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Title:
MODULAR WELDING MOLD
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO/2019/178405
Kind Code:
A1
Abstract:
A welding system for use with exothermic welding material to weld conductors together can include a reusable mold body and a set of solid inserts configured to receive conductors and to define a weld chamber. Molten weld material can be delivered to the weld chamber from the reusable mold body to create a welded connection between the conductors.

Inventors:
ROIS STEVEN (US)
FLEMMING MATT (US)
BENDLAK THOMAS (US)
SUMRAIN SHADI (US)
BOLING DALE (US)
Application Number:
PCT/US2019/022343
Publication Date:
September 19, 2019
Filing Date:
March 14, 2019
Export Citation:
Click for automatic bibliography generation   Help
Assignee:
ERICO INT CORP (US)
International Classes:
B23K23/00; H01R4/02; B23K101/38
Foreign References:
EP0870568A11998-10-14
US20030006272A12003-01-09
US20040003907A12004-01-08
US20110240244A12011-10-06
US20110132966A12011-06-09
US20020104953A12002-08-08
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
DAUGHERTY, Raye, Lynn et al. (US)
Download PDF:
Claims:
CLAIMS

1. A welding system for use with exothermic welding material to weld conductors together, the welding system comprising:

a reusable mold body that includes a crucible chamber and a mold-body tap hole, the reusable mold body being configured to receive the exothermic welding material within the crucible chamber and to deliver the exothermic welding material, in molten form, from the crucible chamber though the mold-body tap hole;

a first insert that includes a first solid insert body configured to be secured in alignment with the mold-body tap hole, the first insert defining one or more first insert channels configured to receive one or more of the conductors; and

a second insert that includes a second solid insert body configured to be secured in alignment with the first solid insert body, the second insert defining one or more second insert channels configured to align with the one or more first insert channels;

the first and second inserts being configured to be removable from the reusable mold body and to receive and hold the one or more conductors in the one or more first insert channels and the one or more second insert channels as the molten welding material delivered through the mold- body tap hole solidifies around the one or more conductors.

2. The welding system of Claim 1, wherein the first insert includes a first weld cavity aligned with the mold-body tap hole, in fluid communication with the one or more first insert channels, and configured to receive the molten welding material from the mold-body tap hole; and wherein the second insert includes a second weld cavity in fluid communication with the one or more second insert channels and configured to be aligned with the first weld cavity to receive the molten welding material from the first weld cavity.

3. The welding system of any preceding claim, further comprising:

a mold base;

wherein the first and second inserts are configured to be removably clamped between the reusable mold body and the mold base to secure the one or more conductors within the one or more first insert channels and the one or more second insert channels.

4. The welding system of Claim 3, wherein the mold base includes a protruding portion configured to extend at least partly into a second weld cavity of the second insert, when the first and second inserts are clamped between the reusable mold body and the mold base, to define an end wall of the second weld cavity.

5. The welding system of Claim 4, further comprising:

a releasable clamping device configured to controllably clamp the first and second inserts between the reusable mold body and the mold base.

6. The welding system of any preceding claim, wherein at least one parting line is defined between at least one set of the reusable mold body and the first insert, or the first insert and the second insert; and

wherein the at least one parting line is arranged transversely to an elongate direction of the welding system.

7. The welding system of Claim 6, wherein the at least one parting line is configured to be aligned substantially horizontally, relative to gravity, during operation of the welding system.

8. The welding system of any preceding claim, wherein the first and second inserts are configured as disposable inserts.

9. The welding system of Claim 8, wherein the first and second inserts are formed from one or more of graphite and ceramic.

10. The welding system of any preceding claim, wherein the first insert is substantially identical to the second insert.

11. The welding system of Claim 10, wherein the first insert is configured to be one or more of flipped 180 degrees or rotated 180 degrees relative to the second insert for use with the reusable mold body and the second insert.

12. A method for welding at least two conductors together using exothermic welding material, the method comprising:

disposing a first solid insert in alignment with a second solid insert, with a first conductor of the at least two conductors disposed within a first insert channel in the first solid insert and within a second insert channel in the second solid insert;

disposing the first and second solid inserts in alignment with a reusable mold body, with the first solid insert disposed to receive the exothermic welding material, in molten form, from a tap hole in the reusable mold body;

disposing the exothermic welding material in a crucible chamber of the reusable mold body and causing the exothermic welding material to be converted into molten form to flow from the crucible chamber through the tap hole to the first solid insert, the exothermic welding material thereby flowing to solidify around the at least two conductors within the first and second solid inserts;

removing the at least two conductors with the solidified exothermic welding material from the first and second solid inserts; and

separating the first and second solid inserts from the reusable mold body for reuse or disposal.

