Combustion Engineering, Inc.

James R Underwood

John J Barger

Waylon C Powell

A dam, or barrier, structure is moved along the edge, or corner, of a workpiece to control the flow limits of molten material of arc welding. The dam structure provides a dimentionally stable groove at the edge of the workpiece surface into which is received granulated flux and positions the body of the flux along the edge, or corner, of the workpiece surface to function as a mold for the molten material, and, thereby, prevent the falling of the flowing material from the surface. The dam structure has the specific form of a continuous tread of segments which advances around parallel rollers to reform the retaining groove structure opposite the arc operation on the surface of the workpiece.

Flux dam for submerged arc welding

Granulated welding flux is supplied under fluid pressure from a reservoir mounted at a convenient location for reloading. The reservoir is connected to an elevated vacuum tank. Recovered excess flux is also brought up to the vacuum tank, both sources of flux maintaining a predetermined level of flux within the vacuum tank. A conduit from the vacuum tank provides gravity feed of flux from the tank to a lower divider box from which a plurality of conduits deliver flux to the traveling welding arc from behind and in front of the arc between the tip of the welding electrode and the work piece.

Growing community of inventors

Cleveland, TN, United States of America

James R Underwood