Submerged arc welding systems and submerged arc welding torches to resistively preheat electrode wire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12134154-B2
Application number	US-202318322141-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2023
Priority date	Aug 31, 2018
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

Submerged arc welding torches and systems to resistively preheat electrode wire are disclosed. A disclosed example submerged arc welding torch includes: a first contact tip configured to transfer weld current and preheating current to the wire; a second contact tip configured to conduct the preheating current to the wire; an air-cooled first conductive body portion configured to receive the weld current and to conduct the weld current and the preheating current to the first contact tip; an air-cooled second conductive body portion configured to receive the preheating current and to conduct the preheating current to the second contact tip; and an insulator coupled between the first and second conductive body portions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A submerged arc welding torch, comprising:
a first contact tip configured to transfer weld current and preheating current to the electrode wire;
a second contact tip configured to conduct the preheating current to the electrode wire;
an air-cooled first conductive body portion configured to receive the weld current at a first power connector and to conduct the weld current and the preheating current to the first contact tip;
an air-cooled second conductive body portion configured to receive the preheating current at a second power connector and to conduct the preheating current to the second contact tip; and
an insulator configured to detachably connect the first conductive body portion to the second conductive body portion and to electrically insulate the first conductive body portion from the second conductive body portion while connected.

2. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first power connector is at an end of the first conductive body portion that is adjacent to the insulator, and the second power connector is at an end of the second conductive body portion that is farther from the insulator.

3. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 2 , wherein the first power connector and the second power connector are configured to be aligned in an axial direction of the first conductive body portion and the second conductive body portion.

4. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 3 , wherein the insulator is configured to mechanically couple the first conductive body portion and the second conductive body portion to align the first power connector and the second power connector in the axial direction of the first conductive body portion and the second conductive body portion.

5. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 2 , wherein the insulator is configured to mechanically couple the first conductive body portion and the second conductive body portion to position the first power connector on an opposite side of the submerged arc welding torch from the second power connector.

6. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 1 , further comprising an insulative wire liner positioned within at least one of the first conductive body portion or the second conductive body portion and configured to prevent electrical contact between the electrode wire and an inner bore of the first conductive body portion.

7. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first conductive body portion and the second conductive body portion are configured for cooling through natural convection, without liquid cooling and without forced gas cooling through the interior of the first conductive body portion or the second conductive body portion.

8. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first conductive body portion and the second conductive body portion comprise copper.

9. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 1 , wherein the insulator comprises ceramic.

10. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 1 , wherein the preheating current is a voltage-controlled circuit.

11. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 1 , wherein the preheating current is a current-controlled circuit.

12. A submerged arc welding torch, comprising:
a first contact tip and a second contact tip configured to conduct preheating current through a portion of an electrode wire being fed through the torch;
an air-cooled first conductive body portion configured to conduct the preheating current to the second contact tip via a first power connector;
an air-cooled second conductive body portion configured to receive the preheating current via a second power connector and to conduct the preheating current to the first contact tip;
an insulator mechanically coupling the first conductive body portion to the second conductive body portion and electrically insulating the first conductive body portion from the second conductive body portion, wherein the insulator is configured to guide the electrode wire from the first conductive body portion to the second conductive body portion; and
a wire guide extending through the first conductive body portion, the insulator, and the second conductive body portion.

13. The submerged arc welding torch as defined in claim 12 , wherein the insulator comprises ceramic, and the first and second conductive body portions comprise copper.

14. A submerged arc welding system, comprising:
a submerged arc welding torch, comprising:
a first contact tip configured to transfer weld current and preheating current to the electrode wire;
a second contact tip configured to conduct the preheating current to the electrode wire;
an air-cooled first conductive body portion configured to receive the weld current at a first power connector and to conduct the weld current and the preheating current to the first contact tip;
an air-cooled second conductive body portion configured to receive the preheating current at a second power connector and to conduct the preheating current to the second contact tip; and
an insulator configured to detachably connect the first conductive body portion to the second conductive body portion and to electrically insulate the first conductive body portion from the second conductive body portion while connected; and

one or more power supplies configured to output the weld current and the preheating current to the submerged arc welding torch.

15. The submerged arc welding system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the one or more power supplies are configured to execute at least one of a controlled voltage control loop or a controlled current control loop to control the preheating current.

16. The submerged arc welding system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the first power connector is at an end of the first conductive body portion that is adjacent to the insulator, and the second power connector is at an end of the second conductive body portion that is farther from the insulator.

17. The submerged arc welding system as defined in claim 16 , wherein the first power connector and the second power connector are configured to be aligned in an axial direction of the first conductive body portion and the second conductive body portion.

18. The submerged arc welding system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the insulator comprises ceramic, and the first and second conductive body portions comprise copper.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Stapp Zakary
• Zwayer Jake
• Bhide Aniruddha
• Schwartz Valarie

Classifications

• B23K9/285

  Cooled electrode holders · CPC title

• B23K9/14

  making use of insulated electrodes · CPC title

• B23K9/1093

  Consumable electrode or filler wire preheat circuits · CPC title

• B23K9/1068

  Electric circuits for the supply of power to two or more arcs from a single source · CPC title

• B23K9/182

  making use of a non-consumable electrode · CPC title