13. The method of Claim 12, further comprising:

before causing the exothermic welding material to be converted into molten form, clamping the first and second solid inserts between the reusable mold body and a reusable mold base to secure the first and second solid inserts in alignment with the reusable mold body and to secure the at least two conductors within the first and second insert channels.

14. The method of Claim 13, wherein clamping the first and second solid inserts includes disposing a protruding portion of the reusable mold base at least partly into a weld cavity of the second solid insert, optionally or preferably to block flow of the molten exothermic welding material from the second solid insert.

15. The method of any of Claims 12 through 14, wherein disposing the first and second solid inserts in alignment with the reusable mold body includes defining at least one substantially horizontal parting line between at least one set of the reusable mold body and the first solid insert, or the first solid insert and the second solid insert.

16. The method of any of Claims 12 through 15, wherein the first solid insert is substantially identical to the second solid insert.

17. The method of Claim 16, wherein disposing the first solid insert in alignment with the second solid insert includes flipping the first insert 180 degrees relative to the second solid insert and rotating one of the first or second solid inserts 180 degrees relative to the other of the first or second solid insert to align the first insert channel with the second insert channel.

18. A welding system for use with exothermic welding material to weld at least two conductors together, the welding system comprising:

a reusable mold body that includes a crucible chamber and a mold-body tap hole, the reusable mold body being configured to receive the exothermic welding material within the crucible chamber and to deliver the exothermic welding material, in molten form, from the crucible chamber though the mold-body tap hole;

a first solid insert configured to be secured in alignment with the mold-body tap hole, the first solid insert defining a first weld cavity in communication with at least two first channels, each of the at least two first channels being configured to receive, respectively, one of the at least two conductors; and

a second solid insert configured to be secured in alignment with the first solid insert, the second solid insert defining a second weld cavity in communication with at least two second channels, each of the at least two second channels being configured to receive, respectively, one of the at least two conductors in cooperation with a corresponding one of the at least two first channels;

the first and second solid inserts being configured to receive and hold the at least two conductors in the at least two first channels and the at least two second channels as the molten welding material delivered through the mold-body tap hole solidifies around the at least two conductors within the first and second weld cavities.

19. The welding system of Claim 18, further comprising:

a mold base;

wherein the first and second solid inserts are configured to be clamped between the reusable mold body and the mold base to secure the at least two conductors within the at least two first channels and the at least two second channels.

20. The welding system of either of Claims 18 or 19, wherein at least one parting line is defined between at least one set of the reusable mold body and the first solid insert, or the first solid insert and the second solid insert; and

wherein the at least one parting line is configured to be aligned substantially horizontally during operation of the welding system.

Description:
MODULAR WELDING MOLD

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of LTnited States Provisional Patent Application No. 62/642,829 filed on March 14, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Exothermic welding can be used in different settings to form high quality, high ampacity, and low resistance electrical connections between different conductors. In general, an exothermic welding process can fuse together separate conductors to provide a bond with a current carrying capacity substantially equal to that of the conductors themselves. Further, exothermic welds can be relatively durable and long-lasting, and can avoid problems of loosening and corrosion that can occur for mechanical and compression joints. As a result of these benefits exothermic weld connections are widely used in grounding systems and other settings to enable connected sets of conductors to operate, effectively, as a continuous conductor with relatively low resistivity.

SUMMARY

[0003] Some embodiments of the invention provide a welding system for use with exothermic welding material to weld conductors together. A reusable mold body can include a crucible chamber and a mold-body tap hole, the reusable mold body being configured to receive the exothermic welding material within the crucible chamber and to deliver the exothermic welding material, in molten form, from the crucible chamber though the mold-body tap hole. A first insert can include a first solid insert body configured to be secured in alignment with the mold-body tap hole, the first insert defining one or more first insert channels configured to receive one or more of the conductors. A second insert can include a second solid insert body configured to be secured in alignment with the first solid insert body, the second insert defining one or more second insert channels configured to align with the one or more first insert channels. The first and second inserts can be configured to be removable from the reusable mold body and to receive and hold the one or more conductors in the one or more first insert channels and the one or more second insert channels as the molten welding material delivered through the mold-body tap hole solidifies around the one or more conductors.

