1. A method of friction plug welding repair comprising the steps of:
a) locating a defect in a weld that joins two sections of material together;
b) removing weld material at the defect to form an opening;
c) placing a plug in the opening, wherein the plug has top and bottom end portions, the top end portion being tapered and larger in diameter than the opening, wherein the top end portion has two sections including a gradually tapering section and a rapidly tapering section, said rapidly tapering section defining the maximum diameter of the top end portion;
d) pulling the bottom end portion of the plug so that the top end portion of the plug engages the opening; and
e) rotating the plug to heat up the plug during pulling of step d.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein in step c, the plug top end portions includes two separate sections including a frustoconical smaller diameter section and a larger diameter section.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the defect in step a is less than one inch in length.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of placing a backing plate member against the sections of material.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein step b includes drilling a hole to form the opening.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the opening formed in step b is a tapered opening.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the opening has a maximum diameter, and the top end portion of the plug has a section with a diameter larger than said opening maximum diameter.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plug top end portion has a gradually tapering section along a majority of the length of the top end portion, and a rapidly tapering section of maximum diameter that extends over a minority of the length of the top end portion.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the top end portion includes an annular curved surface.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the curved surface has a radius of less than inches.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the curved surface has a radius of less than about {fraction (316)} inches.
12. A method of friction plug welding repair comprising the steps of:
a) locating a defect in a weld that joins two sections of material together;
b) removing weld material at the defect to form an opening;
c) placing a plug in the opening, the plug having top and bottom end portions, the top end portion being generally frustoconically shaped at least in part, the top end portion having an enlarged diameter tapered portion that is larger in diameter than the frustoconical section’s largest diameter;
d) pulling the bottom end portion of the plug so that the top end portion of the plug engages the opening; and
e) rotating the plug with sufficient revolutions per unit time that the combined effect of the enlarged diameter of the plug at the top end and the rotation enables the plug to heat up the plug top, and wherein the plug top provides radial and axial pressure.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the plug is rotated in step e at between 1,000 and 7,000 revolutions per minute.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the plug is rotated instep e at between 1,000 and 7,000 revolutions per minute.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein the plug is pulled in step d with a tension of between 1,000 and 20,000 pounds.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein the plug is pulled in step d with a tension of between 1,000 and 20,000 pounds.
17. A method of friction plug welding repair comprising the steps of:
a) locating a defect in a weld that joins two sections of material together;
b) removing weld material at the defect to form an opening;
c) placing a tapered plug in the opening, a first end of the plug having an annular curved portion that defines the greatest amount of taper per unit length of the plug;
d) pulling a second end portion of plug so that the first end portion of the plug engages the opening; and
e) rotating the plug to heat up the plug at the first end during the pulling step d.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the plug is rotated in step e at between about 1,000 and 7,000 revolutions per minute.
19. The method of claim 17 wherein the plug is rotated in step e at between about 1,000 and 7,000 revolutions per minute.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein the plug is pulled in step d with a tension of between about 1,000 and 20,000 pounds.
21. The method of claim 17 wherein the plug is pulled in step d with a tension of between about 1,000 and 20,000 pounds.
22. A friction pull plug welding apparatus for repairing a defect in a weld that has been removed, leaving a defect opening in the weld, comprising;
a) a rotary tool;
b) a chuck that is supported by the rotary tool;
c) a backing member;
d) a pull plug body that fits the defect opening, wherein the pull plug includes first and second sections, the first section being sized and shaped to fit through the defect opening, the second section having a part that is sized and shaped to not fit through the opening, said second section including a maximum diameter portion with an annular surface that rapidly increases in diameter when measured longitudinally and when compared to the overall length of the pull plug body.
23. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the rotary tool rotates at between about 4000-6000 revolutions per minute during use.
24. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the rotary tool rotates at least about 4000 revolutions per minute during use.
25. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the chuck has a tensile strength of at least 1,000 pounds.
26. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the chuck has a tensile strength of between about 1,000 and 20,000 pounds.
27. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the chuck and pull plug body are removably connectable.
28. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the chuck and pull plug body are removably connectable with a threaded connection.
29. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the pull plug body annular surface is a curved annular surface.
30. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the pull plug body annular surface is a curved annular surface having a cross section with a radius of curvature of less than one inch.
31. The friction pull plug welding apparatus of claim 22 wherein the pull plug body annular surface is a curved annular surface having a cross section with a radius of curvature of about three sixteenths inches.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Stripping tool for a coaxial cable, said cable comprising a jacket, a non-helically corrugated outer conductor comprising a repeated pattern of crests and valleys and a dielectric material between said outer conductor and an inner conductor, said tool comprising means for cutting off the jacket, the outer conductor, the dielectric material between the outer conductor and inner conductor and the inner conductor at well-defined relative positions in the longitudinal direction of the cable, characterised in that a guide part (10) is provided for determining a well-defined position relative to said pattern of the corrugation of the outer conductor (9), such that said relative cut-off-positions are defined relative to this pattern.
