Simultaneous welding of tube bundles to plate - is achieved by plastic deformation made by liquid contained spark discharges from switched capacitor bank

摘要

The simultaneous welding procedure is for metal tubes, by plastic deformation, and to a common plate as in vehicle radiators, condensors, evaporators etc. The tubes can be welded to two such plates, one upper and one lower, the method being based on the simultaneous generation of shock waves within the tubes by an electric discharge through a liquid (8) within and around them. The tubes are positioned in the required pattern by a cross-support (13) securing insulators (10) within the tubes which are inserted through holes in the plate or plates (2, 3). The lower tube edges are seated over similar insulators (7). Both insulator sets carry electrodes (6, 12) whose spark-gaps are at the level of the plates. The spark energy source consists of a switched capacitor bank connected (5, 19) across the parallel connected electrodes.