[0004] Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for welding at least two conductors together using exothermic welding material. A first solid insert can be disposed in alignment with a second solid insert, with a first conductor of the at least two conductors disposed within a first insert channel in the first solid insert and within a second insert channel in the second solid insert. The first and second solid inserts can be disposed in alignment with a reusable mold body, with the first solid insert disposed to receive the exothermic welding material, in molten form, from a tap hole in the reusable mold body. The exothermic welding material can be disposed in a crucible chamber of the reusable mold body and can cause the exothermic welding material to be converted into molten form to flow from the crucible chamber through the tap hole to the first solid insert, the exothermic welding material thereby flowing to solidify around the at least two conductors within the first and second solid inserts. The at least two conductors with the solidified exothermic welding material can be removed from the first and second solid inserts, and the first and second solid inserts can be separated from the reusable mold body for reuse or disposal.

[0005] Some embodiments of the invention provide a welding system for use with exothermic welding material to weld at least two conductors together. A reusable mold body can include a crucible chamber and a mold-body tap hole, the reusable mold body being configured to receive the exothermic welding material within the crucible chamber and to deliver the exothermic welding material, in molten form, from the crucible chamber though the mold-body tap hole. A first solid insert can be configured to be secured in alignment with the mold-body tap hole, the first solid insert defining a first weld cavity in communication with at least two first channels, each of the at least two first channels being configured to receive, respectively, one of the at least two conductors. A second solid insert can be configured to be secured in alignment with the first solid insert, the second solid insert defining a second weld cavity in communication with at least two second channels, each of the at least two second channels being configured to receive, respectively, one of the at least two conductors in cooperation with a corresponding one of the at least two first channels. The first and second solid inserts can be configured to receive and hold the at least two conductors in the at least two first channels and the at least two second channels as the molten welding material delivered through the mold-body tap hole solidifies around the at least two conductors within the first and second weld cavities.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of embodiments of the invention:

[0007] FIG. l is a cross-sectional isometric view of a conventional welding system;

[0008] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a welding system according to an embodiment of the invention, with certain internal features rendered visible for convenience of presentation;

[0009] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of an insert body for use with the welding system of FIG.

2;

[0010] FIG. 4 is an isometric view a welding system according to another embodiment of the invention;

[0011] FIG. 5 A is a front elevation view of the welding system of FIG. 4;

[0012] FIG. 5B is a side elevation view of the welding system of FIG. 4;

[0013] FIG. 5C is a top plan view of the welding system of FIG. 4;

[0014] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a welding system according to another embodiment of the invention; and

[0015] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the welding system of FIG. 6.

[0016] FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a method of making an insert for a welding system according to an embodiment of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or“having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. ETnless specified or limited otherwise, the terms“mounted,”“connected,”“supported,” and“coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and“coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

[0018] The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use embodiments of the invention. Various modifications to the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from embodiments of the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to be limited to embodiments shown, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The following detailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, in which like elements in different figures have like reference numerals. The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selected embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments of the invention. Skilled artisans will recognize the examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fall within the scope of embodiments of the invention.

[0019] As noted above, exothermic welding can be used to connect together metal structures, such as copper conductors of an electrical system. Generally, exothermic mixtures can include a combination of a reductant metal and a transition metal oxide, which upon ignition react exothermically to supply sufficient heat to propagate and sustain a continuing reaction of the mixture. The resulting heat can be used directly or the resulting molten metal can be used to create a useful weld, as in the case of exothermic welding.

[0020] As one example, some conventional exothermic weld material mixtures can include aluminum and copper oxide. Upon ignition, the resulting exothermic reaction can provide a mixture of molten copper and aluminum oxide, or slag. The molten copper, which has a higher density than the slag, can accordingly be directed by a mold to weld together metal conductors (e.g., copper to copper or steel to steel). The less dense aluminum oxide slag, which may tend to solidify at the top of a weld connection, can then generally be removed from the weld connection and discarded. As another example, other conventional mixtures can include iron oxide and aluminum, which can react with similar effect.

