Fabricating of structural steel members or units

Claim 1

A FLAME-PUNCHING HOLE CUTTING DEVICE FOR PIERCING METAL COMPRISING AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE BODY HAVING A VERTICAL EXHAUST HOLE, MANIFOLD MEANS FOR RECEIVING AND DISTRIBUTING COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GASES, AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE INNER SLEEVE FITTED INTO THE EXHAUST HOLE AND PROVIDING IN COOPERATION WITH THE WALL SURFACE OF THE EXHAUST HOLE AN ANNULAR SLOT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID MANIFOLD MEANS FOR DELIVERING DOWNWARDLY AN ANNULAR SHEET OF COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS AGAINST THE WORK METAL, ELECTRIC TERMINAL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONDUCTIVE BODY AND FORMING ONE LEG OF AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT THAT CONTINUES THROUGH SAID INNER SLEEVE, SAID INNER SLEEVE PROVIDING AN ELECTRIC ARC HEATING MEANS DEPENDING INTO THE EXHAUST HOLE, NON-CONDUCTIVE MEANS PROJECTING FROM THE BOTTOM FACE OF SAID ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE BODY TO SUPPORT THE ARC HEATING MEANS AND SAID BODY ABOVE THE METAL WORK SURFACE, SAID ARC HEATING MEANS SERVING TO INITIATE AND BRING THE METAL TO A WHITE HEAT SO THAT COMBUSTION OF THE WORK WILL BE SUSTAINED AND INTENSIFIED BY THE APPLICATION OF THE COMBUSTION-SUPPORTING GAS, A SUPPORT BLOCK OF OPPOSITE ELECTRIC POLARITY SERVING TO PROVIDE AN OPPOSITE FORCE AGAINST THE WORK METAL AND HAVING A RECEIVING HOLE OUTLINING A GAS CUTTING SLOT EFFECTED BY THE COMBUSTION SUPPORTING GAS, THE PRODUCTS OF COMBUSTION BEING EXHAUSTED THROUGH THE INNER SLEEVE AND VERTICAL EXHAUST HOLE OF THE CONDUCTIVE BODY AND THE SLAG AND WASTE BEING PASSED THROUGH THE RECEIVING HOLE OF THE SUPPORT BLOCK.