Linear friction welding machine and associated method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9333702-B2
Application number	US-201213690845-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2012
Priority date	Nov 30, 2012
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A linear-friction-welding machine and a method of linear friction welding are provided which permit continuous clocking or angular positioning between a pair of workpieces without the complexity and cost associated with making either the weld head or the table of the friction-stir-welding machine rotatable. The linear-friction-welding machine may include a stationary or a movable table, a weld head, and a tapered cylindrical collet, adapted to engage a tapered cylindrical opening of a socket. The socket is either supported by the table or retained by the weld head, to permit controlled, continuous clocking of one of the workpieces, retained by the collet, relative to the other workpiece, which is either supported by the table or retained by the weld head such that the workpieces may be mutually biased and linearly oscillated relative each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A linear friction welding machine comprising:
a table configured to support a first workpiece;
a weld head configured to retain a second workpiece;
a socket supported by the table or retained by the weld head and defining a tapered cylindrical opening; and
a tapered cylindrical collet configured to retain one of the first or second workpieces, wherein:
the collet is adapted to engage the tapered cylindrical opening defined by the socket so as to permit controlled, continuous clocking of the one of the first or second workpieces retained by the collet relative to the other one of the first or second workpieces,
the tapered cylindrical opening comprises an interior surface that is inwardly tapered from a first end of the socket toward a second end of the socket, located opposite the first end, and
the tapered cylindrical collet is configured to be snugly received within the tapered cylindrical opening of the socket from the first end of the socket so as to be secured in the tapered cylindrical opening during a friction welding operation with a wobble-free fit.

2. A linear friction welding machine according to claim 1 wherein the table comprises a stationary table, wherein the weld head is configured to be aligned with the stationary table along a direction orthogonal to the stationary table, wherein the weld head is configured to controllably position the second workpiece along an axis orthogonal to the stationary table, and wherein the weld head is configured to linearly oscillate the second workpiece in a direction along a plane defined by the stationary table.

3. A linear friction welding machine according to claim 2 wherein the socket and the collet have a symmetry axis located along the axis orthogonal to the stationary table such that the collet and the socket are configured to permit clocking of the collet to any angular position relative to the socket about the symmetry axis.

4. A linear friction welding machine according to claim 2 wherein the linear friction welding machine is a two-axis linear friction welding machine.

5. A linear friction welding machine according to claim 1 wherein the table comprises a movable table configured to support and controllably position the first workpiece along a plane defined by first and second linear axes in order to align the first and second workpieces, wherein the weld head is adapted to controllably position the second workpiece along a third axis orthogonal to the first and second axes, and wherein at least one of the weld head and the movable table is configured to linearly oscillate in a direction along the plane.

6. A linear friction welding machine according to claim 5 wherein the socket and the collet have a symmetry axis located along the third axis such that the collet is configured to permit clocking of the collet to any angular position relative to the socket about the symmetry axis.

7. A linear friction welding machine according to claim 5 wherein the linear friction welding machine is a four-axis linear friction welding machine.

8. A linear friction welding machine according to claim 1 wherein the tapered cylindrical opening defined by the socket has a frustoconical shape, and wherein the tapered cylindrical collet has a frustoconical shape.

9. A collet comprising:
a body extending from a first end to an opposed second end and defining a tapered cylindrical shape, wherein the first end of the body defines external threads and wherein the body comprises an exterior surface that is inwardly tapered from proximate the externally threaded first end to the second end, opposite the first end;
a plurality of jaws, proximate the first end of the body, configured to be controllably positioned relative to one another so as to engage and securely hold a workpiece; and
a collar configured to be positioned about the first end of the body and to be threadably positioned relative to the body in order to controllably position the plurality of jaws relative to one another, wherein the collar is internally threaded and is configured to threadably engage the externally threaded first end of the body during a friction welding operation.

10. A collet according to claim 9 wherein the body defines a frustoconical shape that tapers down from the first end to the opposed second end.

11. An assembly comprising:
a socket defining a tapered cylindrical opening; and
a tapered cylindrical collet configured to retain a workpiece, wherein the collet is adapted to engage the tapered cylindrical opening defined by the socket so as to permit controlled, continuous clocking of the workpiece retained by the collet relative to the socket, wherein:
the tapered cylindrical opening comprises an interior surface that is inwardly tapered from a first end of the socket toward a second end of the socket, located opposite the first end, and
the tapered cylindrical collet is configured to be snugly received within the tapered cylindrical opening of the socket from the first end of the socket so as to be secured in the tapered cylindrical opening during a friction welding operation with a wobble-free fit.

12. An assembly according to claim 11 wherein the tapered cylindrical opening defined by the socket has a frustoconical shape, and wherein the tapered cylindrical collet has a frustoconical shape.

13. An assembly according to claim 11 wherein the socket and the collet define a symmetry axis such that the collet and socket are configured to permit clocking of the workpiece retained by the collet to any angular position relative to the socket about the symmetry axis.

14. A method of joining two workpieces using linear friction welding, the method comprising:
clamping one of the workpieces in a collet which has a tapered cylindrical shape;
positioning the collet at least partially within a tapered cylindrical opening defined by a socket associated with either a weld head or a table;
aligning the two workpieces;
clocking the collet relative to the socket to achieve an angular orientation between the workpieces;
following clocking of the collet relative to the socket, more fully seating the collet within the socket such that the tapered cylindrical collet is snugly received within the tapered cylindrical opening of the socket so as to be secured in the tapered cylindrical opening with a wobble-free fit;
controllably positioning the weld head and the workpiece retained thereby along an axis orthogonal to the table to bias the two workpieces against each other; and
linearly oscillating at least one of the weld head and the table in a direction along a plane defined by the table to friction weld the two workpieces together.

15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the table comprises a stationary table, and wherein linearly oscillating at least one of the weld head and the table comprises linearly oscillating the weld head relative to the table.

16. A method according to claim 14 wherein the table comprises a movable table, and wherein aligning the two workpieces comprises translating the movable table along a plane defined by first and second orthogonal axes.

17. A method according to claim 16 wherein controllably positioning the weld head and the workpiece retained thereby comprises controllably positioning the weld head and the workpiece retained thereby along a third axis orthogonal to the first and second axes.

18. A method according to claim 14 further comprising separating the collet and the socket following friction welding of the two workpieces by pushing the collet from the socket or by pul

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Slattery Kevin Thomas

Classifications

• B29C65/0618 Primary

  Linear · CPC title

• Y10T156/17

  Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means · CPC title

• B23K20/1205 Primary

  using translation movement · CPC title

• B23K37/0426

  Fixtures for other work · CPC title