Metal fusion bonding – Including means to apply flux or filler to work or applicator – Gaseous flux
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-21
2004-01-13
Elve, M. Alexandra (Department: 1725)
Metal fusion bonding
Including means to apply flux or filler to work or applicator
Gaseous flux
C228S039000, C228S008000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06676006
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flux supply device, and particularly to a flux supply device and a liquid flux supply method for supplying a mixed gas to a brazing apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIG. 8
is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a conventional brazing apparatus.
Referring to
FIG. 8
, the flux storage tank
11
, shaped like a bottle having an observation hatch
13
, contains about 1.5 liters of liquid flux
15
. A gas blow-in pipe
18
is attached to the lid
14
of the flux storage tank
11
, with the lower end of the gas blow-in pipe
18
located below the surface level S
1
of the liquid flux
15
. The gas blow-in pipe
18
is connected through a gas pipe
19
and a manual valve
70
to a combustible gas cylinder
67
charged with a combustible gas such as propane, acetylene, etc.
In the use of the gas flux, the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
diminishes. Therefore a liquid flux replenishing device is provided to replenish the liquid flux. This liquid flux replenishing device includes a replenishing tank
25
as its major component. That is to say, the liquid flux replenishing device is composed of: the replenishing tank
25
containing the liquid flux
15
; a first pipe
41
connected to the opening
26
of the replenishing tank
25
; a first manual valve
31
connected to the lower end of the first pipe
41
; a second pipe
42
connected to the lower end of the first manual valve
31
; a cam lock coupling
32
allowing the second pipe
42
to be attached and removed; a third pipe
65
connected to the lower end of the cam lock coupling
32
; a second manual valve
35
connected to the lower end of the third pipe
65
; and a liquid flux supply pipe
17
connected to the lower end of the second manual valve
35
and disposed to protrude in the flux storage tank
11
through the lid
14
.
When the first and second manual valves
31
and
35
are both opened, the liquid flux
15
contained in the replenishing tank
25
is supplied into the flux storage tank
11
through the first pipe
41
, second pipe
42
, third pipe
65
, and liquid flux supply pipe
17
. The surface level S
1
of the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
is thus defined by the position of the lower end of the liquid flux supply pipe
17
.
An outlet
21
is attached to the lid
14
of the flux storage tank
11
to send out the mixed gas produced in the flux storage tank
11
, and a mixed gas pipe
20
is connected to the outlet
21
and to an automatic brazing apparatus
76
via a manual valve
72
.
The automatic brazing apparatus
76
is connected to a burning-supporting gas cylinder
68
charged with a burning-supporting gas such as oxygen through a burning-supporting gas pipe
74
and a manual valve
73
.
Next, the use of this flux supply device is described.
When using the automatic brazing apparatus
76
, the manual valves
70
and
72
are opened to supply the mixed gas composed of the gas flux produced through vaporization (gasification) of the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
and the combustible gas from the combustible gas cylinder
67
to the automatic brazing apparatus
76
through the mixed gas pipe
20
. The manual valve
73
is also opened to supply the burning-supporting gas in the burning-supporting gas cylinder
68
to the automatic brazing apparatus
76
through the burning-supporting gas pipe
74
.
The combustible gas supplied from the combustible gas cylinder
67
is discharged into the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
from the lower end of the gas blow-in pipe
18
. This discharge causes part of the liquid flux
15
to vaporize to produce the gas flux, which forms the mixed gas in the flux storage tank
11
together with the combustible gas supplied from the gas blow-in pipe
18
.
This mixed gas is sent out from the flux storage tank
11
through the outlet
21
and supplied to the automatic brazing apparatus
76
through the mixed gas pipe
20
. When the automatic brazing apparatus
76
is in operation, the liquid flux
15
stored in the flux storage tank
11
vaporizes and thus gradually diminishes. Hence, in order to fill up the reduction of the liquid flux
15
, the first and second manual valves
31
and
35
of the liquid flux replenishing device are kept open.
Accordingly, as the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
diminishes and its surface level S
1
lowers, the liquid flux
15
contained in the replenishing tank
25
is soon supplied into the flux storage tank
11
through the liquid flux supply pipe
17
. Thus, as long as the liquid flux
15
is contained in the liquid flux replenishing device, the surface level S
1
of the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
is always kept unchanged, so that the mixed gas can be continuously supplied to the automatic brazing apparatus
76
.
When the liquid flux
15
contained in the liquid flux replenishing device runs low, the replenishing tank
25
must be replaced by a new one. For the replacement, first, the first manual valve
31
and the second manual valve
35
are both closed. Next, the cam lock coupling
32
is operated to separate the second pipe
42
and the components attached on it from the cam lock coupling
32
. In this condition, the first manual valve
31
is closed, so that the liquid flux, possibly remaining in the first pipe
41
etc., will not leak out.
Then the opening
26
of the replenishing tank
25
is removed from the first pipe
41
and a new replenishing tank
25
filled with the liquid flux
15
is connected to the first pipe
41
. The cam lock coupling
32
is then operated to connect the second pipe
42
to the cam lock coupling
32
, and then the first manual valve
31
and the second manual valve
35
are both opened. The liquid flux
15
in the new replenishing tank
25
is thus supplied into the flux storage tank
11
through the liquid flux supply pipe
17
, so that the mixed gas can always be supplied continuously to the automatic brazing apparatus
76
from the flux storage tank
11
.
The above-described conventional flux supply device encounters no particular problem during ordinary operation of the automatic brazing apparatus
76
. However, a problem arises when the brazing work with the automatic brazing apparatus
76
is stopped at the end of the working hours or when the automatic brazing apparatus
76
is started on the next day, for example.
For example, when the brazing work is finished at the end of the working hours, the operation of the automatic brazing apparatus
76
is stopped and the manual valves
70
,
72
and
73
are closed. On the next day, when the manual valves
70
,
72
and
73
are opened to use the automatic brazing apparatus
76
, the surface level S
1
of the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
may considerably vary.
Now the pressure equilibrium condition between the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
and the liquid flux
15
in the replenishing tank
25
is described first. When the pressure in the space above the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
is taken as P
1
(normally 1 Kg/cm
2
or lower), the pressure in the space above the liquid flux
15
in the replenishing tank
25
as P
2
, the vertical distance between the surface level S
1
of the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
and the surface level S
2
of the liquid flux
15
in the replenishing tank
25
as H, the density of the liquid flux
15
as &rgr;, and the acceleration of gravity as &rgr;, then
P
1
=H&rgr;g+P
2
The condition at the beginning of the operation as described on the above is now considered on the basis of this equation. First, when the manual valve
70
is opened at the beginning of operation, the pressure P
1
in the flux storage tank
11
rises as the combustible gas is discharged through the gas blow-in pipe
18
. This forces the vertical distance H to increase in the equation above, and as a result the liquid flux
15
in the flux storage tank
11
will go up in the
Cooke Colleen P.
Daishin Industrial Co., Ltd.
Elve M. Alexandra
Rabin & Berdo P.C.
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