The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 28, 1978
Filed:
May. 06, 1976
Robert W Randolph, St. Charles, MO (US);
Steven L Jantzen, St. Louis, MO (US);
ACF Industries, Incorporated, New York, NY (US);
Abstract
Apparatus is disclosed for supporting and rotating a pair of hollow tank sections of generally circular cross section, including scalene frusto-conical tank sections, during welding of the sections in end-to-end abutting relation to form an elongted tank. The apparatus includes three longitudinally spaced, axially aligned, rotatable rings which define a welding cage. The center ring includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced, radially directed jacks, each extendible the same distance regardless of the resistance encountered by a particular jack to force the abutting edges of the tank sections into a precise circular cross section and support and hold the abutting edges in aligned relation during rotation and welding. The two side rings include circumferentially spaced radially directed jacks of the seek and find type that will automatically extend until all jacks exert the same force on the tank sections extending from each side of the center ring to thereby support the tank sections for rotation about the common axis of the three rings, regardless of whether the tank sections are of cylindrical, right frusto-conical or scalene frusto-conical shape. A longitudinally extending conveyor is provided which extends within the welding cage and on either side of the welding cage for moving adjacent tank sections longitudinally toward each other into abutting engagement for welding, and for moving welded sections longitudinally of the cage.