ELECTRON BEAM WELDING SYSTEM Russian patent published in 2006 - IPC B23K15/04 B23K15/06 

FIELD: fusion welding processes, namely electron-beam welding of rod type articles in the form of tubular envelopes such as casings of fuel elements of fuel assemblies of nuclear reactors of nuclear plants.

SUBSTANCE: system includes stationary working chamber for welding connected with evacuation system and mounted on foundation. In working chamber uniformly along circle sealed chambers are mounted for forming gate valve system. Outside working chamber coaxially relative to circle along which sealed chambers are mounted rotary loading drum is arranged. Said drum includes evacuated inlets whose number corresponds to that of sealed chambers. System also includes conveyer, apparatus for placing and removing technological plugs into open end of article and control unit. Conveyer is arranged on the same foundation with working chamber under loading drum along it and it is provided with mechanism for charging articles to system and discharging them out of it. Apparatus for placing and removing technological plugs into open end of article includes set of technological plugs whose number is no less than quantity of evacuated inlets of rotary loading drum and mechanism for automatically placing and removing plugs. Said apparatus is arranged at side of conveyer end and it is functionally coupled with system through control unit. Mechanism for automatically placing and removing plugs is mounted on drive unit providing motion of said mechanism between positions for placing and removing technological plugs. Each technological plug includes elastic seal whose diameter in free state is less than diameter of inlet portion of plug placed in article.

EFFECT: improved versatility of system due to its enlarged manufacturing possibilities, enhanced efficiency of system providing high quality of welding.

2 cl, 3 dwg