US-20260124692-A1 - MOBILE CLOSE PROXIMITY ORBITAL WELDING SYSTEM HAVING A SHIELDED WELD ZONE

US20260124692A1US 20260124692 A1US20260124692 A1US 20260124692A1US-20260124692-A1

Abstract

An orbital welding system is disclosed for joining a riser to a pulled collar on a manifold runner with a circumferential weld bead, which includes a multi-axis welding platform, a weld head assembly supported on the welding platform and including a shaft housing, an electrode drive shaft mounted for axial rotation within the shaft housing, a drive motor connected to the electrode drive shaft for axially rotating the electrode drive shaft, and a torch assembly that rotates with the electrode drive shaft and includes a vertical torch shaft having an electrode holder at an upper end thereof for retaining a tungsten electrode.

Inventors

Claudiu C. Caldarescu
Huabin Weng
Cosmo C. Mao
Dillon Silver

Assignees

Valex. Corp.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251106

Claims (20)

1 . An orbital welding system for joining a riser to a pulled collar on a manifold runner with a circumferential weld bead, comprising: a) a multi-axis welding platform including a base plate defining a horizontal plane, a lift plate adjustable along a vertical axis relative to the base plate, a lower slide plate adjustable within a first horizontal plane relative to the lift plate along a first horizontal axis, an upper slide plate adjustable within a second horizontal plane relative to the lower slide plate along a second horizontal axis that is perpendicular to the first horizontal axis, and a tilt stage assembly including a lower tilt plate defining a third horizontal plane and an upper tilt plate that is adjustable within a tilt plane relative to the lower tilt plate; b) a weld head assembly supported on the upper tilt plate of the tilt stage assembly of the multi-axis welding platform and including a shaft housing, an elongated radially outer electrode drive shaft mounted for axial rotation within the shaft housing, a drive motor operatively connected to the electrode drive shaft for axially rotating the electrode drive shaft relative to the shaft housing, and an elongated non-rotating radially inner insulated support shaft extending coaxially through an axial bore of the outer drive shaft; and c) a torch assembly including a dual-axis slide mechanism coupled to an upper end portion of the electrode drive shaft so that the torch assembly rotates coaxially with the electrode drive shaft, an elongated vertical torch shaft extending from the dual-axis side mechanism, and an electrode holder connected to an upper end portion of the vertical torch shaft for retaining a tungsten electrode.
2 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising a mobile transport cart including a rectangular structural frame and defining an upper staging area for supporting the base plate multi-axis welding platform.
3 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the mobile transport cart further includes a plurality of castor assemblies each including a swiveling support bracket mounted to the structural frame, a rotatable castor wheel mounted to the bracket, a pivoting wheel lock lever for securing the position of the castor wheel to maintain the transport cart in a fixed position and a stabilizing foot for leveling the transport cart.
4 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a linear actuator extends through an aperture in the base plate of the multi-axis welding platform and is operatively connected to a bottom surface of the lift plate for moving the lift plate along the vertical axis relative to the base plate.
5 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of vertical riser legs extend upwardly through respective apertures in the base plate and an upper end of each riser leg is fastened to a bottom surface of the lift plate to vertically support the lift plate.
6 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 5 , wherein a clamping collar is operatively associated with each riser leg for securing the vertical position of each riser leg relative to the base plate.
7 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 4 , wherein a manually operated joystick is operatively associated with the welding platform for controlling the linear actuator.
8 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a first manually adjustable horizontal drive screw is operatively associated with the lower slide plate for moving the lower slide plate within the first horizontal plane relative to the lift plate.
9 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a second manually adjustable horizontal drive screw is operatively associated with the upper slide plate for moving the upper slide plate within the second horizontal plane relative to the lower slide plate lift plate.
10 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of manually adjustable vertical leveling rods is operatively associated with the tilt stage assembly for angularly moving the upper tilt stage plate within the tilt plane relative to the lower tilt stage plate.
11 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a drive gear is coaxially mounted to the electrode drive shaft by a securement hub, and wherein the drive gear is operatively connected to a servo motor by a spur gear assembly housed in a gear box.
12 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 11 , wherein a limit switch is operatively associated with the drive gear and/or the slip ring for detecting the rotational position of the drive gear and/or the slip ring and to detect when the weld head assembly returns to a home position after a weld cycle.
13 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a bearing housing is operatively connected to an end upper portion of the outer drive shaft by a threaded set screw, and a ring bearing is seated in the bearing housing to accommodate axial rotation of the outer drive shaft relative to the non-rotating inner support shaft.
14 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein an upper end portion of the non-rotating shaft extends above the bearing housing and defines a fixturing connection for accommodating one or more spacers and/or the riser.
15 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 13 , wherein the dual-axis slide mechanism is coupled to the upper end portion of the outer drive shaft below the bearing housing so that the torch assembly rotates coaxially with the electrode drive shaft and the bearing housing relative to the inner support shaft.