[0021] In order to appropriately contain the large amount of heat produced by exothermic reactions, molds of graphite or other materials can be used. In a conventional arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, for example, a conventional welding apparatus 10 uses a split graphite mold 12. In the example illustrated, the mold 12 includes an upper mold body section 14, a lower mold body section 16, and a mold cover 20. The body sections 14, 16 of the mold 12 align to define a weld chamber 26, as well as channels leading thereto. Conductors to be joined, such as copper bars 22 and 24, are appropriately cleaned and then placed in alignment within the channels to project into the weld chamber 26.

[0022] To hold and react exothermic material, the upper mold body section 14 includes a crucible chamber 30 disposed generally above the weld chamber 26, and connected to the weld chamber 26 by a tap hole 32. With the mold body sections 14, 16 securely closed, a metal disk 34 can be positioned in the crucible chamber 30 over the tap hole 32. An appropriate amount of exothermic material 36 is placed into the crucible chamber 30 on top of the disk 34, and then ignited, such as through the use of a traditional starting powder 36a sprinkled over the top of the exothermic welding material 36 or by using an electrical or other ignitor (not shown).

[0023] The welding apparatus 10 and other similar devices can help to form strong, durable, and highly conductive welds. However, they can be relatively inflexible in use. For example, because the mold body sections 14, 16 are pre-formed as solid, reusable bodies, they can generally only create a single type of weld. The welding apparatus 10, for example, is configured to produce a T-splice weld. If other types of welds are needed, such as X-splice welds, parallel welds, or others, a different mold may be needed. This can result in the need to maintain a large and expensive inventory of multiple full molds in order to be able to form a range of desired weld types.

[0024] Another conventional approach to exothermic weld formation uses layered batting, such as batting made from square blankets of high temperature glass or other refractory fiber. The batting includes holes for welding material and can be flexibly formed around opposite sides of conductors to provide a temporary weld chamber at an appropriate conductor junction. Once appropriately aligned with each other, the batting and the conductors can be clamped between a base and a crucible platen. The crucible platen, for example, can be configured somewhat similarly to the upper mold body section 14 of FIG. 1, so that it can contain an exothermic reaction and direct resulting molten metal into the temporary weld chamber formed by the batting. When appropriately arranged and clamped, the batting can therefore dispose a conductor junction to receive molten welding material from the crucible platen and to contain the molten material until a solid weld is formed.

[0025] The use of batting, as generally described above, can provide improved flexibility relative to fully solid molds such as the mold 12 of FIG. 1. However, formation of welds using batting can be time consuming and difficult to execute correctly, including due to the need to appropriately position the batting and other components. Partly as a result of these issues, use of batting can result in welds that exhibit somewhat inconsistent connection quality.

[0026] Embodiments of the invention can address these issues and others. In general, some embodiments of the invention can include a solid mold body configured to be used with a set of inserts, which can be configured to be interchangeable or disposable in some embodiments. The mold body can be configured to include structures to contain exothermic reactions and appropriately route the resulting molten metal to a desired location (e.g., towards the inserts).

[0027] In some embodiments, the inserts can be configured as solid bodies and can include features that define appropriate openings for conductors (e.g., cables, rods, rebar, etc.), as well as a weld cavity to receive the molten metal. In some embodiments, the solid inserts can be aligned with and removably secured to the mold body in order to form a particular weld type with relatively high connection quality (e.g., as compared to batting systems), then subsequently discarded. In this way, for example, users can reuse a single solid mold body over an extended time, while stocking a number of relatively small and inexpensive solid inserts that enable the formation of welds with a variety of different connection types (e.g., T-type, parallel, axial, and X-type connections). Further, execution of the weld formation processes using inserts according to the invention can be substantially faster than with conventional batting systems, while also providing a reliably high quality result.

[0028] FIG. 2 illustrates an example embodiment of the invention, configured as a welding system 40. The welding system 40 includes a reusable mold body 42 that can, for example, be formed from graphite. In order to contain an exothermic reaction and route the resulting molten metal, the mold body 42 includes an open internal geometry that defines a crucible chamber 44 and a tap hole 46 that extends from the crucible chamber 44 through the bottom of the mold body 42.

[0029] The welding system 40 also includes a top insert 50, which is configured as a removable (e.g., disposable) solid body 52 that can, for example, be formed from graphite, ceramic, or other materials. The insert body 52 exhibits a rectangular (e.g., square) outer profile that generally matches that of the mold body 42, and includes recesses defining a set of channels 54, 56, 58, 62. As shown here, each of the channels 54, 56, 58, 62 has a half-cylindrical shape and, accordingly, can cooperate with another half-cylindrical channel (as also discussed below) to receive a round conductor. It is contemplated that the channels of other inserts can have other shapes, such as may be useful to accommodate conductors with different cross-sectional shapes.

