Weld electrode plugs with polymeric inserts for loss-of-cooling detection in welding systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10632561-B2
Application number	US-201715723484-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2017
Priority date	Oct 3, 2017
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed are weld electrode plugs with polymeric inserts for loss-of-cooling detection, methods for making or for using such weld electrode plugs, and electric welding systems equipped with loss-of-cooling detection plugs. A disclosed loss-of-cooling detection assembly includes a plug that attaches to the weld shank of a welding system such that the plug fluidly couples to a coolant bore within the shank. The plug includes a plug body with a clearance hole extending therethrough. An insert detachably mounts to the plug such that the insert fluidly seals the clearance hole. This insert is fabricated from a polymeric material, such as a shape memory polymer, that alters a physical property, such as shape/size, of the insert responsive to changes in temperature and/or pressure of coolant fluid in the shank's bore. When this physical property is altered, the insert unseals the clearance hole causing a detectable leak of fluid from the shank.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A loss-of-cooling detection assembly for a weld electrode of a welding system, the weld electrode including a weld cap mounted to a weld shank with a coolant bore, and the welding system including one or more fluid conduits fluidly coupling a coolant fluid source to the coolant bore of the weld shank, the loss-of-cooling detection assembly comprising:
a plug configured to attach to the weld shank and fluidly couple to the coolant bore, the plug including a plug body with a clearance hole extending through the plug body, the plug body having an elongated, frustoconical shape; and
an insert attached to the plug body and fluidly sealing the clearance hole, the insert being fabricated from a polymeric material configured to alter a physical property of the insert, responsive to a predetermined change in temperature and/or pressure of a coolant fluid in the coolant bore, and thereby unseal the clearance hole.

2. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the clearance hole includes adjoined first and second sections, the first section having a first diameter and the second section having a second diameter less than the first diameter, and wherein the insert is seated inside the second section of the clearance hole.

3. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 2 , wherein the insert is disk-shaped with a third diameter greater than the second diameter of the second section.

4. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the clearance hole includes adjoined first and second sections, and wherein the first section has a polygonal transverse cross-section, and the second section has a circular transverse cross-section.

5. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the insert is seated inside the clearance hole and interference-fit to the plug body.

6. A loss-of-cooling detection assembly for a weld electrode of a welding system, the weld electrode including a weld cap mounted to a weld shank with a coolant bore, and the welding system including one or more fluid conduits fluidly coupling a coolant fluid source to the coolant bore of the weld shank, the loss-of-cooling detection assembly comprising:
a plug configured to attach to the weld shank and fluidly couple to the coolant bore, the plug including a plug body with a clearance hole extending through the plug body, wherein the plug includes external threads on an exterior surface of the plug body, the external threads being configured to threadably mate with complementary internal threads in a plug bore of the weld shank to thereby attach the plug to the weld shank; and
an insert attached to the plug body and fluidly sealing the clearance hole, the insert being fabricated from a polymeric material configured to alter a physical property of the insert, responsive to a predetermined change in temperature and/or pressure of a coolant fluid in the coolant bore, and thereby unseal the clearance hole.

7. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the insert includes a shape memory polymer.

8. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 7 , wherein the insert has a stored form and a temporary form distinct from the stored form, and wherein the shape memory polymer is temperature sensitive such that a predetermined temperature differential in the coolant fluid causes the insert to transition from the stored form to the temporary form.

9. A loss-of-cooling detection assembly for a weld electrode of a welding system, the weld electrode including a weld cap mounted to a weld shank with a coolant bore, and the welding system including one or more fluid conduits fluidly coupling a coolant fluid source to the coolant bore of the weld shank, the loss-of-cooling detection assembly comprising:
a plug configured to attach to the weld shank and fluidly couple to the coolant bore, the plug including a plug body with a clearance hole extending through the plug body, wherein the clearance hole includes first and second openings at opposing first and second ends of the plug body, respectively, the plug body having a tapered surface connecting the second end of the plug body to the clearance hole at the second opening; and
an insert attached to the plug body and fluidly sealing the clearance hole, the insert being fabricated from a polymeric material configured to alter a physical property of the insert, responsive to a predetermined change in temperature and/or pressure of a coolant fluid in the coolant bore, and thereby unseal the clearance hole.

10. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a seal extending around the plug body and configured to fluidly seal an interface between the plug and the weld shank.

11. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , characterized by an absence of any and all the following: an adhesive, a fastener, and a bracket for mounting the insert to the plug body.

12. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the plug further includes external threads on an exterior surface of the plug body, the external threads being configured to threadably mate with complementary internal threads in a plug bore of the weld shank to thereby attach the plug to the weld shank.

13. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 1 , wherein the clearance hole includes first and second openings at opposing first and second ends of the plug body, respectively, the plug body having at the second opening thereof a tapered surface connecting the second end of the plug body to the clearance hole.

14. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 6 , wherein the clearance hole includes adjoined first and second sections, the first section having a first diameter and the second section having a second diameter less than the first diameter, and wherein the insert is seated inside the second section of the clearance hole.

15. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 6 , wherein the plug body has an elongated, frustoconical shape.

16. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 6 , wherein the insert is seated inside the clearance hole and interference-fit to the plug body.

17. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 6 , wherein the polymeric material of the insert includes a shape memory polymer.

18. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 9 , wherein the clearance hole includes adjoined first and second sections, the first section having a first diameter and the second section having a second diameter less than the first diameter, and wherein the insert is seated inside the second section of the clearance hole.

19. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 9 , wherein the plug body has an elongated, frustoconical shape.

20. The loss-of-cooling detection assembly of claim 9 , wherein the insert is seated inside the clearance hole and interference-fit to the plug body.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Smith Anthony L
• Jablonski Joseph L
• Skurkis Richard J
• Pinto Nicholas W

Classifications

• B23K11/3018 Primary

  Cooled pressure electrodes · CPC title

• F16K31/002

  actuated by temperature variation (thermo-electric F16K31/025) · CPC title

• B23K11/31

  Electrode holders {and actuating devices therefor} · CPC title

• B23K11/252

  using digital means · CPC title

• B23K9/173

  and of a consumable electrode · CPC title