16 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 15 , wherein the dual-axis slide mechanism includes a slide flange that is slidably mounted on a pair of horizontal slide rods, wherein the slide flange has a central flange portion with a vertical bore for accommodating the vertical torch shaft, and wherein the slide flange is adapted to be selectively positioned and retained along the length of the slide rods in a desired horizontal position and is configured for selectively retaining the torch shaft in a desired vertical position.
17 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 16 , wherein the electrode holder is pivotably connected to an upper end portion of the vertical torch shaft and is configured for angular adjustment about a horizontal pivot axis extending perpendicular to the torch shaft.
18 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 17 , wherein a set screw is provided for securing the tungsten electrode within a retaining bore formed in the electrode holder.
19 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein an axial bore extends through the non-rotating support shaft to define a path for the ingress and egress of purge gas from an interior of the manifold runner, and wherein the axial bore of the support shaft communicates with a purge outlet located below the upper tilt plate.
20 . An orbital welding system as recited in claim 1 , wherein a lower end portion of the outer drive shaft is supported for rotation by a ring bearing seated in the upper tilt plate.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/717,533, filed Nov. 7, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The subject invention is directed to a mobile welding system and method for producing repeatable high-quality orbital butt-welds in tight weld area locations, and more particularly, to a mobile close-proximity orbital welding system for joining a pipe or tube riser to a pulled collar on a manifold runner pipe or tube utilizing gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), wherein the heat-affected weld zone is shielded from atmospheric contamination. 2. Description of Related Art Orbital welding systems for joining thin-walled steel pipes or tubes to one another along a circumferential weld joint are well known in the art. Such welding systems are typically automated and include a programmable solid-state power supply and a welding electrode supported on a motorized orbital weld head. The programable power supply controls the welding parameters of the system, including the arc welding current and the power to drive the motor that rotates the weld head. Orbital welding systems typically use a Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to generate an electric arc that melts the steel base material and forms the weld. The orbital weld head rotates the tungsten electrode around the circumferential weld joint to join adjacent pipe or tube surfaces. Orbital weld heads are usually enclosed within an inert atmospheric chamber that surrounds the weld joint. An inert shielding gas, such as argon, is fed into the chamber to protect the weld from atmospheric contamination. Orbital welding systems can outperform manual welding systems both qualitatively and quantitatively and consistently yield a higher quality of weld without the variability, inconsistencies, errors, or defects associated with manual welding. And thus, there exists a need in the art for an orbital welding system that is designed to join a pipe or tube riser to a pulled collar on a manifold pipe or tube runner in an efficient and repeatable manner, within tight weld area locations. Moreover, a mobile orbital welding system that can be easily transported within a manufacturing facility would be highly desirable. The subject invention provides such a welding system. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The subject disclosure is directed to a new and useful orbital welding system and method for producing repeatable high-quality orbital butt-welds in tight weld area locations, and more particularly, to a mobile close-proximity orbital welding system and method for joining a tubular riser to a pulled collar on a manifold runner with a circumferential weld bead, utilizing gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). The orbital welding system of the subject disclosure includes a multi-axis welding platform having a base plate defining a horizontal plane, a lift plate adjustable along a vertical axis relative to the base plate, a lower slide plate adjustable within a first horizontal plane relative to the lift plate along a first horizontal axis, an upper slide plate adjustable within a second horizontal plane relative to the lower slide plate along a second horizontal axis that is perpendicular to the first horizontal axis, and a tilt stage assembly including a lower tilt plate defining a third horizontal plane and an upper tilt plate that is adjustable within a tilt plane relative to the lower tilt plate. The orbital welding system further includes a weld head assembly that is supported on the upper tilt plate of the tilt stage assembly of the multi-axis welding platform and includes a shaft housing, an elongated radially outer electrode drive shaft mounted for axial rotation within the shaft housing, a drive motor operatively connected to the electrode drive shaft for axially rotating the electrode drive shaft relative to the shaft housing, and an elongated non-rotating radially inner insulated support shaft extending coaxially through an axial bore of the outer drive shaft. The orbital welding also includes a torch assembly having a dual-axis slide mechanism that is coupled to an upper end portion of the electrode drive shaft so that the torch assembly rotates coaxially with the electrode drive shaft, an elongated vertical torch shaft extending from the dual-axis side mechanism, and an electrode holder connected to an upper end portion of the vertical torch shaft for retaining a tungsten electrode. The orbital welding system further includes a mobile transport cart having a rectangular structural frame and defining an upper staging area for supporting the base plate multi-axis welding platform. The mobile transport cart further includes a plurality of castor assemblies each including a swiveling support bracket mounted to the structural frame, a rotatable casto