at least one electrode wire which is guided from a supply station for the infeed of fresh welding wire by means of at least one of the welding rolls to a collecting station or location for used or consumed wire. The electrode wire can be brought into contact by means of the welding rolls with the workpiece which is to be welded. A brake device is arranged between the supply station and the welding rolls and a tension device for the electrode wire is disposed between the welding rolls and the collecting station or location. The sum of the tension force exerted by the tension device upon the wire and the brake force exerted by the brake device upon the wire is great enough in order to continuously maintain in tensioned state the electrode wire through its path of travel between the brake device and the tension device.

Abstract: A high speed seam welding system wherein single phase alternating current welding pulses are applied to electrode mechanism during only a less than maximum amplitude fractional portion of the wave form representing each successive current half cycle, and the current is substantially cut off between current applications to permit cooling. The relative seam welding movement of the electrode mechanism and the material to be seam welded is coordinated with the duration of the welding and cooling periods to more rapidly form a line of uniform weld nuggets. The system may also be operated at more conventional welding speeds to weld relatively heavy gauge materials.

Abstract: A portable seam welder comprising a pair of arms pivoted to one another about a pivot axis and a spindle assembly mounted on each arm. Each spindle assembly includes a shaft rotatably mounted about an axis extending generally parallel to the pivot axis and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arm. A welding wheel is mounted on each shaft. At least one of the wheels is driven to rotate it. Handles are mounted on one of the arms for manipulating the welder, and an actuator means extending between the arms for pivoting the arms relative to one another for moving said wheels toward and away from one another.

Abstract: An electrode system for spot welding difficult-to-weld materials, such as aluminum, wherein a pair of spaced apart electrodes, one of which is a roller, clamp the overlapped strips of material to be spot welded. Mechanism moves the roller electrode toward and away from the other electrode, and other means is operated responsively to this movement for indexing the roller electrode incrementally circumferentially to successively present a new surface to the work held between the electrodes. A control circuit applies DC power to the electrodes such that the roller mentioned has the positive polarity and the other electrode the negative polarity.

Abstract: A resistance-welding head having a vertical-axis rotor with a roller electrode attached to the lower end thereof. Current is supplied to the roller electrode by means of a mercury-filled interstice formed between the walls of a chamber within the rotor and a current-transmission rod disposed within the chamber. The rod may be provided with a bore for receiving the mercury and having a stopper which also serves as a mercury-level indicator.

Abstract: The seam welding head has an outer annular electrode connected to the hub by means of a resilient annulus bridged by multiple laminated conductors. The electrode is water cooled. The resilient annulus is stressed as the electrode is moved into contact with the work and provides the follow-up force during the forging phase of the welding cycle. The relatively small weight of the electrode permits fast follow-up without excessive force and permits much faster welding.