Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited

Keishi Setoda

Yusuke Muramatsu

Yosuke Hiruma

Masao Watanabe

Kenichi Fukami

Jun Kitagawa

Katsuya Matsumoto

A plasma ejection unit () of an arc welding device includes a plasma torch (), a copper plate (), a container (), and a gas supplying unit (). Plasma gas inside the container () is pressurized by argon gas supplied from the gas supplying unit (), and ejected from first to eighth ejection ports. The plasma gas ejected from the first to eighth ejection ports is concentrated in a concentration area (CA) between vehicle body plates (-) to form through holes () in the vehicle body plates (-), and is separated. The air pressures, in eight areas, of the plasma gas reaching a vehicle body plate () are approximately one-eighth of the air pressure of the plasma gas in the concentration area (CA). Accordingly, while the through holes () are formed in the vehicle body plates (-), no through hole is formed in the vehicle body plate ().

Arc welding device and method

A penetration welding method includes a plasma welding step for forming a through hole in a work, which is a laminated steel plate, from a front surface to rear surface thereof without forming a hole in a component at the rear, by generating a plasma arc column from a plasma torch to the work. After the plasma arc column is generated, the plasma arc column is extinguished when an arc voltage or the length of the arc estimated from the arc voltage exceeds an end-determining threshold which is determined according to the thickness of the work. Further, plasma gas is discharged from the plasma torch at a flow rate at which the width of the plasma arc column is maintained approximately constant from the plasma torch side to the work side so that the arc voltage is increased at an approximately constant rate before and after penetration.

Penetration welding method

A plasma welding torch that can be reduced in size more than in conventional cases. When an inert gas G such as argon gas is supplied to an outer circumferential space around a non-consumable electrode, a portion of the inert gas G is used as plasma gas GP that forms a plasma arc PA between the non-consumable electrodeand a base materialvia a plasma orifice. A plasma welding torchmoves, maintaining this state, in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.. Meanwhile, a portion of the inert gas G supplied to a gas flowing partis not used as the plasma gas GP but is used as shielding gas GS and is ejected onto the base materialahead in the welding direction via a shielding orifice. The welding on the base materialis performed in a state where the plasma arc PA and the base materialare shielded from the air by this shielding gas.

Plasma welding torch having a nozzle with first and second orifices, and welding method using plasma welding torch having a nozzle with first and second orifices

A laser-arc hybrid welding head performs laser light irradiation and arc discharge of a base material to weld the base material by combined use of laser welding and arc welding. The welding head includes an optical fiber for transmitting laser light used in laser welding and an arc electrode for generating an arc between the arc electrode and the base material. The optical fiber is disposed such that an optical axis thereof crosses an axis of the arc electrode at a predetermined angle.

Growing community of inventors

Tochigi, Japan

Keishi Setoda