Robot spot welding apparatus for nuclear fuel skeleton and spot welding method using the same
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B23K-011/00
B23K-011/30
출원번호
US-0437372
(2003-05-13)
우선권정보
KR-0005980 (2003-01-29)
발명자
/ 주소
Cho, Sang Hyun
Hwang, Chang Hwan
Choi, Yong Shin
Shin, Dong Yoon
출원인 / 주소
Kepco Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd.
대리인 / 주소
F. Chau &
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
8인용 특허 :
3
초록▼
The automatic robot spot welding apparatus includes a welding bench including clamping frames, which are uniformly arrayed and have receiving portions for the sparer grids, and have, at both ends of the welding bench, fixing plates for the guide tubes and the instrumentation tube which are inserted
The automatic robot spot welding apparatus includes a welding bench including clamping frames, which are uniformly arrayed and have receiving portions for the sparer grids, and have, at both ends of the welding bench, fixing plates for the guide tubes and the instrumentation tube which are inserted into the spacer grids; a robot moving on a running rail, which is arranged in parallel to the welding bench, and having a welding gun for welding the spacer grids with the guide and instrumentation tubes; guide tube electrodes for being inserted into the guide tubes for the spot welding; an instrumentation tube electrode for being inserted into the instrumentation tube; and a controller having an apparatus control block and a robot control block for controlling components based on a program stored therein.
대표청구항▼
1. An automatic robot spot welding apparatus for use in a fabrication process of a skeleton, which spot welds guide tubes for power control rods and an instrumentation tube for measuring an intra-reactor status to spacer grids having a plurality of cells into which fuel rods are inserted, the automa
1. An automatic robot spot welding apparatus for use in a fabrication process of a skeleton, which spot welds guide tubes for power control rods and an instrumentation tube for measuring an intra-reactor status to spacer grids having a plurality of cells into which fuel rods are inserted, the automatic robot spot welding apparatus comprising:a welding bench including clamping frames, which are uniformly arrayed and have receiving portions for the spacer grids, and have, at both ends of the welding bench, fixing plates for the guide tubes and the instrumentation tube which are inserted into the spacer grids; a robot moving on a running rail, which is arranged in parallel to the welding bench, and having a welding gun for welding the spacer grids with the guide and instrumentation tubes; guide tube electrodes for being inserted into the guide tubes for the spot-welding; an instrumentation tube electrode for being inserted into the instrumentation tube; and a controller having an apparatus control block and a robot control block for controlling components based on a program stored therein. 2. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the robot welding gun has a projected tip so that it is inserted into cells adjacent to insert holes in the spacer grids to weld walls of the cells with the guide tubes or the instrumentation tube.3. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the welding gun includes two holder type welding guns to weld the spacer grids with the guide tubes or the tube at both sides of each of the spacer grids.4. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein each of the guide tube electrodes includes electrode members positioned in the spacer grids and an electrode supporting rod for connecting the electrode members.5. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of the guide tube electrodes includes electrode members positioned in the spacer grids and an electrode supporting rod for connecting the electrode members.6. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of the guide tube electrodes includes electrode members positioned in the spacer grids and an electrode supporting rod for connecting the electrode members.7. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the instrumentation tube has dimples, and the instrumentation tube electrode includes:electrode members having sections connected via elastic means, an expansion mechanism inserted into the electrode members and for separating the sections from one another to expand the diameter of the electrode members so that the second electrode fills the instrumentation tube, and a cylinder for reciprocating a pulling bar connected to the expansion mechanism in response to a signal of a sensor for detecting positions of the electrode members. 8. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the instrumentation tube has dimples, and the instrumentation tube electrode includes:electrode members having sections connected via elastic means, an expansion mechanism inserted into the electrode members and for separating the sections from one another to expand the diameter of the electrode members so that the second electrode fills the instrumentation tube, and a cylinder for reciprocating a pulling bar connected to the expansion mechanism in response to a signal of a sensor for detecting positions of the electrode members. 9. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the instrumentation tube has dimples, and the instrumentation tube electrode includes:electrode members having sections connected via elastic means, an expansion mechanism inserted into the electrode members and for separating the sections from one another to expand the diameter of the electrode members so that the second electrode fills the instrumentation tube, and a cylinder for reciprocating a pulling bar connected to the expansion mechanism in response to a signal of a sensor for detecting positions of the electrode members. 10. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the elastic means of the electrode members are defined by ends of the sections which are integrally connected at a position opposite to the expansion mechanism.11. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the elastic means of the electrode members are defined by ends of the sections which are integrally connected at a position opposite to the expansion mechanism.12. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the elastic means of the electrode members are defined by ends of the sections which are integrally connected at a position opposite to the expansion mechanism.13. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a push table colinear with the welding bench, wherein the push table includes:an insert tool for being reciprocated by a first motor for inserting the guide and instrumentation tubes into the designated locations of the spacer grids, a second motor for adjusting the height of the table in response to a signal of a position sensor, and a control panel for regulating forward and reverse rotation of the motors. 14. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising a push table colinear with the welding bench, wherein the push table includes:an insert tool for being reciprocated by a first motor for inserting the guide and instrumentation tubes into the designated location of the spacer grids, a second motor for adjusting the height of the table in response to a signal of a position sensor, and a control panel for regulating forward and reverse rotation of the motors. 15. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising a push table colinear with the welding bench, wherein the push table includes:an insert tool for being reciprocated by a first motor for inserting the guide and instrumentation tubes into the designated location of the spacer grids, a second motor for adjusting the height of the table in response to a signal of a position sensor, and a control panel for regulating forward and reverse rotation of the motors. 16. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 7, wherein the instrumentation tube electrode has a fastener with a wheel adjacent to the cylinder,the spot welding apparatus further comprising a push table which is colinear with the welding bench and includes an insert tool being reciprocated by a motor, wherein the instrumentation tube electrode is reciprocated via the fastener connected to the insert tool and detects whether the electrode members are positioned to the spacer grids in welding via the sensor. 17. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein the instrumentation tube electrode has a fastener with a wheel adjacent to the cylinder,the spot welding apparatus further comprising a push table which is colinear with the welding bench and includes an insert tool being reciprocated by a motor, wherein the instrumentation tube electrode is reciprocated via the fastener connected to the insert tool and detects whether the electrode members are positioned to the spacer grids in welding via the sensor. 18. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 9, wherein the instrumentation tube electrode has a fastener with a wheel adjacent to the cylinder,the spot welding apparatus further comprising a push table which is colinear with the welding bench and includes an insert tool being reciprocated by a motor, wherein the instrumentation tube electrode is reciprocated via the fastener connected to the insert tool and detects whether the electrode members are positioned to the spacer grids in welding via the sensor. 19. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein a first one of the fixing plates arranged in the welding bench is reciprocated on a guide rail by a cylinder controlled by the controller,wherein the plate has protrusions with holes for receiving the guide tubes and a hole for receiving the instrumentation tube, and wherein a second one of the fixing plates is manually reciprocated on the guide rail, and has bolt holes for receiving bolts being screwed into the guide tubes. 20. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein a first one of the fixing plates arranged in the welding bench is reciprocated on a guide rail by a cylinder controlled by the controller,wherein the plate has protrusions with holes for receiving the guide tubes and a hole for receiving the instrumentation tube, and wherein a second one of the fixing plates is manually reciprocated on the guide rail, and has bolt holes for receiving bolts being screwed into the guide tubes. 21. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein a first one of the fixing plates arranged in the welding bench is reciprocated on a guide rail by a cylinder controlled by the controller,wherein the plate has protrusions with holes for receiving the guide tubes and a hole for receiving the instrumentation tube, and wherein a second one of the fixing plates is manually reciprocated on the guide rail, and has bolt holes for receiving bolts being screwed into the guide tubes. 22. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tube locations in each of the spacer grids have a central hole for the instrumentation tube and four holes for the guide tubes in upper and lower opposite positions around the instrumentation tube hole.23. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein the tube locations in each of the spacer grids have a central hole for the instrumentation tube and four holes for the guide tubes in upper and lower opposite positions around the instrumentation tube hole.24. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the tube locations in each of the spacer grids have a central hole for the instrumentation tube and four holes for the guide tubes in upper and lower opposite positions around the instrumentation tube hole.25. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spacer grids each have sleeves in the tube locations, wherein the guide and instrumentation tubes are inserted into the sleeves and welded thereto.26. The automatic robot spot welding apparatus as set forth in claim 25, wherein the tip of the welding gun for welding the sleeves with the guide and instrumentation tubes are rectangular shaped to avoid necessity of precision location.27. An automatic robot spot welding method of a nuclear fuel skeleton via an automatic robot spot welding apparatus, in which spacer grids each include an instrumentation tube location in a central portion and four guide tube locations in upper and lower opposite positions around the instrumentation tube location, the method comprising the following steps of:inserting first and second guide tubes into two lower ones of the guide tube locations in each of the spacer grids placed in clamping frames which are arranged on a welding bench, and which are uniformly arrayed and have receiving portions for the spacer grids, and have, at both ends of the welding bench, fixing plates for the guide tubes and the instrumentation tube which are inserted into the spacer grids; inserting guide tube electrodes into the guide tubes, and welding by a robot welding gun the spacer grids from first one to last one with the guide tubes, wherein each spacer grid is welded in the order of first spot on the first guide tube, first spot on the second guide tube, rotating the welding gun to 90 deg., second spot on the second guide tube and second spot on the first guide tube; inserting the instrumentation tube into the instrumentation tube location, inserting an instrumentation tube electrode into the instrumentation tube, and welding by the welding gun the spacer grids with the instrumentation tube in the order of first spot on the spacer grids from first one to last one, rotating the welding gun to 90 deg., and second spot on the spacer grids; and inserting third and fourth guide tubes into two upper ones of the guide tube locations in the spacer grids, inserting guide tube electrodes into the guide tubes, and welding by the welding gun the spacer grids with the guide tubes in the order of first spot on the third guide tube, first spot on the fourth guide tube, rotating the welding gun to 90 deg., second spot on the fourth guide tube, and second spot on the third guide tube. 28. The automatic robot spot welding method as set forth in claim 27, wherein the instrumentation tube has dimples,wherein the instrumentation tube electrode includes electrode members having sections connected via elastic means, an expansion mechanism for being inserted into the electrode members to separate the sections from one another to expand a diameter of the electrode members so that the electrode fills the instrumentation tube, and a cylinder for reciprocating a pulling bar connected to the expansion mechanism in response to a signal from a sensor for detecting positions of the electrode members, and wherein the step of welding the instrumentation tube comprises: detecting whether the electrode members are positioned in regions of the spacer grids, if detecting the electrode members in position, actuating the cylinder to pull the expansion mechanism by the pulling bar to expand the sections, and welding each of the spots by the robot welding gun. 29. The automatic robot spot welding method as set forth in claim 28, wherein the instrumentation tube electrode further includes a fastener with a wheel adjacent to a cylinder,wherein the spot welding apparatus further comprises a push table colinear with the welding bench and having an insert tool which is reciprocated by a motor, wherein the fastener connected to the insert tool reciprocates the instrumentation tube electrode to/from each of the spacer grids subject to welding therewith while a sensor detects whether the electrode members are positioned in the spacer grids subject to welding. 30. The automatic robot spot welding method as set forth in claim 27, wherein the guide tubes and the instrumentation tube are welded with sleeves fixed to the tube locations of the spacer grids.31. The automatic robot spot welding method as set forth in claim 28, wherein the guide tubes and the instrumentation tube are welded with sleeves fixed to the tube locations of the spacer grids.32. The automatic robot spot welding method as set forth in claim 29, wherein the guide tubes and the instrumentation tube are welded with sleeves fixed to the tube locations of the spacer grids.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (3)
Laird ; Willy S. ; Kendall ; Ben O., Grid braze application mold.
Vere Bernard (Eybens FRX) Mathevon Paul (Bollene FRX) Le Pargneux Jacques (Lyons FRX), Process and installation for welding grids for nuclear fuel assemblies.
Dalke Charles A. (San Jose CA) Comstock Gene W. (San Jose CA) Sies John A. (San Jose CA) Hodges Jan N. (Campbell CA), Robotic welder for nuclear boiling water reactors.
Bashkirtsev, Sergey M.; Kuznetsov, Valentin F.; Kevrolev, Valery V.; Morozov, Alexey G., Light-water reactor fuel assembly (alternatives), a light-water reactor, and a fuel element of fuel assembly.
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