[0030] A weld cavity 60 of the insert body 52 is open to the channels 54, 56, 58, 62 and is also configured to receive molten welding material from the tap hole 46, when the insert 50 is appropriately aligned with the mold body 42 (e.g., as shown). Accordingly, welding material from the crucible chamber 44 can flow via the tap hole 46 and the weld cavity 60 to the channels 54, 56, 58, 62, depending on the degree to which the channels are filled by other objects (e.g., a conductor).

[0031] In the embodiment illustrated, as also noted above, each of the channels 54, 56, 58, 62 of the insert body 52 exhibits a half-cylindrical profile, and the weld cavity 60 is configured as a single cavity with a generally circular cross-section. In other embodiments, other configurations are possible, including non-circular weld cavities, non-cylindrical channel profiles, channel profiles with less or more than a half-cylindrical circumferential extent, and so on. Similarly, each of the channels 54, 56, 58, 62 are shown as open channels that can be paired with corresponding other channels (e.g., on another insert, as discussed below) to form a fully closed channel. In other embodiments, however, other configurations are possible, including configurations in which certain channels are open only to a central weld chamber and to a radial edge of the relevant insert.

[0032] The welding system 40 also includes a bottom insert 68, which is configured as a removable (e.g., disposable) solid body 70 that can, for example, also be formed from graphite, ceramic, or other materials. In the embodiment illustrated, the bottom insert 68 is generally similar to the top insert 50. For example, the insert body 70 also exhibits a rectangular (e.g., square) outer profile that generally matches that of the mold body 42, and includes recesses defining a set of channels 72, 74, 76, 78. As shown here, the set of channels 72, 74, 76, 78 are configured to receive a round conductor and have a half-cylindrical shape. It is contemplated that the set of channels 72, 74, 76, 78 can have other shapes to accommodate conductors with different cross-sectional shapes.

[0033] A weld cavity 80 of the insert body 70 is open to the channels 72, 74, 76, 78 and is configured to be aligned with the weld cavity 60 in order to substantially contain molten welding material, in cooperation with the weld cavity 60, as the welding material cools. In contrast to the weld cavity 60, however, which is open to the weld cavity 80 and the tap hole 46, the weld cavity 80 is generally closed opposite the weld cavity 60, in order to appropriately contain the molten weld material received therein. In some embodiments, an insert body can be formed so that a weld cavity (e.g., the weld cavity 80) is closed on one or more sides. In some embodiments, an additional component can be aligned with (e.g., inserted into) the weld cavity to close one or more sides thereof.

[0034] In the embodiment illustrated, each of the channels 72, 74, 76, 78 of the insert body 70 exhibits a half-cylindrical profile, and the weld cavity 80 is configured as a single cavity with a generally circular cross-section. In other embodiments, other configurations are possible, including non-circular weld cavities, non-cylindrical channel profiles, channel profiles with less or more than a half-cylindrical circumferential extent, and so on. Similarly, each of the channels 72, 74, 76, 78 are shown as open channels that can be paired with corresponding other channels (e.g., on the channels 54, 56, 58, 62) to form a fully closed channel. In other embodiments, however, other configurations are possible, including configurations in which certain channels are open only to a central weld chamber and to a radial edge of the relevant insert.

[0035] During operation, the mold body 42 and the inserts 50, 68 are aligned as illustrated in FIG. 1, with the channels 54, 56, 58, 62 aligned with the channels 72, 74, 76, 78 to receive and contain conductors, such as copper cables or rods (not shown), in an X-type pattern. With the inserts 50, 68 thus aligned, the weld cavities 60, 80 are also aligned, as also noted above, in order to receive and contain molten welding material. In the embodiment illustrated, the mold body 42 and the inserts 50, 68 generally define a set of parting lines 88, 90, which are generally transverse to the elongate direction of the system 40. As appropriate, the mold body 42 and the inserts 50, 68 can then be secured together, such as by a clamping device 92 (e.g., configured as a clamping cam).

[0036] With the system 40 thus arranged, exothermic welding material, such as in powdered mixtures, self-container crucible containers, or compressed tablets, can then be ignited within the crucible chamber 44. The resulting molten welding material can then flow through the tap hole 46 into the weld cavities 60, 80 in order to form an exothermic weld.