2. Stripping tool according to claim 1, characterised in that said guide part (10) comprises at least one position-determining member (12, 13, 14, 16), a part (16) of which member being adapted to sense the longitudinal position of said valleys of the corrugation of the outer conductor (9).
3. Stripping tool according to claim 1, characterised in that said guide part (10) comprises at least one position determining member (12, 13, 14, 16), a part (16) of which member being adapted to sense the longitudinal position of said crests of the corrugation of the outer conductor (9).
4. Stripping tool according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that said guide part (10) comprises a radially resilient tubular body, the outer circumferential surface of which is subdivided into a first region (12) with a first diameter, a second region (14), the diameter of which can be either equal to the diameter of said first region or different herefrom, and a third region forming a radially outwardly extending abutment surface (13).
5. Stripping tool according to claim 4, characterised in that said first (12), second (14) and third (13) regions are provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending slits (15) through the wall of said guide part (10) in order to provide said radial resiliency, and that said guide part (10) at the longitudinal end hereof adjoining said second region (14) is provided with a resilient tubular section (11)
6. Stripping tool according to any of the preceding claims characterised in that the inner diameter of said guide part (10) corresponds to the outer diameter of the coaxial cable.
7. Stripping tool according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it furthermore comprises a jacket cutting means (1) for removing the jacket (7) of the cable over a predetermined longitudinal distance (I, X2) from one end (8) of the cable, where said jacket cutting means (1) comprises a tubular body (2), the inner diameter of which corresponds to the outer diameter of the cable, where said tubular body (2) is open at one of its longitudinal ends (3) and completely or partially closed by an end wall (4) at the opposite longitudinal end, and which tubular body (2) on the inner circumferential surface is provided with a cutting means (5) for stripping the jacket (7) of the cable.
8. Stripping tool according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it furthermore comprises a second cutting means (18) for cutting the outer conductor (9), the inner conductor (31) and the dielectric material (32) off at predetermined longitudinal positions relative to said pattern of the corrugated outer conductor (9), where said second cutting means (18) is formed as a tubular body comprising a first longitudinal section (21) of the inner circumferential wall of said body, the diameter of which first section (21) corresponds to the outer diameter of said first region (12) of the guide part (10), and where said first longitudinal section (21) is provided with an end face (29) such that this end face (29), during use of the stripping tool, is brought into contact with said abutment surface (13) of the guide part (10), whereby said predetermined longitudinal positions relative to the pattern of the corrugated outer conductor (9) are determined, and where said second cutting means (18) in its interior and coaxially herewith is provided with cutter means (26) comprising two cutting edges (22, 23), the longitudinal distance (d) between which corresponds to the longitudinal distance between the end (B) of the outer conductor (9) and the end of the inner conductor (31) and the insulating material (32), and where said second cutting means (18) is furthermore provided with a coaxially extending guide shaft (19) to be inserted into the hollow inner conductor (31) during use of the stripping tool.
9. A method for stripping a coaxial cable comprising a non-helically corrugated outer conductor (9) and a hollow inner conductor (31) using the stripping tool according to any of the preceding claims, where said method comprises the following steps:
(a) Stripping a predetermined length of said jacket (7) by inserting the end of the cable into the open end (3) of said jacket cutting means (1) to a point where the end of the cable is brought into contact with the cutting edge (6) of the cutting means (5) provided within the jacket cutting means (1), whereafter the jacket cutting means (1) is rotated relative to the cable, the cable being still advanced longitudinally within the jacket cutting means (1), until the end of the cable reaches the end wall (4) of the jacket cutting means (1);
(b) Removal of the jacket cutting means (1) from the end of the cable;
(c) Inserting the end of the cable into that open end of the guide part (10) furthest away from the position-determining tongues (16) to a longitudinal position, where said tongues (16) fit into that valley (17) of the corrugation on the outer conductor (9) which is closest to the end of the jacket (7), thereby obtaining a well-defined longitudinal position of the abutment surface (13) relative to this valley (17),
(d) Inserting the first longitudinal section (21) of the second cutting means (18) over the first region (12) of the guide part (10), and when a point is reached where the inner conductor (31) and the insulating material (32) is brought into contact with the first cutting edge (22) provided on the cutter means (26) rotating said second cutting means (18) relative to the guide part (10) and still advancing said second cutting means (18) longitudinally relative to the guide part (10) until the end face (29) of the second cutting means (18) is brought into contact with the abutment surface (13) provided on the guide part (10);
(e) Finally removing the second cutting means (18) and the guide part (10) from the finished cable.
10. A method according to claim 9, where step (c) is replaced by the following step:
(f) Inserting the end of the cable into that open end of the guide part (10) furthest away from the position-determining tongues (16) to a longitudinal position where said tongues (16) fit into that crest (33) of the corrugation on the outer conductor (9) which is closest to the end of the outer conductor (9), thereby obtaining a well-defined longitudinal position of the abutment surface (13) relative to this crest (33).