Receptacles – Compartmented container – Cells
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-25
2001-09-18
Heinrich, Samuel M. (Department: 1725)
Receptacles
Compartmented container
Cells
C220S553000, C220S612000, C220S678000, C219S121630, C228S184000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290085
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metallic partitioned closed container suited as various storage cases for storing hydrogen storage alloy and the like or as various pressure containers such as a tank mounted on a tank lorry and to a manufacturing method thereof and a pressure container.
It is noted that the term “aluminum” is used in the meaning of containing its alloy in this specification.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional partitioned closed container comprising a cylindrical main body, a partition provided within the main body in a body therewith in the longitudinal direction and lids for closing openings of the main body has been sealed up by joining the lids with the main body from the outer peripheral surface by means of TIG welding or MIG welding after attaching the lids to the openings of the main body.
However, the partitioned closed container thus obtained has had the following problems. That is, it has had a problem that when it is fabricated by the TIG or MIG welding, its content is affected by heat because the high temperature heat is generated during the welding and that cracks occur at the welded section due to thermal stress by receiving rapid heating and cooling thermal cycles. Further, because the lids have been joined only with the main body in the above-mentioned partitioned closed container, the joining strength of the lids is low and the container is uncertain in terms of its strength. When a thick or high strength and highly rigid lid is used to assure the reliability of the lid in terms of its strength on the other hand, there arises a problem that the weight and the cost of the container increase.
Meanwhile, a conventional partitioned closed container comprising a cylindrical main body, a partition provided within the main body traversely so as to part the main body in the longitudinal direction and lids for closing openings of the main body has had problems that because it is sealed up by the TIG or MIG welding in the same manner with that described above, its content is affected during the welding or cracks occur at the welded section.
Further, it has been cumbersome to fabricate the two partitioned closed containers described above because the joining works have to be carried out from the inside of the main body in joining the partition to the inner peripheral surface of the main body by the TIG or MIG welding. When the container is small, it has been difficult even to insert a welding apparatus to the inside of the main body.
The invention has been devised in view of those problems and its object is to provide a partitioned closed container which is joined well and can assure the reliability in terms of strength without increasing the weight and the cost.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a partitioned closed container which allows to prevent its content from being affected by heat generated during joining.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objects, an inventive partitioned closed container comprises a cylindrical main body, a partition provided within the main body in a body therewith along the longitudinal direction thereof and lids for closing openings of the main body and is characterized in that the lids are joined with the main body and the partition by means of frictional agitating joining or laser welding.
Because the lids are joined with the main body and the partition, the joining strength of the lids is high and the reliability of the lids in terms of strength is high. Accordingly, because it is not necessary to use a thick or a high strength and highly rigid lid as the lids, it is possible to prevent the weight and the cost from increasing.
Further, according to the invention, frictional agitating joining or laser welding is employed as joining means for joining the lids with the main body and the partition.
In joining the lids with the main body and the partition by means of the frictional agitating joining, a probe provided in a joining tool for frictional agitating joining is inserted to the outer surface of the lid from the outside of the main body while rotating the probe. The insertion is carried out by penetrating through the lid by the edge of the probe by softening the lid by frictional heat and by inserting to the end surface of the main body and the partition until when the end surface of the main body and the partition is softened. Then, the probe is moved relatively to the main body and the partition along the end surface of the main body and the partition in this state. Thereby, the lids may be joined with the main body and the partition.
In joining the lids with the main body and the partition by means of laser welding, a laser beam is irradiated to the outer surface of the lid from the outside of the main body. The laser beam is irradiated to the end surface of the main body and the partition by penetrating through the lid while melting the lid until when the end surface of the main body and the partition melts. Then, the beam is moved relatively to the main body and the partition along the end surface of the main body and the partition in this state.
Accordingly, the manufacturing work may be facilitated because the joining works may be carried out from the outside of the main body in joining the lids with the main body and the partition by using the frictional agitating joining or the laser welding as joining means for joining the lids with the main body and the partition.
It is preferable to use a slab laser whose resonator section is slab as a source of heat of the laser welding. A gas slab laser whose laser medium is gas or a solid slab laser whose laser medium is solid may be cited as such slab laser. Because such slab laser allows high output laser to be generated, the use of the slab laser allows the welding rate to be increased and the efficiency of the joining work to be improved. Further, because it allows very deep penetration to be obtained as compared to the laser welding, the MIG welding and TIG welding using a rod laser whose resonator section is rod-like as a source of heat, the lids may be joined firmly with the main body and the partition and as a result, the tightness may be enhanced.
It is especially desirable to employ the frictional agitating joining between the frictional agitating joining and the laser welding as joining means by the following reasons. That is, because the frictional agitating joining is one of solid-phase joining, it causes no crack at the joined section, which otherwise occurs by thermal stress by receiving rapid heating and cooling thermal cycles like the case of fusion welding such as MIG and MIG welding, and realizes the good joining state. Further, because the frictional agitating joining causes less heat during joining, it allows to prevent the content from being affected by heat generated during the joining even when the content is stored within the closed container.
Another inventive partitioned closed container comprises a cylindrical main body, a partition provided within the main body so as to part it along the longitudinal direction thereof and lids for closing openings of the main body and is characterized in that the partition is joined to the main body by means of frictional agitating joining or laser welding and the lids are joined with the main body by means of frictional agitating joining or laser welding.
Because the partition is joined with the main body and the lids are joined with the main body, the reliability of the whole container in terms of strength becomes is enhanced.
Still more, the use of the frictional agitating joining or the laser welding as the joining means for joining the partition with the main body and as the joining means for joining the lids with the main body allows the manufacturing works to be facilitated because both of the joining operation for joining the partition with the main body and the joining operation for joining the lids with the main body may be carried out from the outside of the ma
Heinrich Samuel M.
Showa Denko K.K.
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