[0037] In other embodiments, other configurations are possible. For example, a different set or number of inserts can be used in order to form a different type of connection (e.g., T-type, parallel, axial, and X-type connections). Further, due to the interchangeability of the inserts, more non-traditional connections, such as Y-type connections of various angles are also contemplated. In some embodiments, other types of clamping devices can be used. In some embodiments, parting lines of a weld system according to the invention may not necessarily be horizontal.

[0038] As also noted generally above, the system 40 can be operated relatively easily, as compared to conventional systems, with relatively fewer parts, in order to provide a relatively high quality weld. For example, due to the solid configuration of the inserts 50, 68, users can relatively quickly assemble the system 40 for operation, particularly as compared to the time that may be required to appropriate align fibrous batting. Further, for example, with the crucible 44 and the tap hole 46 standardized based on weld material or weld size, the remaining variables of a desired weld connection, such as conductor size and connection type, can be determined by a customizable variety of configurations for the inserts 50, 68. Thus, the user can invest in a single mold (e.g., the mold body 42), and an associated support frame (not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) as needed, and can then stock a variety of inserts of various connection configurations, in order to be equipped to adaptably form a wide variety of welded connections.

[0039] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate another example embodiment of the invention, configured as a welding system 100. Generally, the welding system 100 includes similar components to the welding system 40 (see FIG. 2), and can be operated in a similar way. In some respects, however, the welding system 40 and the welding system 100 differ from each other, including as discussed below.

[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 4 in particular, the welding system 100 includes a mold body 102 and a lid 104, such as may be formed from graphite, with the lid 104 attached to the mold body 102 with a metal hinge l04a. The mold body 102 is configured generally similarly to the mold body 42 of FIG. 2, with an internal crucible chamber (not shown) and a tap hole (not shown) to direct molten material from the crucible chamber out of the mold body 102.

[0041] The system 100 also includes a base 106 that can be formed from graphite, ceramic, or other materials, and a support frame 108 that can be formed from graphite, steel, or other materials. To hold the base 106 in place, the support frame 108 includes a set of discrete, partially annular support walls 110 that partially define a cylindrical cavity to receive the base 106. The support frame 108 also includes a clamp rail 112 that slidably supports a clamping device configured as a manual clamp 114, which can selectively dispose and lock the mold body 102 at different heights relative to the base 106.

[0042] To provide easy customizability for different desired welded connections, the system 100 also includes a removable top insert 120, which is configured as a disposable solid body 122 that can, for example, be formed from graphite, ceramic, or other materials. The insert body 122 exhibits a cylindrical outer profile that generally matches that of the mold body 102, and also includes recesses defining a set of channels 124, 126 across from each other and at least one other channel 130, shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, substantially perpendicular to the set of channels 124, 126. As shown here, the channels 124, 126, 130 are configured to receive a round conductor and have a half-cylindrical shape. It is contemplated that the channels 124, 126, 130 can have other shapes, such as to accommodate conductors with different cross-sectional shapes.

[0043] A weld cavity 128 of the insert body 122 is open to the channels 124, 126, 130 and is also configured to receive molten welding material from the tap hole of the mold body 122, when the insert 120 is appropriately aligned with the mold body 122. Accordingly, welding material from the crucible chamber of the mold body 102 can flow from the mold body 102 into the weld cavity 128, and thereby to the channels 124, 126, 130, depending on the degree to which the channels are filled by other objects (e.g., a conductor).

[0044] In the embodiment illustrated, each of the channels 124, 126, 130 of the insert body 122 exhibits a half-cylindrical profile, and the weld cavity 128 is configured as a single cylindrical cavity. In other embodiments, other configurations are possible, including non-cylindrical weld cavities, non-cylindrical channel profiles, channel profiles with less or more than a half-cylindrical circumferential extent, and so on. Similarly, each of the channels 124, 126, 130 are shown as open channels that can be paired with corresponding other channels (e.g., on a bottom insert, as discussed below) to form a fully closed channel. In other embodiments, however, other configurations are possible, including configurations in which certain channels are open only to a central weld chamber and to a radial edge of the relevant insert.

