Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to an apparatus for
butting plates during the construction of large containers, such
as tanks and silos.
In mechanical workshops in which large-size containers
such as silos or tanks, are constructed, the assembly of the
various courses of rolled plates is known as being extremely
difficult and complicated.
Such assembly requires the use of large numbers of
personnel who have to keep the edges of the plates joined and
butted while further personnel spot weld the plates together, prior
to subsequently completing the welds.
This operation is extremely dangerous because the
plates are particularly heavy, and the initial fixing together
of the plates is done by inadequate means such as self-locking
grips or clamps. Moreover, the danger increases as the work
progresses, as the various operations are carried out several
times at ever increasing heights.
The object of the present invention is to provide an
apparatus for butting plates which offers a rational, simple and
safe type of construction and thus eliminates the aforementioned
disadvantages.
This object is achieved with an apparatus comprising
an inverted U-shaped structure to be rested on the upper edges
of the plates to be butted; at least two running wheels fixed to
the structure under the top thereof, said wheels affording said
structure to slide on the upper edges of the plate to be butted
while remaining in a vertical position, and height-adjustable
means mounted on and movable along a leg of the U-shaped struc-
ture for clamping against the other leg of the U-shaped
structure the edges of the plates to be butted.
Preferably, the inverted U-shaped structure may
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comprise a horizontal cross m~mber from the center of the lower
side of which e~tend downwardly four I-shaped beams perpendicular
to the cross member and disposed in such a manner as to define
two mutually perpendicular, vertical slots, the free ends of
said four beams being connected individually to said cross member
by stiffening tubes.
When viewed from the front, the structure then is of
T-shape.
These beams are conveniently spaced apart to define
two vertical slots, in one of which are positioned the two edges
of the plates to be joined, said edges being spo-t welded through
the second slot. The structure, as defined, can slide on the upper
edges of the plates to be joined by means of two convenient
grooved wheels. A suitably counterweighted carriage, slidable
vertically and provlded with a convenient screw or hydraulic
jack, is disposed between two beams parallel to the plate
to be welded.
Lowerly, the structure may support means for
constraining it to the lower plates when the lateral edges are
being spot welded and the carriage is moved in a vertical
direction. The particular construction of the apparatus allows
both the vertical and the horizontal edges to be spot welded,
as it can slide in said two orthogonal directions.
In operation, the apparatus according to the
invention permits rapid and precise butting of the plates without
danger, and with a very limited personnel requirement.
Further constructional merits and operational characte-
ristics of the invention will be more evident from the detailed
description given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of an embodiment of apparatus
according to the invention.
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1~)47806
Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus of
F igure 1.
The apparatus shown in the figures comprises an
horizontal cross member 1 having an I-shaped cross-section,
on the upper surface of which is fixed a lifting handle
2 in a substantially central position.
Two pairs of plate webs 3, h~ving substantially of
trapezium shape, are located in said central position between
the flanges of the horizontal plates of the cross member 1, and
project perpendicularly to and outwardly of said cross member 1.
The outer lower corners of the webs-3 have a suitable
hole in which a short pin 4 is located and joins each pair of
webs 3. A grooved wheel 5 is idly mounted on said pin 4 between
each pair of webs 3.
A second grooved wheel 5 is located between the pair of
webs 3 opposite the former pair, in such a manner that the line
joining the deepest points of the respective grooves of the wheels
5 is at a level lower than the lower face of the cross member
1, and is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of this latter.
Four I-shaped beams 6 branch from a central position on
the lower surface of the cross member 1 and perpendicular
thereto, with their webs substantially parallel to the longitu-
dinal axis of the cross member 1.
The ends of the cross member 1 are conveniently
connected to the free ends of the beams 6 by four stiffening
tubes i.
The beams 6 are disposed in such a manner as to define
two vertical slots 8 and 9, which are parallel to each other
and substantially perpendicular to the cross member 1.
A carriage 10 is located between the two beams 6 disposed
parallel to the slot 8, and supports two lateral appendices which
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are inserted into the channels defined by said -two beams 6 so
that the carriage 10 can slide verlically over the entire length
of said beams 6.
An hydraulic ;ack 11 operated by the lever 12 is
located with in the carriage 10, from which emerges a foot 13
perpendicularly insertable into the slot 8.
The carriage 10 is counterbalanced by a metal weight 14
which slides in the outer channel of one of the beams 6 between
which the carriage 10 is located.
The carriage 10 is connected to the counterweight 14
by a cable 15 supported by an idle pulley 16 suitably supported
by a rod branching from the web of the cross member 1.
The two beams 6 between which the carriage 10 is
located are connected at their lower ends by a rectangular plate
17 external to the slot 8. A threaded shaft 18 operated by a
handweel 19 screws into the centre of said rectangular plate 17.
A seconde plate 20 in a position opposite said plate 17 connects
together the pair of beams 6 opposing the above mentioned pair
of beams 6.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows.
When a large-size container is to be constructed by
assembling several flat or rolled plates disposed in different
rows one above the other, the plates of the first row are joined
together in the usual manner. The first plate of the upper row
is then joined to said first row. At this point, the apparatus
is lifted by the handle 2 and is rested on the upper edge of
said first plate so that the grooved wheels 5 lie on said edge,
with said plate positioned in the slot 8 of the apparatus. The
lower edge of a second plate is now rested on the upper edge of the
underlying row, and the lateral edges of the two plates of the
second row are brought together.
The apparatus is slid on the upper edges of said two
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plates until the two lateral edges to be joined together are
substantially in the centre of the slot 9.
At this point the apparatus is constrained to the
lower row by means of the shaft 18, so that it can no longer
slide.
Starting with the carriage 10 at the upper end of the
lateral edges to be joined, the lever 12 of the jack ll is
operated to eject the foot 13 which thrusts the two edges of the
plates against the two beams 6 which lie opposite the pair of beams
6 on which the carriage 10 slides.
- The two plates are then easily spot welded together
through the free end of the slot 9.
The jack ll is operated to release the carriage 10,
which is slid into a second lower position where it is again
locked and further spot welds are made.
The spot welding of the edges is carried out at any
desired pitch, as the carriage 10, which is counterbalanced by
the counterweight 14, is easily moved and locked into any desired
position.
After spot welding the lateral edges, the apparatus is
released from the lower row by unscrewing the shaft 18 with the
handwheel l9.
The carriage 10 now lies at the lower edge of the plate
to be joined, and the lower edge can then be spot welded to the
upper edge of the lower row in the manner heretofore described
by sliding the apparatus on the upper edge of said plate.
On completing the vertical and horizontal spot welding,
the apparatus is slid into a neutral region and the previously
spot-welded edges are then completely welded.
On completing this welding, a further plate is plated on
the lower row, the apparatus is returned, and the cycle of
operations is repeated as heretofore described on this plate and
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on the subsequent plates of the same row and subsequent rows.
The invention is not lim:ited to the single embodiment
heretofore described, and modifications and improvements may be
made thereto without leaving the scope of the inventive idea,
the fundamental characteristics of which are summarized in the
following claims.
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