The device of automatic directing to joint and focusing of the beam in electron-beam welding

Physical, technological and power characteristics of the Electron Beam Welding (EBW) support its application in those circumstances that require greater focus on features and quality of the welding joints and overall improved weight and robustness aspects for individual joints of an object. At the same time, those characteristics of the EBW establish it as a complicated process that results from multiple factors interacting with one another. The quality of a welding joint depends on the precision of the beam alignment with the joint plane and the positioning of the minimum section (focus) of the electron beam in the welding channel. These factors have a significant impact on the welding depth, the shape of the seam and presence of defects in it. The challenge of providing precise positioning of the beam along the joint of the welded parts is especially critical during the welding of long joints of large construction parts. This level of precision requires reliance on equipment for automatic beam alignment with the seam. Dispersion and re-reflection of the electrons in the beam leads to the loss of focus for the beam during the stable current of the focusing system. To obtain the data for the beam’s position at the seam and the position of the beam’s focus at the welding surface, we use a phenomena closely associated with the EBW, such as the secondary electron emission and the X-ray radiation in the welding area. We are presenting a functional diagram of a device for the automatic positioning and focusing of the electron beam.