[0045] The welding system 100 also includes a removable bottom insert 136, which is configured as a disposable solid body 138 that can, for example, also be formed from graphite, ceramic, or other materials. In the embodiment illustrated, the bottom insert 138 is substantially similar (e.g., substantially identical) to the top insert 120. For example, the insert body 138 also exhibits a cylindrical outer profile that generally matches that of the mold body 102, and includes recesses defining a set of channels 140, 142 across from each other and at least one other channel 146, shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, substantially perpendicular to the set of channels 140, 142. As shown here, the channels 140, 142, 146 are configured to receive a round conductor and have a half-cylindrical shape. It is contemplated, however, that the channels 140, 142, 146 can have other shapes, such as to accommodate conductors with different cross-sectional shapes. [0046] A weld cavity 144 of the insert body 138 is open to the channels 140, 142, 146 and is configured to be aligned with the weld cavity 128 in order to substantially contain molten welding material as the welding material cools. Accordingly, welding material from the weld cavity 128 of the insert body 122 into the weld cavity 144, and thereby to the channels 140, 142, 146, depending on the degree to which the channels are filled by other objects (e.g., a conductor).

[0047] In the embodiment illustrated, each of the channels 140, 142, 146 of the insert body 138 exhibits a half-cylindrical profile, and the weld cavity 144 is configured as a single cavity with a generally circular cross-section. In other embodiments, other configurations are possible, including non-circular weld cavities, non-cylindrical channel profiles, channel profiles with less or more than a half-cylindrical circumferential extent, and so on. Similarly, each of the channels 140, 142, 146 are shown as open channels that can be paired with corresponding other channels (e.g., on another insert, as discussed below) to form a fully closed channel. In other embodiments, however, other configurations are possible, including configurations in which certain channels are open only to a central weld chamber and to a radial edge of the relevant insert.

[0048] In some embodiments, sets of top and bottom (or other) inserts can be configured as substantially identical and interchangeable bodies. For example, in some embodiments, the insert bodies 122, 138 can be formed from the same mold. Then, to use as part of the system 100 or other welding systems, one of the insert bodies 122, 138 can be flipped 180 degrees (e.g., inverted relative to gravity) and rotated 180 degrees relative to the other (e.g., around a central axis) to align the respective channels of the two insert bodies 122, 138 to cooperatively receive conductors for welding.

[0049] During operation, the base 106 and the inserts 120, 136 can be inserted into the cavity defined by the support walls 110, in order to align the channels 124, 126, 130 with the channels 140, 142, 146 and to align the base 106 and the inserts 120, 136, generally, with the mold body 102. The clamp 114 can then be slid along the clamp rail 112 and locked in place in order to operationally clamp the inserts 120, 136 between the base 106 and the mold body 102. As such, the base 106 and the inserts 120, 136 can generally define a set of parting lines 148, 150, which, in the embodiment illustrated, are generally transverse to the elongate direction of the system 100 (e.g., horizontal relative to gravity). A similar parting line (not shown) can also be formed between the insert 120 and the mold body 102.

[0050] With the system 100 thus arranged, exothermic welding material, such as may be provided in powdered mixtures, self-container crucible containers, or compressed tablets, can then be ignited within the crucible chamber of the mold body 102. The resulting molten welding material can then flow through the tap hole of the mold body 102 into the weld cavities 128, 144 in order to form an exothermic weld for conductors contained therein.

[0051] In other embodiments, other configurations are possible. For example, a different set or number of inserts can be used in order to form a different type of connection (e.g., T-type, parallel, axial, and X-type connections). Further, due to the disposability and interchangeability of the inserts, more non-traditional connections, such as Y-type connections of various angles are also contemplated. In some embodiments, other types of clamping devices can be used. In some embodiments, parting lines of a weld system according to the invention may not necessarily be horizontal.

[0052] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate another example embodiment of the invention, configured as a welding system 160. Generally, the welding system 160 includes similar components to the welding system 100 (see FIGS. 4 and 5A-C), and can be operated in a similar way. For example, similarly to the welding system 100, the welding system 160 includes a mold body 162 with a hinged lid 164, a base 166 engaged with a support frame 168, and a clamping device configured as a manual clamp 172 on a clamp rail 170. Likewise, the welding system 160 includes a generally cylindrical top insert 178 with channels 180A, 180B, 180C and a cylindrical weld cavity 182, and a generally cylindrical bottom insert 184 with channels 186A, 186B, 186C and a cylindrical weld cavity 188. As shown here, the channels 180A, 180B, 180C, 186A, 186B, 186C are configured to receive a round conductor and have a half-cylindrical shape. It is contemplated that the channels 180A, 180B, 180C, 186A, 186B, 186C, as with other channels discussed above, can have other shapes to accommodate conductors with different cross-sectional shapes. Generally, these components of the welding system 160 can be disposed and operated similarly to corresponding components in the welding system 100, in order to create high quality exothermic welds. [0053] In some respects, however, the welding system 100 and the welding system 160 differ from each other. For example, the support frame 168 of the welding system 160 is secured directly to the base 166 and does not include, in the embodiment illustrated, side support walls such as the support walls 110 (see FIG. 4). In this regard, for example, the base 166 includes a base protrusion 174, configured as a constant or tapered-diameter cylindrical (e.g., frustoconical) extension above a main portion of the base 166 to help secure the inserts 178, 184 in place and close the welding cavities 182, 188 against egress of molten welding material. When the inserts 178, 184 are disposed on the base 166 for operation, the protrusion 174 can extend at least partly into the weld cavity 188 of the bottom insert 184. In other embodiments, support walls and a base protrusion may be provided to aid in retaining the inserts in place and aligned with each other.

[0054] As noted above, in some embodiments, sets of inserts according to the invention can be configured to be substantially identical to each other, so as to be interchangeable during operation. In the welding system 160, for example, the inserts 178, 184 are substantially identical and interchangeable. Further, the inserts 178, 184 are formed to provide different portions of a composite weld chamber and conductor channels depending on the orientation of the inserts 178, 184. Accordingly, for example, to use the inserts 178, 184 as part of the system 160 or other welding systems, one of the inserts 178, 184 can be flipped 180 degrees (e.g., inverted relative to a reference configuration) and then one or both of the inserts 178, 184 can be rotated 180 degrees, collectively, to align the respective channels to receive conductors to be welded (i.e., for operation of the welding system 160).

[0055] Additionally, to further assist in aligning and securing the inserts 178, 184, each of the inserts 178, 184 includes an identical keying pattern of protrusions 190 and recesses 192 disposed on the same side of the inserts 178, 184 as the channels 180, 186. Usefully, when one of the inserts 178, 184 is flipped 180 degrees and then rotated by 180 degrees relative to the other of the inserts 184, 178, the protrusions 190 can be generally aligned to be received within the corresponding recesses 192, thereby ensuring alignment of the inserts 178, 184 in the appropriate relative orientations. In some arrangements, protrusions and recesses as described with respect to the embodiment shown FIG. 6 may also be applied to any of the other embodiments described herein. Similarly, other shapes, sizes, numbers, orientations, and patterns of keying features can be used in other embodiments. [0056] Inserts for welding systems, and welding systems generally, can be formed in a variety of ways. For example, FIG. 8 provides a schematic representation of a method of forming an insert according to an embodiment of the present invention. Graphite powder and sodium silicate (or another binder) are first mixed 300 to form an insert mixture. In some embodiments, the ratio of graphite powder to sodium silicate (or other binder) can be 2: 1, although appropriate mixtures can be obtained with other ratios. Similarly, although some embodiments may use only (or primarily) graphite powder and a single binder, other embodiments can use other combinations of substances.

[0057] Once composed, the insert mixture is compressed 310 into a preferred insert shape, such as one of the shapes described above. In some embodiments, an insert of a particular configuration can be formed by compressing a mixture (e.g., graphite powder and sodium silicate) within a reusable (e.g., machined metal) mold, such that the particular configuration of insert can be readily produced in large quantities. In some embodiments, other techniques can also be used to form a particular insert shape, such as additive manufacturing techniques or others. Once formed, the compressed (or otherwise shaped) insert mixture is then baked 320 to catalyze curing processes, and then allowed to rest 330, such as may usefully permit off-gassing or other maturing processes.

[0058] In some embodiments, graphite powder for formation of a welding insert can be obtained as scrap powder. In this regard, for example, use of a method such as illustrated in FIG. 8 can lead to substantial cost savings, as well as other improvements, as compared to conventional techniques to form weld molds.

[0059] Thus, the disclosed welding systems and corresponding methods can provide improved quality and adaptability in weld formation as compared to conventional systems. For example, through the use of disposable solid inserts and reusable solid mold bodies, relatively high quality welds can be formed quickly and relatively easily, with a wide variety of configurations.

[0060] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein and as set forth in the following claims.